Scenes from an Interview:
Dennis J. McGillicuddy
by Gus Mollasis

His granddaddy was the grand old man of our national pastime who won more games as a manager than anyone in Major League Baseball history. Yes, his granddaddy, Connie Mack, was indeed a very famous man, but his grandson, Dennis McGillicuddy, points out that more importantly he was a great man. Dennis says he is blessed to have been raised in his family and he is most happy when he sees other people happy. He beams when he is around his bride Graci,who captured his heart some 50 years ago. Today, the gleam is still in both their eyes as they do good works and deeds for the many causes that have captured their hearts. They form a powerful team. Even on a cool Sarasota day their passion for life and each other still burns brightly as they reach out to help others embrace each other and their differences. Recently, I sat down with Dennis McGillicuddy and we took a look at some of the scenes from an interview of his life.

Where were you born?
I was born in Philadelphia three days after Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 10, 1941.

Describe a memory from a typical summer day growing up?
In 1950, we moved to Fort Myers, Florida and it was a great place to grow up. Fishing, playing baseball, skinny dipping in creeks, doing all kinds of fun things, I had a Tom Sawyer-like childhood. It was fantastic. I got my love of fishing back then. I remember catching my first fish. We just moved and we were staying on Fort Myers Beach. I had a cane pole and caught a sheepshead off the dock, a little less than a mile from where I was living. I walked all the way home with that sheepshead in my hand to show my parents.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
In my early childhood, I wanted to be a baseball player. I loved baseball. My grandfather stayed with us in the wintertime, so people like Branch Rickey and other baseball people would come around. It had an influence on me.

Your family name, Mack, is iconic in baseball. When did you realize who your family was and what did it mean to you?
I can’t remember exactly the time I realized he was a very famous person. The thing that sticks out in my mind was my dad sitting my brothers and sisters and I down at a fairly early age and saying, “Your grandfather is a very famous person. Everybody knows him and he has created that. It is nothing to be ashamed of. It will probably open some doors, but don’t think that it will accomplish anything for you. It’s fine that you are the grandson of a famous person and you don’t have to hide it, but don’t think it makes you anything special.”

Are you a baseball fan?
I am, but not as avid as I used to be.

Are you happy with the state of the game today?
That’s a complex question. When I think back to when it was the national pastime, there seemed to be fan loyalty and players would stay with a team although that was imposed because of the reserve clause. There were some pretty bad things about baseball in the old days. There was segregation, the reserve clause and the owners were exempt from anti-trust so they could do all kinds of things. So in one sense there has been progress. On the other hand, in the case of sports, Hollywood, business, the drive for money is everything and that seems to have taken away from the thrill of the sport. So to me it’s a mixed bag. The old days, in all aspects of our culture, have some real appeal and yet we have made some real progress.

How would your grandfather manage in today’s game?
I think that he would manage exactly as he did then, by implementing key players as captains. He was not an autocrat, although he looked like it. He was very much about getting player input and he had the sense that it was a team, and the natural leaders on the team came forward and motivated the players as much as he did.

Why are you called McGillicuddy and not Mack?
My grandfather’s legal name was Cornelius McGillicuddy and nobody in my family has ever legally changed their name to Mack. My brother Connie, the United States Senator, used it as a nickname as did my dad Connie Mack, Jr. But our name has always been McGillicuddy and we’ve always gone by that name.

In or out of baseball, how will those remember the great Connie Mack?
Only baseball fans remember Connie Mack. Like a lot of great people, he wasn’t just famous, he was a great man. He was a leader who founded the American League with two other people. Like what happens to most people, he will be remembered less and less as time goes by.

You have been involved in the Television Industry. Do you sometimes scratch your head at the rate of how fast technology is moving?
I was in the cable business in the late 60s so I saw quite an evolution of the industry. It was a fascinating business. While for most of us it was a monopoly, we still had to keep up with the constantly changing technology. Eventually we decided to sell in the late 90s when we were faced with enormous expenditures of capital that we needed to invest if we wanted to provide telephone service.

What is your overall take on the seemingly endless growth of technology and the state of how we communicate today?
Well in a free society, it is truly a mixed bag. You’ve got the good and the bad. It’s harder to find the good stuff because there is so much shallow stuff that appeals to the lowest common denominator. On the other hand, if you pay attention, you can learn a lot. YouTube, for example, is a fascinating thing that is also filled with all kinds of junk.You have embraced a cause called Embracing Our Differences with your wife Graci.

