Amelia Fulmer and Marc Dwyer can sing. They don’t sing often. At least not publicly. But when they do, as when they joined in a blazing duet of “Unforgettable” as a farewell present to Greg Davis, who just stepped down as Flagler Tiger Bay’s first president, they brought down the house–and nearly upstaged the man they were celebrating.
Davis, Don Madden and others established the club over five years ago as a non-partisan forum that champions discourse and civility over polemic, discussion over debate, plus good food and the occasional wine bar and a party atmosphere, as was the case last week at the Palm Coast Community Center: a farewell paired with a wine tasting ((compliments of Flagler Beach’s Uncork’d Wine Bar), and the announcement of the coming year’s monthly speakers, the centerpiece of the club’s purpose.
Davis, a retired executive who’d worked with Hazmed, the Washington, D.C. hazardous and medical waste service company, Madden, an attorney, the peripatetic Ed Fuller, an ambassador for all things Flagler if there ever was one, and Cindi Dalecki of Marketing 2 Go had brewed the concept over bagels and coffee. “Nobody had any real idea what it was we were trying to accomplish,” Madden said, but with some help from a former president of the Tiger Bay club in Orlando, they launched the group, the 14th in the state, in mid-summer 2018. It like a counterpoint to the rancid and embittered political manners of the time. The rancidness hasn’t ceased. Nor has Tiger Bay.
“I’m pleased that my job is done. I’m extremely excited about our board and the leadership that we have in place,” Davis told a crowd of some 150 people at last Thursday’s event. “I’m very confident that the board and the leadership we have put in place is going to take this organization to new heights, and it’s great. I think we’ve we set the bar high. But my belief is, as my wife would say, I don’t play on any team that does not want to win a championship.”
He summed up the state of the club: an average of over 100 people at the monthly lunches featuring speakers, the Young Tiger program, the reach of its election forums, and an 18-member board of directors split between six independents, six Republicans and six Democrats. “We can have discussions on some tough issues,” Davis said. “We can still be friends, we can disagree, we can listen to each other, and we can be a community. And I think that that is so so needed today.”
The club had revenue of $74,000 in its last year, with a $66,000 budget, finishing with a net balance of $7,000. The club awarded $12,000 in scholarships, down from more than twice that amount last year. The membership grew by about 3 percent after a significant decline in its Young Tigers but a 12 percent growth in its regular membership.
“I am just so pleased and happy to have served you for the past five years,” Davis said. “This organization belongs to the community.” Jay Scherr, a club board member, reminded the audience that Davis would remain a member–and likely have a couple of committee assignments.
Several brief tributes followed, some in person, some in video snippets shown on large screens. “The systems that Greg put in place will survive long after he’s gone long after all of us have gone,” Madden said. Joe Saviak, the leadership consultant, put it this way: “Without Greg Davis and Don Madden, there would be no Tiger Bay Club. And you’ve been a good, a great leader. A wise mentor, a good friend, and we love you.” He presented Davis with an engraved plaque memorializing his five years.
It was then that Fulmer–the Flagler Auditorium director who formerly led Flagler Palm Coast High School’s celebrated Formality Singers–and Dwyer, an attorney, sang their duet.
The club will elect its next president at its September meeting. The interim president is the club’s secretary, Gary Walsh.
The next four speakers were later revealed:
- Sept. 20, Hussein Cumber, chief strategy officer with Florida East Coast Industries. He’ll discuss the potential local impacts of the expansion of Brightline, the high-speed rail link between Orlando and Miami, launching Sept. 1. (Hammock Dunes Club.)
- Oct. 18, Edwin Moore, president of the independent colleges and universities of Florida. He’ll discuss the challenges facing higher education in the state. (Hammock Dunes Club.)
- Nov. 16, Mark Falzone, President of Scenic America. He’ll discuss how Scenic America is shaping state and federal environmental policy. (Hammock Dunes Club.)
- Dec. 13, Alice Stewart, CNN political commentator. She’ll discuss the election year ahead. The cost for that one will be higher than the usual $35 and $40 prices: $55 for members, $60 for guests, but that’s because the event is paired with the club’s holiday celebration.
Annual membership in the club is $200, plus a one-time $100 initiation fee. Young Tigers’ memberships are free. See the membership page here.
palmcoaster says
Very nice unforgettable by attorney Dwyer and Co.! Happy Trails to departing president.