Celebrating My Dad’s 90th Birthday
Let’s start with a picture of Dad and me at the party Sunday, July 11th. I want you to see what an incredible Dad is. How many fathers look that dapper and alive at age 90!
My Dad turned 90 on July 6th, 2010. As I am his namesake, I’m the 3rd and he is the 2nd – James Vivien Crum, II. Dad began as a small business entrepreneur when he was in his early 30’s. I was born when he was 35 and at that point, Dad was already in Citrus Harvesting and owned a small citrus grove in the central area of Florida.
Most of what he did was based around agriculture – he farmed, was in citrus, and organized citrus (oranges and grapefruit) harvesting. He grew up in Florida as did I. Other than when Dad was in the service during World War II, he has lived his entire life in Florida (in fact, I’m 5th generation Floridian on one side of my family and 6th generation on the other.)
THE PARTY
My Dad’s girlfriend, Pat, and I hosted a cocktail party. Dad loves people and he loves a great party so we did this for his celebration. 160 of his friends joined with him. There was an open bar, Hor d-oeuvres, and musical entertainment. His club was decorated in blue and orange because Dad is a Florida Gator. And, we dressed to carry out that theme.
Dad spoke about his life and what matters to him. The party, which lasted over four hours, was both a celebration and a tribute to my father’s outstanding life and all that he has accomplished and given to others. After we cut the cake, I invited people to share stories about my Dad and passed the microphone.
It was a time of connecting, celebrating, and communicating how much everyone in the room loves my Dad. He is the original connector – he naturally connects with anyone he meets.
And, he is known by everyone as being a true Southern Gentleman.
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