Volume 11 Issue 3 November 2006

A ManufacturedHome, The Best

ChoiceWhere ca n we fi nd a

manufactured home thatisn't situated in a rentalcommunity? That was thequestion Ted and Dee Betzconfronted at retirementtime. Living in Orlando andhaving moved seven timesover the years in relocationassignments for theircareers, they hadinvestigated the manufactured home industry andwere convinced this was the best choice for a troublefree retirement dwelling. But where?

A fellow employee at Lockheed-Martin, GordonWark suggested contacting a couple who werealready retired - AI and Jeanne Wiant. Gordon andFay had visited the Wiants at Hawthorne and werevery impressed. So, you know what happened. SkipMaddox showed the Betzes around. Ted and Deemade an offer with a contingency clause as theirOrlando home was unsold. It turned out the Orlandohome sold four days later. The move to Hawthornewas completed in July 1992.

Our story is-one of friends who kept in touch overthe years and actually influenced one another. TheWiants, the Warks, the Betzes and Lee and WinxMunger all migrated from places like Portsmouth,RI and Orlando to Hawthorne. All four coupleseventually bought in our community. It only provesthe best advertisement is the personalrecommendation.

The Betz raised two children - a son and adaughter. They have three grandchildren. Theiroldest, Valerie was employed in an editorial positionfor a national magazine - Country Decorating Ideas.In the Summer of 1994 this magazine published afull-blown article with beautiful color pictures of Deeand Ted's Hawthorne home at 137 Azalea Trail.Valerie wrote the article, another exceptional publicrelations piece for Hawthorne. The Betz home was

and remains today, ashowpiece both inside andout. Dee has always hadani nterest in InteriorDecorating, and daughterValerie followed this as acareer path. Today she isan Interior Design Plannerfor Levitt, the builder oflarge communities aroundthe country. Valerie livesnearby in Yalaha. TheBetz' son, Jay and hisfamily live in Tulsa, OK.

Ted and Dee each hadexciting and fulfilling careers in industry withRaytheon and Lockheed-Martin. But the compellingpassion of their lives has been sharing with othersthe assurance of life in heaven beyond the grave.Opportunities to conduct home Bible studies havebeen a source of joy over the years. They are involvedin this endeavor at Hawthorne where a small groupof approximately 14 meet weekly in the Betz' home.

Dee is a student of the Old Testament. At thepresent time she is presenting a study of Psalm 23.The Jewish influence is seen in the Betz home withthe Menorah and the Mezuza at the door. For thosewho are unfamiliar with the Mezuza, it is a smalldoorport usually at the entrance to a home. Itcontains or represents the Sh'ma of Jewish tradition,the words of Deuteronomy 6:4 & 5. We can alwaysbenefit by the words of this blessing. Ted and Deeare active members of "the Church of WhosoeverWill" and are happy to support those who presentthe Gospel with an evangelistic message.

Hawthorne's pool, Jacuzzi and library have beencentral attractions for this couple. I mentioned abook I was reading and Dee recognized itimmediately. Ted was quick to advise that Dee is anavid reader.

Today's issue of the Hawthorne Highlightscontains a letter from the Betzes concerning theirrecent experience with our Emergency Services whenTed went into Cardiac Arrest Dee cannot say enollgh

Continued on page 2

Coutluued Irrun page Jabout the professional expertise of our EMTs. She

comments, "Just to show you how blessed we are,Ted had just walked in the house and went into thebathroom to comb his hair. He could have beenoutside roaming, or on his way to the garage to getthe car repaired. He just came in to comb his hair.It could have happened minutes later on highway27 with disastrous results for him and others. Godis good!" The Betzes are convinced that Hawthorneis the only place to be in this stage of their lives. Inthe fourteen years they have resided here, thisepisode reaffirms their joy in the decision to buyinto our community. What a happy situation! Andwe are happy, too, for the presence of people likeTed and Dee Betz in our town.

Interview by George Wolf

[ Editor's Note: Stop at the Historical SocietyMuseum in the Clubhouse and see the articlepublished in the Summer 1994 issue of CountyDecorating Ideas]Water Meters in Hawthorne Are

InevitableThe following is a letter to the editor published

in the Leesburg Daily Commercial on May 4, 1981:

Comments below pertain to the article i'nThursday's March 26, 1981 edition ... "Water ratesbri ng tide of protest."

Apparently, Merrie Skinner interviewed a coupleof disgruntled residents, John Creighton andGouverneur Evans, concerning Hawthorne's policyand decision to. implement placement of watermeters in our residential community.

Amos W. Henley, president of Colonial PennCommunities, has over the years endeavored toapprise aJIof u-swith the fact that our use of "freeunlimited water" is exorbitant. He implemented a~Ianned program for residential lawn wateringschedules to help alleviate the increasingly highvolume of water used, and also to reduce the heavydemand placed upon the utilities and pumpingpressure.

