Bob DeStefano is a name you may not recognize, but at one time, he was the longest-tenured golf professional in the country and was recognized by the PGA for developing one of the nation’s top junior golf programs. For over fifty years, Bob helped develop a multitude of golfers who competed at championship levels, many of whom became multiple-time club champions, though I was not one of them!
Being one of “Bob’s Juniors,” as we were known, I learned the game of golf at a very young age. However, when you are eight or nine years of age, patience isn’t always a virtue, and as I waited for the foursome of elderly men taking their time to play in front of me as if no one else was on the course, and watching my summer pass before my eyes, I decided teaching waterskiing wasn’t a bad second option.
While I didn’t give up golf, I wasn’t as dedicated to it as some of my other friends who went on to become pretty good golfers. Compared to me, they hit the ball straight and seemed to have all the shots in their bag. As for me, I had a slice second to none, and oftentimes felt I needed to duck after hitting my tee shot, expecting the ball to come back around like a boomerang. That being said, after watching Rory McIlroy at this year’s Masters, playing his errant tee shots from the woods, I felt as if we were kindred spirits. While our local course, St. Andrews South, doesn’t have many trees to navigate, using Rory’s same technique, there are very few houses I haven’t hit!
For those of Bob’s Juniors who took the game more seriously than I did, there are a couple of golfers that stand out, Rick Southwick and Jay Card III, known as “Jake.” Rick was one of the finest golfers I knew early on. I remember seeing him compete in his first club championship at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club on Shelter Island, NY, a club we all belonged to. He was playing against a multiple-time club champion, who was trying to throw Rick off his game mentally, as he appeared to sense he was overmatched. As impressive as this reining club champion was, Rick seemed to be at another level, as he made each shot look effortless. After going on to win multiple club championships himself and beating Phil Mickelson in the U.S. Amateurs, Rick decided to pursue the pro golf tour. 
Too often, when we see someone we personally know dominate local competition, which can be fierce, we think that it can easily translate to the next level and above. Rick would find that playing to support yourself, and the pressure of competing with so many others with the same ambitions and skill sets, became very sobering, especially when everything you had done before to win club championships was no longer good enough. People who knew Rick from the club and were accustomed to his dominating performances started asking Bob, “What’s the matter with Rick? Why isn’t he winning?” Bob would simply reply, “Rick is performing within the top 5% of everyone in the world who plays golf. If you performed within the top 5% of your profession, you would be considered a success, but you question what is wrong with Rick.” As good as Rick was then, even though his profession has changed, he recently competed in the 65th Senior Amateur Championship, which draws golfers from all over the country. To see his game, you wouldn’t think he has missed a step, as he still plays the game with that effortless confidence.
As talented as Rick Southwick has been over the years, Jay Card III is a name you may be hearing about very soon. Our family has been friends with the Card family of Shelter Island for four generations, and Jay Card III, known as Jake to his friends and family, is currently playing on the PGA Tour’s Korn Ferry Tour. Multi-talented, like his father, who was a decorated athlete, Jake just missed making the PGA Tour a little over a year ago and is competing again with the goal of competing alongside the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. Recently, we watched Jake play in the Lecom Suncoast Classic, a Korn Ferry Tour stop held at Lakewood National Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch. A total of 156 professional golfers entered this tournament, and to see the quality of golf up close and personal was a memory of a lifetime. The course was challenging, with stiff winds and unforgiving greens, and the competition was so fierce that even from the vantage point of a spectator, you could feel the pressure knowing one errant shot could take the golfer you were rooting for out of the prize money. It’s hard to believe that after 72 holes of intense competition, Jake would come up just a little over an inch short on his birdie putt on the last hole to miss being tied for first and going into a sudden-death playoff. He had to settle for a two-way tie for second place at 21 under par. A non-golfer may ask, “Is that good?” For someone like me, I would have more success hitting a house than shooting a sub-par round of golf, but to think that last putt Jake missed cost him around $100,000.00 had he gone on to win in a playoff is the pressure these golfers face as they stand over each and every putt.
Unlike team sports, where one player may be able to offset a poor performance by another team member, golf can be a very lonely walk, as you are not only competing against everything the course throws at you, but the hot hand that any given player may be having that day. Simply put, it is when good isn’t always good enough.
