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Profiles


IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Teacher Susan McKenzie eager to start her first year at TIS

August 5, 2022
There is a special place in Susan McKenzie’s heart for second-graders. She loves teaching all elementary grades, but second-graders have a “special wonderment” about them. “There is an excitement …

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: A new TIS teacher for the ‘littlest’ students has arrived in a big way

July 29, 2022
When you walk into Gretchen Hughes’ kindergarten room at The Island School, you will know you are in a magical place. There is nothing ordinary about this entrance into formal education. Gretchen …

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Kelly Carpenter

July 21, 2022
Kelly’s spent a lifetime working with kids, and their lives are better for it  Kelly Carpenter has no children of her own, yet she has hundreds. She is the new director of the Boca Grande Presc…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Beacon writer Sheila Evans is always looking for the next adventure

July 15, 2022
Sheila Evans knew Boca Grande as the premier swimming beach in the area, and she made a point to bring visitors to see the sand, the lighthouse and the beautiful turquoise waters whenever she coul…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Ken Burnette

July 8, 2022
Ken Burnette wants to die in Boca Grande – but not for a good long time. He and his wife, Barbara,  have fallen in love with Boca Grande and want to live in this town, on this island, until t…

In the Spotlight: Just Martyn, please No formal titles for new Methodist minister

July 1, 2022
July 1 marks a starting point in the liturgical year for those in the United Methodist tradition. Not coincidentally, it is also common for new Methodist pastors to begin their service on the firs…

SPOTLIGHT: Ken Fortney – 97 and still working at The Inn golf shop

June 24, 2022
Responsibility is something Ken Fortney learned from a young age … and has never shirked from. He will be 97 next month and he is still working. Ken is that wise golfer you see in The Gasparilla…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Elaine Williams retires after delivering your newspapers for 26 years

June 17, 2022
Elaine Williams probably woke up around 1:30 a.m. this morning, but, unlike a week or so ago, today she could roll over and go back to sleep. Elaine is now retired. Her role as the iconic newspape…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Boca Grande – for many, it’s a way of life, not a location

June 10, 2022
By Emerson Wickwire Emerson Wickwire and his wife Barbara have been Boca Grande residents for more than 25 years. These are his thoughts about what it has been like to watch the changes that ha…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Jerry and Chrissy take on the Continental Divide

June 2, 2022
When most people retire, their plans tend toward leisure and comfort. Most people, though, are not married to someone like Chrissy Taylor. Chrissy is a life-long runner and outdoor enthusiast, and…