He asked for the cooperation of the residents. Hisidea failed miserably! Why? Because of the attitudeof some residents! Those who cooperatedrecognized something had to be done to lower ourconsumption of water. Those who did not cooperateabused the program by their own default. Somecontinue to water their lawns every day, and all nighttoo.

A most important factor is involved around theterm "unlimited free water". Lack of it! Water isMother Nature's blessing to us. Water, or the

increasing lack of it due to decreased rainfall allover the country, should be our utmost considerationand concern. It's a very precious commodity in ourlifestyle. Today... tomorrow ... and the next day. Itmay not be with us in abundant quantities at sometime in the future, especially the fine high qualitywater Hawthorne enjoys.

I've walked in to take a shower in the men's lockerroom at the pool only to find one or two showersrunning full tilt. Steaming hot water ... down thedrain. Not a person around. Some inconsiderateperson simply walked out and didn't bother to turnoff his shower. Why should he be bothered? Thewater in Hawthorne is free! It's unlimited! What anattitude!

So, Messrs Creighton and Evans, why don't yougentlemen ... why don't all the residents think aboutwater? Or the lack of it. I just wanted to let yougentlemen know not all our residents share or agreewith your attitude.

Water meters in Hawthorne are inevitable.Conservation - the idea is logical and equitably fairto every resident. Their installation does not giveu~the rig~t to abuse this precious privilege of havinghigh quality water available at the tap.

When you run out of this precious stuff ... don'tcomplain to Amos Henley or Colonial Penn! Theycan't help you!

Morris C Milner Hawthorne-at-Leesburg

Interment in Our Gardenby George Wolf November 1998

One of the hats I wear is that of Gravedigger forthe Hawthorne Garden of Memories. Cremains areinterred in this small garden. This is a free amenityto all who live at Hawthorne, as well as those whohave lived here and later move into another location.Sowe haverequests from most anywhereat any time.

In the past year I've been on duty for services onSundays, on the 4th of July, and even twice in oneday. It required the advance preparation of thegravesite, which takes about 1/2 hour. Then I ampr~sent before the service to greet folks as theyarnve. The cremains are either furnished in advanceI ~o into Leesburg and pick them up, or the familybrings them to the service. I must be prepared toopen the container. Sometimes this is tricky. Eachcrematory has their system. So I have scissorsscrew dr.iver~nd a sharp knife with me. Occasionall;the family wishes to place cremains in more thanone location. Then I have to be careful to place onlypart of the ashes in the hole - all to be done withdignity and respect.

This week I performed threeinterments· one on Thursday andtwo on Friday. Thursday was for amother and wife, age 67. She wasdiagnosed with Lou Gerig'sdisease in May, six months ago.The daughter came to visit lastweek and was present for herpassing. I had about two daysnotice for this service. Theneighbors were there and a verynice service was held. The familywas present.

Friday at 11 AM, while the parkwas holding its annual ActivitiesFair, one of our distinguishedmembers was interred. He hadbeen going downhill for over a year.We had about 45 residents andfamily present to say a final goodbye to this man. Itwas a fitting tribute to one of our best-lovedresidents. His wife remains here. This gentlemanwas 86 years old.

Later that day at 3 PM we interred anotherresident. This was a widow, age 88, whose husbanddied about 1V2 years ago. Her illness was rathersudden, and her death unanticipated. Thearrangements were made less than 48 hours beforethe service. I was fortunate to arrange the presenceof 12 of our Barbershoppers to sing at this service.This lady had been very generous toward our singinggroup. So a handful of neighbors, two sons, andour Barbershoppers were present for this final time.

As an observer of these events, I am reminded of?ur mortality each time. Each interment is unique,Just a~ the individuals being interred were unique. Iwas touched by the Thursday event because theyounges~ son freely expressed his loss. He broughtthe family group back to the gravesite after theservice was concluded and sang his tribute, "Willthe Circle be Unbroken?" Then he spent time aloneon his knees by his mother's grave. I couldn't helpbut retlect on the great love that exists betweenmother and son.

On Friday morning I arrived at about 7:30 AM toprepare the site for that morning's interment. Thisyoung man greeted me. He had been there at thegrave .si.t~ingo~ the granite bench nearby meditatingand visiting with his mother.

We each go through life with varying experiences.Our philosophies are set - and rearranged. We thinkof it as maturity or growth. But in the final analysis,we c?m.e to know that many things are too deep forour limited understanding. I have been privilegedto act as the Director of Interments for ourHawthorne Garden of Memories.

