BuzzWorthyitems of note
Roger Germann, president and CEO
of The Florida Aquarium in Tampa,
is elated that the aquarium has been
nationally recognized by USA Today for
the second year in a row as one of North
America’s best aquariums because of its
educational setting, high quality exhibits
and visitor interaction. The aquarium
advanced this year to the No. 2 spot from
No. 3 last year. More than 800,0000 guests
visit the aquarium each year, making it one
of Tampa Bay’s top attractions.
Bill Heller, the former CEO of
University of South Florida campus in
St. Petersburg, dean of the College of
Education, director of the Bishop Center
for Ethical Leadership, and state regulator,
who came to St. Petersburg in 1992, has
been recognized by USF with the renaming
of the College of Education building as the
H. William Heller Hall. Bill is a kind and
gracious person who goes out of his way
to help anywhere he can.
Bob Glaser, president and CEO of
Smith & Associates Real Estate, says
the Tampa Bay market for $1 million
homes is hot and that in 2018, Smith &
Associates was the luxury market leader,
selling 18 percent of that market and over
$200 million of the over $1 million homes.
Bob says the Tampa Bay luxury market is
transforming with new standards for urban
luxury being set throughout the region.
Founded in 1969, Smith & Associates Real
Estate is Tampa Bay’s largest independent
and locally owned real estate brokerage.
Lee Roy Selmon, the late football
legend and Tampa Bay community
leader, has a statue erected in his honor
by the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway
Authority in the Lee Roy Selmon Park
along the Selmon Greenway, under the
Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, at the corner
of Florida Avenue and Brorein Street in
Tampa. The heroic-sized sculpture is a
fitting memorial for this man who meant
so much to this community and did so
much to enrich the lives of others.
Chef Frank Alfano and his daughter Nicolette of Alfano’s Italian
Restaurant in Clearwater thanked Rodney Strong wine maker
Justin Seidenfeld for his presentation of six outstanding Rodney Strong
wines at a wine-paired dinner held at the restaurant.
66 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2019
COURTESY OF THE JAMES MUSEUM OF WESTERN & WILDLIFE ART
Continued on Page 68
Tony Duncan, a five-time world
champion Native American Hoop
Dancer, helped the James Museum
in St. Petersburg celebrate its first
anniversary by performing at the
museum and leading a discussion on
this traditional dance form. He uses
hoops to create images and shapes
that represent the lives of his Native
American ancestors. The Hoop
Dance originated in the Taos Pueblo
of New Mexico as a way of healing.
Duncan is also an accomplished
musician, who plays flutes made by
his fellow Native Americans.
GRAM