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MARCH 24 - MARCH 30, 2023 | OCALA GAZETTE
Shared camaraderie Continued from page B1 Luscombe said. A visit to a recent game found players with a diversity of backgrounds. Mike Rogers, center fielder, is retired from the Marion County Solid Waste Department while outfielder Arthur Holden, 75, is a retired science teacher. MCSS player Nick Estavillo, 78, is a retired chief of patrol with the New York City Police Department who oversaw 20,000 officers and 4,000 civilian staff members. He also served in the Marine Corps. including service in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967 in a recon unit. Ed Cowan, 70, is playing after knee surgery in January, and Mike Tamburello, 63, who is in the HVAC business, has had both hips replaced. Gary “Pappy” Phelps, 83, a former Florida Freshwater Fish and Game Commission game warden who served in areas including the Everglades, was acting as home plate umpire during the recent game. “Makes me feel like a teenager again,” he said. “This is a great league.” Army veteran and single dad Derwin “D.C.” Cobb played all nine positions during the game and had words of encouragement for his teammates. His daughter, Winter, 11, shared the fun with her dad and helped by retrieving bats from home plate. MCSS player Calvin Osteen, 80, is retired from Southern Bell telephone. He survived cancer 22 years ago and in recent years has suffered a stroke and had two heart stents implanted. Boyce Kline, 85, a retired Navy veteran, said playing with the MCSS group keeps you young. Sara Lambert, community engagement coordinator for Marion County Parks and Recreation, oversees the program. She said all levels of players are welcome and there is a $50 per season
Team One’s pitcher Bob Bruni tosses a pitch.
sign-up fee. Players can join anytime. Lambert explained in an email that Ralph Russell Park was donated to Marion County in 1978 by the Ralph Russell Memorial Fund, Inc. Since 1997, she said, the county has “awarded more than $74,000 in park partnership grant funds for improvements to the park,” which has baseball and softball fields, restroom and concession facilities and playground equipment. Julio Castro, 61, is with The Guest House (Ocala) treatment center, a team sponsor. He said playing with MCSS “keeps the blood going.” MCSS player George Kershner, a Del Webb Community resident temporally sidelined by a medical issue, watched the recent game. He said he misses playing and hopes to rejoin the team soon. Meanwhile, Dennis Morgan, 82, whose career was in the automotive trade, played outfield “rover” and said he loves the games. Morgan is one of the program’s contact people for new players. Carlie Smith, 66, a caregiver, moved here three years ago from Oregon. She’s a self-described “sports girl” and she said playing softball helps her keep fit. Elise Delatore, an office manager, said playing with the group is fun. Pat West, retired oil refinery supervisor, said she enjoys the camaraderie of the MCSS players. Haralson stated MCSS provides “an affordable, safe place to play slow-pitch softball in an atmosphere of fair play, sportsmanship and friendly rivalry. Beginners are welcome.” During a game, he noted, “If you don’t have fun (playing MCSS), it’s your own fault.”
More information and contacts can be found at: marioncountyseniorsoftball.com, Facebook: bit.ly/3FGg30s or call (352) 671-8560.
Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
Team Two’s Ben Nelson fields a Team One hit in the infield during a Marion County Senior Softball game at Ralph Russell Park in Silver Springs Shores on Friday, March 17, 2023.
Team One players, Rob Minter, left, and Nick Estaviollo, right, return to the dugout together.
Team One’s Jim Hindman pulls in an out on a Team Two hit in the infield.
Elise Delatore of Team Two gets a hit into the outfield as Team One catcher Ed Cowan watches.
Art for a cause
“Flora for Fostering” exhibit sales will benefit The Pearl Project of Ocala. Staff report
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File photo: Julie Shealy works on an untitled oil painting of flowers at Gallery B on East Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.
wenty-two artists from Gallery B in Ocala have combined their love for oil painting with their passion for supporting programs assisting children and families in need by creating more than 100 vibrant florals to be displayed and available for sale. The exhibit, “Flora for Fostering,” will have a special viewing and purchase event from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, at SouthState Bank, 1632 E. Silver Springs Blvd. The artists have been painting together for several years with the help and guidance of Julie Shealy. Together, they did a book study of the novel “The Language of Flowers” by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, which describes how flowers have specific definitions and possible healing powers and the dire need for help in training and caring for foster children and caregivers. For three decades, Shealy was a teacher, principal and administrator, who painted occasionally and
volunteered with Fine Arts For Ocala. When she retired as an educator, she embraced painting and found that really loved painting flowers. In the summer of 2022, Shealy and four other artists opened Gallery B. Joy and Stephen Zedler started the The Pearl Project in 2018 to support other foster and adoptive families, teachers and others with resources such as support groups, training, a Kid-2-Kid Closet and a Hope Fund dedicated to making more resources affordable for families. The “Flora for Fostering” exhibit will include more than 100 original paintings for sale, representing each letter of the alphabet created by the artists in three different mediums using multiple techniques. All proceeds will benefit The Pearl Project of Ocala. “And the prices are very reasonable,” Shealy said. Food and beverages will be available during the event. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at bit.ly/JulieShealy or in person at Greiners, Her Kloset, Pen and Ink, and Gallery B.