An Officer And A Physician
WW II POW experience tested doctor’s resolve, training 

by Lynn M. Thompson

     When the young pre-med student entered Northwestern University’s Naval ROTC program in 1930, he had little inkling of the journey just beginning.  It would take him to the Orient and back.  It would make him face starvation and rare diseases, work with primitive medical tools and take charge of desperate situations to save himself and his fellow men.  Through it all, his medical and military training gave him the values and skills necessary to persevere.
     In the height of the Great Depression, aspiring surgeon Ferdinand “Fred” Berley entered his senior year at Northwestern University.  Taking his Navy examination early, he received one of 20 openings nationwide and did his internship in San Diego.  By September 1939, he was the Medical Officer for Destroyer Division 58, sailing around the Philippines maintaining the health of the ships’ crews.
     In 1940, DESDIV 58 was sent to Amoy (now Xiamen).  Keeping the men safe from venereal diseases in the clubs on nearby Kulongsoo (Gulangyu) became top priority.  It was not the only exotic risk, however, as one crew member contracted smallpox.  Leaving the misfortunate sailor at a missionary hospital in Swatao (Shantou), the now-quarantined ship headed back to Manila.
     That summer, they moved north to the Yellow Sea.  On a stop in Tsingtao (Qingdao), Berley contracted influenza and discovered he had a Gohn turbercle from exposure to tuberculosis during college.  He was transferred to the 4^th Marines in Shanghai in 1940.  Bachelors lived a plush life there with private servants and a tuxedo-clad social life at clubs like Circle Sportif Française and the Hung Chou Golf Course.
     The following year, Dr. Berley received orders to the Navy dispensary at Cavite, Philippines.  Shanghai luxury became quarters in a wooden building above the dispensary.  This was where news of Pearl Harbor arrived.  Nobody believed the war would last six months until later seeing photos of the damage.
     When bombs hit Cavite, Dr. Berley helped with triage of the wounded.  They operated until early in the morning, then slept in their blood-soaked clothes.   After securing clean clothes in Manila, he was sent to rejoin the Marines.  They went to the island of Corregidor, where “we could see all the Army personnel with their starched khakis, ties and everything.  It just didn’t look like a war was taking place.”  Air raids were not far behind them, however.
     Meal rations were short, and Filipino scouts taught the troops creative uses for local crops.  They sterilized latrines by burning gunpowder in them.  Morale was boosted by firefights over nearby forts and Voice of America news.  Once Bataan fell, in late April 1942, it was only 7-10 days before Corregidor followed.  Just beforehand, Dr. Berley rescued a badly-wounded man during heavy shelling and brought him to their hospital for treatment.  His actions won him a Bronze Star with a Combat “V”.
     Once the Japanese landed, the Marines gathered at Wheeler Point and held out another day before surrendering.  Still wearing his Red Cross brassard, Berley was ordered to the tunnel hospital instead of accompanying his group.  Hot and humid, the “hospital” was thick with flies and the smell of decaying bodies.  He formed a pact with fellow physicians George Ferguson, Murray Glusman and John Bookman to remain together and support each other during their incarceration.  The group also adopted LCDR Carey Smith, who would later recommend Berley for a Navy Cross.
     Hearing that the 92^nd Garage unit needed a dispensary, Berley volunteered for the duty.  Only medicine available, argerol.  Bandages, none.  Water, scarce.  Hunger, constant.  “One night it started to rain and that was a blessing.  And then all those POWs began to sing ‘God Bless America’ spontaneously,” he recalls.  At great risk, the doctors pilfered canned goods from an abandoned tunnel to sustain them.  Soon, everyone was shipped to the Philippines’ main prison.
     Conditions at Bilibid were bearable.  Water was plentiful, with recreation and even a library.  There were shows every couple of weeks.  One officer set up a canteen selling limited produce.  Berley had 80 pesos salvaged from an abandoned locker, enabling his group to buy peanuts.  Red Cross parcels arrived just before Christmas and were appreciated for months.  Canned goods were treasures to share among the group.  Food included a watery, contaminated rice dish called lugao with occasional “whistleweed” and rancid meat, fish heads or dried fish.
     Their poor diet and environment yielded some rare medical conditions.  One was a dry form of beriberi causing extreme foot pain.  Some even lost their feet from it.  Another was optic neuritis that took away the central field of vision.  A young Army man contracted rabies from a dog bite and eventually died.  A sailor died of distension after gorging on a couple of Red Cross parcels in one sitting.  Amoebic dysentery was common, and two patients died from brain abscesses caused by amoebiasis.  An Army captain even contracted a case of blackwater fever, a rare form of malaria.
     Soon after American POWs were marched from the infamous Camp O’Donnell to Cabanatuan, the medical group was sent there to join them.  Doctors became just like other prisoners, assigned to work details.  One sadistic guard enjoyed taunting them with live cobras as they returned from working the fields.  Berley was assigned to a wood chopping detail “that probably saved my life.  I got into the best physical condition I could have ever been in.  They fed us better.”  Their lugao was occasionally enhanced by carabao, and the guards were more humane.  He, Ferguson, Glusman and Bookman played cards with a precious deck sent by Berley’s parents.  “We wrapped them in a special piece of cloth to keep them from getting soiled.  And we kept score.  Whoever lost was going to treat the other three to a dinner out.”
     Any escape attempts came with threat of death.  The Japanese arranged groups of ten who were responsible for keeping the others from escaping.  If anyone in the group escaped, the other nine were executed.
