DAYTONA BEACH If Jim Chisholm s missile launcher pitching arm and talent for darting into an end zone with a football had taken him farther than high school championships and a college scholarship, he might have never found his way to Daytona Beach.
And if he hadn t grown bored working for financial companies in his late 20s, he might have never become a city manager who applied in 2004 to become Daytona Beach s next city manager.
If Chisholm had never sat behind the desk in the big City Hall corner office overlooking Ridgewood Avenue, the Daytona Beach Pier might have stayed under private ownership and deteriorated into an even more dangerous and crumbling eyesore than it was when the city purchased it.
As I recall, Gator Bert, 84 years old at the time, was in some sort of wheelchair during the reception before the gala dinner. I d just become editor of The News-Journal a few months earlier and didn t really know anyone. It was also a little awkward for me at the gala because The News-Journal was facing some heat at the time for our coverage of the college.
But Gator Bert greeted me like we d been friends for years. We talked for a couple minutes. He could not have been more supportive of The News-Journal.
Later, after a dinner, it was time for people to say a few words about the person the foundation was honoring that night. I don t recall the person being honored. But I do recall it being the moment when I really got to know Gator Bert.