Volume 12 Issue 12
December 2014
A social club of mature men and those who enjoy their company
President's Message by Neal Clark
As we enter this holiday season, many of us reflect back upon Christmases past and how a lifetime of
holiday seasons, shapes a person's life from youth to the later years. The joys of being a child and
being enfolded in the Christmas aura is usually one's first remembrances of the holidays. Unfortunately, not everyone shares these same memories, I'm sure. But by in large, most have some fond
memories of childhood and the holidays. Whether it is receiving a treasured item, or the memories of
family and friends gathered for the season, at some point most everyone has a fond tale to be told.
Even just Grandpa's stories of the Christmases of his youth, compared to your own life, all have
some remembered tale.
As time moves on, Christmas memories come in phases as well. The indifference of the teen years
and not letting any sentiment show during that time, changes as we pass on to adulthood and for
many, marriage and the advent of children, creates many more memories. The wonderment in your
child’s eyes when confronted with the trappings of the holiday season and the self reflections of
family gathered during that time to celebrate together, holds a warm niche in the storehouse of
treasured holiday times.
And alas for many the later years have arrived, and many aspects of our lives have changed, but our
treasured memories will remain with us forever.
The board of directors of the Fort Lauderdale Prime timers would like to extend to all of our members best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and an invitation to be part of our Holiday Dinner at
Tropical Acres on December 16 at 6:00pm. Join us for an evening spent with friends and let us create
another holiday memory.
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 1
Mr. December 2014 by Doug Kent
Our story begins in Manhattan, New York on November 9 th, 1941, when Mr.
December (Mr. D) began his lifelong journey to Florida. His parents lived in the
Bronx and Mr. D spent his developmental years there. His father drove a Taxi
and was a landlord of a 4 family home. Mr. D spent 10 years in Catholic education, while his mother stayed home with his younger brother and two younger
sisters doing all the household chores. He was an average student, and was on
the shy side, but did all the normal things kids do in the Bronx like playing
stick ball and dodging taxi cabs while playing in the streets. At age 9, between
playing and going to school, Mr. D worked with his father on special holidays
delivering flowers. After earning $7.00 Mr. D learned quickly from his father to
spend $5.00 and save $2.00 - A lesson learned that provided financial security
in his retirement years. His father also helped him develop good mechanical
skills, which he used all through his career. His final two years of High School were in the N.Y. Public
School System and he graduated in 1959. All was normal with Mr. D, except for his occasional encounters with his male friends and older men.
His first work experience in a machine shop did not last long, so he spent the next 5 years working in
various florist shops in the Bronx. He also spent some time as a private chauffeur, but never completely
gave up his floral work. Uncle Sam called in 1964 and Mr. D went into the Army and was assigned to the
Crypto School in Fort Gordon, Georgia. He became an excellent typist and worked well with anything
mechanical.
Upon his release from the Army, Mr. D took a position with the Department of Welfare in the Bronx. He
was an outstanding typist and did well in his position there. While working at the Department of Welfare, he met his first wife and they had a son. Mr. D continued having occasional meetings with men
while he was married. After being together for 5 years they decided to separate and his wife and son
moved out of the household.
It was shortly after this divorce that Mr. D secured a position with the N.Y. Telephone Company. Free
now and with steady employment, Mr. D continued to have a mixed social life. In 1978, he met and
married his second wife. This marriage lasted 5 years and produced no other children for Mr. D. The
divorce was finalized in 1982. Mr. D was free again to pursue the social life that he enjoyed and after 23
years with the Telephone Co. Mr. D accepted an early retirement package. He had been snow-birding to
Florida for several years and had purchased a condo. He decided to move there full time in 1992.He
moved his mother to Florida in 1994 to care for her in her declining years in a retirement home.
Mr. D, a declared homebody, was now living in Florida full time and was finding it difficult meeting new
gay friends. He was successful with some relationships, but for the most part stayed close to home. He
was active in his condo association, was elected to the Board, and still serves in that capacity. He occupied his time with some cabinet making for his condo and for a short time found candle making a relaxing hobby. In 2009, Mr. D discovered the Prime Timers and has been active with the group for about 5
years. He enjoys his cat and various activities like the gym. This quiet and shy Prime Timer is looking
for love in all the right places. Can you identify Mr. D with all this information?