     By early 1944, changes in war news indicated the tide turning in America’s favor.  After being tested for amoebae, Cabanatuan’s prisoners were shipped to Japan.  Ferguson’s positive test kept him behind, and that was the last time they saw him.  When their primitively-outfitted ship stopped in Formosa to load sugar cargo, the prisoners pocketed all they could to supplement their lugao.
     After roughly three weeks, they arrived at Osaka.  Ichioka hospital, where Berley was assigned, was built under bleachers for an athletic stadium, and conditions were deplorable.  He befriended an Australian doctor named Ackroyd, a constant smoker who contracted tuberculosis.  Berley’s Gohn tubercle gave him some immunity, but malnutrition weakened everyone.  What little fish they were provided monthly, the guards stole, then beat any prisoners who reported them.  One British soldier developed bulimia and died after secreting away in his blanket the food he was supposed to eat.
     A respected Japanese physician was soon put in charge of Ichioka.  “[Hyojiro] Ohashi proved to be a very fine person, very much a gentleman, very much a doctor.”  He befriended Berley and took English lessons from him.  Ohashi treated medical officers with the respect due fellow physicians.  Upon finally examining the emaciated, lice-covered patients, he ordered everyone moved to the new Kobe International Prisoner of War Hospital.  He named Berley senior American officer, allowing him to choose his staff.  Before departure for Kobe, they operated on Ackroyd on a kitchen table, using a procedure Berley had learned in San Diego.  The normally 240-pound Aussie had dropped to just over 80 pounds, but survived and returned home to recover.
     The Kobe hospital was in a former American school on a hillside overlooking the city.  Their diet was barley and millet seed with periodic vegetables and dried fish heads.  What few holiday Red Cross parcels they received were rationed by the guards.  This hospital did have an operating room, although its instruments were sorely outdated.
     News trickled in from Kobe that the war was going increasingly bad for the Japanese.  Ohashi allowed the doctors to visit with area physicians.  Renowned surgeon Dr. Ozawa invited them to his hospital after the war to view lung resections.  Although conditions were better at Kobe, Berley saw one case of hysterical blindness.  The patient was cured through hypnosis, amazing the Japanese, who showboated him for visiting dignitaries.  A tetanus patient was also miraculously saved.
     As bombing raids increased, POW morale grew and they bet on when the next would occur.  Finally, the hospital was hit during an airstrike.  A Marine sergeant whose ruptured appendix had just been removed prior to the raid was moved to a safer location with two other patients.  Unfortunately, that building received a direct fire bomb hit.  Only a portion of the sergeant’s torso was ever found.  The patients who’d been carried out of the compound all survived the raid.
     With shelter and supplies now destroyed, the staff attempted to treat the injured, doing their best with what was left.  Food was even scarcer than before and the weather was cold.  The following day, patients and staff were marched through now-destroyed Kobe to a train taking them to Maruyama.  Berley had the agonizing task of choosing which patients could be moved on the few stretchers they had.  Others helped each other on the four-hour walk through driving rain.
     Maruyama brought an infestation of sand fleas and flies, with men sleeping on tables to avoid being eaten alive.  The only food left was millet seed, squash and thin soup.  With bandages scarce and medicine non-existent, they used maggots to clean wounds, just as doctors had done in earlier wars.  Surprisingly, many of those wounds healed leaving minimal scars.
     As they received news of Hiroshima, the Japanese guards grew increasingly aggressive.  Prisoners made plans to defend themselves from the guards if American troops landed.  After radio news of the war’s end, food began to arrive, but it was far too rich for the long-starved prisoners.  Weeks went by, with no help arriving.  Without medicine, they were still losing a lot of patients.
     They read that the American fleet would arrive on August 27 for the official surrender.  Berley, Glusman and Smith decided to take a list of their patients to Tokyo so American officials could locate them.  After a harrowing train journey through destroyed cities, they arrived in Tokyo and delivered their list to the Swiss ambassador.  Berley recalls, “When we got to the bay just before Yokohama, I could see our fleet out there.  And that’s when I almost broke down and started crying.  Goodness, what a beautiful sight that was!”
     By the time they returned from Tokyo, the patients from Maruyama were all at the Osaka Red Cross Hospital.  A special train, with Berley in charge, took the patients to Yokohama.  As they arrived, he saw Admiral Byrd on the platform and asked him to greet the men.  “He came aboard and shook hands with every one of those hundred or so that we had,” recalls Berley.  The patients were loaded onto hospital ships, while Berley and Bookman were directed aboard a tank landing ship.  After a frustrating stopover in Guam, they finally made it home to the States.
     It had been three and a half years since Dr. Berley was taken prisoner by the Japanese.  He was fortunate; 42% of those captured in the Philippines never made it home.  His weight had dropped to around 112.  For several years he had a rapid pulse and ran a low-grade fever from a touch of TB.  Although his weight returned to its normal 150, it took him many years to get past his anger.  He completed his fellowship in surgery, did an additional three months in orthopedics, then wed his bride, Camille.
     On the way to Berley’s first assignment after their marriage, they stopped off in New York City to collect from Glusman on that dinner bet made over cards in Cabanatuan.  Bookman was also there, and the former prisoners were reunited for one evening, remembering their lost friend Ferguson.
     After working at naval hospitals in Pensacola, Philadelphia and Bethesda, Berley came to Jacksonville and became chief of surgery at the US Naval Hospital in May, 1955.  Four years later, he retired as a Rear Admiral and entered private practice to support his growing family.  After almost 50 years, he retired to his Mandarin home.

