Studio Ceremony Planned
WEST OCEAN CITY — The Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce will hold the grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony for Dana Marie Photography Studio on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m.
The Dana Marie Photography Studio is located in the Teal Marsh Shopping Center as part of the Open Door Studio (upstairs next to the FOP lodge).
The public is invited. A drawing for a free headshot session and coupons will be given away to attendees.
Awards Celebration Planned
FENWICK ISLAND — The Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its 2014 Members Awards & Celebration themed “A Night Among the Stars” at the Den at Bear Trap Dunes Golf Course on Thursday, Oct. 16 starting at 7 p.m.
Attendees will meet the five incoming board members and witness the passing of the gavel from Board President Kami Banks of Banks Wines & Spirits to Anne Powell of ResortQuest. The chamber will also recognize members who have served the community for over 25-plus years, and those who have been there since the inception of the organization. New this year, the local public vote aided in determining the winners. Finalists have been announced for the five membership awards, including:
Best In Business Award: Coastal Point, Heather’s Home Works, LLC and Sedona.
Community Spirit Award: Bethany Beach Books, Freeman Foundation, Matt Haley Companies/SoDel Concepts and Operation SEAS the Day.
Inspiring Business Award: Judy Layman of High Tide News, Kevin McCourt of Cogitation, LLC and Mike Mall of Delaware Wave.
Member of the Year Award: Kami Banks of Banks Wine & Spirits, Kevin McCourt of Cogitation, LLC and Lise O’Connell of Send Out Cards.
New Member of the Year: Chris Sommer of ShoreEasy.com, Kristina Isom of Mind, Body & Sole and Tikiri Shapiro of Lighthouse Dance & Yoga.
The winners will be announced at the celebration on Oct. 16.
New Leadership Role
SALISBURY — Dr. Mark Edney, a urologist with Peninsula Urology Associates, P.A. and medical director of Surgical Services at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, was recently appointed to the position of Secretary/Treasurer with the American Association of Clinical Urologists (AACU).
The AACU is the nation’s oldest urological advocacy organization and represents 4,000 of the 9,500 practicing urologists in the country. Edney has served on the AACU Board for the past year.
Edney’s term is for three years with a standard ascension to the State Society Network Chair, President-Elect and then President of the AACU.
The American Association of Clinical Urologists is one leg of the state and national urology advocacy triumvirate that includes the American Urology Association and the Large Urology Group Practice Association.
Edney, who has held privileges at Peninsula Regional Medical Center since 2004, is also the 2012 American Urological Association’s Gallagher Health Policy Scholar. He is a graduate of the Dartmouth Medical School and certified by the American Board of Urology.
Safety Reminders
Issued To Realtors
BERLIN – The tragic and untimely death of a 49-year-old Arkansas REALTOR®, who vanished last week after showing a home, has the Coastal Association of REALTORS® reminding local professionals to stay on guard and make safety a priority.
The body of Beverly Carter, married 34 years with four grandchildren, was found early Tuesday morning in a shallow grave near Cabot, north of the Little Rock area. Arron Lewis, 33, of Jacksonville, has been arrested and will be charged with kidnapping and capital murder. As Lewis was escorted out of jail to a waiting police car on Tuesday, he told reporters that he did not act alone and they chose Carter because she was a “rich broker.”
“Beverly’s death is a horrible tragedy for her family and friends, and for our profession,” said Sheila Dodson, executive director of Coastal REALTORS®. “REALTORS® face many safety concerns just doing their day-to-day jobs – including meeting unknown clients one-on-one at property showings.”
To ensure the public understands recommended safety procedures utilized by REALTORS®, the following are guidelines put in place by the National Association of REALTORS®. The public is reminded that these practices are designed to protect the client as well as the REALTOR®.
REALTORS® are encouraged to invite new clients to stop by their office and complete a Prospect Identification Form, available at www.realtor.org; get the client’s car make and license number, as well as a copy of their driver’s license; introduce the prospect to someone in their office; always let someone know where they’re going; and always carry a charged mobile phone.
If the REALTOR® transports the client in their personal vehicle, they should call the office in the client’s presence, before the client gets into the car; tell the office what they’re doing, who they’re taking, and where they’re going; and say “no” if they feel uncomfortable.
In Carter’s honor and in recognition of September being REALTOR® Safety Month, Coastal REALTORS® will be offering safety courses for its members.
“We want to make sure our members have all the tools necessary to keep themselves safe,” Dodson said. “Whether it’s letting the office know where you are or utilizing the Buddy System, there are lots of things that can be done to ensure their safe return from a showing.”
Museum Gets $40K
SALISBURY – The Salisbury University Foundation, Inc. and Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University, recently announced a $400,000 lead gift for the museum’s 2014-2016 “Soar to New Heights” capital campaign.
The campaign’s goal is $1,500,000 to support the expansion of the Ward Museum and much-needed capital improvements to the galleries and facility.
John A. Luetkemeyer Jr. and Thomas F. Mullan III donated a combined gift of $400,000 for the construction of a new facility at the museum to be named in honor of their late fathers as the John A. Luetkemeyer Sr. and Thomas F. Mullan Jr. Legacy Center.
The new building will add 2,200 square feet to the museum and be used as an education center and flexible meeting space to serve the growing needs of educational and cultural programs for all ages. The center will enable the museum to serve grade-wide school field trips for the first time. It will also incorporate environmentally sustainable design, including solar paneling and geothermal technology.
“The Ward Museum is grateful for the amazing generosity of Mr. Luetkemeyer and Mr. Mullan. The donors and their fathers are prominent philanthropists in Baltimore and beyond, and this gift will have a major impact in the Salisbury community.” said Lora Bottinelli, executive director of the Ward Museum. “The Legacy Center will bring a new generation in closer connection to the outdoors through the educational programs it will support and will be a lasting tribute to John A. Luetkemeyer Sr. and Thomas F. Mullan Jr.”
The new building is the centerpiece of the museum’s campaign. Funds raised also will support gallery renovations, including the museum’s namesake Ward Brothers Gallery, smart classroom technology improvements to education rooms, roadside signage replacement, retail area renovations, collection storage area upgrades, and landscaping and public sculpture garden enhancements. The Legacy Center expansion and additional improvements should enable the museum to meet its educational service goals for the coming decade, Bottinelli said.
“The Ward Museum has so much to offer the community and Salisbury University,” said SU President Janet Dudley-Eshbach. “The Legacy Center and other improvements will position the museum to support and serve our area with a new level of excellence for years to come …It is an exciting time for the museum and the University. We look forward to the completion of the John A. Luetkemeyer Sr. and Thomas F. Mullan Jr. Legacy Center, and the incredible positive impact it will have on our community.”