What does that cause mean and why is it so important to the both of you?
Back in 2003, some friends of ours told us they were bringing an exhibit to Sarasota called Coexistence that promoted standing up against hatred and prejudice and that diversity was good for our community. We jumped in with both feet. It was a one shot deal because it was moving on to other cities. But since the exhibit was such a rousing success turning out 95,000 people at Sarasota’s Bayfront Park, we got together with our committee and decided it would be great to do this on a regular basis. We modified the idea with a new name, “ Embracing Our Differences.” We sought student art submissions which we narrowed down to 39 pretty good pieces of art work that demonstrated what the mission was all about. Essentially we were off and running. That year we had 120,000 people
show up. We started a program to bus children to the exhibit and in that first year bused 1,200 children to the exhibit. This past year, we bused just under 18,000 children from all over Sarasota County and some from Manatee County and we just had our one millionth visitor. The best part of what we do is in the educational programs. There are initiatives and curriculum that we have developed for our schools that are derived from the art work, made up of questions and links to the Internet. It is extremely gratifying to see this develop into an important teaching program.

Was there a moment in your life where the seed was planted and out of it grew your involvement in truly embracing others who were not like you?
I can trace it back to first moving to Fort Myers. We lived a couple of blocks from the public golf club where there were caddies and all the caddies were black. I will never forget one Saturday morning we got into a touch football game with black caddies and a bunch of white kids. It wasn’t blacks against whites, we just chose up teams and we had a great time. When my brothers and I got home, the phone was ringing off the wall. Some of the neighbors were irate that we would be playing with these black caddies. And I will never forget that Mom and Dad sat us down and told us that there was a thing called prejudice in the world, and black people are looked down upon by a lot of people but that’s not the way we think. All people are equal and there is nothing wrong with what we did. There are some people that are ignorant, and they wanted us to know that every person alive deserves respect unless they behave in way that they lose that respect.

Why do the both of you get so involved in so many causes?
Sometime in my adult life I had the realization that helping other people was not just a good thing and something I should do, but it brought great joy to me. Because I was fortunate to be successful in business and I have the time and wherewithal, it just kind of flows naturally. Both Graci and I are in good health and we lead active lives. We are the luckiest people in the whole world having been blessed in so many ways. My parents were also very giving people, and I was blessed to be raised in the family I was raised in. The things we get involved in actually change us and it keeps our feet on the ground and connected to our values.

I understand that you don’t fish anymore. Why is that?
I don’t fish at all. In 2001, I was fishing in the Bahamas and I caught a big old mutton snapper and we ate it that night. It had ciguatera, which is a a neurotoxin found on coral reefs which is then eaten by small fish who are in turn eaten by larger fish and this toxin ultimately ends up in our food chain. Myself and four other people were devastatingly poisoned, deathly sick. I was sick for almost a year. It kind of shifted how I was going to spend my leisure time. I had been thinking for some time that it was time not to kill fish and I only killed the fish that I was going to eat. I had done marlin and  yellowfin tuna fishing. I did a lot of catch and release, but it didn’t feel right. It felt like the violence in that was too much. It led me to two great things – golf and buying a unit on The World, a  condominium ship we bought instead of buying another boat.

You have traveled the world. Describe a scene from one of your favorite places?
Being in the Antarctic. It is majestic and also desolate at the same time. You really get a sense that there is nobody there. What overpowered me was the serene yet desolate nature where mankind hasn’t affected anything. Whether it was a cloudy day or a beautiful blue sky, the majesty of our world hit me between my eyes and gave me that sense that we as human beings are just a tiny little
part of this whole thing. It was a mystical feeling.

How did you make your way to Sarasota?
When Graci and I were twenty years old, we made our way down from Gainesville to Fort Myers and as we passed through Sarasota along the majestic bay front, she said “If we could ever live here, I think Sarasota would be a great place to live.” So when we developed the cable company and could live anywhere, all three of my partners chose Sarasota. It fit Graci’s dream.

Finish the sentence,  Sarasota is wonderful because...
...it is filled with wonderfully generous people that are committed to the community and to making it better. You have met a lot of famous and powerful people.

Who is one that stood out from the rest in terms of their greatness?
The Dalai Lama. That man’s presence exudes holiness, yet he is very approachable with a great sense of humor, a person clearly comfortable in his own skin, a very powerful man.

Are you a religious man?
I was raised Catholic. I am no longer a Catholic. I have my own spiritual life that involves daily meditation practice. I am not a Buddhist per se, but I like a lot of the Eastern philosophies as a way of approaching life and try to live each moment and be present in a non-judgmental way. Your family members have served this country and state in politics.

What do you think the greatest thing a congressman or senator can do for the people he serves at home?
What I think makes for a great congressman or senator is standing up for what you believe and having the right set of principles that allows them to sort through all the competing interests that bombard them.