story © 2006, Thompson Writing & Editing, Inc.

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Targeting Cancer More Effectively

Proton Therapy Institute at UF/Shands Jacksonville Brings Promise and Prominence

by Lynn M. Thompson

Jacksonville is about to hit the big time as a cancer treatment destination. In July of this year, the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute will begin offering cancer patients a new treatment option that’s painless and virtually free of side effects. It will be one of only four facilities in the nation to offer the most advanced cancer treatment technology available today, all courtesy of the tiny little proton.
     With traditional radiation therapy, high energy levels of X-rays are passed through the body to destroy the cancerous tissue, but they also damage surrounding tissue and any other cells in their path. Protons enter the body at a much lower energy level and release the majority of their energy only when they come into contact with the tumor itself. This minimizes damage to adjacent tissue, enabling a low incidence of side effects from the treatment. This also makes proton therapy perfect for tumors in sensitive areas of the body.
     The protons themselves are made from plain water. Oxygen is removed from the water molecules, then electrons are stripped from the remaining hydrogen atoms. The remainder consists of pure protons, which are injected into a cyclotron and accelerated to 95% of the speed of light. Once at this speed, the protons are directed into a pipeline and guided by magnets into one of the institute’s gantry rooms. Lasers help to position the patient so the proton beam can be directed to the appropriate part of the body. Electromagnets keep the beam on track and decelerate the protons to a level that is both safe for treatment and the proper speed to specifically target the patient’s tumor from several angles. Treatment continues daily for a four- to six-week period.
     The idea of bringing the 98,000-square-foot Florida Proton Institute to Shands Jacksonville originated with Dr. Nancy Mendenhall, a UF radiation oncologist. Dr. Mendenhall had been the chair of UF’s radiation oncology department since 1992, and felt the need to envision where the field was going. “I saw that we were moving toward conformal dose distribution,” she says. “With conventional radiation therapy, the dose of radiation going to normal tissue surrounding a tumor precluded our giving as high a dose as was needed to eliminate the tumor itself.” The institute will be staffed by a team of radiation oncologists, physicists, engineers and computer scientists, with Dr. Mendenhall serving as Medical Director.
     Protons are not completely new in the radiation oncology field. Patients were being treated with them at research centers as early as 1991, when Dr. James Slater began pioneering work in the field in his facility at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California. Advances in imaging technology made it possible to define the tumor target for the very specific proton beam. But there were problems with positioning the patients accurately to deliver the correct dose to the tumor, so the therapy was used only for types of cancer that could not be treated with conventional radiation or surgery.
     Proton therapy is best suited to tumors in the head, neck, lung, breast and prostate, as well as for treating children. Dr. Slater released the results of his studies in 1998, about the same time Dr. Mendenhall was becoming involved in the radiation oncology department at what would become Shands Jacksonville. She began to realize that the facility would be appropriate for a clinical proton facility.
     Mendenhall approached UF College of Medicine Dean Ken Burns about proton therapy and how it differed from conventional radiation. “He immediately understood the concept,” she says. “One of his top strategic missions for the college at that time was to play a stronger role in cancer treatment. And one of the university’s top strategic missions was to develop programs that crossed disciplines and colleges. A proton beam institute was the perfect fit. It was just a matter of my being in the right place at the right time.”
     But facilities involving the latest medical technology are not built overnight, nor are they built on a shoestring. A task force was appointed to study the idea, headed up by Dr. C. Craig Tisher, who has since replaced Dr. Burns as dean of UF’s medical college. “About a hundred people worked on this, and I’ve never seen such determination,” says Mendenhall. “We examined all the clinical and technical issues surrounding bringing this institute to the region. Dr. Tisher’s refusal to give up, no matter what obstacles were in his way, was truly inspiring.”
     One of the first things the task force recognized was that UF couldn’t start on this project without some help. The State of Florida understood the importance of the institute and contributed $11 million through two appropriations in 2000 and 2001. “That allowed us to investigate the institute, covered all the legal studies that needed to be done, and gave us ten percent of the funding to get started on building it.”
     The City of Jacksonville also stepped up to the plate. Dr. Mendenhall made a presentation to the Jacksonville Economic Development Council to explain the idea. She and Dr. Tisher met with several commissioners and council representatives to make sure they understood what this institute would mean to the city. The citizens of Jacksonville delivered on a $19 million low-interest loan to Shands, and floated a $62 million bond issue for the purchase of the institute’s equipment from Belgium. Not to be outdone, the equipment manufacturer, Ion Beam Applications (IBA), contributed toward the project. Private donations made up the remainder of the $120 million of funding, and construction began in the spring of 2003. Design work was done by Tsoi/Kobus & Associates of Boston, while Perry-McCall Construction Co. of Jacksonville constructed the building.
     To fully understand the support for this institute by all these underwriters, it’s important to understand Dr. Mendenhall’s background and original vision. Named in 1999 as one of the top 318 cancer specialists for women facing breast cancer, Dr. Mendenhall has spent her entire medical career working at UF. Her many publications, participation in research projects, and service with boards and societies in her field have yielded distinction among her peers and made her uniquely suited to this new position as medical director of Florida Proton. “The first thing we want to do is provide every patient with the greatest possibility of cure with the lowest side effects,” she explains. “Some cancers are well treated with traditional radiation therapy, and they can continue to be treated with it. But this institute brings a unique resource to this part of the country. The closest proton facilities outside of Jacksonville are in Houston or Boston. People will be coming from all over the southeast to seek treatment here.
     “But its full potential is not just in treating patients. We will be incorporating clinical research into the institute’s operations. Treatments by protocol will be provided to the maximum and documented. Its optimal role is apparent, in documenting the benefits of the treatments.
     “A third goal is to be a platform for other clinical oncology research. Things like vascular targeting agents and better chemotherapy. We will work with other departments in the college and with other institutions on this. Studies will be done on health care costs, information transfer and accuracy within the system. Shands will end up being a national resource for radional effects and cancer care.
     “If we fulfill that mission, Jacksonville will be seen across the nation as a center for research and cancer care. All kinds of new people will be drawn into the community, from patients visiting for treatment, to highly-educated professionals working with the institute. So it will have not only a positive economic impact on the city, but build Jacksonville’s reputation for scientific research, both basic and clinical.”
     The institute will work closely with the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, which is investigating a proton center for its Rochester facility. Dr. Mendenhall has also met with representatives at Nemours Children’s Clinic and Baptist Medical Center to discuss collaborative efforts involving the new proton institute. “We will be treating patients with both conventional radiation and protons, and will work with Jacksonville’s medical community on this, although many who seek treatment at the institute will be coming from outside of the city.”
     Dr. Mendenhall has a personal interest in the areas of lymphomas, breast cancer and pediatrics. The institute will be developing specific protocols for treatment of tumors in the prostate, lung, brain, sarcomas, and advanced cancers of the breast and gastrointestinal tract. The treatment is also effective for eye disorders such as macular degeneration.
     Proton therapy will not replace mastectomy for breast cancer patients, as the cancer is not localized enough to save the breast tissue if surgery is recommended. In such cases, surgery and conventional radiation therapy are the most effective treatments. “There’s not a lot of room for improvement there,” she says. “But with advanced breast cancer, traditional radiation makes it difficult to give the high doses of radiation that are needed to combat the tumor without damaging adjacent tissue. We won’t be using proton therapy at the beginning for this, but it will come later.” Traditional radiation therapy will be provided by the institute, in addition to proton therapy.
     One gantry of the facility will open in July, while a second and third will follow later in the year. Each gantry is three stories tall, and rotates around the patient bed to allow the proton beam to be directed at the tumor from any angle. A fourth, stationary, proton delivery device is more appropriate for treating things like nonmalignant eye disorders. When fully operational, the facility will be able to treat up to 200 patients per day.
     “The equipment in this facility is unbelievably impressive,” says Stewart Klein, the institute’s executive director. “There’s a huge device in each gantry that looks like a Ferris wheel that’s used to position the beam appropriately for the patient.”
     In addition to the proton facility at Shands Jacksonville and the original one at Loma Linda, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has one, and another in Houston is coming online later this year. The facility at Shands will include clinics for pre- and post-therapy and on-site treatment evaluation of patients, treatment simulation and planning suites, an infusion and anesthesia suite, social and dietary services, a research office and faculty offices.

story © 2006, Thompson Writing & Editing, Inc.

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story © 2006, Thompson Writing & Editing, Inc.

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story © 2006, Thompson Writing & Editing, Inc.

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Bored with the Indoors?  Try Another Kind of Board

