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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM-79-0682LORI WTVJ MIAMI roa cas Rdti Qni 1 ,ri(3 ° an Tractor No. 4488 Friday, October 12, 1979 "LOUIS WOLFSON: A REMEMBRANCE" This is a time when words do not flow easily. They come instead, one at time. This, When you think of so many different ways to describe a person w was simply good and fair and given to applying himself to the welfare and happiness of others. I speak concerning the loss of Louis Wolfson II. I must personalize this inasmuch as we both have been around the premises of this company for about the same length of time. We were of the same generation ....two kids who grew up from the beginning of the age of television in America and had the privilege of working together in this business. Louis never desired to be in any limelight...he in fact was afraid to be in front of the camera...his place of comfort was behind it....and in that role he ran the TV operations of this company. Louis had great concern for people. A question he often asked when making decisions affecting others was: "Is it fair?" And that feeling about whether fairness and justice was being served was one of the reasons he gravitated to public service...he had a distinguished ten-year career in the Florida Legislature. Louis Wolfson was a decent, honorable man...he loved and cherished his family. He was a person somewhat uncomfortable with opulence. Ina phrase he was just a good guy. He didn't understand nor could he tolerate cruelty, voice in anger. He looked upon every day as an opportunity. Perhaps Louis as a person can be summed up by something the famous Rabbi Stephen S. Wise said many years ago: "Let something so high and noble come into your life that it shall be expulsive of everything low and mean. The men one honors most, the men one has reason to cherish most highly, are those into whose lives something so lofty and commanding has come as to have left no room for the mean and petty." We shall miss our friend Louis Wolfson. THE NATION'S FIRST DAILY TELEVISION EDITORIAL We welcome responses to our editorials from responsible spokesmen. ADVISORS, BOND:COUNSEL AND. PARKING CONSULTANTS, (Her e follows body of reeolution, omitted 'hereand on file in the Office of the City Clerk). Upon being seconded by *Commissioner Gordon, the resolution was passed and adopted by the following vote:' AYES: Vice -Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Commissioner Armando Lacasa Commissioner (Rev.) Theodore R. Gibson Commissioner Rose Gordon Mayor Maurice A. Ferre NOES: None ABSENT i NONE *NOTE: PLEASE SEE PREVIOUS CLARIFICATION OF THE: VOTES ON THIS NOTION' ON FOREGOING PAGE. Mayor Ferre: Thank you Mr. LaBaw and Colonel Wolfson. Father Gibson: Mr. Mayor, before they leave. Colonel I hope this may not be an infringement, but I'm for the members of,.,my fellow Commissioners who may not have hai the opportunity to be present on Sunday, I would hope and I don't know how this is done, I know how it's done in our church, I would hope that somebody would put together that eulogy by Ralph Renick and made it available... I'm not going to ask you to answer that sir, and take, it available to the public. I think for young peoples sake, that maybe.,they might learn something from that eulogy. And especially the inscription that he referred to over the tabernacle. Mr. Wolfson: Thank you, it will be done. That inscription that Father Gibson is talking about, my father put in the Temple. (IN LATIN, INAUDIBLE). And it's so applicable not only in religion but also morally and politically and everything else. Gentlemen, I didn't mention anthing but I think you all could be very proud of the new garage that we propose to build. And we think not only will it be functionally correct, but I'm sure it will be like our other garages aesthetically beautiful for the City. I think it's very important that public buildings, whenever they are built,be built in a manner that aesthetically improve Miami's position as a beautiful place to live. And this garage, I think, carries out the spirit of what I would like to see done with all public buildings. And that's a picture of what the new garage will look like. And hopefully, we can build a second one and not too far in the future. Mayor Ferre: When will the construction of that commence, Colonel? Col. Wolfson: Well, we're working on the plans right now and...because the bond market is in the shambles, as you probably know, probably we will hope to come back and present a bond issue to you sometime... perhaps it will be sold in January. Which we think maybe the market will be a lot better off. And then it would take about a