Wandering Through HawthorneCommon Name: Castor Bean Plant

Scientific Name: Ricinus CommunisNative to: Southern United States and other tropic

and subtropical countries

The specimen pictured above is on the easternfence of the vegetable garden facing the BocceCourts. This is a large annual in the south that grows

. up to three meters tall. The leaves are alternateseven to ten lobed and serrated with gland tippedteeth. The flowers are green and inconspicuous.The f!"uit is a three lobed capsule with a soft spinyexterior.

The entire plant is extremely poisonous and ricinis primarily located in the nut-like tasting seeds. Thisplant is very common around barns in the state ofAlabama. There are beneficial uses of the toxicnature of ricin. It is used to counteract the failureof some organ transplants. It is also used inf?rm.ulating hydraulic fluids, inks, transparent soaps,lipsticks and synthetic fibers. Despite these andother beneficial uses, our advice is to avoid this plantat all costs.

C. R. White

Hawthorne RemembersPublished by Hawthorne Historical Society

Editor George WolfWriters Nancy Apsey

Lee ManausaC.R. White

Grace TimmsDevoted is the word that comes to mind after

meeting and talking with Grace Timms. She andher late husband, George, were devoted to eachother! Grace was born in Elmwood Park, NJ. Shegraduated from Eastside High, class of 39 inPaterson, NJ. She then attended business schooland studied comptometry (the study of mathfigures). Grace obtained a job at Spotless Stores,Inc. At that time, the company had 220 stores.

Grace met George in 1944 and in June 1945 theymarried. With the marriage began a 22-year journeyas caregivers. George's mother was their firstconcern for two years. After her death they caredfor Grace's mother for over 20 years.

George found a job as a runner in the cage onWall Street. Here George learned the investmentbusiness from the ground up. He worked into theMargin Department, and then moved to the floor ofthe Stock Exchange. George was a quick study. Heretained all the details of his profession. Whenanyone wanted to know something about thebusiness, they'd say, "Ask George!" His dedicationand energy paid off, as he became Vice-Presidentof the firm. He was employed with the samecompany for 32 years, retiring at age 62.

Grace also had a 32-year career with SpotlessStores, although she did have a five-year sabbatical.She moved into management as an office manager:

The Timms found Hawthorne through churchfriends, the Lutzels, who invited George and Graceto visit them at Hawthorne. They were impressedand liked what they saw in and around thecommunity. The "Spec" home at 404 Hawthornewas just right for them and in March of 1977, theybought and moved in. They've enjoyed this homeever since. George liked the "run-off" brook in frontof their house, which has never overflowed.

Grace and George were interested in peace andquiet. They tookearly morning walks from the frontgate to the back gate, which took about 11/2hours atfirs]: then as their gait increased the time decreasedto'about 1 hour. This was the daily routine for 7 or8 years. They also loved a daily dip in the pool.

Grace knows her neighbors and has friends thatshe enjoys being with today. She has never regrettedthe decision to retire here and highly recommendsHawthorne to others because of its nice environmentand friendly people.

Leesburg has changed for the better according toGrace, going from a small town atmosphere to alarger well cared for town. She doesn't go to theMall, but prefers the Villages for shopping. Sheenjoys eating out at Mission Inn or Vic's Embers.

An advantage at Hawthorne is the convenience of

everything. She can call Home Service and if theycan't do the job, they'll recommend someone whocan. Here our lawns are mowed and she hires agardener to do the other outside work. If anythingcould be changed at Hawthorne, Grace would liketo stop all of the pine needles from dropping.

Probably the most unique experience Grace hashad is teaching her husband to drive. In New YorkGeorge didn't use a car, depending on publictransportation totally. Grace took him out in thecountry for lessons and he finally told her, "I have apretty chauffeur to drive me around anywhere I wantto go, so why learn to drive?" She was always thedriver.

Grace offers these words, "If you know anyonewho wants to move to Florida, invite them to cometo see you at Hawthorne and look at the homes wehave to offer. I'm sure they will find one they willlike, and someone will enjoy a new neighbor."

Interview by Nancy Apsey

EditorialThis month we have two very different folks

sharing with us. We hope you gain a betterunderstanding of our community with its diversepopulation.

The article on water meters goes back 25 years.The names are no longer residents of Hawthorne,but the issue is still alive. We must renew our"consumptive use permit" with St. Johns WaterManagement District in July 2007. There is a verylikely possibility that this governing agency willrequire that we install water meters in every home.You should be prepared to expect additional expenseif this happens. The Hawthorne Board of Directorsis presently exploring how we might finance thisexpense if and when it comes.

Your editor has elected to share a personal insightthis month. It refers to 1998 - seems like yesterday.And to round out today's edition, we welcome backC. R. White's gems of wisdom about our Florida treesand plants.