Area doctors take to the sea via windsurfing and kiteboarding

             Any way you look at it, the medical profession is an indoor one, sending many physicians scurrying outside on weekends.  Several Jacksonville doctors have found one way to enjoy the great outdoors that involves the whole family – or not.
            Dr. Mike Janssen spends his weekdays at Baptist Primary Care.  On weekends, however, you can find him with his family at Huguenot Park, skimming across the water on his sailboard.  “Steady breezes, lack of current and nice, sandy shores on both sides make Huguenot one of the better places to learn the sport,” says Janssen, who’s past commodore of Jacksonville Associated Wind Surfers, or JAWS, the local windsurfing organization.  Janssen’s also the current editor of the JAWS newsletter.
            He likes the sport because it’s a great way to get outside with his entire family.  “Hang gliding, skydiving, SCUBA diving, even riding a motorcycle are more solo types of activities,” says Janssen.  “But my wife and kids all love windsurfing.  My daughter’s thirteen now, and I think her first words were, ‘Go beach, Daddy?’”
            Pediatric gastroenterologist Jonathan Evans has been windsurfing since the dawn of the 1980s.  “It was the first thing he bought when we moved here from Belgium,” reports his wife, Evelyne.  When Evans’ son, Alex, was only five or six years old, they bought him one of the new boards being sized specifically for children. Alex is now eighteen and windsurfs regularly with his father at Huguenot.
            Windsurfing is also a great way to see the world.  Janssen has sailboarded in Maui, the San Francisco Bay, Cape Hatteras, the Bahamas, Aruba, Bonaire, Tobago and the Dominican Republic.  “SCUBA diving is a great complement to windsurfing.  When the conditions are wrong for one, they’re right for the other, so you’re always covered.”
            Some windsurfing sites are more unexpected.  “The Columbia River Gorge in Oregon has great wind currents that make it popular there.  Another is Worthington, Minnesota, which is not the kind of place you’d associate with a water sport.”  Janssen, who grew up in that area, noted that there are more windmills there than anywhere else in the U.S.
            “A few years ago, the Worthington club of less than a dozen windsurfers got the idea they wanted to host the U.S. National Championships.  They actually got the nod to be the 2003 host.  It’s the only time the Nationals have ever been held away from a coast,” says Janssen, who won first place in his division.
             Anesthesiologist Steve Lee was a sponsored competitive windsurfer with thirteen boards and forty sails. He competed in all three main types of competition – course racing, slalom and wave riding & jumping.  “When I went to Hawaii on my honeymoon, I saw a couple of guys windsurfing.  I wanted to buy a little Sunfish sailboat at the time, but settled for a windboard instead.”  Windsurfing quickly became his passion, until a few years ago.  Now he’s made the switch to kiteboarding.
            The extreme, albeit more solitary, sport of kiteboarding is fast gaining popularity.  Windsurfers joke that kiteboarders have “gone over to the dark side.”  The sport is still in its infancy, and there are some quirks with the equipment that keep all but the most adventurous windsurfers in the wait-and-see stage.
             “A bunch of us used to go down to the Dominican Republic to windsurf for a week or so every year.  A few years ago we saw this guy kiteboarding there and asked him about it.  Around five of us started trying it, and now I haven’t had my windsurfer out in a couple of years,” says Lee.  His reasons for switching are numerous.  “The equipment is lighter – you can fit most of it into a medium-sized backpack – and the sport is more fun.  You can do a lot more aerial moves with kiteboarding.  For example, just the other day I was up in the air 25-30 feet for about 30-45 seconds.”  Lee usually kiteboards in the late afternoon, along with Doctors Greg Keller and Garry Kitay of Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute.  All used to windsurf before taking up the more exhilarating sport.
              Dr. Kitay first pursued windsurfing as a way to take advantage of all the water in the Jacksonville area.  He now prefers kiteboarding because, “it’s easier to get the board on a plane, so it’s just skimming across the water.  You can do that with less wind, which increases the number of days you can be on the water.”  Launching and landing the kite, however, is more complicated than starting and stopping a sailboard.  “That kite can pull you into things.  Plus, you have a 100-foot line to worry about.  It’s not as social because you have to keep some distance between yourself and others around you.  You’re always aware of everyone else around.”
              Lee acknowledges that kiteboarding can be dangerous, and is not for everybody.  “Back in May, I had the biggest black eye from when my board came off both feet while I was about twenty feet up in the air, then hit me in the face.  I’ve been dragged along the beach several times, but the equipment has more safety features built into it now than it used to.”  He concedes that kiteboarding equipment should not be sold to just anyone, and lessons are imperative before trying it.  “The force and power of the kite are instantaneous, comparable to a 115-horsepower Mercury motor, and it can dive into position in about a quarter of a second. You’d better be ready when it does.”
              Windsurfing is not without its risks, either, however.  “After my residency, I got my first permanent job in Jacksonville,” says Lee, “About 6-8 weeks later I went to Hawaii for a week to windsurf.  I came back on crutches, with an MCL tear.  When I was training for the Mug Race one year, lightning struck the water close to me, and the electrical shock tetanized all my exposed body parts.  I woke up choking underwater.  If I hadn’t been wearing rubber long johns, it would probably have stopped my heart.  For a few months afterward, I had a deficiency in my left arm.”
             Near-electrocution is one thing, but windsurfers in the Mug Race?  “Yes, back in the late 1980’s, there were three or four guys who used to windsurf the Mug Race [from Palatka to the Rudder Club, next to the Buckman Bridge],” explains Lee.  One year, a windsurfer actually finished first in the monohull class of the race.
            “Windsurfing is something that can be enjoyed by people of all ages,” says Dr. Janssen.  “A lot of kids love it, and the oldest in our JAWS group is in his seventies.  The boards are much wider now, which leads to greater stability.”  This harkens back to the early days of windsurfing, as it was invented by Jacksonville resident Newman Darby.  There’s even an exhibit in the Smithsonian about Darby, who’s an honorary commodore of JAWS.  Narrower boards were preferred by the Californians who popularized windsurfing, and have frustrated many who tried to learn the sport.  “Narrow boards are good for high performance racers, but the wider ones are more stable.  Some people don’t even fall in when they’re learning on those.  The wide boards are also good for lower wind conditions, which are more prevalent in most places,” explains Janssen.
            Jacksonville-area windsurfers can get equipped at All Wet Sports, owned by Andy Fraden, on Southside Boulevard.  Fraden was one of the founding members of JAWS and the group’s original president.  “Mail order kind of hurt the local shops in the past, but we’re seeing a few come back now,” says Dr. Janssen.  A beginner’s package including sail, mast, boom, board, fins and foot straps will run around $995, and a one-hour lesson is generally sufficient for windsurfing.
              For kiteboarding, plan on spending $1,000-$1,500 for the board, kite, lines and harness.  You can find the equipment at All Wet Sports or at kite shops, and you’ll definitely need some lessons.  Because of the increased danger of the sport, both for the kiteboarder and those around him, lessons are essential.  “You have to learn to steer the inflatable kite first,”  explains Kitay.  “Then you get a traction kite to learn how to properly fall into the water, and once you can do a body drag, you move to using a board.  Each step could take from a few days up to a month.”  Lee adds, “A lot fewer people kiteboard because it’s so physically demanding.  It’s definitely not for kids younger than about seventeen or eighteen, and even a lot of women find it too difficult to make the switch.”
            Favorite windsurfing locations in the area include Huguenot Park on the northside, Mandarin Park and County Dock Road off Loretto Road, and the city park in Green Cove Springs.  Kiteboarders can usually be found at Atlantic Beach in the late afternoons when the sea breezes kick in.  Next time you’re in one of these places, take a look across the water.  Those windsurfers or kiteboarders are likely to be some of your fellow doctors.

[A box of information listing local sources of equipment and websites for associations was included at the bottom of the article.]

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Seven Days of Fun

Sure, the winters here aren’t long, but they’re long enough.  We’ve been waiting what seems like months for the weather to get gorgeous again.  Now that it is, we’re all itching to get outside and do some…work in the garden, right?  Wrong!  We live at the beach, and we want to have fun!  Whether we’ve lived here all our lives, or are new to the area, we all tend to take the old familiar places for granted.  Here are some suggestions to get you into a springtime mood, without going too far.

Day 1:  Northern Excursion

If you still love the beach, but want to get away, pack a picnic lunch, drive out to Mayport and take a quick ferry ride across the St. Johns, then turn right onto Hecksher Drive until you get to Huguenot Memorial Park.  Located within the Timucuan Preserve, its beach is not developed like it is here, and you can actually drive your car on it (like you used to be able to do here).  There are bathrooms and outside showers, and it’s said to be the best place in the area to windsurf.  A lot of surfers, birders, boaters and fishermen also like the park.

On your way back, stop off at Kingsley Plantation and get a little education.  The plantation house itself, dating to 1792, is closed to the public for restoration, but you can still tour the kitchen, slave quarters, barn and interpretive garden.  Information on the plantation’s history is available at the visitor center, located just outside the kitchen house, and there’s a ranger program daily at 2 p.m.

Take the ferry back across the river, then stop along the waterfront in Mayport at one of the fresh seafood markets to pick up some shrimp right off the boat.  You can’t get seafood any fresher unless you catch it yourself.  If you don’t feel like cooking when you get home, choose one of the restaurants along the way to have your fresh seafood prepared for you.  Singleton’s is famous for its fried shrimp, and newcomer Safe Harbor is getting rave reviews for its fish and shrimp tacos.

The Marine Science Education Center is on Palmer Street, just off Ocean Street (the main road) in Mayport.  Part of the public school system, it’s open during school hours, and you can stop in to see the museum and wet lab with its 13 tanks.

While you’re in Mayport, look for the St. Johns/Mayport Lighthouse, dark since 1929.  Since it’s located on the Navy base, you can’t actually go there, but you can get close enough to see it through the fence.  It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  You can’t visit the William J. King House, either, but take a look at it.  Supposedly haunted, it’s right on Ocean Street in Mayport.  It plays a prominent role in G.W. Reynolds’ Jetty Man series of novels about Mayport, and is now a private residence owned by retired attorney Al Malor.

Day 2:  Exploring the Home Turf

Thought you knew the beaches?  Think again!  Start with Atlantic Beach, by visiting Miles of Smiles.  This new business takes you on a tour of the city on Segways.  Scott and Myra Bushnell opened it in November after taking a similar tour of Epcot.  Their two-hour informative tour of the town takes you past the site of the old Atlantic Beach Hotel, the Château, and even local celeb pianist Gene Nordin’s house.  Five to six people age 16 or older can go at one time.