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 2
Oh, I Never a Nice Day by John Siegfried
When I lived in suburban Philadelphia, one Sunday morning I picked up a teenager as I headed
home from the church I attended in Germantown, a northwest section of the city. He was headed to
play baseball at Plymounth-Whitemarsh High School, which was on my route home, so I told him to
hop in. He wasn't a communicative kind of kid and for most of the trip I enjoyed humming along
with a country western tune popular at the time that was playing on my car radio.
Drop kick me Jesus, through the goal posts of life
End over end, neither left nor to right
Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights
Drop kick me Jesus through the goal posts of life
Recently, as I read the obituary of Paul Craft who wrote Place Kick Me Jesus, I was reminded of my
Sunday morning Good Samaritan gesture. When I dropped my rider off in front of the high school, I
was delighted when, after the silence of his ride, as he exited the car he said “Thank you and have a
nice day.”
Smiling, I responded, “Well, thank you for your good wishes, and you have a nice day too.”
“Oh, I never have a nice day,” he responded.
Momentarily I was speechless. But as the car door closed I called after him, “Then enjoy not having
a nice day, if that's what turns you on.” The concept of a fifteen or sixteen year old feeling he never
had a nice day to me was, and is, deeply disturbing.
I often think of that incident when I cross paths with individuals who, like my teenage hitchhiker
seem to enjoy not having a nice day – the kind of person who's convinced red lights are deliberately
set to make them late for an appointment – that the stock market falls because they've recently
invested. These people seem to enjoy being a victim and for them a nice day would destroy their
self-image. They carry a violin with them and play their sad song at every opportunity.
The holiday season must be especially hard on them. They see nothing to be thankful for and feel
fulfilled only by loudly proclaiming “Bah, Humbug.” They are mental and spiritual Scrooges.
As a kid in a churchgoing family, I was trained to read a Bible passage and say my Now I lay me
down to sleep, nightly before going to bed. I modified that custom while enduring the rigors of
medical school at Penn and substituted reading a few episodes of Pogo, instead of the Bible. The
peripatetic possum from the Okefenokee Swamp put me to sleep with a smile. Then gradually,
bedtime prayers were replaced by a pattern of a simple end of the day reflection on the many experiences I had each day to be grateful for and the people I'd met who enriched my life. That’s a night
time custom I still enjoy – reflecting on what I have to be thankful for. And there's a lot.
As I get older, if all else fails, as a friend reminded me in a recent email, I can be thankful that
wrinkles don't hurt.
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 3
December Luncheon by Doug Kent
Inside a hangar on the edge of the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport sits one of the best lunch spots in
Fort Lauderdale. The Jet Runway Café (5540 N.W. 21st
Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309), is our destination for
our Prime Timer Luncheon on Thursday, December 18th,
2014 at 1:00pm,. You get to the restaurant from I-95, by
taking Commercial Boulevard West, to NW 21st. Terrace,
turn right, go approximately ½ mile and the Café parking lot
is on the right. From the parking lot, a nicely landscaped,
covered walkway leads you into the Café.
This 89-seat restaurant is set with metal and wooden furniture. This place is cool. On one side of the
narrow room, a row of windows looking onto the tarmac provides the restaurant an outstanding view
of the airport runway.
The menu is outstanding. Soup changes daily, and there are eight salads, to which a skewer of
wonderful grilled shrimp can be added. Try the mac-n-cheese, which has a little kick of red pepper.
There are a dozen sandwiches, seven different burgers, three Mexican-inspired dishes, plus five Jet
Features. A favorite from that last category is a sandwich known as the Picnic Basket, in which
slices of country white bread hold barbecue-pulled pork, pepper jack cheese, macaroni and cheese,
and crispy onion strings. Make sure you save room for one of the incredible desserts like the chocolate fudge cake.
The 5-year-old Jet Runway Café is owned by Mitch Amsterdam and Mike Linder. It grew out of their
Silver Lining In-flight Catering, which has been servicing the private-aviation industry since 2001.
