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MAY 2017 941.349.0194 | ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC
LANDOLIERS DIRECTOR RETIRES
Photos from Lenora Jost’s retirement
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KID’S CORNER
Meet Hannah Beatt, 16, VPA Program at Booker High School
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PASSAGES The Landings loses two great individuals
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HOLIDAY CHEER THANK YOU
Support for Kids fighting Cancer Continues!
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www.THELANDINGSOFSARASOTA.com
The End of One Journey, the Beginning of Another By Trebor Britt Joe Venezia has been “keeping his eye on the ball” for 10 years as the Landings Racquet Club Tennis Director and will soon re-grip his life for a new journey. He will be leaving the area in late May to assist his cousin, who owns a construction company as well as helping his dad in a couple businesses he owns. Joe grew up around tennis in Collegeville, Pennsylvania a suburb of Philadelphia. His father, mother, and both of his older sisters all played in local clubs as well as the hard-court his father built in his backyard. As his sisters got older they gravitated to other things, leaving Joe the only one in the family that would stay in Tennis. Joe’s tennis career began at age 8, after his father cut down a racket and re-gripped it to enable him to play better. This new configuration
made the racket smaller, lighter and more versatile. Joe related, “I learned to play tennis from my dad, many of his friends, and just about anyone else who wanted to contribute some instruction.” Tennis took a dramatic turn when at age 10, Joe got more serious. He began to take lessons from a pro and soon after, began competing in some local tournaments. He met a group of new young players through his Tennis Pro and at age 11, competed in his first of many 12-andunder National Tournaments. Joe reflected, “Results were not what I expected, although I was good enough to get to nationals but not to advance further. It was a lot of fun traveling and meeting some great people.” Continued on page 15
Through the Eyes of a Veteran Walter Hamer was born in 1932 in Puerto Cortes in the Republic of Honduras. His mother was American, but his father was British, and so, according to the laws of the time, he became a British subject. This fact influenced his later career in the United States Air Force. Walter’s dad was an executive with the United Fruit Company, and the family lived in several Latin American countries until Walter’s high school years. Completely bilingual, his command of Spanish would help him in business throughout his life. Although the United Fruit Company provided schooling for employee’s children, they made no provision beyond 8th grade, and youngsters went to the States for their high school education. Walter received his first taste of the military when he attended Castle Heights Military Academy in Tennessee from 1946 to 1950. Here he also learned to fly, becoming a licensed pilot in his senior year.
By Diana Colson
On June 27, 1950, President Truman committed U. S. armed forces to the defense of South Korea. That same summer, Walter enrolled in Civil Engineering at Tulane University, in New Orleans. After a year of study, he decided to change to Agricultural Engineering. He was accepted at Cornell, but Cornell required one year of practical farm experience as a prerequisite for their Ag Engineering curriculum. Walter arranged to meet this requirement by working in the United Fruit Company’s banana farms in Latin America. As a foreigner in America on a student visa, Walter was required to register for the draft. His draft board did not consider the work year to be a part of his education. He was told that as soon as he left Tulane he’d lose his student deferment and would
Susan and Walter Hamer probably be drafted. At 19, Walter wanted to serve but preferred to serve in the Air Force, where his flight training would be put to better use. He tried to enlist in the U. S. Air Force but was ineligible because of his non-citizen classification. He couldn’t enlist, he could only be drafted. Continued on page 24