NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 167
Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos and
his wife Carolyn were among the many
community leaders who lent their support to
Ruth Eckerd Hall and its programs.
Alan and Nancy Bomstein of Creative Contractors
in Clearwater, which is a major sponsor of this gala
and the construction manager for the hall, were
happy the gala was such a success.
Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel were proud
to have the opportunity to be the grand
sponsors of the gala at their new Wyndham
Grand Resort on Clearwater Beach.
John Simmons, a member of Ruth Eckerd
Hall’s board of directors, and his wife
Sara were excited to see the large turnout
for this red carpet experience at the
Wyndham Grand.
Philanthropist Bob Schmidt and his fiancée
Elizabeth Elmeer enjoyed the performance
by Broadway star Quentin Darrington,
an alumnus of the Marcia P. Hoffman School
of the Arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall.
Scott Kistler, vice president of strategy and business development
for Suncoast Hospice/Empath Health, and Bill Brown, at right,
the chief chocolate officer at William Dean Chocolates in Belleair
Bluff, congratulated Steve Sika for chairing the gala committee.
Cary and Brian Aungst were patrons of this
13th annual Grand Gala at the Wyndham
Grand Resort that helped support the hall’s
educational programs.
Kate Tiedeman and Ellen Cotton
generously led the “bid from the
heart” contributions to Ruth Eckerd
Hall, which added to their many
other donations to the hall.
Judith and Barry Alpert were
presenting sponsors of the gala along
with Barry’s partner Jim Conlin, as
both are senior vice presidents with
Raymond James and Associates
and members of Ruth Eckerd Hall’s
board of directors.