After your tour, stroll around the Town Center.  Wander into the shops along Atlantic Boulevard and First Street, then drop into Ragtime, the Sun Dog or Sunny Caribbee for lunch.  Or, stroll farther down First Street and stop into Shelby’s for coffee or a sandwich, or make your way down to Slider’s for some oysters or a heavier meal.

If you don’t own a bicycle, rent one at a local bike shop and explore the rest of the beaches.  The American Bicycle Company rents one-speed beach cruisers in Jax Beach, either by the hour or for a 24-hour period.  The new bikes for this season will be arriving in April; old ones are sold at the end of the season.

Head first for the Beaches Area Historical Society.  Although their archives building is being demolished so its new home can be built, the old foreman’s house, relocated Mayport Train Terminal, and 28-ton steam locomotive are still there to enjoy.

If the tide is out, ride south along the beach to Oceanfront Park, where the old pier used to be.  Play a little beach volleyball or take a long ride along the beach to work off your lunch, then make your way north to the new pier.  You’ll have to lock up your bikes at the base of the pier, as they’re not allowed on it.  Rent fishing poles and buy bait to try your luck catching the big ones, or just walk out and enjoy the view.

After returning your bikes, stop into Freebird Café  for happy hour to see all the Lynyrd Skynyrd memorabilia on display.  If you’re in luck, they may have a touring band you’ve actually heard of coming in to play later that evening.

If you rent your bikes from Ponte Vedra Bicycles, you can get a beach cruiser or a mountain bike.  Their bikes are available year-round, but spring is one of their busiest seasons.  There are wooded biking trails running parallel to A1A, extending all the way down to Guana River State Park.  But that really takes us to our next day of fun…

Day 3:  Getting Back to Nature

Get out that fishing gear and your mountain bike, and head over to Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park.  There’s a 60-acre stocked freshwater lake that’s great for fishing, kayaking or canoeing.  Scenic hiking trails wind through the forest around the lake, along with 15 miles of bike trails ranked in three levels of difficulty.  Concession stands sell drinks and snacks, but pack a picnic lunch if you’re planning to make Hanna Park a day-long adventure.

Further south, unspoiled nature is available at Guana River State Park.  Along with beautiful beaches and gorgeous views of Guana River, the Intracoastal and its marshes, you’ll find history.  There are seventeen known historic or prehistoric cultural sites in the park.  Fishing is allowed at the Guana Dam Use Area by the main entrance, while picnicking can be enjoyed anywhere within the reserve.  The nine miles of nature trails and old service roads are popular spots for hiking and cycling.

When you’ve had enough of the wilderness, but not necessarily of the outdoors, drive down to Lulu’s in Palm Valley for cocktails.  Before dinner, watch the sun set while you hit a few golf balls over the Intracoastal.  If you’re with the kids, they’ll enjoy Cap’s on the Water in Vilano, where there’s a play area.  You’ll all enjoy watching the planes take off and land from the St. Augustine Airport just across the Intracoastal.

Day 4:  Southern Excursion

Play tourist for the day, and head down A1A to St. Augustine.  Even though there are more houses than there used to be, you’ll still find several places where you can see the ocean and the rising sun through the dunes.  Allow yourself about forty minutes to get there.

Leave early enough in the morning to breakfast at Café Cordova in the Casa Monica Hotel.  Their authentic French pastry chef makes heavenly croissants, and the coffee is by Starbucks.  Afterward, head across the street to the Lightner Museum, fascinating not only for its collections, but for its architecture and history.  The former Hotel Alcazar was built in the Spanish Renaissance style in 1887, then reopened as a museum in 1948.  If you get hungry, stop for a bite to eat in the Café Alcazar, located in the hotel’s old swimming pool.  Pick up a few souvenirs at the museum store.

After you’ve seen the Lightner (and made a trip back to the car to drop off your purchases), head across the street to Flagler College’s Ponce de Leon Hall.  It was designed by the same architects as the Lightner.  Originally the Ponce de Leon Hotel, it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The interior, including the windows in its dining hall, was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.  Murals are by George W. Maynard—you may recognize his work from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Next, head down St. George Street through the historic district.  Remember, you’re playing tourist, so don’t be embarrassed to stop into places like the Oldest House.  You’ll find a museum there with artifacts dating back to the days when Native Americans lived in the area.  They even have the death mask of Osceola.  Stop in at the Mill Top for a beer and some live folk music.  If you haven’t lunched yet, try Del Fuego’s [where is this?  It’s not listed in the St. Augustine phone book].  Explore the shops that have changed since the last time you walked St. George Street.  In [what’s the name of this place?] a Native American museum and art gallery, pause to watch the demonstration of how arrowheads were made by St. Augustine’s original residents.  Drop your purchases off at the car, then make a decision about where you’ll spend Happy Hour.

If you’re in a sophisticated mood, head back to the Casa Monica, savor a martini in the Cobalt Lounge, then follow it with an elegant dinner in 95 Cordova.  For a more casual alternative, make your way across the Bridge of Lions to the Conch House.  (Hurry, before it’s torn down to build condos!)  Listen to live music in what’s commonly called the “screw room” (used in the sense of a propeller) out on the dock, or get a table at one of the little tiki huts along the dock for more privacy.

When you’re ready for dinner after drinks at the Conch, longtime favorite Gypsy Cab Co. is still pleasing diners with its eclectic fare, and they serve until 11 p.m.  If you’re in more of a fried shrimp mood, O’Steen’s is another traditional St. Augustine establishment that’s acclaimed as having the best around.  There are a host of others, from the Columbia for outstanding Cuban fare, to the Raintree for fancier tastes. Whatever type of cuisine you’re in the mood for, St. Augustine has a restaurant that can satisfy you.

Day 5:  Becoming a Kid Again

Tired of being an adult?  Kids of all ages love Adventure Landing.  It has a little something for everyone – water park, go-karts, laser tag, two mini-golf courses and an arcade with over 100 interactive and ticket redemption games.  Their “Wacky Worm” is the only permanent roller coaster in northeast Florida.  The water park opens for the season on March 19.  Discounts are offered to military families.

Take your own kids to one of our fine public parks and play together on the equipment.  Huguenot Park overlooks the lake on South 3^rd Street, while South Beach Park is a brand-new facility featuring basketball courts, a fitness trail and an elaborate kids’ playground.  Jarboe Park in Neptune Beach still has its tennis courts, ball field and playground equipment, and is a popular destination for dog walkers (just remember to curb your pet).  If it’s a hot day, drive back out to Hanna Park to enjoy the water playground with colorful fountains and devices to squirt each other. 

For fun at home, call Bounce About Inflatable Fun Houses.  They’ll bring one of their rentals directly to you.  You can get everything from SpongeBob to a monster truck for up to ten hours of bouncing fun.  They also offer a bubble mill and a snow cone machine; your yard will be the hit of the neighborhood.

When you’ve worn yourself out, get some of that old kid-pleaser, pizza, at Al’s Pizza.  Or for mac ‘n’ cheese, try Semolina’s macaroni & cheese loaf.  Leave room for dessert, and stop off for ice cream on the way home.

Day 6:  Exploring the Athlete In You

Work off all that food with a day of playing sports.  If you don’t have a private club membership, the city’s Jacksonville Beach Golf Course is open to the public.  Built as a private club, this course counted Sam Snead among its original partners.  The city took it over in 1960.  They have been rebuilding the course since 1999, and just last year completed a new clubhouse and pro shop.  Hit a bucket of balls at the driving range for $6 or bring your own and practice chipping and putting for free.  Sign up for lessons to improve your form; they even have a ladies’ pro.  Play a round of nine or eighteen holes (it’s cheaper on a weekday).

