People
The Story of a... Pro Wrestler
‘The Phenomenal’ AJ STYLES, 32, has won every title in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which is broadcast from Universal Studios. A longtime crowd favorite as a hero, he is now loathed as a villain.
The Story of a...Blues Singer
For Orlando singer-songwriter Ruth King, 50, hitting the big time means connecting with her audience through songs from the soul.
The Story of a... Public School Nutritionist
Lora Gilbert, 54, Orange County Public Schools’ director of food and nutrition services, caters to a lot of customers with demanding tastes.
The Story of... Earthquake Survivors
Robert and Bernadette Cawley, both 76, fled their home in Haiti for Central Florida.
The Story of...An Intimacy Educator
With Valentine’s Day coming up, we asked STACEY MURPHY, 42, co-owner of a ‘romance boutique’ in Orlando, for advice about the often-elusive ways of love.
The Story of... World Champion Body Painters
Identical twins Brian and Nick Wolfe, 41, of Orlando, say they have the best job on the planet, painting faces and bodies.
The Story of a... Bad Santa
GREG THOMPSON, 46, is busy this time of year as a for-hire Santa Claus. But at office parties, his rendition of St. Nick is for mature audiences only.
The Story of a... Road Ranger
If you have a breakdown along I-4, Mike Cocomazze, 57, has the tools and the know-how to bring you up to speed.
'Chain-Saw Murderer'
By day, Carl Roberts, 50, is an attorney. By night, from September 25 to October 31, he’s a character in Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights.
Linda Chapin's Hopscotch Journey
Linda Chapin, 67, didn’t start out as an Orlando power player. Her foray into the city’s business world was visiting her grand-father at his downtown car dealership in the 1950s. It would take a series of volunteer projects to craft her social conscience and develop the political skills that led to roles as Orange County commissioner and the county’s first chairman (now called mayor). In 2001 Chapin became director of the Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies at the University of Central Florida, focusing on growth, the environment and social policies. She retired from UCF last year.
Winifred Sharp's Brand of Justice
Her parents were dynamic civic leaders, but Winifred Sharp still had to chart her own, sometimes difficult course as a woman entering the legal profession in the early 1960s. She earned her law degree at Stanford and went to work in her father’s Orlando law firm, practicing property and family law among other specialties. In 1979, then-Governor Bob Graham appointed Sharp to the newly created Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal. Sharp, 72, retired in 2006 and today is a trustee of the Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation, which awards grants to various nonprofit groups that focus on children, arts, education and wildlife conservation. She and her husband, Joel Sharp, have four daughters.
Courtney Lee's Lifetime Tribute
Coming out of a lesser-known college basketball program, Courtney Lee felt that he had to disprove notions that he wasn’t NBA caliber. Since joining the Orlando Magic as the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 draft, Lee, 23, has done just that, working his way into the starting lineup as a point-producing guard. Lee recalls the impact an unfortunate event had on his life, inspiring him to play at his highest level.
Henry Maldonado's American Journey
The son of a Venezuelan military officer, Henry Maldonado adapted to change early on in his life. Living in different places around the world and making new friends were part of the education of Maldonado. After studying film at Boston University, Maldonado found his calling in local TV news production. In 2001, he came to Orlando as the vice president and then general manager at Orlando’s WKMG-Channel 6. His periodic editorials on Local 6 made him one of the most recognized faces in Central Florida. Recently, Maldonado, 60, announced he would retire this summer and pursue filmmaking.
For Mickey, 80, a Storybook Life
No Central Floridian of any species is more beloved than MICKEY MOUSE. He’s an icon of fun, a symbol of all-American moxie and a goodwill ambassador for the Orlando area. Mickey came up the hard way, in the early days of the movie business, eventually conquering television, theme parks and other fields. Through it all, he’s never lost the spunk or humility that help to make him a star. For “In Their Own Words,” we’ve interviewed many movers and shakers but never Mickey Mouse (perhaps due to the stigma that being “fictional” once carried). So on the occasion of his 80th birthday—which the Disney company calculates from the premiere of his first short, Steamboat Willie, on November 18, 1928—we’ve asked our favorite mouse to reflect on his storied career.
For a Prodigy, Life Is a Stage
The son of concert musicians, Hungarian-born TAMAS KOCSIS was destined to follow in his parents’ footsteps. His ascension as a classical violinist took him away from the Soviet-era Eastern Bloc and to the United States, where he furthered his music studies under the direction of prestigious instructors. Kocsis went on to land the concertmaster post at the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and, in 2004, joined the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in the same capacity. Kocsis, 37, is a frequent soloist in the OPO’s concert series. He also is a knight, a title bestowed upon him during a visit to his homeland in 2006. His recordings of the complete violin sonatas and piano quartets of Brahms are released under the EPR label.