JOHN F. LOWNDES

John F. Lowndes • 1931-2021

There was a time when giants walked the earth. That was $500,000 and $300,000, respectively.) certainly true in Central Florida, when a cadre of civic-mind- Just a rock’s throw from the theater complex, another Lowndes ed businesspeople influenced growth and development from legacy is inside the Orlando Museum of Art. The gigantic green and their downtown offices and could make just about anything happen blue glass sculpture, Cobalt & Citron by artist Dale Chihuly, was purvia a timely telephone call. chased and donated by the law firm to celebrate its 35th anniversary.

Most are now gone — but their names remain prominent in histo- Down the street at the Orange County Courthouse, a huge bronze ries that cover Orlando’s boom years in the 1960s and beyond. statue — Triumphant Spirit, which depicts an angel holding a trumpet

John F. Lowndes, who died in February at age 90, was a powerhouse — overlooks the rotunda because some 20 years ago former Orange land-use attorney and an early County Mayor Linda Chapin partner with builders Lester Zim- asked Lowndes if he would help merman, Lester Mandell and Jack raise funds to acquire public art Lazar in Greater Construction for the new building. His firm reCorp. — which built more than sponded by buying the impressive 10,000 homes from 1965 before work and gifting it to the county. the company was sold in 2005 to Lowndes, who completed his nationally traded Meritage Homes. undergraduate studies at Duke

Lowndes’ law firm, first known University, served for a time as a as Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Marine Corps captain and was Kantor & Reed — later rebrand- stationed in Pensacola and Miami, ed as simply Lowndes — is one where he became enchanted with of the five largest in the region Florida. Following his stint in the and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. With a focus on real Lowndes and his wife, Rita, offered a generous contribution that led to the construction of the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Loch Haven Park. military, he returned to Durham and graduated from the Duke estate, it represented — and still University School of Law. represents — major lenders and Although Lowndes’ professiondevelopers prepping massive projects. al career began in North Carolina, by 1959 he found himself back in

But the courtly Lowndes — son of a law professor raised in Durham, the Sunshine State (although he never lost his passion for Blue Devils North Carolina — wasn’t obsessed with growth for growth’s sake. He basketball). He worked for other firms before he and three partners sought to improve Central Florida’s quality of life through significant launched their own storied practice a decade later — just as the region’s charitable work focused largely, but not exclusively, on the arts. post-Disney explosion was beginning to reverberate.

He chaired the boards of the Orlando Museum of Art, Winter Park As a lawyer, Lowndes was acknowledged as one of the best. He Memorial Hospital (now AdventHealth Winter Park), the Winter belonged to the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, was a past Park Health Foundation, the Friends of the Mennello Museum, the president of the Orange County Bar Association and earned about UCF Foundation and the UCF College of Business Administration. every professional distinction available to practicing attorneys.

He also served on the Central Florida Community Foundation fi- But friends remember Lowndes as an unpretentious family man with nance committee and was an Orange County School Board trustee an endearing sense of humor who enjoyed casual weekly games at the during desegregation, offering a steady hand during a tense time. The Winter Park Golf Course with Margeson, a physician and fellow Shakes list of good works goes on and on. donor. The game’s “rules” — if they could be described as such — were

Lowndes and his wife, Rita — also a formidable community activ- custom designed to maximize enjoyment and minimize dejection. ist with a suite of good causes all her own as well as a love of Shake- Named (belatedly) as Winter Park Magazine Influentials in 2019, the speare — offered a generous contribution that led to construction of Lowndeses’ print profile called upon the Bard to describe the couple: the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Loch Haven Park. “How far that little candle throws his beams!” wrote William Shake-

