• Former City Council member and State House of Representatives candidate Lake Ray qualified to run for the Dist. 17 seat this week when he turned in a petition to the Supervisor of Elections Office with more than 1,000 signatures. The Florida Department of State requires 978 verified signatures. The primary is set for Aug. 26 and candidates have until June 20 to qualify either by petition or pay the qualifying fee. Ray’s opponents are former Deputy Clerk of the Court Gordon Morgan and Blue Cross Blue Shield executive Mario Rubio.
• Four people have been nominated to join the Jacksonville Symphony Association’s board of directors. They are: Players Championship Executive Director Ron Cross (nominated by Charles Zink); Will Ketchum, principal of Burdette Ketchum (Paul Witkowski); Richard Pierpoint of Harden & Associates (L. Holly Bryan); and retiree Louis Schafer (John McCallum).
• Speaking of the Symphony, at the most recent board meeting, a draft was presented outlining some of the requirements of new board members. One is either a minimum annual contribution of $5,000 or the securing of at least $5,000 in new contributions. Also, according to the report, the terms of 26 current board members expire June 30.
• As a kick off to Sunday’s 26.2 with Donna marathon, Ocean 60 in Atlantic Beach is hosting a VIP reception. The marathon, which starts and finishes at Mayo Clinic after winding throughout the beaches area, is a benefit for Mayo Clinic and women living with breast cancer. Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Edith Perez, Donna Deegan of Ch. 12/25 and running book author Jeff Galloway are hosting the event. The marathon (and half-marathon) starts at 8:30 a.m. and is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. Next year’s race is set for Feb. 15.
• Guys with Ties of Jacksonville will hold its next event Feb. 23 at River City Brewing Company on the Southbank. This time, the evening will have an ‘80s theme and will benefit Dreams Come True. Live music and complimentary drinks from 9-10 p.m. are on the agenda plus the opportunity to meet other professionals and network while raising money for a local charity. Guys with Ties also has chapters in Orlando, Charlotte and New York City. For more information, visit www.guyswithties.org/jacksonville.
• Most City offices are closed Monday for President’s Day including City Hall, the Ed Ball Building, the Courthouse and several others. All libraries are closed as well, but garbage will still be collected.
• Also on President’s Day, the Museum of Science & History has scheduled a celebration. From 10 a.m.-noon, children can participate in a mock vote, create presidential crafts and test their knowledge of American trivia. For more information, call 396-7062 or visit www.themosh.org.
“It’s not that we have too much mother, but too little father. We can’t forgive our mothers for taking the place of our fathers until we are ready to see that the point of a man’s life is to be a father and a mentor, and we can’t do that because we don’t know how we would be a father or a mentor when we never had one.”
– Frank Pittman, U.S. psychiatrist and family therapist