Are you more worried or encouraged about America’s future?
To be honest, I am very, very worried. I am afraid we are on a slippery slope. Government has taken over so many responsibilities that used to fall on people’s own shoulders – families, churches and other institutions – that the freedom we have enjoyed in the past is going to be more and more limited. Because the role of government keeps growing and we don’t have the money, the impact of government being involved in everything will continue to create an economic crisis.

What do you think will happen to America in the next ten years and in the next hundred years?
The optimistic part of me can look at this country filled with people that have resilience and creativity. If we can overcome the difficulties that we seem to be heading into and the ones we are already are in, it will be because of the character of the American people, the freedoms that we enjoy that allow for entrepreneurs, and the chance to lead healthy and free lives.

Finish the sentence, a person is successful when he or she...
...lives a life in which their thoughts, attitudes and actions are congruent with the values that they hold.

In a few sentences, sum up your wife Graci and what makes her so special?
I have to start by saying that I am the luckiest man in the world to be married to Graci for what will be 50 years in August. I can’t tell you the number of times that I am inspired by her passion. I can easily fall into left brain analytical, I learn through her to allow that other side of me to show itself, which has enriched my life. She has shown tremendous courage and she stands up for what she thinks is right regardless of the consequences. And then there is her nurturing side. She is the most nurturing person I have ever known and there’s just this goodness and this willingness which goes with the courage to embrace people and draw them to her, particularly if they are vulnerable as the kids are, in her work with child abuse. She’s the kind of person that has never met a stranger.

Where did you to meet?
We were at the University of Florida. We were both going out with other people. She broke up with a fraternity brother and I asked her out on date. We fell in love and that was the end of the story and the beginning of a new story.

What makes you happy?
Probably more than anything, seeing other people happy.

What is the greatest gift you can give a child?
Inspire a child to explore themselves, get to know themselves as they grow and give them the freedom to do just that and provide a safe environment for them to learn who they are. Then they can basically play their own tune.

Do you have a favorite quote or saying that sums up your life’s philosophy?
There are many things that can catch your eye, and only a few that capture your heart. Pursue those. I think about that regarding our philanthropic work. There are so many great organizations and it is impossible to be involved with them all, so I follow my heart and it leads me to those to which I feel extra connected.

If there is such a thing as foodie heaven, then Jim Butler has brought it right down to Earth on Lakewood Ranch’s Main Street.  The country’s newest Viking© Culinary Center, opened by Butler in September, has become something of a culinary playground for those of all ages.

The Center houses a 35-seat amphitheater studded with cameras and video screens for close-up viewing of cooking demonstrations, a wine bar for cozy, evenings socializing over favorite vintages, a large, private space for hands-on cooking classes with top notch chefs, and a retail area filled with must-haves for the well-appointed kitchen.

The amphitheater, wine bar and retail area are sleekly contemporary, and a lighted bar top of semi-precious agate in the Paradise Bar provides a mesmerizing focal point.  In contrast, the spacious hands-on room with its warm golden hues looks like a kitchen plucked from an enormous Normandy chateau.  The kitchen is stunning and well designed to highlight the features of the Viking appliances and cooking tools the Center showcases.

For Butler, the Center is a natural extension of Paradise Homes and Extreme Remodeling, his new home construction and remodeling businesses.  Designers from his Osprey Avenue Design Center created the Culinary Center’s interior spaces.  “We develop our home designs based on how people live.  Our goal is to build homes that fit today’s lifestyles, and cooking has become such a huge interest for people that beautiful gourmet kitchens and outdoor living areas with kitchens are standard features in our homes,” Butler said.  “We believe in the lifestyle so much, we opened the Viking Culinary Center to give our clients and others the tools they need and the training to show them how to use these beautiful kitchens and maximize the enjoyment of their homes.”

Judging from the response to the Center in just four months, he has struck a chord with many people who have rushed to fill the numerous cooking classes and demonstrations, sip wine at the Paradise Bar, book private events, and shop for just the right place settings, cookware and kitchen gadgets for their own homes.  The Center’s built in grill and outdoor tables with eye-catching royal blue umbrellas have become a popular First Friday gathering spot where people can enjoy sausage and pepper sandwiches or prime rib burgers.  Hot dogs are available for the kids along with chips or a side dish and beer on tap or wine.  Two large screen TVs in the windows allow passers-by to watch live cooking demonstrations being conducted in the amphitheater.

