— Red Baron comes to Brevard, page 23 —
July 2023
Volume 26 Issue 2
myseniorlife.com
Revving up
Lee Wenner
E-bikes gain popularity
The legend behind the park’s name BY LINDA WIGGINS
“They are 110 volts; you can charge them anywhere, even in your living room.” — Steve Barton
SENIOR LIFE Barbara Jean Mead
Steve Barton and his wife Stephanie test out their new e-bikes on a cruise around the neighborhood. Story, page 14
It might just be that were it not for him, the mosquitos would be the only thriving inhabitants of what instead became the Space Coast. Lee Wenner, the man behind the park named for him at Cocoa Village’s northeast waterfront, lived his life in three parts: practically prehistoric as Brevard County came into its own, the 1990s as he positioned himself for a long life in service well into the next millennium, and to infinity and beyond as the namesake of the premium waterfront park. For starters, the former World War II pilot traded bombs for pesticide and found a way to beat back the mosquitos when he came to Brevard in 1952. Civilization of the area could not have moved forward without his success. He spent 24 years on the Brevard County Commission, most of the time as chairman. As chairman he was credited with establishing the county’s solid waste facility in Cocoa, helping to get the 528 Beachline Expressway extended to Brevard, helping to get the Hubert Humphrey Bridge built and getting its namesake to attend the naming ceremony. Much of his pioneering was done with no fanfare, said one community leader. “He would get a bus and drive into the AfricanAmerican communities to pick up kids and take them to Dodgertown where we could see the Brooklyn Dodgers play,” said Dick Blake, 89, a Rockledge City Council member from 1976 to 2016 and
LEE WENNER continued on page 8
Suntree Internal Medicine
State-of-the-art Medical Facility • Everything under one roof conveniently located on Wickham Road in Suntree
Free Antibiotics
(321) 259-9500 WEEKDAYS 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
6619 North Wickham Rd.
No need for a second trip to the pharmacy
Abe Hardoon, M.D. Scott Hardoon, M.D. Edwin Chan, M.D. Ami A. Bhatt, M.D. Christopher Board Certified Board Certified Board Certified Thaver, M.D. Board Certified Internal Medicine Internal Medicine Family Medicine Family Medicine Board Certified Family Medicine
Shannon Spreitzer Nikka Cohan APRN, DNP APRN
Hareer Meghan Galili, MD Al Salihi, M.D. Board Certified Board Certified Internal Medicine Internal Medicine
Angela Armellini Jasmine Montañez Brandi Gallego Amber Jack APRN APRN APRN APRN
Luana Meskauskas Sarah Hodge APRN PA
MELBOURNE Medicare Patients Welcome
We Accept Most Insurance Evening & Weekend Office Hours Specializing in Adult Medicine
Book your appointment online suntreeinternalmedicine.com