What makes Jake’s journey so interesting is that he didn’t come from a big city or attend an elite sports academy like IMG that would have honed his skills and fostered a competitive spirit. He grew up on an island of approximately 2,500-3,000 year-round residents and was part of a graduating class of only 16, including himself. He attended High Point University in High Point, North Carolina, where his original plan was to enroll in a pre-med program, but soon realized it wasn’t the path he wanted to pursue. It is said that his passion for music and his bass voice caught the attention of his professors, who heard him sing with the choir and suggested he pursue a degree in music. While today’s generation’s music interests are about as far removed from opera as I am from being an astronaut, Jake chose a path less traveled, studying opera and graduating with a degree in music performance. 
This talented young man has sung at Carnegie Hall, as part of an a cappella group, and as a member of university choir, performed at the Vatican. He’s even performed solo with an orchestra in front of 1,500 people.
Whether it is performing solo on the big stage in front of scores of people or competing at the highest level in a sport such as golf, it takes a special individual who is not only willing to make the sacrifice to hone their skills but is also willing to take the road less traveled. Henry David Thoreau once said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” His quote affirmed the power of self-belief and the importance of pursuing one’s passions. Sometimes that journey can be lonely. As golf legend Arnold Palmer once said, “Golf is a game of inches; the most important are the six inches between your ears.”
We often idolize others’ success, not fully appreciating the sacrifices they made to reach the pinnacle. American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio/film star from the 50’s and 60’s, Eddie Cantor summed it up best, “It takes twenty years to make an overnight success,” …implying the real work happens years before the spotlight hits.
As Jake walks down that fairway, thinking to himself about the pressure shot he just made, or the one that is to follow, he has already accomplished something most of us were afraid to do. He was willing to take the chance to succeed that few others could say they did.
-Gary Cardillo
One of the sweetest love stories I’ve ever known is not of a husband and wife but of a mother and daughter, and the love they share goes well beyond their bond. Anyone who has met Nanette Leonard and her mother, Adeline Seakwood, knows of their lasting contributions and passion to their chosen professions, community, and friends. Volumes have been written about their storied careers in the entertainment industry, and for someone who just celebrated her 100th birthday, Adeline’s life is nothing short of remarkable. Born in Brooklyn in 1923, she was enamored with New York City’s entertainment industry. Starting as a John Robert Powers model, she went on to appear in several films before taking on the highly skilled position as a production secretary, a title she later had the industry change to “Production Office Coordinator.” The production office was the “brain” that organized a film’s necessary functions. Adeline handled budgets, production schedules, transportation, locations, permits, equipment rentals, billing, getting catered food on set, and communicating with crew members and the actors. From her appearance in Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest,” Adeline worked on numerous TV shows that, included “Naked City,” “The Patty Duke Show,” and “The Defenders.”
She also worked on major motion pictures where she rubbed shoulders with Paul Newman, Christopher Reeve, Michael J. Fox, Farrah Fawcett, Burt Reynolds, and Peter Falk of Colombo fame. She recounts a story of a last-minute script change on the last day of shooting of “Three Days of the Condor,” starring Robert Redford. While Adeline’s role was typically off-camera and behind the scenes, she rushed to the movie set that was in Manhattan to deliver the revised pages. Spectators who were cordoned off behind the ropes wanted to know who the woman was that was delivering the script to Robert Redford, who then picked her up and kissed her. Without missing a beat, Adeline said, “that’s how rumors start.”