Longtime locals will remember that the Orlando Shakespeare Fes- speare in Merchant of Venice. “So shines a good deed in a weary world!” tival — renamed Orlando Shakes in 2018 — debuted in 1989 and That observation, we wrote, is certainly applicable to John and Rita staged productions at Lake Eola’s Walt Disney Amphitheater. The Lowndes. “These big-hearted beam-throwers have undoubtedly made outdoor setting could be charming — but only if the weather was our world less weary — and more shiny — through their countless right, the pigeons behaved themselves and the noise of downtown good deeds.” traffic wasn’t too intrusive. In addition to wife Rita and daughter Amy, Lowndes is survived by

In 2000, the Lowndeses donated $750,000 as seed money toward children Elizabeth McIntosh and Joseph, Jennifer and John Lowndes — a $3.5 million transformation of the old Orlando Science Center into who was elected mayor of Maitland in January — along with 12 granda state-of-the-art, four-theater complex. (Two like-minded couples, children. Ken and Trisha Margeson and Sig and Marilyn Goldman, added — Randy Noles

Rita and John Lowndes rarely missed an opening night at Orlando Shakes. After all, the complex in which the four theaters were located bore their name.

Elisa wears an animal-print, one-shoulder dress by Lola Australia ($278) and a pair of gold espadrilles mules by Kaanas Palau ($120), both from Arabella on Morse. She also wears a gold-tone, link-chain necklace ($395); a gold-tone coin necklace ($165); a pair of gold-tone hoops ($85); a gold-tone and chalcedony blue bracelet ($345); a gold-tone and chalcedony blue cuff ($345) and two gold-tone statement rings ($125$135), all by Julie Vos and all from Arabella on Morse. Her multicolor handcrafted tote by Squeeze De Citron ($140) is also from Arabella on Morse.

HEAVY

BUT HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT.

OK, let’s name the hippest spaces in Winter Park. Ready? Go! Without even looking, it’s a safe bet that the old Lombardi’s Seafood warehouse didn’t make anybody’s list. The unadorned concrete-block structure, located at the corner of Orange and Fairbanks avenues, housed Lombardi’s for more than 50 years until the business moved to new digs on Fairbanks Avenue in 2015. More recently, the building was slated for redevelopment as part of the Orange Avenue Overlay District initiative, which would have altered part of the city’s comprehensive plan and land-development code standards with the goal of spurring cohesive mixed-use development along the slapdash thoroughfare. In typical Winter Park style, the plan created heated controversy and was disapproved after being initially approved. The Lombardi’s building, though, survived to be reborn as The Heavy, founded by Orlando native Jennifer Crotty, who’s also the owner of Porch Therapy, a botanical design shop in Audubon Park’s East End Market. She has transformed the 13,000-squarefoot space into a lush, plant-filled oasis that marks a stark contrast to the building’s industrial exterior. But a nursery is only part of what The Heavy has to offer. There’s a flower bar where you can create custom arrangements as well as a coffee shop and an expansive gift market that includes everything from books to home décor — much of it made by local artisans. Visit The Heavy at 1152 Harmon Avenue or check out theheavywp.com for more details about this new Winter Park treasure — which is hiding in plain sight.

PHOTOGRAPHY: RAFAEL TONGOL STYLING: MARIANNE ILUNGA MAKEUP/HAIR: ELSIE KNAB SET DESIGN: JENNIFER CROTTY MODEL: ELISA, MODERN MUSE MODELS LOCATION: THE HEAVY IN WINTER PARK

Elisa wears a multicolor geometric print dress by THML ($88), a straw hat with ribbon detail by Capelli ($78) and straw earrings by Virtue ($78). Her gold-tone statement link bracelet ($330) and gold tone ring ($125) are both by Julie Vos. Her black raffia slides ($110) are by Kaanas Crete and her straw bag with ribbon detail ($76) is by Capelli. All are from Arabella on Morse.

Elisa wears denim cutoff shorts ($128) by Agolde Parker and from Tuni on Park Avenue. Her “32789” pink knit sweater ($128), by Ellsworth & Ivey, is from The Grove. She also wears a gold-tone link necklace ($198) and a gold-tone cuff with chalcedony blue stones ($345), both by Julie Vos and both from at Arabella on Morse.

