Jeanne Goodwin, one of the organizers of SAVE UWF, sent a press announcement thanking the community for its commitment to prioritizing the best interests of the University of West Florida. SAVE UWF plans to continue supporting excellence at the university and looks forward to maintaining UWF’s status as one of the best universities.
When I began writing about the potential dangers that the newly appointed UWF trustees opposed not only to the university but to Northwest Florida’s economy, people called and texted telling me that little could be done to change the situation. However, Jeanne, Judy Bense, Don Partington, Belle Bear, Suzanne Lewis, Chuck & Honey Harris, Chuck Presti, Ginny Graybiel, Marica Lindstrom and many others stepped up to create and support the grassroots effort, SAVE UWF.
- Result: Scott Yenor and Gates Garcia resigned, and Adam Kissel failed to be approved by two Florida Senate committees.
The impossible task was achieved.
Over the weekend, I came across a quote from Robert F. Kennedy from his famous “Day of Affirmation” speech, delivered at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, on June 6, 1966. The quote has often helped when I have taken on the impossible. Kennedy talked about the power of individual action and the cumulative effect of countless acts of courage and belief in shaping history:
“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.”
SAVE UWF Message
SAVE UWF would like to say “Well Done” to the Panhandle community. Your concern and commitment to not having people for whom the best interest of UWF and the community was not a priority has spoken loud and clear and was heard by our state legislators and our governor.
A special thanks to all the news media for their continued coverage and efforts to keep us all well informed. Through PNJ, WEAR and INWEEKLY, we were able to know what was happening and the possible consequences of each action by SAVE UWF or the legislature. Being informed gave us all the tools to achieve our goals.
SAVE UWF plans to continue to try to support and encourage excellence at UWF. We look forward to being part of the efforts to keep UWF one of the best universities. Thank you, Panhandle, for your interest and support and involvement. The community made SAVE UWF a success!
—Jeanne Godwin