March 1, 2024
Issue Five
Meet Wally Thacker
You know the building well, in fact, it’s hard to miss. Looking east along any drive on Highway 1 through Titusville, you are bound to see NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). It is considered the largest single-story structure in the world. Built in the early 1960’s, it has been the home for every major rocket launch in this country. But there was a time when this sliver of an island was a marshy wasteland - pretty much uninhabited except for a few thousand gators, snakes and a collection of varmints. Enter Wally Thacker, a transplant from Kentucky, who in his younger years, helped engineer and excavate some of the most impressive projects along Florida’s coast including breaking ground on the VAB. Read more about Wally on page 32.
TGO’s Volunteer Of The Year - Ron Peoples
Each year at the Annual Members Board Meeting, there is a moment we all wait for, and that is the announcement of the Volunteer Of The Year. We have had some great volunteers win this award - Donnette Hilton, Betty Salter, Jo-Anne Buckley, Vickie Ferrari, and Lorraine Murphy to name a few. This year another great name was added to that list, Ron Peoples. Ron is well known for his volunteer services with the Nature Center, the Sawdust Club and more recently, taking over restocking our fish for the 32 lakes in TGO. More about Ron on page 15.
Happenings In TGO You Don’t Want To Miss... Community Wide Yard Sale - Saturday, March 2 - Officially starts at 8:00 am Women In Church Bake Sale - Saturday, March 2 - From 9:00 to 11:30 am - In Fellowship Hall TGO Photo Club Reception - Saturday, March 2 - From 11:30 am to 2:00 pm - Manor Porch Nature Center Seminar - Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge - Wednesday, March 6 - 7:00 pm in the Manor Southern Classic Car Club Parade - Saturday, March 9 - Starts 10:00 am - Route will be the same as the Golf Cart Parade. Cars will be on display in the Manor parking lot. Jerry’s Ice Cream will be there too! St. Patrick’s Day Golf Tournament - Saturday, March 9 - 8:45 am Shotgun Start
Inside This Issue... Manager’s Corner The Great Outdoors Golf Club CSA Business Community Information and Notices Volunteer Of The Year - Ron Peoples Nature Center Activities Committee Events TGO Church Meet Wally Thacker The Vehicle Assembly Building - Some Facts Around TGO - The ALS Walk
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The 5K Walk/Run and Parrish Wellness Fair The Blue Heron Menu Thoughts For You To Contemplate Firewise Activities All Year and Seasonal Sudoku - Four Games Something Funny with Sammy Classified Ads Upcoming Events Word Search Game TGO Contact Info and Advertiser Index
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