The Times

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Coral Gables South Miami THE TIMES the local community newspaper for all South Dade Vol. 35 No. 39 Second Class Postage Paid at Miami, Fla. Thursday, November 10, 1960 Published Weekly at 308 Aragon, Coral Gables, Fla. Price 10c

Coral Gables Chamber Manager Resigns Post

By MAURICE LABELLE Ed Baumel, manager of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce for the past 21 months, resigned last week. His resignation is effective Jan. 1. Baumel's resignation came on the heels of the recent membership drive by the Chamber which fell short of expectations. No replacement has been named, according to Bernie Blanck, Chamber president, who made the resignation announcement. "It is hoped that an individual with the proper background, personality and, if possible, a thorough knowledge of the area can be employed before Baumel's departure to avoid any gap in the smooth functioning of Chamber activities," Blanck said. Highly Recommended Baumel, who came highly recommended to this area after holding a similar post in Greenwood, S. C., ran into a host of problems when he took over on Feb. 15, 1959. The former U.S. Maritime Service officer was confronted early with indifference and even opposition from many business and professional men, who had either lost faith in or who were apathetic to the Chamber. Baumel, who replaced a personal friend, Warren Blackmon, now an executive with a local radio station, made some adjustments in personnel and guided the move from the old Chamber building to the new location at Aragon and Galiano. But dissatisfaction with the Chamber and its operations continued. This stemmed partly from some city commissioners and from a group of merchants. Meeting Held A meeting was held in the fall of last year between the City Commission and Gables business leaders. Sentiment at that time was divided between those who felt something should be done to meet the challenge of outside economic competition and those who thought the city's business was in great shape. The battle lines were drawn and Baumel's middle position leaning to the affirmatives became increasingly difficult. Much of the controversy revolved around the handling of city publicity, public relations and advertising which was handled in a complicated way by the city, Chamber of Commerce and public relations firms. The upshot of the conflict resulted in creation of a special five-man committee to set policy on advertising and publicity and hiring of Bert Burris to direct. But the Professional Golf Tournament remained with the city and a public relations firm. This left the four-man Chamber of Commerce free to concentrate on other Chamber functions. Dissatisfaction Continued But dissatisfaction with the Chamber continued in some quarters and the dissident voices became louder with failure of the recent membership drive and poor turnouts at merchant meetings. Marty Sutta, president of the Retail Merchantst Division, indicated that he was through and Baumel subsequently resigned. Baumel has indicated that he plans to remain in the area in some allied activity. What will happen now? The Chamber must get itself a new manager. But more important it must find a way to unify the business and professional men of the community and lead them out of the apathy and divided morass which keeps the city from going ahead economically. Can one man do that? ED BAUMEL

Greetings To Cartagena, Sister City 55 Gableites Leave For Friendly Latin Handshake

Fifty-five members of the Coral Gables People to People Committee will leave Miami International Airport at 8:15 a.m. today, Nov. 10, for a four-day goodwill visit to Cartagena, Colombia. They will be the guests there of the affiliated People to People group of that city. The Gableites making the trip will be a representative cross section of the business and professional life of the city. Lawyers, doctors, merchants, bankers, insurance executives, accountants, college professors, secretaries, civic officials — these are some of the categories represented on the passenger list. Second Visit This will be the second Coral Gables visit to the Colombian city under the People to People program. It follows a similar friendship pilgrimage in February 1959. Two visits by the Cartageneros to Coral Gables have been part of the two-way exchange. Although direct friendships between individuals of the two cities are primary dividends of these trips, there is also a frosting of ceremony and an exchange of official amenities. Vice mayor Frank Kerdyk will present to Cartagena's mayor a flag of Coral Gables, richly embroidered with the city's seal. Cartagena will bestow the name "Coral Gables Plaza" upon a city park. More than a hundred books of a technical or cultural nature will be presented as gifts from Coral Gables citizens to the Inter-American Cultural Center in Cartagena. Pencils inscribed "Saludos de Coral Gables" will be distributed in a gesture of friendship to Cartagena school children. Independence Carnival The Cartagena invitation was timed to bring the Floridians to the city during one of its most significant fiestas—the Independence Day Carnival. This is a rough equivalent of our Fourth of July and marks the anniversary of independence from colonial rule.

How High Will Gables Building Go?

