Five Local Legends to be Inducted into City of Fort Lauderdale Walk of Fame on May 28

A Free Event Celebrating Our Decades of Distinction and the City’s Centennial

Angela Sabina DiPietro, Public Information Specialist
(954) 828-4777 or angelas@fortlauderdale.gov

Fort Lauderdale – In honor of the City’s Centennial, five local legends will be inducted into Fort Lauderdale’s Walk of Fame on Saturday, May 28, 2011 as part of the second annual Great American Beach Party.

The honorees include renowned Cardinal Gibbons Girls’ Volleyball Coach Louise Crocco; Astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Brent Jett; award winning Dillard Girls’ Basketball Coach Marcia Pinder; Radio Broadcasting Legend Rick Shaw; and legendary St. Thomas Aquinas Football Coach George Smith.

In recognition of this historic milestone, the name of each recipient will be engraved on their own commemorative marble paver that will be placed in Fort Lauderdale’s Walk of Fame, located on the beach along the east side of A1A at Las Olas Boulevard.

The official Walk of Fame induction and unveiling ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 28 at 6:30 p.m. on the Great American Beach Party main stage, located at Las Olas Boulevard and A1A on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Fort Lauderdale established the Walk of Fame awards program last year at the inaugural Great American Beach Party. The City unveiled the first stone in the Walk of Fame as a tribute to the legendary Connie Francis on the 50th Anniversary of “Where the Boys Are,” the 1960 film which made Fort Lauderdale an overnight sensation and a “must see” destination for visitors.

This year, each of the recipients is being honored for their outstanding accomplishments in their respective fields, along with their leadership, dedication and contributions to the community.

Louise Crocco
As Head Girls’ Volleyball Coach from 1969 to 2008, Louise Crocco built the Cardinal Gibbons High School program into a dynasty. She compiled a career record of 1,132-123, capturing 18 state championships, 26 regional championships and 32 district titles. She is Florida’s all-time winningest girls’ high school volleyball coach and one of only three coaches in the nation to have more than 1,000 victories. During her career, Crocco was named National High School Coach of the Year; National High School District Coach of the Year, Women's Sports Foundation Coach of the Year, National Federation Interscholastic Coaches Association Coach of the Year, and Florida Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year. In 1990, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Broward Community College Hall of Fame.

Brent Jett
Brent Jett graduated from Northeast High School in 1976, and earned his bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating first in the class of 1981. He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1983 and was assigned to Fighter Squadron (VF) 74, flying the F-14 Tomcat and making overseas deployments aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-60). Jett was selected by NASA in 1992 and flew his first mission as pilot of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-72) in 1996. A year later, he piloted Atlantis (STS-81) as part of a mission between the U.S. Space Shuttle and the Russian Space Station Mir. Jett then commanded two shuttle missions, the first aboard Endeavour (STS-97) in 2000 followed by Atlantis (STS-115) in 2006, both of which focused on assembling and enhancing the capabilities of the International Space Station. Jett’s commendations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Department of Defense Superior Service and Meritorious Service Medals, Navy Commendation Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal and three NASA Space Flight Medals.

Marcia Pinder
Marcia Pinder completed her 34th season as the Head Coach of the Dillard High School Girls’ Basketball Team, finishing with a 22-7 record and guiding the Lady Panthers to their second straight state championship. Earlier in the season, on December 8, 2010, Coach Pinder made history when the Lady Panthers defeated Nova by a score 42-33. The win gave Coach Pinder 761 career victories making her Florida’s all-time winningest high school basketball coach. Coach Pinder’s record-breaking career at Dillard High School includes 22 district titles, 9 regional titles, 11 district runner-ups, 8 regional runner-ups, 9 state appearances and 6 state championships (1980, 1982, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011). She holds a career record of 779-171 and was inducted into the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. Under Coach Pinder’s guidance and leadership, the Lady Panthers Basketball program has and will continue to be a model of excellence and consistency.

Rick Shaw
Rick Shaw arrived in South Florida in 1960 and hasn’t slowed down since. The radio broadcasting legend’s career has spanned five decades and included time on the airways with WIOD, WQAM, WAXY and as the longtime morning host at Majic 102.7. Along the way, Rick also hosted two television shows, “Saturday Hop” and “The Rick Shaw Show” both on Channel 10. Today, Rick is still an integral part of the Majic 102.7 family serving as President of the Majic Children’s Fund which raises hundreds of thousands of dollars to support children, families and organizations in need throughout the local community.