Overseeing all events and operations at the Center is its very own celebrity chef.  Chris Covelli, general manager and executive resident chef, calls himself a food entertainer who spent 13 years teaching cooking in Italy and has been a regular on stage at conventions and the Home Shopping Network.  Most recently, he has been tapped for the Food Network’s new Rachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off, which pits food mogul Rachael Ray against the boisterous, platinum-spiked Guy Fieri, each with a team of celebrities.
Covelli, and the 10 other chefs who teach cooking classes and conduct demonstrations at the Center, spice up the educational aspects with a generous dollop of humor and a splash of showmanship, ensuring there is something for everyone from the serious enthusiast to the novice.  Participants in a recent hands-on class ranged in skill from a professional chef and his wife to a family of visitors with their teenage children.  Everyone contributed, and everyone enjoyed the meal they had helped prepare.  The adult participants chatted about the food and about which of two wines served with each course they thought was the best pairing while the teens enjoyed an alcohol-free sparkler.  “Some people are really serious about food, and we try to give the technical side that no one else can provide.  We also incorporate some humor for people who may be intimidated by the kitchen or who are just breaking in to the experience,” Covelli said.  “It’s a no-brainer.  If you want the ultimate food experience along with some education and a little entertainment, this is the place.”

Classes typically are designed around a theme, and participants leave with a sheaf of recipes they are encouraged to try at home.   Themes may range from Parisian or Mexican cuisine to recreating recipes from Great American steakhouses.  This month, culinary excursions range from Argentine steakhouses, Thai, Southern Italian, Jewish cooking and French Creole to dishes inspired by the movie “Julie and Julia,” Teens Sushi, Cheese 101, and Tailgating Party.  In addition, regular weekly features include Date Night for couples and Girls’ Night Out along with a variety of classes for kids.  Classes also are available on cooking basics like improving knife skills.

“We try to teach worldwide cuisine here as authentically as possible,” Covelli says.  “Pick any city you’ve traveled to.  You don’t have to go there, you can have that experience here.  People say they miss special foods from their former homes, so in January, we did Chicago steakhouse and New York steakhouse to recreate those flavors.  It also could be a taste of Tuscany, Portugal, a Paris bistrot, or anything else,” he said.  “From a chef’s perspective, this is the biggest playground I ever could have wanted, and the food here has to be five-star because that’s the way Jim builds his homes.”  The Center also can accommodate more than 100 for private events that have ranged from birthday and anniversary parties to private hands-on cooking classes and demonstrations to seminars and corporate team-building events.

The focus on creating and recreating memorable food experiences with meticulous attention to detail reflects Butler’s approach to creating homes designed to be well lived in as an important part of a fulfilling lifestyle.  “A lot of baby boomers built part of our portfolios based on buying and selling real estate, and we lost sight of what a home is really for,” Butler said.  “Our parents’ generation was able to keep a house a home.  It was their pride and joy.  They understod what the purpose of a home is and why owning a home was the American dream.  Home is the hub of the family.  It’s for sheltering the family, entertaining friends and relations and enjoying the fruits of our labors, and we want to help people get back to that.”

Butler says today’s homeowner has moved beyond mega-homes because they found bigger isn’t always better when it comes to lifestyle.  Today, people want functional spaces that fit how they use their homes and those high-end amenities and luxuries that make life more pleasurable.  To meet those desires, Butler began including those amenities and luxuries as standard offerings in all his homes.   In addition to gourmet kitchens and outdoor kitchens equipped with Viking appliances for entertaining or intimate family meals, Paradise Homes have beautiful fireplace walls for indoor gatherings in chilly weather.  Also a part of every home are granite countertops throughout the house, Wood-Mode® cabinetry, and Hinkley® lighting, and many green features such as energy-saving double-pane Low-E impact resistant windows.

“I’ve learned that a home is a big part of our lives and not just an investment,” Butler said.  “It should be treated as a reward for your hard work and efforts so that you can enjoy your time off.”
Because cooking has become essential to that enjoyment, the Viking Culinary Center is a natural extension of Butler’s desire to help people establish homes that truly support the creation of their desired lifestyle.  “You can take cooking to whatever level you want.  It’s creative and a way to challenge yourself,” he says.  “After all, how much golf or tennis can you play?  A lot of men come in here looking for a new hobby, and cooking becomes a new interest.  Plus, there’s a big reward at the end.”

Butler gives a lot of credit for the Center’s early success to his team.  “They are dedicated to what we believe in here and love what they do, and people can feel the passion,” he says.  “We plan to continue to grow our staff and want to bring in some celebrity chefs and chefs from around the world.  It’s the people who put the heart into what we are trying to bring to the community.  Without the people, this is just a building.”