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Committee works on school boundaries By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
A committee is scheduled to meet on the morning of Oct. 13 at Oakstead Elementary School to work on a recommendation for boundaries for a new Pasco County elementary school being built in the Bexley Ranch subdivision in Land O’ Lakes. The new school, scheduled to open in the fall of 2017, is now under construction at 4380 Ballantrae Blvd. It is intended to relieve crowding at Oakstead and Odessa elementary schools. During boundary deliberations, the district may also consider recommending a
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shift in the boundaries between Oakstead and Lake Myrtle elementary schools, to provide additional relief to Oakstead and to help increase Lake Myrtle’s enrollment. Lake Myrtle is operating below capacity and can accommodate more students. Oakstead Elementary, at 19925 Lake Patience Road in Land O’ Lakes, has a permanent capacity of 762 students, with an enrollment of 1,095 students, and a total of 1,457 students living within its boundaries. That puts the school at 705 students over its capacity. Odessa Elementary, at 12810 Interlaken Road in New Port Richey, has a permanent capacity of 762 students, but had 1,000 stu-
dents enrolled last year, and a total of 1,058 students living within its boundaries. That puts the school at 296 students over its capacity. Lake Myrtle Elementary, at 22844 Weeks Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, on the other hand, has room to grow. Its permanent capacity is 736. It had 587 enrolled students, with 570 of those living within its boundaries. So, it is operating at 166 students below capacity. While the district needs new schools to provide a place for students to learn, the practice of drawing boundaries for them always sparks controversy. Passions run high, See BOUNDARIES, page 11A
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Luis E. Torres Scholarship Fund Fourth annual Golf Scramble WHEN: Oct. 21 at 9a.m., golf scramble; trick golfer Buddy Shelton performs at 2:30 p.m. WHERE: Lexington Oaks Golf Club, 26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Luis E.Torres spent much of his life battling medical problems, but he never gave up on his education. It took him 10 years to get his bachelor’s degree, but he persisted because that mattered to him, according to Iris Torres, his mother, who lives in Lutz. He took occasional medical withdrawals, but carried on. “Education was very important to him,” Iris said, and in 1997, he obtained his diploma. Luis went on to teach seventh-grade mathematics at Shields Middle School in Hillsborough County. “That was one of his goals that he was able to accomplish,” his mother said. But, the teacher’s medical problems weren’t over, and he died on July 2, 2011, at the age of 41. His family refuses to let that be the end of his story. At the time of his death, his sister-in-law, Genevieve, suggested that the family establish a scholarship fund, in lieu of receiving flowers. Now, the Luis E.Torres Scholarship Fund is supported by an annual golf tournament, organized by Iris Torres, Luis’ mom. She handles the planning and logistics of the tournaments, but other family members and friends step up to help on the actual day of the event. The family wants to keep his spirit alive
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COST: $475 for a foursome; $125 for individuals; donations accepted for those just wanting to watch Buddy Shelton’s trick golf show.
For more information, visit www.luisetorresscholarshipfund.org, or call (813) 417-3021.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF IRIS TORRES
Illness sidelined Luis E. Torres during his quest to obtain a college degree, but after 10 years he finally achieved that goal.
through the annual scholarship. Luis was diagnosed with Lupus when he was just 9 years old, Iris said. “Lupus can affect any vital organ, and in his case, it affected his kidneys,” she said. He experienced complete renal failure when he was 21, and was on dialysis for 10 years. He underwent two kidney transplants, but rejected both. Iris and her husband were not good transplant candidates. Iris developed breast cancer, and her husband had suffered a heart attack. Meanwhile, Luis was getting weaker. His brother, Eric, stepped forward in 2000 to be a kidney donor for Luis. Luis was 30 when he received the transplant. Eric was 26. At the time, Eric said, the choice was clear: Donate a kidney or watch his brother die.
This is the last photograph taken of Luis E. Torres and his mother, Iris. His family keeps the educator’s spirit alive through an annual golf tournament to raise money for scholarships.
“It was scary. I never even had a cavity. So, to go from that to donating an organ, it was significant,” Eric said. Iris added:“It was very difficult, me as a mother, seeing both of them in gurneys.” The transplant was done at John Hopkins See LEGACY, page 11A
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B INSIDE, PAGE 1B
A half-century ago, the San Antonio Jaycees got together and hatched a plan for a fun way to raise money to support local causes. They figured they could hold a festival, with rattlesnakes as the centerpiece. Over the decades, the leading organizers have changed — and so have some of the particulars — but the essence of the annual event remains the same: Every year, on the third weekend of October, residents and visitors flock to the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run in City Park. This year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary, organizers have scheduled a two-day festival. Organizers of the event have gone from the Jaycees, to R.A.G.E. (Rattlesnake and Gopher Enthusiasts), to a group of Rotary Clubs, to the Rotary Club of San Antonio, which has been the chief organizer for the past three years. “We, of course, have help from the people who did it all of those years,” said Betty Burke, chairwoman of the current organizing committee. “Dennis Devine, he’s been with it since the beginning, and he’s our music master. “Jack Vogel is one of the people who started it. He was in the Jaycees,” Burke said. His son, Jay, is this year’s volunteer coordinator. Betty’s daughter, Andrea Calvert, who works for the Town of St. Leo, is involved, too. The town sponsors a pumpkin patch, which is a popular place for people to take photos of their children, and to snap selfies, too. Burke’s sister,Winnie, who is the president of the Rotary Club of San Antonio, is also involved. She’s in charge of the arts and crafts area. Other members on the festival planning committee include Terri Grissom, Rick Behnke and Anne Kibbe. Event highlights include 5-mile and 1-mile runs, a family bike ride, musical entertainment, a snake show, a cowboy show, crocodile demonstrations, mechanical gopher tortoise
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SAN ANTONIO RATTLESNAKE FESTIVAL
Children enjoy riding around in a barrel train during a previous San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival.
San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run WHERE: City Park, 12202 Main St., San Antonio, Florida, 33576 WHEN: Oct. 15 and Oct. 16 COST: Parking, admission and most of the entertainment are free; there are nominal charges for the snake show.
Cowboy Tom is a popular act at the annual San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival.
races, food booths, children’s rides and a pumpkin patch. Other attractions include a butterfly exhibit, children’s crafts and games, a farm animal exhibit, M.A.D. Flames Fire Entertainment and Pioneer Village demonstrations. Vendors will be selling a variety of items, there will be a farmer’s market, and there will be a pet corner, too. Visitors also will have a chance to learn more about the festival’s history. In the beginning, preparing for the event meant going out into the woods — equipped
with a long pole with a hook on the end — and rounding up snakes. Amateur and professional snake hunters would bring the snakes in, and organizers would pay for their snakes, according to published reports. The gopher tortoise races used to feature live tortoises, too. People would decorate the creatures with glitter and nontoxic paint, and pit them against each other. The live gopher tortoise races ended after increasing development in Florida led to the state placing them on its protected species list. See RATTLESNAKE, page 11A