My First Time

My First Time: Shawn Flohre

Photo: Nicole Hamel Life and death decisions at 9,000 feet: The unforgettable firsts of a flight paramedic. Losing a child I flew to the scene where an ATV had flipped over on a child who was riding it. The child…

My First Time: Tanner Long

Eustis fireman fights his first fire. Photo: Nicole Hamel The fire happened on Mother’s Day. We were just pulling back into the station from breakfast and I overheard on the radio for one of the Lake County stations near us…

My First Time: Raymond York

Fish & Wildlife Commission trapper recalls landing his first alligator. Photos: Nicole Hamel Going to trap my first nuisance alligator was exciting. I was confident going into it because I spent 10 years in the Marine Corps and served during…

My First Time: Leslie Campione

Lake County Commission chairwoman navigates a pandemic. Photo: Douglas Tyler Since the first positive case in Lake County, the COVID-19 pandemic has been my highest priority. I knew I needed to stay focused on one goal: protecting the safety of our…

My First Time: Holly Dickerson

A Lady Lake mom recalls her first (and only) skydiving adventure. It was a beautiful day in 2005, my husband was working, and I had decided to go over to DeLand to a skydiving facility with a few friends.…

My First Time: Bob Fulwider

Tattoos should be earned, says artist from House of Ink in Leesburg. When I got my first tattoo, I was 18 years old. I walked in, picked one (a cross and rose) off the wall and that was it. Now…

My First Time: Lisa Templin-Rayborn

First speeding ticket teaches the lesson of ‘never say never.’ I was 17 and living in a small northeast Ohio town when one of my best friends, Margo, and I went to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, to…

My First Time: Dr. Claudia Thomas

Orthopedic surgeon recalls falling in love with her field. Touted as a leader in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, Dr. Claudia Thomas made her mark as the first African-American female orthopedic surgeon in the United States. She is on…

My First Time: Kevin Von Maxey

A photo almost destroyed the language arts teacher’s career before it started. During the 2003-2004 school year, I almost got fired on my second day of teaching because of what I did on my first day of teaching. A local…

My First Time: Petrina

Entertainer finds a gig and a husband in The Villages. Interviewer: Chris Gerbasi ≈ Photo: Douglas Tyler Singer Petrina moved in 2008 from England to The Villages and the following year, she met her future husband, Michael. “I went into…