Elisa wears a lavender zebra-print dress ($278) and a printed belt ($60), both by Oliphant. Her hot pink messenger bag ($375) is by Sayre and her white angel-wing earrings ($225) are by Mignonne. She also wears a yellow star bracelet, a lavender bracelet and a neon yellow bracelet ($23-$38), all by Caryn Lawn. Her gold-tone link bracelet ($58) is by Sahira. All are from The Grove. Her suede lavender slides ($140) are by Gold Saldana and are from Tuni Winter Park.

Elisa wears a satin green amara camisole ($106) by Young, Fabulous and Broke; and a satin mint-color skirt ($198) by Amanda Uprichard. Her sunglasses ($470) are by Alexander McQueen and her gold-lock vintage Louis Vuitton necklace ($310) is by Phillip Allen Hefner. She also wears a brown leather Louis Vuitton cuff ($98). Her platform sandals ($45) are by Beach Matisse and her green leather graffiti tote ($450) is by Anca Barbu. All are from Tuni Winter Park.

ASK THE EXPERT

The Do’s and Don’t’s of Investing

JASON EDWARDS

MANAGING PARTNER, EDWARDS FINANCIAL SERVICES

Jason Edwards is Managing Partner of Edwards Financial Services. He has had an office in Winter Park for more than two decades and is a past Orlando Business Journal Executive of the Year. His firm is listed among the publication’s Top 25 Financial Planning Firms and has earned many other professional awards. Edwards Financial Planning has nearly 3,600 clients in more than 18 states. For more, visit efs-advisors.com. With the crazy world were living in and the volatile nature of the investment world, it can be extremely confusing and scary to invest. However, there are some basic tools that can be used to minimize risk and help you sleep at night. The basic theme to remember: “If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.”

Too many times, we’ve seen clients allow emotion or even greed to direct their decisions — with disastrous consequences. So, here are a few things to keep in mind with any of your investment strategies:

DO’S

n DCA (Dollar Cost Averaging). This is the strategy of spreading out your stock or fund purchases. When done properly, it can significantly benefit your portfolio. We divide the total amount to be invested across periodic purchases of a target asset in order to reduce the impact of volatility of the overall purchase. The purchases occur regardless of the asset’s price and at regular intervals. What does that mean in basic terms?

We buy every month using the same amount of money, which in turns levels out the fluctuation in prices and cost.

n Diversification. This word is often thrown around but is usually not used properly. Here’s a great example. A client might have an account with two different investment companies, or a 401k managed by one company and personal investments managed by another. However, once we drill down, we often find mutual funds that have redundant features. So, a true diversified investment is not only designed to ensure that you don’t have all your eggs in one basket — but it also ensures that you’re not overexposed in ways that can spell doom.

DON’T’S

n Marketing Timing. This is the emotional behavior of attempting to time when it’s best to get in or out of an investment. So many times we see individuals start to invest when they hear the market is going well or basically buy at a premium — but as soon as there’s any pullback, they decide to sell. Think about it this way: Many people seem to have no issue paying top dollar for stocks but when there’s a bargain, they don’t want in. For example, if from 1998-2018 you were fully invested in the S&P 500 Index, then your rate of return was 7.23%. But if you were out of the S&P 500 Index for just 10 of the best days, then your rate of return dropped by nearly half, to 3.78%. There’s no way for anyone to know the best days to invest — so using this tactic will get you in trouble almost every time.

While there are many other resources and investment tools that we use to help keep our clients calm and feeling secure regardless of the storms brewing, we always say: Please use a professional and don’t leave your financial future to chance. Remember, people don’t plan to fail — they simply fail to plan.

Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through Calton & Associates Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Edwards Financial Services, Inc. is independent of Calton & Associates, Inc.