George Smith
In 1975, George Smith was named head football coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and, over the next three and a half decades, built the program into one of the most successful in the nation. During his 34 seasons as head coach, Smith guided the Raiders to two national championships, six state championships (1992, 1997, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2010), 27 district titles and a state-record 20 consecutive playoff appearances. He was inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 and is a member of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame. Smith has a career record of 361-66 and nearly 600 of his student athletes have gone on to play college football, with 30 reaching the NFL.

In addition to the Walk of Fame induction ceremony, the City of Fort Lauderdale’s second annual Great American Beach Party will feature a day and evening full of exciting activities and entertainment on Fort Lauderdale Beach at A1A and Las Olas Boulevard.

The free event will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 28, 2011 when a portion of world famous A1A will be transformed into a one-of-a-kind entertainment venue, featuring music, live performances, and activities for the entire family.

Two stages will feature live bands performing classic oldies, rock n’ roll hits, smooth jazz and reggae. Featured artists will include Billy Bones, Cutback Surf Band, Swahili, Across the Universe (Beatles cover band), Noreena Downey and the Fabulons.

Children and adults will enjoy an array of activities including hula hoop, limbo, Twister and dance contests, a water balloon toss, and a sand castle competition. The event will also feature a classic car show. Vintage automobiles will line A1A giving beach-goers an up close look at more than 50 hot rods, ragtops and muscle cars.

At 4:00 p.m. the United States Army Black Daggers parachute team will perform a precision freefall parachute demonstration by skydiving from 12,500 feet onto the beach at Las Olas Boulevard and A1A, as part of a salute to America’s Armed Forces.

New to the event this year, is an art show that will include exhibits from an array of Fort Lauderdale artists. In addition, a special Centennial area will feature historic photos, artwork and collectibles highlighting the City of Fort Lauderdale’s past 100 years.

At 7:20 p.m. all eyes will be focused on the main stage for entertainer Chris MacDonald’s “Memories of Elvis,” a one-of-a-kind tribute to the “King of Rock-n-Roll.” The show celebrates the life and music of Elvis Presley complete with authentic costumes and dynamic performances of classic hits including Jailhouse Rock, Heartbreak Hotel, Don’t Be Cruel and Hound Dog.

The evening will be topped off with a special screening of the Elvis Presley movie Girl Happy presented by the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. The film will be shown at approximately 8:30 p.m. on a larger-than-life screen set in the sand off the corner of A1A and Las Olas Boulevard. The 1965 romantic comedy, starring Elvis Presley and Shelley Fabares, centers around a rock-and-roll singer hired to watch over the beautiful daughter of a Chicago gangster during spring break in Fort Lauderdale.

PARKING
Event parking is available in the following City of Fort Lauderdale beach lots:
· Birch/Las Olas Intracoastal Lot - E. Las Olas Blvd and Las Olas Circle
· D.C. Alexander Lot - 501 Seabreeze Boulevard
· Fort Lauderdale Beach Park Lot - 700 Seabreeze Boulevard
· Oceanside Lot - 400 Seabreeze Boulevard

Other event parking locations include:
· Beach Place - 17 S. Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard
· Ritz-Carlton Garage - 1 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard

The Sun Trolley will provide service to the beach from the following downtown parking garages. Sun Trolley will operate from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. with trolleys running every 30 minutes. One-way fares are 50 cents per person. For more information, please visit www.suntrolley.com or call (954) 761-3543.

City Park Garage - 150 S.E. 2nd Street - $5 flat rate from 5:00 AM to Midnight
Sun Trolley Route: Las Olas, Stop #4 and #6
Pick-up is on S.E. 1st Avenue

Arts & Science District Garage - 101 S.W. 5th Avenue - $12 flat rate
Sun Trolley Route: Las Olas, Stop #5
Pick-up is on S.E. 2nd Street.

Galleria Mall – 2414 E. Sunrise Boulevard - Free Parking
Sun Trolley Route: Convention Connection, Stop #8
Pick-up is in front of PF Chang’s restaurant (near mall valet station)

For more information on parking locations and rates, please visit www.fortlauderdale.gov/parking/parking.htm.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY
A1A will be closed from Las Olas Boulevard north to Castillo from 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 28 to 1 a.m. on Sunday, May 29. Traffic that is traveling north on A1A will be diverted west onto Las Olas Boulevard, north on Birch Road, east on Bayshore Drive and then back north onto A1A. Please note that Alhambra Street, Seville Street and Granada Street will be open to local traffic only.

The City of Fort Lauderdale’s Great American Beach Party is co-sponsored by AutoNation, Budweiser, CH2M Hill, the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, FPL, Huizenga Holdings, Majic 102.7, Nova Southeastern University, Stephens Distributing Company and the Sun-Sentinel.

For more information, please call our 24-hour event hotline at (954) 828-5363 or visit www.fortlauderdale.gov.