6A WOTimes.com DABBS / PAGE 1A to them, and he gave me my first job at Stonewall Jackson Jr. High,â the former head football coach and softball coach said. âMr. Dabbs was like a second dad to me, during that time, especially. He always looked after me and always gave me advice on teaching. ⌠He was a very caring principal. When (Orange County) did away with junior high, he asked me if I wanted to stay or continue to coach, and he got me the coaching and teaching job at Colonial High School.â Gene Trochinski remembers Principal Dabbs as a strong mentor when the two worked together at Stonewall Jackson. It was Dabbs who hired him. âWhenever I had a tough situation I was dealing with, I would call Lester â I would call the boss â and get the answers,â Trochinski said. Trochinski served under Dabbs as teacher, dean and assistant principal for 13 years when it was a junior high and, later, a middle school. When Trochinski taught at Ocoee Elementary School for a few years, he had all three of Dabbsâ daughters in his class. â(Lester) created a family atmosphere at Stonewall Jackson, which was hard to do. I always looked up to him for being able to do that,â he said. As a long-standing member of the Ocoee community, Dabbs joined the American Legion, serving as the Boys State chairman. He and Tommie Sanders, for whom the legion is named, used to also meet with veterans to answer their questions and assist with any problems they had. Dabbs worked for the city of Ocoee as a commissioner and mayor and as a member of the community at large thereafter. He was a founding member of the Human Relations Diversity Board and was instrumental in healing race relations in Ocoee. Most recently, he had been asked to be the grand marshal of the cityâs Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Parade on Monday, Jan. 19. Dabbs also served the city of Ocoee on the Merit System Board and the General Employee Pension Board, as well as these commissions: Charter
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015
Review, Education and Districting. Commissioner Rusty Johnson called Dabbs a lifelong friend and a mentor. The two were on the Ocoee City Commission together in the 1980s, and one of the key projects they worked on was the building of Clarke Road. Dabbs also was a member of the Ocoee Oaks Church (formerly Ocoee United Methodist Church). The loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend led a storied life. He was born on Aug. 17, 1932, in Huttig, Arkansas, and graduated from high school at age 16. After serving his country in the United States Army, he moved out west and worked as a park ranger in Yellowstone National Park for several years before attending college at Memphis State University and becoming a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. His working life and personal life merged when he met his loving wife, Nancy, while they were teachers at Ocoee High School; they married in 1962 and last year celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children, Leslie Dabbs Allen (Patrick), Joanna Dabbs Butler (Kevin), Natalie Dabbs Hatch (Wally) and Jack Dabbs; nine grandchildren, Calla Butler, Zachary Allen, Garrett Butler, Jacob Allen, Kelton Butler, Emily Allen, Caroline Allen, Delaney Hatch, and Makenna Hatch; his siblings, Myrtle Hubbard Alexander, Walter Miller Dabbs (Virginia) and Velva Graves; and three nephews, R. Glenn Hubbard, Gregg Hubbard and David Dabbs. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, as well as two granddaughters, Susanna Hope Butler and Camryn Makenna Hatch. Loomis Family Funeral Home, 420 W. Main St., in Apopka, is handling the arrangements. The family suggests donations be made to Sipes Orchard Home (Houston House), 4431 County Home Road, Conover, North Carolina 28613; SmileTrain, P.O. Box 96231, Washington, D.C. 20090-6231; or the charity of oneâs choice.