year to complete the construction of it. And this will provide over 700 cars in the Downtown area. And now with the sale of this garage on the boulevard I think we can sell enough bonds. Of course, it depends on the market with this money to at least construct the first one which is going up like everything else, as I've said before, on account of the inflation problem. Father Gibson: Mr. Mayor... Mayor Ferre: Father Gibson. Father Gibson: This is not to you Colonel. This is to you, sir. I would hope that when the board meets, that they would take into consideration...you know I'm getting very scared, for lack of another word presently, there is an awful lot of people serving this community. And after they've served, nobody really cares, and nobody ever remembers. I would hope that you would say to your board that somebody suggested, I can't tell them what to do. I don't suppose we can... Mayor Ferre: We can... Father Gibson: That it might be a nice thing to'name ><that building. Col. Wolfson: You're suggesting that we name this building,'., after some former citizen :of -Miami -who served the public.... That's a good idea: Father Gibson: No,,yes, sir I, well, I'm not asking you this. I'm talking to you, ,sir.'',.You see me after the meeting and I'll tell you. privately=what I...what's on my mind. Col. Wolfson: • Thank you very much. Thank and Mrs. Gordon... Mr. Plummer It just doesn't even look like the Maurice Ferre Building. .:(LAUGHTER) Col Wolfson: I apologize for...you personally. Mrs. Gordon: It could look like a Mitchell Wolfson building_, even though Mr. Wolfson made some bad remarks about me. I have no objections to that. Father Gibson: I'm talking about his son. O.K. so that nobody would make...go from here under any misapprehension, I'm saying that you ought to suggest to your Board that they name that building for his son. And then make sure that they read what Ralph Renick said about the inscription before they name it. So that it will carry with it. Mayor Ferre: Well, I think, you see, there was a misunderstanding here. It's not going to be the Maurice Ferre building nor is it going to be the Mitchel Wolfson building either. I think we should take the inscription "Knoweth before who thou standeth" and I think that in the dedication that we ought to put that on that building. In the plaque. And I think that what we ought to an is take the words of Ralph Renick, at least that portion towards the end of the statement, and incorporate it into the dedication. And I think, this Commission, if you will forgive us, has the authority to do that, Mr. LaBaw. And I'll recognize Father Gibson for the purposes of making that motion. II 1111 IIIIIIIi Rev. Gibson: I move. Mr. Lacasa: Second. Mayor Ferre. All right, it 's g been properly moved and seconded, call the roll. The -following motion was introduced by Commissioner Gibson who moved its adoption. MOTION NO. 79-682 A MOTION NAMING PARKING GARAGE NO. 5 IN HONOR OF THE LATE LOUIS WOLFSON, II AND INCLUDING THE EULOGY BY RALPH RENNICK ON THE DEDICATION PLAQUE. Upon being seconded by Commissioner Lacasa, the motion was passed and adopted by the following vote: AYES: Commissioner Armando Lacasa Commissioner Rose Gordon Commissioner (Rev.) Theodore R. Gibson Vice Mayor J. L. Plummer, Jr. Mayor Maurice A. Ferre NOES: None. ABSENT:. None. Mayor Ferre: Thank you. Mr. Wolfson: Mr. Mayor, if I may just say one word in closing, I've been on both sides of the fence and I know the very difficult you all have in making tough decisions and I had hoped that whenever I come before I'd bring all the facts because it's tough enough to make the right decision on a tough ques- tion when you have all the facts, it's impossible to make them without it, and there isn't a day that goes by that you don't have to make tough decisions, and I think that the community here owes a debt to all of you for the services you've rendered because my family are very conscious of the fact that public service is so important to a community, and as my father said, who sat as a commissioner in Key West, on the City Council, I sat, as you know, on Miami Beach, ..some absurdities you've heard today when and that is "You cannot grow a crop every year unless you put something back into the soil." And that's always been the family's position, that we should put something back into the soil, and you, lady and gentlemen, are doing that every day. And thank you very much, not only on behalf of myself but on behalf of all the citizens of Miami. Thank you. Mrs. Gordon: I wish you a long and healthy life, Mr. Wolfson, you've done a public service few people in this community have done. Mayor Ferre: All right, thank you. nrt 171979 __