Even though Jaden Agassi’s parents are tennis royalty, you’re more apt to see the teen from Las Vegas holding a bat than a racquet. Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf dodged September rain in Southwest Florida to see their son compare his skills to other top 14-year-olds from the U.S. and Dominican Republic. The family attended the Perfect Game Select Baseball Festival banquet at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa and the following day sat in the stands, with all the other parents, at JetBlue Park. “He’s tall and lanky,” Jaden’s coach for the game, Tom Woodley, later told me. “Baseball-wise, he has all the tools to be a really, really good player.” Woodley also coaches at Mariner High School and was initially hesitant to ask about Jaden’s famous parents, but he had to know if Jaden played tennis. Jaden made his negative feelings instantly clear about that: “Coach, I hate tennis.” Good for Andre and Steffi, though, encouraging him to put those athletic genes into a sport he loves…
When it comes to fashionable dresses, Lee County Grande Dame Michel Doherty (pictured) is always on-point. At 90-something years young, the former Broadway dancer who performed with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin at the Copacabana back in the day still knows how to rock a designer frock. As I scrolled through a website recently devoted to the fashions of Prince William’s wife, the future Queen of England, I noticed that Duchess Kate was showcasing a dress that I’d seen on Michel at a daytime event at the Burroughs Home in downtown Fort Myers more than a year ago. Indeed, the 34-year-old royal and fashion icon was wearing a blue and white print day dress by LK Bennett that local royalty, Michel, already had in her closet. Michel told me, “I’m delighted that the Duchess likes the dress so much. I prefer Kate’s taste more than the Queen’s—and incidentally, I picked up my dress on sale.” …
When Michel was kicking up her heels on Broadway in the 1940s, McCollum Hall in the Dunbar Community of Fort Myers was a swinging jazz spot hosting music legends like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, B.B. King and more. This historic treasure on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard fell into disrepair over the years, but the venue, built in 1938, is getting a major overhaul. At a recent reception there, representatives from the Community Redevelopment Agency unveiled plans to turn it into McCollum Place, a cultural town center with several retail spaces, a restaurant and a second-floor multi-use space for events. Spotted in the crowd at the McCollum gathering were Mayor Randy Henderson; Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto; and Fort Myers City Council members Mike Flanders, Teresa Watkins-Brown, Terolyn Watson, Forrest Banks and more. It’s so heartening to see the community come together not only for a good cause, but in times of crisis …
Mayor Henderson and his office did a heroic job reassuring the city—and all the national and international press that descended on Fort Myers after the tragic Club Blu shootings this past summer. One angel stepping up in the aftermath was Sarah Owen of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. She and her amazing staff immediately created a fund for the victims and their families. Folks can still donate by calling the foundation at 274-5900. …
NBC2 meteorologist Robert Van Winkle spent Labor Day weekend in New York taking in an extravagant visit to the U.S. Open. His first visit to Flushing included an invitation to sit in the exclusive President’s Box to watch Venus Williams. He noticed, sitting a few feet away, actor Alec Baldwin and Australian tennis legend Rod Laver. Lucky for Robert, there wasn’t even a chance for a rain delay now that Arthur Ashe Stadium has a roof. …
Shopping rarely feels as good as when it’s a purchase that helps people. “It’s the ultimate girls’ night out,” described Annie Campbell, development director at PACE Center for Girls Collier at Immokalee. The organization displayed 4,600 articles of “gently used” clothes for Love That Dress! at the Naples Grande Beach Resort in September. Many had White House Black Market and Gretchen Scott tags still attached but sold for a fraction of the original price. The night of guilt-free shopping helps at-risk girls graduate high school and provides counseling to overcome, in many cases, extraordinary odds. “It’s neat to see women get together and enjoy a cause that empowers girls,” Campbell said. So what do they do with everything that doesn’t sell? After the event, girls from PACE take their picks. And it sure sets them up for high-glam nights out when homecoming and the prom roll around. …
A longtime popular voice on local sports radio has been pushed to another field of play after managers at ESPN 99.3 informed Bonita Springs resident Mark Miller his services were no longer needed when his contract expired this summer. Miller & Moulton lasted nearly a decade in the afternoon time slot. “I learned more after how big it was, than ever during,” Miller confessed. Loyal fans of the show responded in Miller’s defense with scathing social media posts and online petitions aimed at the station’s owners. Earlier this year, the show’s producer was let go. The Miller & Moulton moniker has been replaced with a new name, voice and time slot. “My days in radio, more than likely, are over,” Miller admitted to me with a tinge of sadness. But when one door closed, another immediately blew open: One of his childhood friends asked Miller to run the sales department for the company he founded, Tricon Services. Following his friend’s unexpected exit, David Moulton wrote in his weekly column for The News-Press, “Our afternoon show became the place that connected many area sports fans. Not anymore.” The two, who have debated on- and off-air everything under the sun, remain close. “Be grateful that you have David,” Miller added. “He’s a pro’s pro. Probably the most intelligent person you’ll ever meet in this business.”
