2017 delray september web

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DELRAYNEWSPAPER.COM SEPTEMBER | 2017

Morse name cruises through three generations By: Marisa Herman Associate Editor If you asked a young Edward J. Morse III “Teddy” if he wanted to take over the family car business, the answer would likely have been no. Morse, 42, said his career goals changed from firefighter to fighter pilot then police officer to astronaut. “I knew my dad was in the car business,” he said. “My father always told me he would support me 100 percent, no matter what I did, but he told me I would be an idiot if I didn’t go into the car business.” That’s because the Morse name has been associated with selling cars in South Florida for more than 70 years. Ed Morse Automotive was founded by his grandfather, Ed in 1946.

The Downtown Delray Beach Drum Circle attracts people who want to jam on Wednesday nights. Photo by Alexis Paige.

How the Downtown Drum Circle is becoming Delray’s soundtrack By: Emily Creighton Contributing Writer No, it’s not the sound of traffic bustling down Atlantic Avenue or the crashing of the waves on the sand. Rather, the soundtrack of Delray Beach can be found right in Old School Square every Wednesday night. As the Downtown Delray Beach Drum Circle beats away, there is a something much louder to be recognized than their unique rhythms. It’s the sound of community. “Delray is a mixed bag of people, and right here it’s a portal for a whole

bunch of energy and a whole bunch of people,” shared Raul Jimenez, a Delray resident of for over a decade who has been coming to the Circle for nearly three years. “It becomes a community, and it’s very much needed here.” But, the drum circle you may see off the Ave. now wasn’t the beginning of the town’s subculture. For decades, drum circles have come in and out of popularity in the area, but always maintained a foothold throughout

The decorated WWII veteran, who served in the Army Air Corps as a B-25 navigator, and received the Distinguished Flying Cross for flying a plane to safety after the pilot was wounded and the co-pilot was killed, worked as a doorman parking cars at the Coronado Hotel in Miami Beach. He then helped his father start a 20 car fleet rental company, Morse Motors. Now, the privately held company has 13 locations, 17 franchises and nine brands including Cadillac, Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Buick, GMC, Chevrolet, Fiat and Alfa Romeo in South Florida and Tampa. [CONT. PG 2]

Palm Beach County. The ritualistic events involve community members and families joining in song played on traditional African drums called djembes, dance, yoga and more for a judgment-free time. “The Delray Beach Drum Circle is the very definition of community engagement, and I smile like an opossum eating bumble bees every time I hear the thump of drums on the Green,” CEO and president of Old School Square Rob Steele said. “The Drum Circle is organ[CONT. PG 2]

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Teddy Morse is the third generation to run the family business. Submitted photo.