Nan an experienced public relations/marketing professional and producer with over 40 years in the entertainment industry began her career at Allied Artists Pictures, serving as Publicity Manager, working on PR campaigns for Academy Award-winning films that included, “Cabaret,” “The Man Who Would Be King,” and “Papillon.” At United Artists, Nan served as East Coast Director of Publicity, mounting PR campaigns on such films as “Raging Bull,” the Bond films, “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” starring Meryl Streep, and has worked with Steve Guttenberg, Marvin Hamlisch, Alan King, Jay Leno, and Redbook Magazine. In the 80s, Nan became Senior Vice President at Solters/Roskin/Friedman, one of the largest entertainment PR firms, where she represented Whoopi Goldberg and helped launch her career. Also included in a long list of celebrities Nan represented are Dolly Parton, Gregory Peck, Frances Ruffelle (“Les Miserables”), and Anthony Crivello (Kiss of the Spider Woman). In 1992, Nanette opened her agency, “Nanette Leonard Public Relations,” servicing a diverse clientele that included two-time Tony Award-winning actress Judith Ivey, Tony Award winner Anthony Crivello, international television personality, journalist, and author, Cristina Saralegui, Michael Uslan (Executive Producer of all the Batman films) and a host of organizations that reads like a “Who’s Who.”
One would think with just a fraction of their impressive resumes I’m sharing, Adeline and Nanette would find contentment reminiscing on their extraordinary past. However, those experiences have provided a foundation for the care and service they continue to give their community and the lives they touch. Unlike the typical daughter taking care of a mother relationship; this is more like George Burns and Gracie Allen; comedian and straight man, with Adeline being the comedian. As I entered their home, I was taken aback by the hundreds of cards, flowers, and balloons from Adeline’s recent 100th birthday celebration. Among all the gifts and early Valentine’s Day decorations was a signed picture from Robert Redford, congratulating Adeline on her special day. Sensing I was somewhat overwhelmed, Adeline grabbed my arm and, pointing to Nanette, said, “You know Nurse Radchet” (of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” fame), don’t you?” I couldn’t help but laugh, knowing this would be one of my most entertaining interviews. Adeline is as quick-witted as Nanette is humble. Each time Nanette would leave the room to answer one of the many calls she received, Adeline would proudly share Nan’s accomplishments and tell me how proud she is of all her achievements and how much she appreciates all Nan does for her. She said, “She’s added ten years to my life.” I would venture to say, “Much more.”
I recall the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” where a man played by Brad Pitt starts aging backward. As each year passes, he gets progressively younger-looking. Adeline and Nanette would be a real-life version of this movie. As long as I’ve known them, they look younger with each passing day. Adeline shared with me a previous interview she did where the radio host asked, “Your complexion is so good; what do you use?” The story goes she looked at Nanette, “who looked back in horror and gave her a “NO, Don’t say it,” signal, and said, “I was going to say because I use Preparation H, a standard application in the modeling industry, but so as not to embarrass Nanette I said, “Dove Soap.” Alfred Hitchcock, too, was mesmerized by her beauty during the filming “North by Northwest,” and said she was “too pretty” to put into a street scene as an extra and put her in an elevator scene behind Cary Grant. On the first take, Grant stood in front of her so she couldn’t be seen. As filming paused, without missing a beat, Adeline whispered in Grant’s ear, “My mother would never forgive you.”
For Nanette, the move to Punta Gorda was an act of love. Having lived in Middletown, New Jersey, for 34 years, Nan was not only relocating her business but leaving friends and organizations she had supported for years. Affectionately she added, “It’s a circle of life. My parents took care of me; it was my time to take care of them.” Nan continued, “My stepdad would often say, “My blood may not run through your veins, but my love does.” For Nan, the move was a leap of faith. “I didn’t know what I was going to do,” but she committed to herself that she would recreate the type of life she had in New Jersey in Punta Gorda. Some people take a lifetime to leave a lasting impression on their community and friends; for Adeline and Nanette, very few organizations haven’t benefitted from their love and commitment. For 30 years, Adeline has been a Punta Gorda Civic Association member and is known to all as the “Sunshine Lady.” While the role was considered an Ambassador of sorts welcoming new members, she expanded the role to offer solace and encouragement to the ill and bereaved. Adeline said, “I always write notes to people, letting people know there is someone who cares about them. She continued, “From the moment I moved to Punta Gorda 30 years ago, I wanted to give back to my community, and I’m always forming groups.” She recounted a group of women she formed where one came and said, “I miss my mother,” Without hesitation, I said, “You could have me as Mom #2.”
While most people would like to talk about themselves, Gary and Gail have always put their clients first, and their diverse backgrounds have provided their clients an unparalleled level of service and knowledge throughout the past years.