Men & Women of the Year

What a place we live in! Time magazine scours the globe and comes up with just one Man or Woman of the Year. Here on the Gulfshore, we found a dozen.

And there were many more contenders among the scores of nominees proposed by the insiders, opinion makers and past honorees we queried. The hardest part was sifting through the ranks of outstanding candidates.

But sift we did. We found that despite their diverse backgrounds, interests and occupations, winners had more than a little in common. They shared not only remarkable success in their private pursuits, but healthy interest and influence in the public sphere.

Many of our terrific 12 had voted with their feet for the Gulfshore by moving here from somewhere else. As a group they seem determined to preserve the good things that brought them here-balancing a healthy environment with a vibrant economy. We can't imagine a dozen men and women better suited to that tough task.

D.T. Minich

Tourism tanked across the nation with the onslaught of a recession and an unconventional war against terrorism, but the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau's executive director stayed the course with an aggressive advertising and marketing campaign to avert what could have been a local economic disaster.

Born Nov. 22, 1963, Tucson, Arizona.

Best trait: Common sense.

Worst trait: Procrastination.

Personal heroes:

Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, who have dedicated their retirement years to making this a better world. The Carter legacy of compassion and caring will live on for many years.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would like to have more patience.

Quality you most admire in others:

Dedication. I truly admire the dedication of people like Eve Haverfield, president of Turtle Time, who lives and breathes to protect our sea turtles.

What artwork has made the biggest impression on you?

The work of Monet, Van Gogh and other Impressionists, and of Picasso. They were not afraid to look at the world in an entirely new way, and were not intimidated as to whether somebody liked their work or not.

If you could do one thing to improve the region, what would it be?

We need an art-house theater for independent, foreign and film-festival movies.

If you could give newcomers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Bring lots of bug spray and sunscreen!

Wayne E. Daltry

The sagacious, longtime executive director of the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council was widely acclaimed as a smart choice when he was appointed director of Lee County's Smart Growth department last year. He'll need that broad support and more as he tackles one of the county's most pressing issues-how to grow well rather than wildly in order to retain the allure that draws visitors and new residents in the first place.

Born Dec. 8, 1947, Fort Knox, Kentucky.

How did you choose your calling?

Rapid growth affected my home and I wanted to do better by it.

Best trait:

A preference for "rightness" by public agencies, and the energy to pursue it.

Worst trait:

Obtuseness when it comes to the needs of others.

Personal hero:

Abraham Lincoln. He died for our sins.

Quality you most admire in others:

Commitment.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

That when I worked in the circus at age 18, I was not Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy. I was the barker.

Favorite spot here:

My recliner. And the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium.

If you could do one thing to improve the region, what would it be?

A voter turnout drive every election day.

If you could give newcomers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Join as many diverse civic, social, political, religious, environmental and business groups as you can and remember the names of the people you meet. Southwest Florida life is a bouillabaisse, and these are the spices that make it worth living.

Clotilde Otranto

Resident conductor of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra since September 1999, this Brazilian-born former ballerina and concert pianist (who also holds a law degree) has added zest to classical music in Naples. She's also been devoting time to the young musicians who make up the Naples Youth Symphony in hopes of making it one of the best in the nation.

Born May 8, "some time in the past century," São Paulo, Brazil.

How did you choose your calling?

I did not choose; it happened little by little. I have always loved music, body language and people. I also have a very patient husband. It is not easy being married to a maestro.

Most important achievement:

Acquiring American citizenship this year. I love and respect this country and its people.

Best trait:

I am a woman of my word-a straight shooter.

Worst trait:

Anybody can read me. I am as transparent as Casper.

Personal hero:

The common man with good moral standards who can pass on his ethics anonymously with his smile, warmth, wisdom and simplicity.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I wish I could adapt my Brazilian/Italian dramatic and expressive nature to American standards.

Quality you most admire in others:

Relaxed optimism.

Quality you most dislike in others:

Wickedness.

What film has made the biggest impression on you?

Two movies, mainly because of the way they portray innocent children facing rough times: Life Is Beautiful and Central Station.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

That I love music by pop groups like Genesis, the Police, Abba and Chicago.

What's your favorite spot here?

The beaches of Naples. A glass of wine and a sunset help a lot.

Describe your perfect day:

A brisk walk to the beach, some sailing or swimming, lots of musical score studying, a movie, a soft prayer, a great concert at night, a Hungarian pastry between activities, a little dancing, and a dream that I am flying when I go to sleep.

Kim Cliett Long

This determined volunteer board member of the Fun Time Child Development Center in the predominantly black River Park neighborhood of Naples has led the charge to move the nursery forward from its current location in a cramped, funky trailer with ambitious plans for a cheery new 15,000-square-foot center.

Born Dec. 10, 1960, Macon, Georgia.

Most important achievement:

Becoming the mother of two beautiful, high-achieving, well-adjusted daughters.

Best trait:

Being high-maintenance.

Worst trait:

Being high-maintenance.

Personal hero:

The combined influence of the women from the maternal side of my family. Their independent spirits, dignity, fortitude, intuitiveness and practical knowledge molded me into the person that I am today.

What book influenced you most?

The Prayer of Jabez, because it confirmed what was already in me but undiscovered.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

That I am shy.

What keeps you up at night?

Certainly not what I wish was keeping me up.

Describe your perfect day:

Shopping until I drop!

If you could give newcomers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Avoid me at all costs, because they will get recruited to volunteer for something.

Gary M. Sandor

His father quit school in the sixth grade to work in a coal mine, and his mother dropped out after ninth grade. But this senior vice president of The Bonita Bay Group earned a master's degree in urban studies and went on to work on luxury developments such as the Vintage Club in Indian Wells, California, Fisher Island in Miami, and Bonita Bay's high-end projects in Collier and Lee counties. Helped along by others when he was young, he's now giving back, pitching in with Habitat for Humanity and the board of directors of the Art League of Bonita Springs, among others.

Born March 11, 1946, Cleveland, Ohio.

Best trait:

Intensity and passion for the things I commit myself to.

Worst trait:

Impatience.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My age and physical condition. I genuinely miss the competition and both the physical and mental intensity of playing competitive rugby and football for so many years.

Unfulfilled dream:

To experience the art, architecture, religions and heritage of ancient cultures. Next stop: Greece, Turkey and Jordan.

Quality you most admire in others:

A great sense of humor, especially regarding oneself.

Quality you most dislike in others.

Dishonesty.

What artwork made the biggest impression on you?

Picasso's Guernica. I will never forget the first time I ever saw the actual painting in New York. The power. The passion. The ultimate portrayal of man's cruelty toward his fellow man.

Describe your perfect day:

Being on the water at daybreak off the North Drop off St. Thomas, or the LaGuaira Bank off Venezuela, or the Great Barrier Reef off Australia, or the Ten Thousand Islands right here in our own back yard, filling all but one species of a grand slam by early afternoon and having the rest of the day to hunt that last, elusive fish.

If you could do anything to change the region, what would it be?

Provide a system to allow for sustainable, intelligent, quality growth.

Paul D. Pass

This longtime civic activist in hyper-fast-growing Bonita Springs became the newly incorporated city's first mayor in 2000 and has played a key role in carefully navigating the town's tricky transition from sleepy backwater burg to luxurious Lee-Collier crossroads.

Born Dec. 26, 1953, Noblesville, Indiana.

Best trait:

Not taking myself too seriously, remaining calm in the midst of chaos, and keeping a good sense of humor.