If tennis is more your game, book a court at the Huguenot Tennis Center on 16^th Avenue South in Jax Beach.  No racquet?  Don’t worry; they’ll lend you one, or you can buy one in the pro shop there.  There’s a seniors’ day on Friday mornings, and they’re trying to get a ladies’ C-team started on Tuesday mornings.  You’ll need to call them a couple days in advance to reserve a court.  They also have reasonably-priced lessons available.

We’re at the beach, so you have to try surfing.  Sure, our waves are far from the best on the east coast, but we do have some.  Aqua East rents surfboards in three sizes, but cautions that they’re not for rank beginners.  You should have some experience before trying it.  Many of their renters are out-of-towners who didn’t bring their own boards with them.

Day 7:  Getting On the Water

We’re surrounded by water, so this one is a natural.  The water temp’s still a little chilly now, but before long it’ll be warm enough.  Rent a Wave Runner at A1A Watersports and explore the Intracoastal.  Stop off at Lighthouse Grille for a cold one and a snack.  When you’re done, drop into Billy’s Boat House for Happy Hour.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, and the wind’s not too bad, rent a kayak from Aqua East or B&M Bait & Tackle. Some are more suited to the ocean, while others are better for the Intracoastal.  B&M even offers one that’s set up for fishing, and sells the bait and tackle to go with it.  Head to the beach, or explore the Intracoastal from Dutton Island Preserve in Atlantic Beach.  You can launch a canoe, if you own one, for the same purpose from Tideviews Preserve.

Kayaks, windsurfers and catamarans—or even a nice, comfy beach chair—are available from East Coast Sports Rentals on the beach behind Comfort Inn.  They’re open from May through September, and occasionally on nice weekends at other times of the year.  If you want a guided tour, call Kayak Adventures.  They can also take you on a fishing tour or teach you how to become an expert kayaker.

More of a pool kind of person?  Beaches Aquatic Center offers memberships for individuals and families.  Swimming and diving are available.  You can join for a “session” (they have three throughout the year) or the whole year.  They also offer swimming lessons and have their own swim team.

Tired from all your days of fun?  Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time to rest—spring only brings us events like the Players Championship, Springing the Blues, the Ponte Vedra Art Festival, Opening of the Beaches…oh, well, summer will be here soon.

[A list of all the places mentioned in the article, with contact information, websites, costs, and other details about them, was included at the end of the article.]

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Click on the thumbnail above to see the full-size image.

Holiday Shopping At The Beaches

Remember when you were a kid and actually looked forward to holiday shopping?  Going out in the brisk winter air from shop to shop with your mother, bundled up against the cold to see the wonders that awaited you inside each cozy storefront?  Stopping in to see Santa, just to make sure you were covered?  Dropping by to get a tasty cup of hot chocolate at the corner soda shop?

Even if there’s a fifty-fifty chance here that we’ll be shopping in shorts and flip flops versus bundling up against the cold, there’s still a lot of charm to be found in taking a little time to find just the right presents for those on our lists.  In today’s busy world, holiday shopping has become more of a chore than a joy.  Drive to the overcrowded mall, search for a parking place, walk for miles through surly crowds and settle for some kind of bizarre gift that just gets the whole thing over with.

Sure, it’s easier to buy your presents online and have them all shipped to you, but where’s the holiday spirit in that?  Betcha didn’t know you can handle your entire holiday gift list without even crossing the ditch!  We scoured the beaches looking for the best spots to find gifts that will please everyone on your list.  Here are our favorite things, already grouped into price ranges for you.

Now, get out there and have some fun shopping the beaches!

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A Cozy Retreat
Transform Your Bedroom into a Warm Winter Refuge 

Cold, dreary days got you down?  Make your bedroom into the warm, cozy retreat you’re seeking with a few simple changes.

Flooring
While wall-to-wall carpeting may be the warmest floor covering, today’s decorating trend is toward bare floors.  Insulate these with some area rugs to warm your tootsies on cold mornings.  Include a good quality pad underneath to prolong the rug’s life, keep it in place and protect your floor from scratches.  Area rugs can also be used over carpet to freshen the look of a room. 

Colors
Warm earth tones have been in vogue for several years.  Paint your bedroom walls a shade of gold, honey or butterscotch to evoke memories of warm summer days.  If you’re really daring, try red!  This passionate color represents fire in the feng shui philosophy of decorating, and studies have shown that red actually makes us feel warmer.  It’s also a good complement to the “gypsy” look that became popular last year.  Not that bold?  Shades of pink such as mauve or rose can warm a room less dramatically and are said to increase romantic energy. 

Lighting
Lose that glaring, overhead fixture in favor of a few lamps with lower wattage bulbs.  You can always use a reading light if you like to read in bed, but the overall lighting effect should be soft and muted to induce a restful feeling.  Bring in the gypsy look by adding beaded or embellished lampshades in rich jewel tones, or use shades with gold interiors to soften the light.  Candles are another option – just don’t fall asleep with them burning! 

Placement
We’d all love a spacious bedroom and sitting area, but in reality many of us are trying to make a smaller space work.  To make the room look larger, hang mirrors.  Position your furniture so that you don’t have to walk around the bed to get from closet to dresser.  Add a soft chair in rich upholstery.  If you don’t have a canopy bed, add a “crown” of draperies around the head (think Elizabethan castle) for a romantic touch that also reduces drafts.  Warm your heart with photos of loved ones and cherished mementos on skirted bedside tables. 

Fabrics
Think soft and plush.  Chenille, velvet, fleece and faux fur are all popular now and easy to find.  Try a throw tossed across the foot of your bed – it’s that gypsy look again!  A warm, down-filled comforter (polyester if you’re allergic) can be updated inexpensively by changing the duvet cover.  Upholster a chair in rich tapestry fabric.  Switch to flannel sheets.  Place an assortment of throw pillows in varied sizes, textures and shades on your bed. 

Real Warmth
If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace in your bedroom, bravo!  If not, there are numerous small, room-size heaters on the market today that are far safer and more energy-efficient than the old-fashioned space heaters of yesteryear.  Insulated draperies can help keep winter nor’easters at bay.  If all else fails, play that fireplace video on your bedroom TV! 

Aromatherapy
As a final touch, proper fragrances induce sound sleep.  Use a lavender-scented fabric softener when you launder the sheets.  A scented candle, dish of potpourri or scented soaps can all complete the ambience of your bedroom by adding a relaxing fragrance.  Sip a cup of aromatic herbal tea from your bedside table as you drift into sweet dreams in your new bedroom retreat.

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Hit the Deck!
Preserving your deck to minimize aging and weather damage

Ah, spring is in the air.  And you know what that means – time to clean and preserve your deck!  You’ll be glad you did when your neighbor’s deck is rotting away while yours still looks brand new. 

During Construction
Preservation actually begins with construction.  North Florida’s high humidity and blistering sun make up the ideal climate for wood decay.

Make sure there is sufficient air circulation underneath your deck.  If it’s close to the ground, use a polyethylene moisture barrier underneath, covered with a decorative rock product.  This will minimize water damage from below.

Pressure treated wood is most often used for decks in Florida.  If you’re concerned about leaching of arsenic from the chromated copper arsenate (CCA) that is most commonly used to treat the wood, there are alternatives.  Several preservatives are registered with the US Environmental Protection Agency.  Untreated wood such as cedar or redwood could be used.  Nonwood choices include a recycled plastic lumber that looks like real wood.  If you do use CCA treated wood, check the EPA’s website for precautions when handling it. 