Coral Gables has come to the crossroads on land development. The question is not will it go vertical, but how high and where. Hardly a week passes without a request coming before the City Commission for permission to build a multiple-story building. Some have already been turned down, but a few have been approved and are either under construction or in the planning stage. 12-Story Apartment Mayor John M. Montgomery revealed to the Commission Tuesday a plan to construct an ultra-modern and plush 12-story apartment house on Biltmore Way west of Segovia Blvd. A five story apartment is rising nearby on Coral Way and a 7 story commercial building is nearing final completion at Biltmore Way and Hernando. Commission approval has already been given for a 13-story apartment in Sunrise Harbour, and another multiple story commercial building has been approved for the southwest corner of Alhambra Cir. and Ponce de Leon Blvd. The upshot of the joint meeting of the Zoning and Planning Boards and the Board of Architects is expected to weigh heavily on the City Commission when it tackles the precedent making decision soon. Opposition to multiple story buildings manifested itself when a developer attempted to build a "skyscraper" apartment near the Venetian Pool and a multiple story building to house senior citizens on South Dixie Hwy. was defeated for this and other reasons.

CORAL GABLES VISITORS to Cartagena this week will pass through the Paseo de los Martires pictured here to enter the walled section of the city through the archways under the clock tower in the background. The statue is a monument to the heroes of Colombia's independence.

Colombian 4th of July There'll Be Dancing Until Dawn

Any visit to Cartagena, Colombia, is sure to be interesting, but extra anticipation is felt by members of the Coral Gables "People to People" committee over their upcoming visit as guests of the Cartagena committee. The dates of the visit, Nov. 13 through 16, coincide with one of the great feasts of that fiesta-loving city. Once de Noviembre (the Eleventh of Nov. is a greatly honored day in Cartagena. Like our own Fourth of July, it marks the anniversary of independence from colonial rule. In a four-day celebration, the Cartagena people stage a fantastically gay, light-hearted carnival. Describe Fiesta When Roberto Llamas, graduate exchange student from Cartagena, at the University of Miami, was asked to describe the fiesta, his dark eyes flashed with enthusiasm. "During those four days, nobody works," said Llamas, "everybody dons fancy dress and joins the fun." Llamas said the variety of costumes is limitless. One common type, called the capuchon, resembles the robes of the Ku Klux Klan ... in kaleidoscopic colors. Everyone wears a mask. Dancing in the plazas goes until dawn. Street bands fill the air with songs of Afro-Spanish rhythmic flavor. Native instruments such as the maracas and the flute-like gaitas lend unique tonal color to the music. Sometimes bands come from all over the country to perform in contests.

Ambassadors of Good Will

Here are the Gables who will be our ambassadors to Cartagena: Mr. and Mrs. Paul Andre, 204 Valencia Ave.; Warren L. Blackmon; Mr. and Mrs. Bernie Blanck; Ralph Boggs, University of Miami. Mr. and Mrs. Burt Burris, Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce; Mr. and Mrs. Joe Fitzgerald, 439 Navarre Ave.; Rick Gillen, Chamber of Commerce. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hartnett; Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Hosken, 315 Alhambra Cir.; R. E. Kingsley, 396 Alhambra Cir. Frank E. Kerdyk, 150 Andalusia Ave.; Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Lancaster; Mr. and Mrs. Leo Mahan, 5375 Orduna Ave.; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Malice, 5112 Maggiore St. Joe Mantinan, Coral Gables City Hall; Mr. and Mrs. Michael Monroe, Northwest area; Alma Monteino, Coral Gables Clinic. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Morris, 8445 SW 54th Ct.; Mr. and Mrs. Ed Russo, 319 Cadima Ave.; Mr. and Mrs. Hans Wedemeyer, Coral Gables Flower Shop. Jeanne Westerfield, Gables Letter Shop; George Wilson, Hayden Stone and Co.; Mr and Mrs. W. Keith Weheeling, 7210 Red Rd. Mr. and Mrs. James Henderson; Lew Price; Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Larimore, 4130 Bonita Ave.; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mennin, 1027 Andalusia Ave.; Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Strain, 401 Coral Way. Mr. and Mrs. Don Wessell, Wessell Construction Industries; Mr. and Mrs. Ira Willard, Jr., 5511 SW 78th St.; Bea Saunders, Chamber of Commerce. Mr. and Mrs. Carl Singleton, 235 Antilla Ave.; Mr. and Mrs Ben Turner, 2310 Granada Blvd.; Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Huskamp, 6125 Montgomery Dr. Mort Engel, 6405 Leonardo St.; Mr. and Mrs. Nels Walter, 7028 Mindello St.; Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Jones, 738 Santander Ave.; Robert Cherry, 147 Alhambra Cir.; Mr. and Mrs. Al Singer, University Court Motel. Mr. and Mrs. John Buckley, 1542 Palermo Ave.; William Middleton; Robert Hartnett.

From The TIMES

One hundred copies of this edition of the TIMES will accompany the Coral Gables People to People program delegation leaving today for that Colombian city. The papers will be distributed at the Cartagena cultural center by Bert Burris, city publicity director.

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