by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
For some people, retiring from a business they have loved for 42 years means a testimonial dinner followed by hours of sitting on the porch or flipping a fishing pole or perhaps making a month’s worth of tee times with a single phone call.
Other people prefer an active retirement. That’s more Carl Cannon’s style.
While he won’t officially retire until August, Cannon closed the door to his office at the Florida Times-Union last December after more than four decades with Augusta, Ga.-based Morris Communications including 18 as executive vice president and publisher of the newspaper.
“People tell me I look more relaxed now. I never really felt the pressure but it was there,” he said.
Since he left the daily routine of the newspaper business Cannon has been working on management and financial projects with his son, Brett, who runs Atlantic Coast Marine, a dealership representing a line of inshore and offshore fishing boats and accessories.
There is also a lot more time for some things he did while publishing the newspaper – serving on seven community boards with an emphasis on fundraising.
“That’s what I really like to do,” said Cannon, who has chaired the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ capital campaign for the past five years. He described the facility as the “best public-private partnership in town” and as for the fund-raising effort Cannon said, “We’ve had a tremendous response from the community.”
He has also served on the board of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra for many years. Cannon served as its president in 1994-95 and currently serves as vice chair for strategic planning.
He has also devoted 10 years of service to the YMCA Metropolitan Board of Directors and will log another term this year on the Gator Bowl Association Executive Committee.
Cannon will soon add the 2008-09 presidency of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville to his list of active retirement activities. He joined the organization in 1991 and served on its board of directors from 1994-96.
Cannon’s first time to ring the bell to bring the meeting to order will be at 12:30 p.m. July 14, most likely in the ballroom at the Omni.
With a year to work with, Cannon said there are some initiatives he will make priorities during his year as president.
“One of the things I’m going to focus on is growing our membership both in terms of numbers and in terms of diversity,” he said. “With 300 members, we’re the second-largest Rotary Club in Florida. But, our membership has been stable for several years”.
”I’ve always believed if you’re not growing you’re dying and I’m pretty good at rallying the troops. The more members we have the more we can do.”
Cannon said the club will get focus on the basics of Rotary that were developed by its founder, Paul Harris, early in the 20th century. He also pointed out the strong connection Jacksonville has with Rotary International.
“Paul Harris lived in Jacksonville in the 1890s and planted the seed for Rotary here. He went to Chicago in 1895 and founded the first Rotary Club there. He stayed in touch with his friends in Jacksonville though and in 1912, the Rotary Club of Jacksonville was formed. This club has deep roots in the history of Rotary,” said Cannon.
The club’s 2008-09 year will build on the success of previous years, Cannon added, and mentioned in particular President Jack Diamond’s 2007-08 term, during which the club started a fundraising effort for Mercy Ships that raised more than $700,000 in its first year.
“We have some interesting young members and I’d like to see more service projects. We’re going to focus on why we are Rotarians. We do a lot more than go to lunch every week and listen to a speaker,” he said.
While the details of next year’s membership campaigns and service projects are yet to be determined, Cannon said his philosophy is simple: “We’re going to make it bigger and better.”