KEY WEST
Elections chief to speak
Supervisor of Elections Harry Sawyer will be the guest speaker at the Key West Ambassador luncheon, which starts at noon on July 31 at Square One restaurant in Duval Square.
All are welcome, but reservations must be made in advance by emailing kwambassadors@gmail.com.
Sawyer has been supervisor of elections in Monroe County for the past 24 years. Soon to retire, he will share his insights on the future of elections in the state of Florida. He, his wife Mary, two daughters and three grandchildren were born in Key West. As part of five generations of Conchs, Sawyer supports and understands the importance of the Ambassador Program as a vehicle to provide accurate and in-depth information about the function of city government.
KEY WEST
Papas award scholarships
"Papas" of the Hemingway Look-Alike Society (HLAS) kicked off the three-day Hemingway Look-Alike Contest on July 19 by presenting $10,000 in scholarships to 10 Florida Keys Community College students and one college-bound high school graduate. Five awards were given to literary-focused students and five to nursing students. A recent Key West High School graduate received the Kermit "Shine" Forbes scholarship in memory of Hemingway's former sparring partner in Key West.
The HLAS established the FKCC scholarship 13 years ago to encourage education and literary talent in Key West, where Hemingway lived in the 1930s and produced some of his most enduring works.
"The group is about much more than just the annual beauty contest for chubby old men with beards," said Fred Johnson, chairman of the society's scholarship committee and winner of the 1986 look-alike contest. "We take great pride in funding this scholarship. It's important for us to help students pursue higher education."