CANAVERAL BEACON - the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

CANAVERAL BEACON
On the Web at www.CanaveralLight.org
Volume 5 Issue 4
May 2015
Mission Statement
To assist the 45th Space Wing in preserving, protecting, promoting, and interpreting the Cape Canaveral
Lighthouse and its historical significance to the Florida Space Coast, State of Florida, and our Nation
Descendants Day at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
The Annual Descendants Day Recognition event was held at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Saturday, May 2. Dr. Sonny Witt who coordinates the event each year reports that 45
families were represented. They visited the Lighthouse and 4 cemeteries. Lt Col Tony Cole,
Commander Det 1/45th Mission Support Group, attended and spent time getting to know the
families and hearing their interesting stories of the early days at Cape Canaveral. Bob Merrilees welcomed the group and, as always, enjoyed visiting with the families.
At left are Mr. & Mrs. Grose. Mr. Grose works on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Above Lt. Col Cole, Dr. Witt and
the Tuckers visit at the Cape Canaveral Community Cemetery.
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The Florida Lighthouse Association is a nonprofit group
of citizen activists dedicated to the preservation of the 30
remaining historic lighthouses that line our state’s 1,350mile coastline. Once central to the economic growth and
settlement of our nation, many of Florida’s lighthouses
face uncertain futures.
The Mission of the Florida Lighthouse Association is to
protect , preserve, restore, and defend Florida’s Lighthouse towers, along with their material culture, buildings,
artifacts, and records to assure that the magic of Florida’s
lighthouses and lighthouse keepers will be available for the
enjoyment and understanding of future generations.
We encourage members of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation to support FLA by
joining and attending meetings. For details check out the website at
www.floridalighthouses.org . FLA grants have helped us toward our goals of restoring our
Canaveral Lighthouse community as it once was. We ask you to show your appreciation by
joining FLA today!
Members receive the following benefits:

You are actively working to preserve an important part of Florida history

Receive FLASH, the FLA newsletter published three times annually

Receive up-to-the-minute news via e-newsletters

Priority invitations to FLA Educational Meetings, Events and Lighthouse Tours

Free admission to six Florida lighthouses: St. Augustine, Ponce Inlet, Jupiter Inlet, Crooked River, Cape St. George and Pensacola

Voting Privileges
Much of the grant money awarded to Florida Lighthouse organizations comes from the
sale of Florida Lighthouse car tags. Please consider this specialty tag when you renew.
UPCOMING FLA EVENT
Spring Meeting—Pensacola May 29 & 30, 2015
Details at www.flor idalighthouses.or g
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June is Membership Renewal Time
Thanks for your continuing support! The Foundation is making significant progress and we are
happy you are a part of this effort. Check out the website for current happenings
You may pay by Credit Card on our website www.CanaveralLight.org or complete the following
form and mail it and your check to CCLF; P.O. Box 1978; Cape Canaveral, FL 32920. Invite a
friend to join us.
Name______________________________________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________________________
City____________________________________State____________Zip______________________
Home Phone_____________________________Cell Phone__________________________________
Email address:______________________________________________________________________
Please circle a membership category:
Head Lighthouse Keeper
$100
Lighthouse Keeper (Family)
$50
Asst. Lighthouse Keeper (Individual)
$35
Remember your donation is tax deductible
Keep the Light Shining!
Yvonne Thornton
CCLF Membership & Speakers Bureau
(321) 267-5208
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Volunteer Opportunity
The Lighthouse Foundation’s longtime Keeper’s Closet (Gift Shop)
Manager, Peggy Armey, recently resigned. Her service for many
years was outstanding and appreciated by all. Janey Powell has offered to fill the position for the next few months. We are now looking for a volunteer who has retail sales experience to manage the
Keeper’s Closet. The job will include overseeing the Exploration
Tower Kiosk and invoicing the Port Authority for items sold;
scheduling volunteers for special events like Lobster Fest and Descendants Day; and, when established, operating the gift shop at the
Lighthouse for restored tours. Our Foundation is growing and the
Keeper’s Closet is a major source of income. It is very important
that the job be filled as soon as possible in order to allow for a reasonable transition period. There is an excellent cadre of experienced Keeper’s Closet volunteers who have worked tirelessly with
Peggy and Janey for many years and their dedication and loyalty
have helped us prosper. We will be recruiting additional volunteers
to handle our impending growth. The manager will work with the
Foundation’s Treasurer to assure that record keeping which is needed to meet audit requirements is done correctly. The Manager will
have the liberty of organizing the workload so it is distributed efficiently to several experienced volunteers but will be responsible for
the function of the Keeper’s Closet. The Keeper’s Closet Manager’s position may be appointed by the Foundation President to
serve as a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Board
meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 5 pm at
the Space Florida Building. As you all know, our ultimate goal is
to have a permanent gift shop in one of our Keeper’s Cottages at
the Lighthouse. If you would like to discuss this opportunity,
please contact Janey Powell at janeyzee@cfl.rr.com or (321) 6358363.
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From the Keeper’s Closet
Thanks to everyone who visited our Keeper’s Closet during the Lobster Fest and
Descendants Day. We had record sales and are grateful for the support. Keeper’s
Closet merchandise is also on sale at the Exploration Tower in Port Canaveral at
670 Dave Nesbit Drive, making our items accessible to everyone who visits there
from 10 am to 7 pm daily. (Check for Special Events and changes in hours at 321394-3408 or www.explorationtower.com). We are open at the Lighthouse and other locations for special events. Also, we can ship items to our customers. Contact
Janey Powell for information about our items and our shipping policies. You can
reach Janey at janeyzee@cfl.rr.com. We will be happy to help you find the perfect
Lighthouse item. Profits from the Keeper’s Closet continually support the Lighthouse and our goal of rebuilding the keepers homes and the Lighthouse community
as it once was. Thank you for your patronage.
Board of Directors
RADM Bob Merrilees, President
Dr. David Paterno, President Emeritus & Grants
Mrs. Ginny Davis, Vice President
Mrs. Kathie Underwood, Treasurer
Ms. Sharon Crockett, Secretary
Mr. Chris Broome, Attorney
Mr. Bob Barnini, Volunteer Coordinator
Mr. Ron Ecker, FLA Liaison & Spec. Projects
Dr. Maxwell King
Mr. Eric Kucera, Archivist
Ms. Janey Powell, Keepers Closet
Mr. Jim Roche, Security Advisor
Mrs. Dixie Sansom, Legislative Advisor
Mrs. Yvonne Thornton, Membership & Speakers Bureau
Mr. Shane Smith, Resource Support
RADM Jim Underwood
Mr. Ray Valley, Webmaster
Mrs. Mary Watkins, Community Liaison
Dr. Sonny Witt, AF Liaison
Mr. Tom Penders, AF Advisor
Lt Col Anthony Cole, AF Advisor
Please send your comments and suggestions to Bev Merrilees, Newsletter Editor, at
Bmerrilees@cfl.rr.com
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION
OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY 410 ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.