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MAY 2023 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA, LLC A KAYAK LAUNCH IN OUR FUTURE?
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LANDINGS RESIDENTS ENJOY AMERICA’S NATIONAL PASTIME.
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LANDINGS RESIDENT CONQUERS MT. KILIMANJARO
Landings Free College: School is out for Summer By: Dee Ricapito In the year 2016, Irv Kushner and Ralph Ricapito organized and renamed the “Round Table D i s c u s s i o n G r o u p” (w h i c h originated approximately seven years earlier with Ralph and Jack Kahgan) to The Landings Free College. The Free College lecture series grew in attendance over the years because of interesting speakers. The Free College primarily tapped into the vast and impressive pr ofe s sion a l e x p e r ie n ce s of Landings residents as speakers. Additionally, Landings residents would also invite friends from outside the community to speak, too. The presentations were always held on Thursday afternoons and the speakers would share their expertise for free of charge. Ralph and Irv want to thank you all for your support. This year, The Landings Free College enjoyed record attendance
with over 100 members and guests enjoying a wide range of topics. The 2023 Free College series started with Irv Kushner presenting Two - Gu n Cohen: A Ch i nese General. Additional speakers included Dr. Crosby, CEO Mote Marine discussing red tide and the marine environment; Dr. John Bruno’s informative topic Neuroscience of Depression & Anxiety Treatments and Future Remedies; Jay Handelman, Arts Editor & Theater Critic of Sarasota Herald Tribune; Sarasota museums were represented; as well as our own, and always entertaining Frank Pipers, discussing The Erection of an Insurrection. Wow, what a variety of topics! Thanks again to our Real Estate ladies, Judy Green and Tara Lamb, hosting our final events every season. As always, Kevin has been a great help facilitating the meeting room over the years.
CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, Dr. Michael P. Crosby (right) spoke at Landings Free College last month.
Casey Key Bike Excursion Over 30 Landings residents participated on the bike excursion on Casey Key followed by lunch at the home of Art Wood.
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Landings Volunteers Who Work for You
12 Beth Cotner, LRC President
LINE-DANCING LANDS AT THE LANDINGS
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KID’S CORNER
Lily Breckner, 3
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This is the eighth in a series of articles highlighting the work of special volunteers who help to make The Landings such a wonderful community. The Eagle interviewed Beth Cotner for this issue. There are many talented people with extraordinary histories who live in The Landings. Beth Cotner is among the few who have been successful in their careers and who have also given generously of their time, talent, and resources to their communities. Beth grew up in rural Northern California, almost on the Oregon border. Her dad enjoyed theatre and took her frequently in the summers to The Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It was there that she developed her love of culture and the arts. Beth went to Ohio State University where she studied international relations and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She went on to get an MBA in international finance at George Washington University. She became a money manager, certified financial analyst, and was responsible for investing large pension and mutual funds. She h a s l ive d i n Nevad a, Massachusetts, Washington D.C., Oregon, and Illinois. In Chicago, she met her husband Jack, on a blind date. He was a money manager with a competing company. They married and then went to Boston where they had very successful careers with Putnam
Investments. Upon retirement, they first moved to Nevada and Oregon. They then decided they wanted to relocate closer to the east coast where most of their friends lived. While visiting a friend in Sarasota they loved the fact that there was so much art and culture in the area. They moved into a downtown building, and then to Siesta Key, which they didn’t like due to the traffic. She had been playing tennis at Paine Park but didn’t like the fact that she couldn’t make court reservations. They moved to a house just south of The Landings before moving into a home on Landings Boulevard. Bet h was at t racted to T he Landings as a gated community with an active tennis club. Jack liked to rehab and sell houses. There were advantages to living in a home for two years and then selling for profit without capital gains. They moved every 2-3 years. From The Landings to The Oaks, then back to The Landings on Kestral Park Lane. Sadly, Jack passed away in 2021. Beth recently moved agai n to Kestral Parkway South. She also purchased a condo in The L a nd i ng s whe r e on e of he r stepdaughters, Didi Alog n a, now lives. When asked how many houses they had bought and sold, she indicated it had to be over 30 (at least 12 in Sarasota).
Be t h’s c u lt u ra l a nd so c ia l interests, as well as her talents in finance created many volunteer opportunities for her. She has served on several boards, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Oregon, the same one she visited as a child. She also served on boards of theatre companies in Chicago and Boston, and on corporate boards in Boston and Georgia. In Sarasota, she has been an active board member and President of the Sarasota Institute of Life Long Learning (SILL) as well as with the Personalized Estate Liquidators Organization (PEL), a consignment store whose sales benefit children at risk. Her stepdaughter Didi, works at PEL. Beth is also active in her church. Until recently, Beth had not been involved on boards or committees within The Landings. She felt she wanted to do something in and for her own community, so she volunteered to serve on The Landings Racquet Club Board. At her first board meeting, they made her president. When asked what some of the challenges and opportunities were facing the club, she noted that the club is being used by more and more people, but it is constrained by space limitations. She said she feels good that there are many more activities and events that people who don’t
play tennis can enjoy. She noted that increased use at the club has occurred without adding needed staff supports. She hopes that the club will add many new members during her term of office. She also said: “Our tennis pros and leagues are very active which puts more constraints on court availability and a greater need for court maintenance and upkeep. In addition, the club is getting older, needs updating to the activity rooms, fitness center, and faces increased maintenance costs. The pool needs resurfacing, and the parking lot will be given a new surface with three handicap spots when it is completed.” While she agrees, with most of the club members that a pickle ball court(s) would be a great asset, the club does not have space nor financial resources to build it with required amenities. Beth has one dog, Juno, and two cats, Jesse and Cali. Between her volunteer work inside and outside of The Landings, she is one busy lady who is in a position to help move the LRC to new heights over the coming years.