Surface Prep
Whether new or existing, a deck surface must be prepared before applying any stain or sealer.  All decks should be cleaned thoroughly each spring and fall.  Remove any existing coatings or the “mill glaze” on new wood with a stiff brush and deck wash product.  Pressure washing can accomplish this, but be careful not to strip the wood’s soft grain.  If you need to remove mold, mildew or algae, use a non-chlorine bleaching agent.  This will make your preservative last longer.

Sand down any splinters or cracks to expose a new layer of wood.  Your goal is a smooth surface for application of the sealer.  Carefully read the directions on both the cleaner and the stain or seal for any additional instructions. 

Drying Time
Give the deck two or three days to dry after cleaning and before sealing.  Even new wood will need a few days to acclimate before being stained.  Read the instructions on your chosen product for better guidelines.

Watch the weather forecast, as well.  There should be no rain for 24 hours after you’ve applied stain or sealer.  If you have a sprinkler system on a timer, make sure it’s not scheduled to come on during that time, either. 

Choosing Products
A variety of deck preservatives is available from your local hardware store.  Look for a product that resists mildew and UV damage.  Read labels carefully to get the look and level of protection desired.

Some stains protect the wood while allowing it to weather naturally.  These also require restaining within 12 to 18 months.  Semitransparent or tinted stains change the wood’s original color while allowing the wood grain to show through.  Pigmented stains have higher UV protection and will lengthen time before restaining to 3-4 years.  Exterior house paint is not recommended for decks. 

Application Tips
Once again, reading the manufacturer’s instructions is essential.  For fastest application of waterproofing, use a pump-up sprayer.  A sprayer can’t be used to apply stains, however.  For that you’ll need brushes, rollers and applicator pads.

To make the product penetrate the wood grain, go easy on the amount applied.  Avoid applying in direct sun.  Make sure to cover as much of the wood as possible, including the board ends. 

Maintenance
Once finished, you’ll want to keep your deck looking nice through the spring and summer.  Sweep off leaves to avoid stains and mildew.  Elevate any potted plants with pot feet, available in your local garden store.  Frequent sweeping will reduce damage from grinding dirt or sand into the finish. 

For More Information

Precautions for CCA Treated Wood:    www.epa.gov/pesticides/citizens/cca_qa
Pressure Washing Tips: www.dulley.com/deck/dmain01
Product Manufacturers’ Sites: www.loghomes.com/maintain/decks
                                              www.thompsonsonline.com/tips

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Art on the Walls
Today’s trends in faux painting techniques

If you thought it was hard to decide on a paint color for your walls from those little strips in the paint store, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!  The days of bare, smooth walls are over.  Maybe you’ve seen the shows on HGTV, or the articles in This Old House or Better Homes & Gardens.  Maybe you’ve even tried some of these painting techniques yourself.  Here’s the rundown on what’s hot in wall treatments.

More than Color
While faux painting has been fashionable for several years, today’s walls are adding texture to the mix.  Raised relief murals employ plastering techniques to make flowers virtually burst off the wall.  “This is much more complicated and time consuming than faux marbling,” says decorative painter Barbara Lee.  “It takes several steps to achieve the desired effect.”  Leather looks in studies are also a popular style these days.

Another big trend today is Venetian plaster.  This look requires several layers of marble-based plaster, each burnished by trowels.  The end effect gives the appearance of polished stone.  The number of steps involved greatly increases the time, as well as the cost, of this technique.

Time and Money
While not everyone can afford Venetian plaster, the range of options in today’s painting effects make something available to all.  The size of the walls, type of effect and number of complications all affect the time involved to complete the job.  Bathrooms are not necessarily cheaper or easier to do because they’re smaller.  There are a lot of things to paint around in bathrooms, and all of that has to be taped off beforehand.  It’s also complicated to do some of the effects around fixtures, outlets and corners.

Probably the most affordable painting effects are those involving a “magic roller”.  Once the paint is applied with the roller, it is pounded, softened and blended with sponges and rags to achieve the desired effect.  If you want to try tackling the job yourself, both Home Depot and Lowe’s offer classes in these types of painting techniques.  They also sell kits with the rollers.

Calling In the Pros
Okay, so you’ve taken the class and bought your magic roller kit.  But when you start working on that first wall, it just doesn’t look like it did in your head.  Is it too late to call for help?  “HGTV makes it look easy on those shows, but a lot of people who have tried it at home have called me afterward,” laughs Lee.  Edges and corners are especially hard to do without professional training and lots of experience.

A typical room may take two to three days to complete.  Plan on spending anywhere from $300 to $3,000 for a professional painter.  The wide price range is because of the broad number of choices in painting effects, textures and room sizes.  Get estimates from painters whose work you’ve seen and admired.  Better plan ahead, too – good painters are booking jobs several months in advance. 

Are you sick of those plain, white walls yet?  Ready for leather in the library or bouquets in the boudoir?  Let your imagination run wild, then call your local painting artist to help achieve the effect of your dreams.

For More Information

Faux painting techniques & supplies:  www.fauxlikeapro.com
                                                         www.paintschool.com
                                                         www.fauxchannel.com
Venetian plaster information:  www.behrpaint.com
You can contact Barbara Lee at 287-1952.

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Award-Winning Article!

A star is born

Glisson breaks into the music industry

By Lynn Thompson, PULSE staff writer

JACKSONVILLE—“The dream” is shared by many, but, in this case, owned by Kim Glisson, known as Kim Kenyon on the local show business scene.

Performing on stage…the spotlight chasing your every move…fans cheering…the music pounding in your ears.

“Sometimes it’s hard to stay off the clouds,” says Glisson, a touch of tremble in her voice.  “I remember one time we were playing in this little surfer bar at the beach.  We were finishing ‘Suite Madame Blue’ by Styx, the lights were on us, and I picked up the tambourine at the end of the song.  I looked out into the crowd, and everybody was standing up.  It’s so overwhelming being on stage.”

Glisson, a directory telephone sales rep [DTSR], is the lead vocalist for “ROCK-IT Science,” an aspiring club band in the area.  By the end of the summer, the group hopes to have a demo tape — featuring many songs that she co-wrote — on the way to potential recording executives.

“The dream of a musical career actually began in high school,” says Glisson.  “I studied voice for six years and used to sing in a variety of choruses.  A friend of mine, Nino Driussi, who is the band’s lead guitarist, and I used to write songs and play the guitar for fun.”

After high school, marriage and two children, she laid her dream to the side.  For the next seven years, she made no music.  And sang no songs.  There was only time for her family, and her job at BAPCO.

“After I got my divorce, though,” she says, “I found myself with more time.  Then, last year, Nino returned to Jacksonville and we got together [and formed the band].

Soon, another friend joined the duo.  “We realized in one evening,” she says, “that there were 10 songs we all knew.  Then we started getting together twice a week, rehearsing.  Finally, after rehearsing about twice a week, we learned 45 songs, enough for a full night’s performance.”  Today, the band plays at local benefits and sports bars.  It has even been booked as the opening act at various concerts here.

Among Glisson’s biggest fans are her children and mother [Gloria Schumm].  “My daughter, Denise [4], sings my songs better than I do,” says the singing DTSR.  “As for Alex [9], I used to worry that I was spending too much time away from him.  But his response was, ‘Mommy, you love to sing, and I love to come and hear you.  This is what you want to do, and I want you to do it.’

“My mom has been at every performance we’ve done.  She helps me pick out my outfits, which is my biggest dilemma.”

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Award-Winning Article!