Don’t take off before you make your reservations by calling Doug Kent at 305-495-2978 or e-mailing
him at [email protected]. Believe me you will enjoy this high flying luncheon.
December Special Event - The Best Cellar by Ted Verdone
I have arranged for the Prime Timers to have a wine tasting at the
Best Cellar, located at 1408 NE 26th Street in Wilton Manors, in the
same plaza as the Old Florida Seafood House. The event will be held
on Thursday, December 11, at 6:00 pm. The cost will be $20 per
person. We will taste 12 to 15 different wines. Cheese, crackers, &
French bread will also be served.
We had an event there last April, and by popular demand we are
repeating it again in December since we have no other special events planned during that month,
and wine tasting seems to go with the season.
If you are planning to attend, please send in the flyer on page 7.
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 4
Mr. December 2014
Gene Bifulco
Board Members
President
Neal Clark
(954) 623-7599
[email protected]
[email protected]
Vice President
Buddy Berardi
(954) 566-1751
[email protected]
Treasurer
Mike Trask
(954) 771-0436
[email protected]
Secretary/Surfer
Henry Penas
(954) 971-6514
[email protected]
Ron Grassullo
(516) 670-7799
[email protected]
Annual Holiday Dinner
The time is drawing near
for our Annual Holiday
Dinner and White
Elephant Exchange.
Mark your calendar for
December 16th. It will be
held at the Tropical
Acres Steakhouse.
Eddie Green
(954) 557-5485
[email protected]
Carl Hill
(954) 557-7794
[email protected]
Richard Lefebvre
(401) 474-9242
[email protected]
Lou Wangberg
(954) 327-9860
[email protected]
Board Assistant
Membership Secretary
Stew Pepper
954-532-5451
[email protected]
For those who are new to
this tradition, every
attendee brings a White
Elephant gift and leaves with someone else's. You don't have
to spend any money. It could be something you have laying
around in a closet or something you received as a gift and
have been waiting for just such an occasion to "re-gift" it.
In order to take a gift, you have to bring a gift.
That's the exchange part of White Elephant
Exchange. There will be helpful
elves available.
Send in the flyer on page 9.
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 5
Silver Balls by Richard Lefebvre
Our next Theater outing will take place on Sunday, December 14 at 5:00 pm at the Empire Stage
Theater (1140 N. Flagler Drive). The play is Silver Balls, written by Brooks Braselman (Mommie
Queerest, The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode, The Silence of The Clams).
Silver Balls tells the story of Francie's life and loves, from her start as a pampered rich girl, to her
rise as an NYC cabaret singer, to her adventures on the High Seas. Francie Silver is the highstepping heiress to a sweet candy fortune -- those tiny silver balls they call dragée. Between tales of
romance, mystery and scandal, Francie entertains us with favorite holiday songs, and with cookies,
gifts and surprises. See it and you'll agree, Francie has a golden voice... and Silver Balls!
The special Prime Timer Price is $20. Check must be received no later than December 11. Send
your check to P.O. Box 100666, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310. Make your check payable to FLPT and
write Silver Balls on the memo line.
As usual there will be free beer and wine available.
In Memoriam
Bernie Weiser
Ken Lowery
3/27/46 -10/18/14
7/25/38-10/24/14
Many of you know Ken from the Senior Advisory
Council and the Pride Center. He was an outspoken man who loved his ink (tattoos). He had an
encyclopedic knowledge of all thing to do with
Hollywood and the movies and the Broadway
theater.
He had a wonderful sense of the ridiculous.
Attendees at Coffee and Conversation will long
remember Ken showing up as a sagging Hooter's
waitress or the time he arrived dressed as a sixfoot plus Carmen Miranda in real platform shoes
made from actual 2 by fours. He will be missed.
Bernie Weiser passed away
on October 18. Bernie and
his husband of 43 years,
Kevin Friel, moved to Florida
from New York City in 2006.
They joined our chapter in
May of 2011.
Bernie was a decorated Vietnam Veteran, and
was awarded the Purple Heart.
He retired from banking and the postal service
in 2006. He was an active member of the Pantry
of Broward , the Sunshine Cathedral, VFW Post
6478, The Stonewall Library and the Rotary.
