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MAY 2014 941.349.0194 | ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC
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A look back at The Landings first Greenfield Distinguished Service Award recipient The following article was written by Adrienne Feltman and originally appeared in the May 2008 edition of The Landings Eagle. It is a tip of the hat to the man that The Landings Community, Greenfield Distinguished Service Award was named after. There have only been a handful of Landings residents bestowed with this honor. In the fall, another worthy Landin’ will receive this award. In the meanwhile, here’s a look back at the original honoree, the late Bob Greenfield. A toast to veteran and community leader: BOB GREENFIELD By Adrienne Feltman This month we take the opportunity to recognize and salute Bob Greenfield for his service to our country, Sarasota and The Landings community. He was born on March 30, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pa. There were five siblings in the family; Bob, Daniel, Bruce, Grace and Edna. Subsequently all three brothers and their wives lived in The Landings. Bob graduated from Philadelphia public schools, Swarthmore College, and Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1939 and practiced
in Philadelphia as an associate in the law firm of Sundheim, Folz and Sundheim. He volunteered for Naval Officer Training in December 1941, after Pearl Harbor but was rejected for inability to pass the vision test without his glasses. In 1944 he volunteered again when the navy was assembling a Corps of interrogators who, under intensive training, would become fluent in the Japanese language. They had very high standards for acceptance in this program. The trainees would be completely immersed in the Japanese language and culture. He was rejected because he was too old. They thought that at 29 years of age he could not learn quickly enough. They certainly did not know our Bob Greenfield! Later he was drafted and entered the U.S. Navy as a Seaman in 1945. He was already married to Louise and they had three children. In the Navy he was assigned to training in radio technology. “When World War II ended I was discharged without ever leaving the country or being assigned to a ship.” He found it difficult to be separated from his wife and three young children during his service. However, service
in the Navy as an enlisted man gave him exposure to and an understanding of his fellow servicemen of diverse backgrounds and cultures. He left his military service when the war ended and returned to the law firm in Philadelphia with a lifelong respect for those differences. Bob returned to business law in Philadelphia where he was employed prior to Navy service. He rose from associate to partner and ultimately senior partner until 1977. For the next ten years he was Of Counsel in the Philadelphia firm of Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads. In 1987 he retired from law practice, Louise retired from teaching music at Germantown Friends School, and they moved to their present home in The Landings. Both became active in The Landings and Sarasota. Always interested in the cultural arts, Bob displayed his leadership promoting a comprehensive plan for the cultural arts center in the Sarasota bay front. He spearheaded the successful opposition to a plan for moving the Florida West Coast Symphony from the bay front to Lakewood Ranch. He was a Vice President of the Asolo Theatre Board. Continued on page 22
At its April 3, 2014 meeting the LMA Board voted unanimously to bestow Richard Bayles with The Landings Community Greenfield Distinguished Service Award for his many years of tireless effort and multitude of voluntary contributions on behalf of The Landings. In the fall a reception will be held in Dick’s honor at which time the award will be presented.
Abel’s Ice Cream Celebrates Third Year “It’s hard to believe we’ve been open for three years,” say the Abels. “The time has flown these last three years and it has been a magnificent and rewarding experience. The relationships we’ve developed with both our neighborhood businesses, charity organizations, local and seasonal residents, tourist with their families who frequently visit the Siesta Key region and families who visit occasionally is very gratifying. The comments shared with us regarding our community continues to remind us how fortunate we are to reside in the Sarasota region.” Bill Abel says. Abel goes on to say “One key to the success we’ve enjoyed is the quality of the Florida made, national award brand of ice cream we sell. Since 2009 this brand has been honored with 14 awards issued by the National Ice Cream Retailer Association.
The Captain’s Chocolate has been honored once and Vanilla four times. Our hot fudge and malt flavoring for our malted milk shakes are made exclusively for our group with the quality standards of the 1960’s. It brings customers back on a regular basis.” The Abels expressed their gratitude for the many notes received from families who visited their shop while on vacation and favorable comments made by area residents pertaining to their shop, portion sizes and fair prices. The Abels say it isn’t work, it’s fun!
Abel’s Ice Cream 1886 Stickney Point Road - 941-921-5700 Between New Balance & Stonewood Grill Learn more about us at WWW.ABELSICECREAM.COM
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