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He was a forward-thinker, with deep community roots bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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Don Porter:
By B.C. Manion
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When Don Porter was growing up in Wesley Chapel, he attended elementary school at a one-room schoolhouse and rode a bus to Dade City for high school. Much has changed in the Pasco County community where he grew up — and Porter and his extended family have played a considerable role in creating that change. The memorial service to honor his life was July 12 in the conference center at Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, a satellite campus of Pasco-Hernando State College. The campus opened in January on 6 acres of the 60 acres of land the Porters donated to the college. That campus is just one tangible sign of the forward-thinking and big picture approach that the entire family has used in making decisions regarding the development of thousands of acres they have owned for decades, Porter’s son, J.D. Porter, said in a recent interview. The Shops at Wiregrass, a regional shopping mall, and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, an 80-bed facility, are two other projects built within the 5,100-acre development of regional impact approved in 2006 on the Porters’ land. Porter, the eldest son of the late James and Martha Porter, moved into Wesley Chapel in the 1940s, long before development hit the area. He died on July 1, at age 73. In personal interviews and during the memorial, family and friends described the kind of man Porter was. They characterized him as a passionate fighter for justice, but also a patient listener. They said he was a deep thinker, a loving father and a faithful friend. Porter enjoyed single malt scotch and Little Debbie snack cakes. He had musical tastes that ranged from Pavarotti to Dave Brubeck, had his own sense of style, and was a fierce competitor in everything from baseball to Scrabble to table tennis, they added. State Rep. Will Weatherford said he was 26 and making his first run for state office when he met Porter. Over the past decade, Weatherford had numerous roundtable chats with Porter, his brothers,Tom and Bill, and his son, J.D.The men didn’t talk about
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This school portrait shows Don Porter during his younger years.
what Wiregrass would look like in the next five to 10 years,Weatherford said.They took a much longer view. “I never knew a man who could speak less and say more than Don Porter,” Weatherford said. Whatever project they worked on together,“it was always about the long-term sustainability and legacy of this community,” Weatherford said. “In my business, you get to meet a lot of families that have very large landholdings. It’s not rare for a family to have thousands of acres — there’s a lot them in the state of Florida,” Weatherford said. “But I’ve never met a family, I’ve never met a man — until I met Don — that was so keenly more focused on the future of his community than on how much money he would make off of it.” While Porter was proud of the accomplishments in the development arena, he would resist being credited as the leader or the patriarch of the family, J.D. Porter said. That role belonged to Don’s father, James Porter. J.D. Porter said his father, his uncles and the rest of the extended Porter family have shared a collective vision and a collective
Don Porter was described by state Rep. Will Weatherford as a ‘giant of a man.’ Porter died July 1 at age 73.
will for what has been done so far, and for the foundation that has been laid for future achievements. “Development was a very important part of his life,” J.D. Porter said.“But if you had a top five list, I’m not sure it would make it. “At No. 1 was family. It wasn’t just my mom, my sister and myself,” he said, but his dad also cared tremendously for his parents, his brothers and their families. Porter’s daughter, Quinn Miller, recalled a father who taught her how to ride a bicycle, accompanied her to father-daughter dances, and was her biggest fan during her softball days. Known for his deep, rich voice, Porter did some radio broadcasting in college and later in Zephyrhills. He also used those talents to announce Quinn’s softball and J.D.’s baseball games. “He was the voice of Berkeley Prep softball,” Miller said. Porter was quite the athlete himself. He held a baseball state record for years after striking out 20 of the 21 batters he faced during a championship. He attended Ole Miss on a baseball scholarship, and he used See PORTER, page 12
Giving the gift of vision, one pair of eyeglasses at a time By B.C. Manion
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Charley Chaney has been an optician for decades, helping others get a clearer view of the world. Besides providing services to local customers, the owner of The Optical Shop and Showroom at 24444 State Road 54 in Lutz, also volunteers his skills to Living in Faith Ministry. Rev. Russ Montgomery, president of Living in Faith Ministry, also is an optician. He met Chaney in 2006 through Professional Opticians of Florida. Montgomery said Living in Faith began
after he had visited Cuba in the mid-1990s and was handed some eyeglass prescriptions and asked if he could help. “So, I went and paid full retail price to have the glasses made, and I said, ‘Lord, if this is what you want me to do, make it affordable,’” he said.“About six phone calls later, I was in touch with an optician up in Maryland and we started making glasses through him.” During the past two decades, the ministry has branched into Haiti and has conducted eye exams and distributed more than 20,000 pairs of eyeglasses. The ministry also tests for glaucoma and arranges cataract surgeries to be done by
volunteer American-trained ophthalmologists. Montgomery trained so he could conduct eye exams and do glaucoma testing. “When my friend in Maryland passed away, we used few other people (to make glasses), but our volume was too high for them,” he said.“And then I met Charley, and he’s been a huge blessing.” When Chaney found out what Montgomery was doing, he got involved. “It seemed worthwhile,” Chaney said. “When you hear the stories about how people can’t afford glasses, and you hear See VISION, page 12