September 16, 2022 - 6:30 pm -9:30 pm
This year, the Beaches Museum will host its 42nd gala Beach Legends. The fun; which includes a cocktail hour, silent as well as live auctions, and a seated dinner; begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, September 16, 2022, at TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse. Proceeds will go toward educational programs and operational needs of the Beaches Museum.
This year’s honorees:
Bill Hillegass
Bill Hillegass was raised in Jacksonville Beach as one of 9 children. He lost his father at an early age and watched his mom raise their family on her own by establishing a bookkeeping business in her living room. Bill and all his brothers pitched in with early morning paper routes, 7 days a week. After attending the Air Force Academy and working for a large accounting firm in Jacksonville, Bill established his own CPA firm in Jacksonville Beach. Throughout the following years, Bill was committed to helping others at the beaches through his involvement with The Exchange Club,Deck the Chairs, and numerous other organizations; as well as silently helping many individuals with their needs. He has always had a love for preserving beaches history and became involved with Beaches Area Historical Society in its early years; running the annual auction, fund-raising for the relocation of historic buildings to the history park and being a driving force behind building the beautiful museum we enjoy today.
Herb Peyton
Herb Peyton, a self-made man, started Gate Petroleum as a 1-gas-station company in 1960. It has grown into a large regional corporation with multiple divisions, including hospitality. In 1981, Herb was heading out on an around-the-world trip, having decided to semi-retire. Then he heard the oil company that owned the historic Ponte Vedra Inn and Club was selling that Ponte Vedra property and 8,000 acres of primitive woodlands on the Guana River. Having no experience in running a resort, he decided to jump in with a bid against large national companies; and he won. Today, the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club is considered one of the top oceanfront resorts in the country, having received the coveted 5-Diamond Resort Rating in the luxury tourism industry. The miles of coastline he purchased are now owned by the state of Florida to be preserved for future generations.
Mary Watson
Mary Watson has been part of beautifying our community and preserving natural environments for decades. She is actively involved on the Garden Committee at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. Mary routinely decorates Christ Episcopal Church for the various Holidays and special events. Additionally, she was instrumental in bringing a national organization, The Garden Conservancy, to Florida. However, these efforts are all eclipsed by her work on Bird Island Park. Located in Ponte Vedra Beach, it took 8 years of planning, fund-raising and construction; but she and a group of hard-working volunteers dedicated the 4.2-acre wildlife and native plants park in 2010. As a St. Johns County Master Gardener, Mary is proud that all the plants in the park are native, not requiring much maintenance; except for WEEDING, which she and others continue to do 12 years later! Mary was integral in the fund-raising and construction of Bird Island and currently coordinates local Boy Scouts pursuing Eagle Scout projects to continue to beautify the park.
Bishop Percy Golden
Dr. Percy Golden grew up in the church his mother founded in their living room in 1976 and he took the lead in 1992 to build and grow the congregation over the past 30 years where he serves as Bishop of the Holy Church of the Living God Revival Center in Atlantic Beach. Dr. Golden not only ministers to the Beaches communities from the pulpit but also serves as the Chaplain and Critical Incident Officer (CIO) of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department where he provides support, counseling and encouragement to the first responders and their families that serve our entire county. In addition, he serves as Chaplain of the Atlantic Beach Police Department. Dr. Golden has been instrumental in preserving the history and culture of his elementary school through the Rhoda Martin Cultural Heritage Center and was a visionary behind “Gospel in the Park,” held in Atlantic Beach annually since 2004.
Silent Auction Support LegendsThe 2022 Beach Legends Gala is sold out! If you would like to be added to the waitlist should tickets become available, please email Chris Hoffman at director@beachesmuseum.org or call 904-241-5657 x 113
Many thanks to our sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor
Walter & Helen Dickinson*
Landmark Sponsors
Maxwell & Edna Dickinson*
The Hillegass Family
Preservation Sponsors
Hillegass, Chepenik & Hood, CPAs
Margie Horvath
Harriet C. LeMaster & Family
Jerry & Susan Miller
Jack & Lori Schmidt
Rob & E.J. Taylor
Monument Sponsors
Smooth Moves, Inc.
Palm Realty Group
Ponte Vedra Title, LLC
Frank & Mary Watson
Edgewater Companies Real Estate
Christ Episcopal Church
Jacksonville Fire Fighters Charities
Icon Sponsors
Ed & Kristan Malin*
Buehler Air Conditioning
Hileman Appraisal Group
Beaches Museum Board of Directors
Dr. John G. Bordelon & Gerry Williamson
Randy & Lisa Hayes
Hastings & Jacqueline Williams
Jim & Tay Cooper*
Jimmy & Vikki Stockton*
Bob & Suzanne Taylor
Steve & Paula Rosenbloom
Sam & Tracey Veal*
Bill & Marie Lynch*
Doc & Tamara Renuart
Susan L. Hartman, Esquire, CFP
Sunrise Pools/Mike & Kristen Remeika
Swindell, Bohn, Durden & Phillips, PL
Susie Rindal
Ullmann Wealth Partners
Pivot CPAs, P.A.
Hana Financial Group
Ron May, AIF® & Susan L Hartman, CFP®
Raymond James®
Kathy & Malcolm Marvin*
Beach Legends Alumni:
Jackie Rooney
Father William Kelly
Don & Barbara Lynn
Randy & Ava Wainwright
Dr. & Mrs. John Tanner
Media Sponsor
The Beaches Leader and Ponte Vedra Leader
In-Kind Sponsors
MorganMackenzie Designed Communications
Kurtis IDEA*
Entertainment & Productions
Deanne Dunlop Photography
Atlantic Video Productions
Pam Almand–The Captain’s Voice
Thank you to our past Beach Legends Honorees (*) for your sponsorship!
