William C. Beitz

"Please consider me a candidate for the Board of Directors of the Deercreek Country Club Owners Association. Deercreek has been home for Lynette and me since December 31, 1998. I am now retired and able to give the responsibility of board membership the time it deserves. My experiences prior to retirement have prepared me well. Managing nonprofit organizations like Catholic Charities and overseeing budgets of $7M-$20M has given me: 1) an understanding of what it means to be a steward of other peoples' money - budgeting and spending those funds efficiently and effectively; 2) an appreciation for volunteers; and, 3) the realization that every decision impacts others. I know the importance of board membership and its responsibilities from having served as the founding Chair of the Board of Directors of Family Support Services, Inc., the founding chair of the Northeast Florida Information Network, the founding chair of the Florida State Coalition for the Homeless, member of the Board of Directors for Accelerated Learning Schools (Lone Star and Murray Hill Charter High Schools), and many others over the years. Being accepted to participate in Leadership Jacksonville's Class of 1996 and Leadership Florida's Class XXIII in 2005 has given me a broader perspective of our city and state. I will do my best to use these experiences to better represent you and to better serve our neighborhood."

Margie Blake

"My name is Margie Blake. My family and I have been residents of Deercreek for 20 years and we have watched it bloom ever since. My daughter and I started the very first organized "Playgroup" here when she was 10-months-old. I have served on the parent's board of a private school in Jacksonville. I have served numerous hours volunteering in each of my children's schools, served on the Woman's Group of my church, and substituted in my children's schools until I began homeschooling both of them in 2003. My daughter is now a sophomore in college and my son is a homeschooling high school freshman.  

I am a native Spanish speaker. I hold a BA in Finance with a minor in Economics from Marquette University's class of 1990. Most days, I can be found at home working in my yard, out on the golf course or in yoga class. My passion is my family as well as interior design and classic cars.  

Many know me as the "signboard person." I took over that position 18 months ago and have learned even more about our great community. It has been such a pleasure getting to know so many of Deercreek's residents. I plan to continue this position if I am elected to the Deercreek board."

Doug Matthews  

"Having served on the Board previously I am familiar with its procedures and am ready again to volunteer to help in whatever area the community finds my experience best suited. My experience includes the following: 30 years in broadcast television marketing and radio management with Westinghouse Broadcasting, CBS, Post-Newsweek and Katz Television. Currently and for the last 12 years President of Teaching Point, an academic publishing company I founded which has published over 150 school texts in various subjects for K12, serving thousands of schools in all 50 states and 87 countries with a patented process that allows for certification of teachers by subject, subject-specific mentoring teacher access and subject-specific instructional support materials.

I am NE FL Chapter President of Phi Delta Kappa, Coordinator of the Jacksonville Country Club Men's Tennis C League and Board Member of South Jax Rotary. My past volunteer experience was as Board President of Jacksonville Society of Clubs, Board Member of Deercreek Homeowners Assn., Chapter President of NE FL KY Colonels with fundraisers for Children's Home Society, VP of Mandarin Community Club, Advertising Club of San Francisco, Advertising Club of Chicago, Board Member of Television and Advertising Club of Philadelphia, VP Philadelphia Jaycees, Editor of College Yearbook and State Chair of Student Governments.

My wife Carol (a 27-year teacher at Bolles) and I met freshman year at KY Wesleyan, married the day after we graduated, have two grown children, and have lived Jacksonville since 1984 and in Deercreek since 1997."

Property Manager's Report

Submitted by Richard R. Curran-Kelley

Autumn is finally here. The temperature has dropped (somewhat) and we have entered one of our Florida dry seasons. In the Deercreek Country Club Owners Association, we have seen the final phase of the road restoration project completed and are getting ready for the annual meeting and Board of Directors elections. We are still looking for candidates, so if you are looking for a way to get involved in the community, please send me an e-mail.  

Speaking of getting involved, I have been working at Deercreek for 10 months now and one of the great pleasures of this job is getting to know the homeowners. Admittedly, my usual method of meeting a Deercreek resident (sending a violation letter and receiving an e-mail or phone call in response) is not necessarily the optimal way to establish a pleasant working relationship. Fortunately, the Deercreek homeowners who I have met this way have all been very pleasant. I expect this to keep up and that I do not have to explain, as I have had to tell owners at other properties, that my parents were married at the time of my birth.

One of the benefits of putting out the notices concerning the road work was that I got to meet so many of the residents. It was such a pleasure to meet some of you, that I will start walking a part of Deercreek each week while I do my inspections. I will not be knocking on doors, but I will have the chance to interact with anybody I meet on the sidewalks. I hope if you see me out and about in the neighborhood in my blue May Management Services polo shirt (although it may be under a jacket if it is cool out), you will take the time to talk with me and let me know your concerns.

One of the concerns that a few owners have expressed to me is that they do not always know what I mean by brown spots on their lawns. Many times I have been able to meet the owners and point them out, but there have been other times when I have had to describe exactly where the brown spots are. In the future, if a homeowner wants to know where the spots are and we are not able to meet in person, I will, with the homeowner's permission, stop by and use a small flag to mark the area(s). These flags are the same used for utility locates and are rather unobtrusive. This will allow you to know exactly what I am looking at and also will allow you to have the area marked to discuss with your lawn service (if you have one).

Submitted by Dena Pulley

Monica Heseman, 10225 Vineyard Lake Rd E.

It's a beautiful time of the year here in Jacksonville to be walking, hiking or biking. This attractive path shows ornamental muhly grass at its most colorful time of the season. The billowing pink blooms are enhanced with a brick paver driveway. Also lining the path is a holly tree, a pink navel orange tree, a Myer lemon tree, date palms, crepe myrtles and live oaks. Juniper and confederate jasmine with its full texture and contrasting color are planted on the street side of the path. Come take a walk to check this view. Monica would like to give credit to Louise Johnson from In The Garden for this design.