Plant City Times &
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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FREE • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2014
SPORTS
IN FOCUS
Durant Cougars embrace winand-in scenario.
Cracker Country Feast feeds more than just guests.
HOMECOMING
PAGE 14
PAGE 12
PAGES 8-9
OUR TOWN
Durant, Plant City, Strawberry Crest crown new royalty.
closure by Michael Eng | Executive Editor
Misti Whitfield’s body found The family will host a celebration of life Sunday, Nov. 2, at McCall Park.
+ PCHS students put in some work Students from Plant City High School have donated their time to earn community-service hours and build their resumes by helping build obstacles for Romp in the Swamp II, a mud run 5K hosted by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce. They met with chair Michael Watkins after school Oct. 22, to discuss plans. Romp in the Swamp will be held Nov. 1, at Lakeside Station, 2302 Henderson Way, Plant City. It will benefit the chamber’s scholarship fund and the Foundation at South Florida Baptist Hospital. To register, visit RompInTheSwamp.org.
The 17-month rine, in Tampa. Since search for a missing then, Tampa Police Plant City woman is Det. Scott Bullard and over. Whitfield’s parents, Tampa Police Demother Sharon Ardepartment detectives lean and stepfather discovered the reMel Ardelean, had mains of a body Oct. scoured the county to 24, later confirmed to Misti Whitfield chase leads derived be that of Misti Whitfrom Whitfield’s large field, her parents said in an network of friends and acexclusive interview with the quaintances. Plant City Times & Observer. “It is bittersweet,” Mel ArWhitfield disappeared May delean said. “The sweet part 2, 2013, near Nautical Ma- is that the agony of not know-
ing is over. We were at four or five lake searches, four or five yards; we chased false leads. Now, we finally have her, and we can shut that part of it down. “The bitter part is now we have to find out who did it and why, and we have to make sure this never happens to anyone else’s kid,” he said. The Ardeleans will host a celebration of Whitfield’s life at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, in McCall Park, Historic Down-
Jon Poppell
See his photo on PAGE 17.
two candlelight vigils the family hosted in Plant City proved valuable for lead generation.
SEE WHITFIELD / PAGE 4
After Immediate Past President Floyd Hall retired, Sunshine State Bank has hired Andrew Samuel, who brings more than 30 years of experience in the industry.
+ Turn your clocks back
This week’s winner is
WHERE: McCall Park, Historic Downtown Plant City. A reception will follow at Cuzzins, 111 S. Palmer St., Plant City.
Sunshine State Bank hires Andrew Samuel as new president
The mandatory orientation for the Florida Strawberry Queen Pageant will take place beginning at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds in the Charlie Grimes Family Ag Center, 2508 W. Oak Ave. Attending the meeting is the only way to obtain an application to the competition. Applicants must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The pageant will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Jan. 31, at the Charlie Grimes Family Ag Center. For more information call Gail Lyons at (813) 9676366 or Kerrie Gafford at (863) 670-6272.
, 3&
WHEN: 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2
business by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
+ Strawberry Queen orientation Sunday
Daylight saving time ends Sunday at 2 a.m., so be sure to move your clocks back one hour before going to bed Saturday night. This means the evenings will start getting dark earlier — until the second Sunday in March, when daylight saving time resumes.
town Plant City. The service will be followed by a reception at their business, Cuzzins, 111 S. Palmer St., Plant City. “The family wants to thank the thousands of people in Plant City who helped in this effort,” Mel Ardelean said. “We can start to heal.” Mel Ardelean said their access to Whitfield’s Facebook account, which they received just two days before she disappeared, was instrumental in the search. He also said the
MISTI WHITFIELD CELEBRATION OF LIFE
DIG IN! Catherine Sinclair
Hopewell Baptist Church, and the local churches and schools, hosted fall festivals during October. Each event had its own twist, but all provided family fun. For photos, see page 5.
Sunshine State Bank’s new President Andrew Samuel has enough professional experience that made him stand out among other candidates for the post. But the India native also has a unique life story that lends to his value-based philosophy in leadership. This value-based emphasis was something the bank’s board members were looking for when they tapped Samuel after Immediate Past President Floyd Hall retired this month. “He’s a very impressive guy,” Hall said. “Being involved with a value-based company, he’s demonstrative of those values with employees, customers, stockholders and the community.” Samuel lived in India for six years as a child. In the mostly Hindu country, Samuel was raised as a Christian. His great-great-great-grandfather was a Hindu priest. When his son started questioning the religion, he was outcasted and ended up on the doorstep of an Anglican church. From
there, the family has kept its Christian faith. Samuel still makes it a large part of his life today. Samuel compared his life in India to the blockbuster “Slumdog Millionaire.” He slept with 16 other people on the floor of a one-room shack. They smeared cow dung on the dirt floor to stop the dust from settling on their bodies. With no running water, he had to go the bathroom in a nearby field. After his family moved to Zambia, Africa, Samuel’s father had bigger dreams for his son. He encouraged Samuel to continue his education. His neighbors had connections to a private liberal arts college in the United States. So at age 17, he left Africa for Messiah College in Pennsylvania with one suitcase and $200 in his pocket. Until then, he had never used silverware. But Samuel flourished at his new school. He studied
SEE CEO / PAGE 4
HEART FOR HUNGER by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
Turkey Creek Middle School student organizes food drive Kirstin Bassinger is collecting donations for Operation Compassion. When Kirstin Bassinger, an eighth-grader at Turkey Creek Middle School, found out a local food pantry had run out of food, she was not about to let the people it served go hungry. So, she set up three food collection days, Nov. 1, 3 and 4, to help Operation Compassion feed people for the holidays. “There are so many more
hungry people than I thought, and my heart really goes out to the needy,” Bassinger said. Operation Compassion exists physically in a trailer behind the main building of Plant City Church of God. But its director, Dolores Stropagel, and other volunteers, are the heart of the ministry. Stropagel started Operation
Compassion 15 years ago as a ministry of the church. “We didn’t have a food ministry on-site, so I wanted to volunteer for one,” she said. The project began with food service for Thanksgiving, but it soon became a weekly service. Now, food is distributed from
Amber Jurgensen
SEE DRIVE / PAGE 4
Sunshine State Bank Immediate Past President Floyd Hall, left, will stay on to help Andrew Samuel in his new position until the end of the year.
Weather ......................17
Sports.........................14
INDEX Calendar.......................2
Vol. 2, No. 15 | One section Crossword...................17
Obituaries...................13
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