Building Toward Total Quality:  Adding Value for Customers
By Lynn Thompson
PULSE staff writer

JACKSONVILLE - A Quality Task Team here has found a way to meet the challenge of adding value for advertisers, especially major advertisers.  The method:  The "Phone Finesse Seminar," a series of video tapes and guided discussions.  It was offered first to all clerical personnel here in 1992.  Then, Operations Manager/Sales Verlin Parsons brought in his sales managers and certified them as trainers for the seminar.  Later, the program was offered to all REMAP customers and members of the Jacksonville Advertiser Advisory Board.

"The seminar, which lasted a half-day, was guided toward anybody - in any office - who answers the telephone," says Rose Marie McInnis, an administrative manager.  "It was found to be extremely valuable in providing effective and appropriate telephone communication techniques in our business and those [businesses] of our customers."  She notes that the idea of including customers in the project was mentioned "as a possibility" during Task Team meetings and planning sessions for the Jacksonville sales campaign.

Baptist Medical Center of Jacksonville was so impressed with the program, it offered the course to all of its departments and affiliated doctors' offices.  Through its training and development department, the Center gave credit to those employees who completed it.

"To date," McInnis says, "a total of 16 classes have been conducted.  And, over 200 customers have successfully completed the course.  Many businesses have long felt a need for telephone answering techniques and fully appreciated our course.  Several business owners came, closing down their offices for half a day."

The seminar's goal, she adds, "was to add value to 'The Real Yellow Pages' by offering our customers something in addition to advertising.  And, at the same time, provide effective and appropriate telephone communication techniques that generate maximum quality service.

We feel strongly that this seminar has proven to be a valuable tool in helping us, as a company, and to focus on our customers," says McInnis.  "And, at the same time, to raise the quality of service provided by the North Florida sales organization."

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Yellow Pages – New Star on the Co-op Scene
By Lynn Thompson
Co-op Advertising Representative, [Company Name]

New star?  Yellow Pages aren’t new; they’ve been around for years!  On the co-op front, however, the medium is gaining increased visibility.

Newspapers have traditionally been the medium for co-op funds, with the electronic media increasing in popularity lately.  But many companies are now discovering the yellow pages of their dealers’ local telephone books to be an essential link in their co-op plans.

Why yellow pages?  Simply, yellow pages is a directional medium, which prospective customers use when they’re ready to buy.  Traditionally, the primary purpose of yellow pages ads has been to convey information.  However, in today’s competitive marketplace, yellow pages ads should be creative, as well.  Layout and artwork can no longer be pushed aside to allow for more information in an ad.

The business of publishing telephone directories has undergone some changes since 1984, as well.  With divestiture of the Bell System, the traditional one-phone-company/one-phone-book city has virtually disappeared.  In its place is an open marketplace of publishers competing for the same business customers.  The Bell breakup also brought about formation of the American Association of Yellow Pages Publishers (AAYPP), an independent organization formed for promotion of the medium, whose members are frequently competing companies.

Because of the need to be competitive, directory companies are offering – and dealers purchasing – larger yellow pages ads.  Many dealers are turning to co-op funds to offset the additional cost of these ads.

How does this figure in a manufacturer’s plan when designing a co-op program?  Significantly, if they’re smart.  Yellow pages ads run for an entire year before being revamped.  If a manufacturer is spending a fortune promoting brand recognition in nationally-run ads, why fail to consider the final link to the sale?

Research shows that 16.4 billion references are made to the yellow pages in an average year.  Half of those references result in a purchase.[*]  That’s where creative ads come into play, and the use of product logos and illustrations can dovetail with your national ad campaign to make consumers choose dealers of your product.

How to Design a Co-op Program for the Yellow Pages

Now that you’ve decided to include yellow pages in your co-op program, how do you design the plan to ensure maximum effectiveness?

Most manufacturers set up their co-op plan on the basis of accrual funds, say 5% of a dealer’s purchases.  This, however, eliminates many small or new dealers from utilizing the program.  A better restriction for yellow pages ads is to co-op on the portion of the ad devoted to your product.  This encourages small-volume dealers, or those who carry several brands, to promote your product maximally, yet allows them the option of showing that they do carry other products.  After all, you wouldn’t limit a yearlong ad campaign for your product to explaining only one of its features.  Your dealers are in a similar situation when placing their yellow pages ads.

NYPS Plans

Many manufacturers choose to have an advertising agency handle their co-op program for them.  This method allows maximum control over the ads placed in local directories, with the agency placing the ads through the National Yellow Pages Service (NYPS).  Traditionally, these ads are in-column trademarks with the local dealers choosing to participate listed underneath your logo.  More frequently, however, larger display ads are being placed under this type of program.  Higher consumer response to display ads is the main reason for this trend.  Local dealers are given the option of participating, with all contact and billing handled by the ad agency.  The local directory publisher’s salespeople are not involved.

The disadvantage here is that you are limiting your dealers to advertising only your product in the ad.  You run the risk of their purchasing a larger ad than yours to promote their other products!

Joint-Billed Plans

Special joint-billed plans are administered by authorized selling agents (ASA’s), and allow you as much control as a plan handled through NYPS, although they suffer from the same drawback.  Here’s how they work:  You set up the program to pay a percentage (usually 50%) of the ad cost, and design several sizes of approved ad layouts, leaving room for the dealer’s name, address and phone number and some copy matter (hours, location, etc.).  Most manufacturers also provide pre-approved alternative product illustrations.

The ASA provides the local directory companies with this information and a list of your authorized dealers.  The dealers place the ads themselves with the local directory publisher, choosing the size that best fits their marketplace and budget.  They are billed only for their portion of the ad, the remainder being billed directly to the manufacturer through the ASA.  Local dealers are especially fond of this type of co-op plan, as it minimizes their paperwork – and lowers their directory advertising charges up front!

Regular Co-op Plans

The final, and most common, type of co-op plan is to set guidelines for the ad layouts and allow the local dealers to design their own ads.  Dealers are billed for the entire ad cost locally and submit a claim to you for reimbursement after the directory is published.  Your control over this type of plan is minimal.  Requiring that all ad layouts are sent to you for approval prior to publishing is one way of increasing control.  This also necessitates your keeping a co-op staff in-house, or hiring an agency such as the Advertising Checking Bureau (ACB) to administer the plan.

Next question:  to filter your co-op funds through your distribution network, or co-op directly with your retailers?  While the former option requires less recordkeeping on your part, it will also decrease usage of your co-op funds.  And, let’s face it, if you don’t want the funds used, why are you setting up the plan?  Co-opping directly with your retailers is the best way to encourage promotion of your product in yellow pages.  If the management of this type of plan is more than you can stomach, hire an agency like ACB to handle it for you.

The AAYPP publishes a directory of manufacturers co-opping on locally-placed yellow pages ads.  This handbook is distributed to the association’s members, the local directory publishers, for use by their salespeople in soliciting yellow pages ads.  Co-op plans are printed in the manual at no charge to manufacturers, and describe guidelines for their programs.

This is an excellent way to ensure that your ad specifications are followed by the directory publishers.  Providing approved ad slicks or line art for the AAYPP manual is also a wise move, as it will ensure that your authorized logo, illustrations and layouts are used.  And – since the AAYPP handles printing and distribution of the manuals, your costs are less than if you supplied all your dealers with a yellow pages ad planner!

The AAYPP can also assist manufacturers with establishing co-op plans for yellow pages.  For more information, contact [Name of Contact], AAYPP, [Association's address at that time].

Yellow Pages are the final link in a complete co-op program for your product, as many manufacturers have already discovered.  Don’t be at a disadvantage by ignoring this new star on the co-op scene!

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