From The Editor
The Winds of Change
If someone had told me three years ago that today I would be completely removed from the career I’d held for 20 years, and that I would be a grandfather, novelist, photographer and editor, I may have laughed in their face.But here I am. And I am honored and thrilled to be editor for Senior Times. During the years that I have written for Tower Publications I’ve come to enjoy meeting the many fascinating people I’ve encountered along the way. It is with great pleasure that I am able to continue serving our reading audience in my new capacity, both in print and now on the Internet as well.
As I settle into my new position I can’t help but feel gratitude for the many people — too many to mention here — who have shown me their support along the way. They include my parents and grandparents for encouraging me when I penned the classic “Billy and His Bellybutton” (age 7), and every friend, teacher, colleague and family member who has ever expressed a kind word or offered constructive criticism.
I am so very grateful to my wife who never stopped believing in me even when I did not. Without her undying support I would not be where I am today.
I thank Patricia Behnke for giving me the opportunity to write for Senior Times. I wish Pat success and good fortune in her new role as editor with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. Fortunately, her articles and column will still continue to grace the pages of Senior Times and the Our Town magazines.
I am also grateful to Charlie Delatorre and the rest of the Tower Team for welcoming me into the fold and entrusting me with this important position.
This month’s issue of Senior Times focuses on Veterans Day and Native American Heritage Month. Join Patricia Behnke as she takes us on a journey into the past to examine the life of the extinct Timucua; a nation of people that thrived in this area for thousands of years. Pat also visits Native American tribes in Florida as they celebrate the history and culture of their ancestry.
Meet Vietnam veteran and award-winning author Randy Cribbs, and then learn some history about the origins of Poppy Day in an interview with Gainesville writer Aurelia Wallace.
Crystal Henry shows us a military funeral performed by Senior veterans in the Sumter County Honor Guard.
Senior Times recently hosted the Senior Forum where stakeholders in the Senior community met to discuss the creation of a Senior Center in Alachua county.
Jessica McHugh writes about living wills in an interview with Shirley Bloodworth, the director of the PrimeTime Institute at Santa Fe Community College.
Needing some fresh fruit for that Thanksgiving feast? Crystal Henry visits some local ‘you pick ‘em produce’ farms.
Crystal also writes about Senior pain studies in an interview with Dr. Robert Yezierski from the University of Florida.
So now that fall is upon us and the leaves are changing we at Tower would like to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! §