This year’s Live Auction items!
Mountain Top Escape in Vermont
Beautiful vacation estate near Killington, Vermont in the Mountain Top Inn and Resort Community.
Details: Set atop a central Vermont mountain on 350 acres of woods & meadow, with sweeping views of the Green Mountains and a pristine 740 acre lake, the Mountain Top is one of Vermont’s most unique and spectacular destinations!
Enjoy one week at this beautiful 4 bedroom (1 king, 3 queen beds), 4 bath home. Includes a pool, hot tub, large game room, dining area and full kitchen. Enjoy lake access with canoes and the Mountain Top Inn for dinner and tennis. Horseback riding is available and there is sightseeing, hiking and skiing nearby.
Restrictions: Any mutually agreeable date, good for one year
Donated by: The Hillegass-Maura Families
Step Back in Time with a Pioneer Dinner for 12!
Your group of twelve will be treated to a feast straight out of old Palm Valley at the Oesterreicher-McCormick Cabin in the Museum’s History Park. Dine on recipes handed down through the family from the days of Thomas & Dorothea Oesterreicher and enjoy beer, wine and if you are lucky, some moonshine! Favorites including boiled peanuts, Jackie McCormick’s datil pepper jelly with cream cheese, JT McCormick’s shrimp perlau, Minorcan style pork, fried cabbage, cornbread and more! Desserts in the family tradition will be served to complete your down-home dining experience. Your chefs and hosts are the Oesterreicher and McCormick family members and some items will come straight out of the Heritage Garden, tended to by the Master Gardeners. Music, fun and amazing party are ensured!
Restrictions: Any mutually agreeable date, good for one year
Donated by: Oesterreicher & McCormick Family Members
Wine Dinner for Eight at SoNapa Grille
Details: Enjoy a five-course wine dinner for eight with the founder of SoNapa Grille! More than just a restaurant, SoNapa Grille is really about a Lifestyle. Besides the obvious namesake attributes of Sonoma County and Napa Valley, this restaurant signifies passion, enriched experiences, and simplicity.
Experience Jacksonville Beach’s newest culinary hot spot in a wonderful wine dinner led by Adam Barringer, former Mayor of New Smyrna Beach and the owner of SoNapa Grille.
Restrictions: Any mutually agreeable date, good for one year, gratuity not included.
Donated by: Adam Barringer, SoNapa Grille
Book Club in the Cabin
Your group of 10 is in for a rare and unique experience as you read and hear about life in the NE Florida frontier from local author and historian Michel Oesterreicher.
Details: To start this journey, in advance you’ll each receive a copy of Michel Oesterreicher’s book, “Pioneer Family”, a richly revealing portrait of life in rural Northeast Florida in the early 20th century. After reading this moving history, you’ll then meet the author in the 1873 cabin, originally located in the woods around current-day Nocatee, but now onsite in our museum’s history park. Michel brings to life the history of her family’s struggles and progress, highlighting her grandfather, who built the cabin, and her father, who was born there along with his 9 siblings, as well as her mother’s family connection to our beach’s history. She will share this personalized history based on research and true stories of what it was like to live, work, and raise a family in the Florida backwoods during the last 100 years.
Whether you decide on an afternoon setting with sweet tea and shortbread cookies or a cocktail hour gathering with muscadine wine and cheese biscuits, your party will savor these anecdotes and biographical details crafted from family interviews and personal memories growing up in this Pioneer Family!
Restrictions: Any mutually agreeable date, good for one year
Donated by: The Beaches Museum & Michel Oesterreicher
Host a LEGENDARY Party at the Beaches Museum!
Treat your party of 25 to a wonderful 2 hour event including light hors d’ouevres, wine and the wonderful music of the Beaches Piano Man and 2014 Legend Honoree, Gene Nordan!
Taste! Catering will treat your guests to a wonderful selection of hors d’oeuvres accompanied by a selection of deluxe wines and local craft brews. As Gene Nordan plays, your guests will enjoy the Dickinson Gallery of the Beaches Museum which showcases a rotation of art and history exhibits.
Perfect for a holiday party, birthday party or a simple gathering of friends, this item is the perfect showcase of so many beach favorites!
Restrictions: Any mutually agreeable date, good for one year
Donated by: Gene Nordan, Beaches Museum & Taste! Catering
I Dreamed of Africa: South Africa Photo Safari Auction Package for Two
Details: 6 days and 6 nights luxury accommodation for 2 people at the Hemingway-style tents, Heritage Safari or Zulu Nyala Lodge. These luxury facilities are situated in the heart of Zululand and St. Lucia/Sodwana Bay Marine reserve/Lubombo corridor—one of the richest wildlife conservation regions in Africa.
This package includes full board which is three delicious meals per day, prepared by the finest international chefs—with an African flavor of course.
Two game viewing activities per day, guided by your own professional game rangers in open game viewing vehicles in Zulu Nyala game reserve (Location for the filming if “I Dreamed of Africa” starring Kim Basinger).
The package is valid for 3 years from the auction date and bookings can be made for any period in the year. It is non-transferable and non-refundable.
Potential animal sightings include: Elephant, rhino, leopard, cape buffalo, crocodiles, cheetah, giraffe, hippo, zebra, nyala, kudu and over 400 bird species
Not included:
Airfare is not included but South Africa Airways offers special fares. Transfers, side trips, personal beverages and phone calls are not included.
For more information about this year’s event, the program can be viewed here!
