People

Tom Trout: The Man, The Sign

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011, 4:20am

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If Interstate 95 is the artery that feeds Jacksonville, then at the Bowden exit Tom Trout has added some heart.

"I kinda snoop around the office every now and then," the 84-year-old retired business owner said.

Once a week he makes a trip to the office his son now operates. "I'm just letting my presence be felt," he said.

He does still have a job though.

Once a week, it's his responsibility to come up with a new phrase for the sign that towers over the building and is seen by thousands each day from the interstate.

"I'm up to 1,615 sayings I think," Trout said.

He keeps a notebook of catchy phrases that have been collected since he put the sign up back in 1983. "My motivation each day is trying to change someone's life for the better."

Past sayings include:

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Jacksonville Beach Summer Jazz Concert Series-Cool Sounds on Hot Summer Nights

Submitted by Anonymous on Friday, May 27th, 9:21 am

The Summer is FINALLY here!! Looking for a way to beat the heat? Then come cool yourslef down at the beach and enjoy the smooth sounds of national recording artists and regional performers one Sunday each month. Each of the concerts will be held on the following dates:

June 12th
July 10th
August 14th

The concerts will be held at the Seawalk Pavilion on Sunday evenings from 5pm - 9pm. For more information visit www.jaxbeachjazz.com

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Veterans to be Honored During Memorial Day Ceremony in St. Augustine

Submitted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 26th, 12:04 pm

The Florida National Guard, in partnership with the Military Officers Association of America, Ancient City Chapter and veterans' organizations of St. Johns County, is hosting its annual Memorial Day Ceremony May 30 at 10 a.m. at the St. Augustine National Cemetery, 104 Marine Street.The ceremony honors all veterans who died during our nation's wars, and special recognition will also be given to St. Johns County veterans who have died since Veterans Day 2010. Some highlights of the event include:

-The Honorable Henri F. 'Rik' Erkelens as the guest speaker, (Retired U.S. Army Colonel).

-"Massing of the Colors" conducted by more than 25 local military, police and civic organizations.

-Echo Taps performed by Lieutenant John W. Donlon and Deputy Sheldon York of the St.

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“Home” Acrylics and Old Photos

Submitted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 26th, 11:31 am

Born in St. Augustine, FL, Diana Patterson is the first of four daughters born to Robert "Jack" Mier and Pearl Pringle Mier. Earlier Mier families were Catholic and through the records of the church, the family's ancestry was traced to the 1400's to the southern tip of Spain. Moving from St. Augustine in the early 1800's, Diana's great grandparents came to Palm Valley, then a small settlement nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intra-Coastal Waterway north of St. Augustine. They built the first "Mier" house just a few hundred feet from where her grandparents later built the "big house" where Diana was brought after her birth.

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Wedding Gift and Registry Workshops

Submitted by Anonymous on Wednesday, May 25th, 12:42 pm

Go to Potterybarn to learn more about the girft registry and let their experts help you create the home of your dreams!! This calss will be held on every Tueaday evening at 6 p.m. Contact your local store to RSVP.

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Submitted by FirstCoastNews Web Staff

Friday, May 20th, 2011, 10:28pm

Jacksonville Beach Man Creates, Completes Adventure Relay for 50th Birthday

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. -- Gliding a kayak softly through morning fog may not be a typical 50th birthday party.

Long-time Jacksonville Beach resident Kurtis Loftus could think of no better way to celebrate half a century of living.

"It was amazing," Loftus said. "The intracoastal at six in the morning with the fog as it lifted, with the sunrise over the marsh. It was beautiful."

A surfer and outdoor enthusiast almost his whole life, Loftus created the Island BEAST, a clever acronym for the Beaches Eco Adventure Survival Test. Fourteen friends joined him bright and early Friday morning.

"That's maybe the combination of me thinking about the island and all the things I've done living out here," Loftus said, "And then going, 'Can I pull this off on a 50th birthday?'"

They did pull it off. The friends covered 72 miles with 10 sports in 12 hours, and felt the years lift.

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Florida’s Diabetes Master Clinician Program Offers Patients Higher Quality of Life

Submitted by pgoudreau on Tuesday, May 10th, 3:09 pm

Dr. Edward Shahady, Associate Faculty Member at St. Vincent’s Hospital leads the program locally and statewide; Baptist Primary Care office in Ponte Vedra one of eight clinics recognized as a Center for Diabetes Excellence

Bridging the gap between knowledge and patient performance, the Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP) Foundation Diabetes Master Clinician Program offers physicians an edge on a disease that’s the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, the leading cause of renal failure (end-stage renal disease), non-traumatic limb amputations and blindness, and the leading contributor to cardiovascular disease.