Don’s Rambles: A Community’s ‘Soul’

This ramble takes on a different approach in that it is more of a photographic essay than a wordy diatribe about our beloved city.

“Soul” is defined by Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary as: “the spiritual embodiment of a shared awareness and pride in something other than oneself.” It is my search for the root cause of that shared pride in our hometown that continues to push me forward in my meanderings.

What better example of residents sharing a sense of community spirit than the recent 4th Annual Family Literary Festival held in the public areas surrounding the War Memorial Youth Center and the Coral Gables Library. This yearly event is attributable to the work of its chair and founder, Sam Joseph, and the staff of the Coral Gables Community Recreation Department.

It was a bright, beautiful South Florida day in May with everyone from senior citizens to infants enjoying one another’s company, playing educational games, learning about opportunities for volunteer service in community organizations and committees, and, of course, gaining an appreciation for the printed word: BOOKS!

Left: A poster for the Literacy Festival. Top right: Phil Boswell, Felix Pardo, Sally Baumgartner, (behind) Greg and Maria Petrino, Jennifer Kila Bottom right: Ana Lam, Crime Watch Executive Director, with her daughter-in-law, grandson, and a long-time volunteer.

I must say with a great deal of pride that my deceased wife was honored for her work with Sam in supporting the creation of this wonderful gift to the citizens of our city with the naming of the main festival throughfare “Jeannett Slesnick Literacy Row.”

Now let’s let my photos do the talking – these are images of our community’s “soul.”

Left: Community Rec team – Sarah Espino, Susan Lainfiesta,Paulson Jean, Carolina Vester, and her daughter. Right: Festival founder and chair Sam Joseph with Books & Books proprietor (extraordinaire) Mitch Kaplan

This column appears monthly by Don Slesnick, who served as mayor of Coral Gables from 2001 to 2011. If you wish to reach him with suggestions on where he should next meander in search of the city’s soul, email donslesnick@scllp.com. Read more of his rambles.