CEOS / PAGE 1A youâre really responsible for oversight of the organization as a whole, really making sure the mission and services are being fulfilled,â Brennan said. âCommunity Health Centers has a large footprint in Winter Garden. They have a large clinic on Colonial Drive; they also have administrative offices there. They want a presence long-term in Winter Garden with the community, as well as other sites in Orange and Lake counties, continuing to expand healthcare to those who need it most, both underinsured and those who have insurance.â In her previous line of work, Brennan became familiar with Community Health Centers by overseeing relations between it and Orange County government, she said. âAt the beginning of that initiative, I began to know Community Health Centers as a strong community partner, so I knew the organization as something I wanted to be part of,â she said. âItâs a strong, patient-centered organization. I worked closely with them and their health care services. Itâs a privilege for me.â
Brennan said she has been a registered nurse and has worked in healthcare since the 1980s. She also has been a chair of faculty at the University of Phoenix as an instructor in health care, and her masterâs degree is in strategic leadership and business management. She emigrated from Germany at a young age, lived in New Jersey for a while and then lived most of her youngadult life in upstate New York, she said. âI relocated here â the climate of course attracts everyone,â she said. âI worked with Florida hospitals and then just stayed in the community.â In this role, Brennan plans to continue expanding healthcare services and patient-service standards, to grow the practice and be a strong community partner, she said.
DAVID STRONG
Strong has more than 20 years of health care management experience in a career that began at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he served as vice
president of operations and ambulatory care and executive vice president. In 2000, he joined Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as COO. Under his leadership, the hospital opened urgent care centers and primary care practices, expanded and renovated patient units and opened the Oklahoma Heart Hospital, a 78-bed joint ventured heart hospital. In 2004, Strong became president of Rex Healthcare. During his time there, it became a Modern Healthcare âBest Place to Work,â a Thomson-Reuters Top 100 Hospital and a Thomson-Reuters Quality Improvement Leader. âDavid is a leader who has successfully guided several organizations through the rapidly and continually changing healthcare environment,â said Dianna Morgan, chairman of the board of directors for Orlando Health. âHe has the unanimous support of the Orlando Health board of directors and key executives involved in the selection process.â In November 2011, Strong became COO for system af-
filiations at the UNC Health Care System. In this position, Strong is responsible for seven community hospitals, including almost 2,000 licensed hospitals beds, ambulatory and post-acute facilities, physician practices and joint ventures. He also formed Rex Health Ventures, one of few venture capital investment funds in the nation begun by a local, non-profit hospital, driving health care innovation, service, care and efficiency. In his new role, Strong will guide eight wholly owned or partner hospitals; Orlando Health Physician Group and Physician Associates, two of the biggest multi-specialty practices in Central Florida; ownership in an outpatient surgery location; and an auxiliary interest in five outpatient imaging facilities. âI look forward to working closely with physicians, team members and the board to ensure Orlando Healthâs continued success,â Strong said. Strong attained his masterâs degree in of hospital and health administration degree from Xavier University. Contact Zak Kerr at zkerr@ wotimes.com.
FEES / PAGE 1A new fire station in the Marsh Road area and additional police stations as some of the projects the city will need to finance in the near future. If impact fees were not raised, the city would be forced to raise revenue either by increasing property taxes, raising fees or through other means, he said. Without additional revenue, the city would need to reduce services. The city reduced impact fees five years ago, and even with the current increase, the cityâs impact fees remain lower than they were before the reduction. Winter Gardenâs proposed impact fees remain lower than cities such as Ocoee and Apopka. âThereâs been absolutely no opposition to this,â Bollhoefer said, citing letters from developers supporting the increase.
Nearly 40 first responders attended a ceremony in their honor. Mayor John Rees agreed. âWe all recognize the fact that development should pay for itself,â he said. The commission voted 4-0 in favor of the ordinance; Commissioner Bobby Olszewski was not at the meeting. The second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for the next meeting, which takes place at 6:30 p.m. Jan.
22. If the ordinance passes at that meeting, the increase will take effect on March 1.
HONORING HEROES
More than 36 police officers, firefighters and rescue personnel were present as Rees proclaimed the week of Jan. 5 to 9 as âFlorida First Responder Appreciation Week.â The proclamation encourag-
Courtesy photo
es âall Floridians to take time out of their day to show first responders and their families how much we value their service.â Before reading the proclamation, Rees specifically mentioned Winter Garden residents Scott Pine and Robert Ger man, who died in the line of duty last year in Orange County.