He and Kevin loved to travel, and had visited
numerous places in Europe, South America,
China, Thailand and Russia. They were especially fond of cruises. He will be missed and remembered by many people throughout Fort
Lauderdale and beyond.
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 6
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 7
Photo Gallery of Various Events
-
October Luncheon
Mixer at Tropics
November Luncheon
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 8
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 9
Birthdays, Anniversaries & New Members
Birthdays
Edward Hardek
12/2
Allen Sandler
12/3
Donald Carbon
12/3
Harvey Dagen
12/3
Elliott Schwartz 12/6
Tom Olah
12/6
Howard Paris
12/7
Tom Sluberski
12/7
Mike Golin
12/8
Bob Copping
12/11
Gerry Zaebst
12/11
Lewis Shena
12/14
Joseph Ruggeri
12/14
William Taylor
12/14
Arthur Brown
12/15
Michael Morrow
12/15
Joseph Montrose 12/16
Chuck Wirth
12/17
Frederickk Piaz 12/19
Dan Fountaine
12/19
Gary Payne
12/20
Richard Huitema 12/20
Henry Penas
12/20
Sean Phou
12/21
Len Walker
12/22
Richard McNany
12/23
Leonard Dennick 12/24
Marshall Nanninga 12/25
Kenneth Langbauer 12/27
August Azzarello 12/28
Mark Britton
12/29
Hugh Rance
12/30
New Members
John Bourassa
Dennis Camara
Frank Dorn
Jul Edwards
Kevin Friel
Robert Manne
Richard Mariano
Thomas Oberly
Norman Peters
Edward Schumacher
Don Squire
William Woodward
That brings our total
membership to
437
Anniversaries
Wayne Mitteer & Stephen Cornwall 12/6/1974 40 years
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 10
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers — December 2014
Sun
Mon
1
Tennis
9:00 am
Palm Aire
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
2
Card Games
11:30 am
Pride Center
3
Bowling
11:00 am
Manor Lanes
4
History Group
2:00pm
Stonewall Library
5
Bocce Ball
10:00 am
Palm Aire
6
10
Bowling
11:00 am
Manor Lanes
11
Special Event
6:00
The Best Cellar
12
Bocce Ball
10:00 am
Palm Aire
13
17
Bowling
11:00 am
Manor Lanes
18
Luncheon
1:00 pm
Jet Runway Café
19
Bocce Ball
10:00 am
Palm Aire
20
26
Bocce Ball
10:00 am
Palm Aire
27
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 11
Mixer
5:30 pm
Tropics
7
Card Games
Noon
Pride Center
8
Tennis
9:00 am
Palm Aire
9
Card Games
11:30 am
Pride Center
General Meeting
2:00 pm
Pride Center
Mixer
5:30 pm
Tropics
Board Meeting
6:00 pm
14
Card Games
Noon
Pride Center
15
Tennis
9:00 am
Palm Aire
16
Card Games
11:30 am
Pride Center
Ballet Group
12:30 pm
Pride Center
Mixer
5:30 pm
Tropics
Holiday Dinner
Cash Bar 6:00
Dinner 7:00
Tropical Acres
22
Tennis
9:00 am
Palm Aire
23
Card Games
11:30 am
Pride Center
24
Bowling
11:00 am
Manor Lanes
30
Card Games
11:30 am
Pride Center
31
Bowling
11:00 am
Manor Lanes
History Group
2:00pm
Stonewall Library
Silver Balls
5:00 pm
Empire Stage
21
Card Games
Noon
Pride Center
25
Mixer
5:30 pm
Tropics
28
Haulover Beach
10:00 am
Card Games
Noon
Pride Center
Opera Group
12:30 pm
Pride Center
29
Tennis
9:00 am
Palm Aire
Mixer
5:30 pm
Tropics
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
Thanksgiving Dinner at Zuckerello's
Pictures throughout the newsletter by Kaz Takahashi
Don't See Your Picture? Go to ftlprimetimers.org
Fort Lauderdale Prime Timers, PO Box 100666, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33310
[email protected]
www.ftlprimetimers.org
Page 12