At the first “gathering” last month, to restore our “…sense of community,” a community social area and a welcoming effort were top suggestions among many to do so. Come to “gathering #2” next Thursday, July 24th, 6:30pm - 8:30pm, Sonora room at the Grand Center. Join the discussion as we explore and define those suggestions and how to move forward creating them, vision-casting! Together we might even come up with a better name than the “gathering.” Hope to see you, share your ideas ****RECAP OF FIRST “GATHERING.” They came to help grow a renewed sense of community founded in Sun City, “ The Community That Changed The Nation!” Almost every chair was filled in the Sonora room at the Grand center Thursday afternoon, June 26th, 2025. Making time to gather together, participants put down their cell phones to get to know one another, sharing why they love Sun City and ideas to make it better, now and into the future. Imagine, actual person to person communication. Many great ideas and offers to help explore how they might become reality. Sun City is, after all, “City of Volunteers!” This first effort was so successful there’s another one scheduled next month, Thursday, July 24th, 6:30pm- 8:30 to accommodate our residents still working. Same location, Sonora room at the Grand Center.Thanks to the Sun City Foundation for reserving it so quickly. Details as we near the date. Will you join us? Hope so… YOU belong here!
Well said Tom and without a doubt (in my mind) this is truly our Man of La Mancha moment. We can talk about Jack Jones, certainly Andy Williams and without question Josh Groban; but for our purposes, let's get down with a little more appropriate character, maybe a better fit for Sun City's origins, this version is most appropriate.
It wasn't a coincidence i posted everyone's old friend Jim Nabors singing the Impossible Dream. From my earliest arrival to Sun City, around the mid 90's, the community always had the feel of our own little Mayberry. Then when i saw the video, The Beginning, i knew it to be true; the quaint setting where Ron Howard (hey Opie) was a youngster and in one of the coolest cast of characters known to television, had been born again. This time it was in the Arizona desert and not in North Carolina. It stands to reason, both were created at the exact same moment. The Andy Griffith Show first aired on Oct 3, 1960. That was just 6 months after those first Sun City home buyers started moving into the community. Shortly there-after, the Garland Ad agency began filming an up close and in person 20 plus minute video that captured all the reasons for seniors to move to Sun City. It's been rumored to have viewed by well over 30 million people. When i first watched The Beginning, i was waiting for Andy, Aunt Bee, Barney and heck yes, maybe even Otis to be strolling/stumbling down along the storefronts at the Grand Ave shopping center. It just always had that feel, that appeal. Turns out there were 249 half-hour of those shows produced, running until April 1, 1968. From that original cast, there were several spinoffs. As a footnote, Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) appeared in 23 of those early episodes and spinning off to his own show in 1964. I know, i tend to bore folks with details and trivia that anyone can look up and most could care less about. As we met the other day to plan for our next "gathering," (Thursday, July 24, 6:30 pm till 8:30 pm, Sonora Room, Grand Center), i couldn't help reflect back to a simpler, quieter and more genteel time in our lives. Both the Andy Griffin Show and The Beginning captured exactly those mental moments and images. I've been called a dreamer more than once in my lifetime (i've been called far worse, so, dreamer is pretty good). I've fallen into that trap that tells us we can't go back, even when i know we can at least revisit so many of those qualities of life so many of us held dear. You know; civility, caring about our neighbors; invested in our community and our way of life. Those aren't foreign to most of us, they've just somehow been lost in the translation along the way. It's why i grabbed Gomer and his version of the Impossible Dream. The other guys (Jack, Andy and Josh) had smoother voices, silkier range, but Jim Nabors in his role as Gomer Pyle, USMC represented a reality in his performance that seemed to fit the overlay many of us see as Sun City. We're not perfect, but we are as good as it gets for those looking to live out our final years on this earth. I wrestled with whether to return for The Gathering 2.0, but in the end, i don't see what we are trying to do as being "The Impossible Dream." Nope, not even close. We aren't talking about changing the world, or even the country. We see our little patch of heaven needing a tweak and a little push, next Thursday evening is just a start. Hoping you can and will join us.
For those interested: The Beginnings was distributed nationwide in the early 1960's to promote the world's first Planned Active Senior Community. We like to think of it as the first "infomercial." Recorded early in 1960 Del Webb Sun Cities Museum
Interesting!! Sun City did at one time have a Community Center! I wonder what time of the year that film was made because nobody was wearing shorts!?!?!? Hmmm! another sign of the times.
The Rio Vista Community Center is a must visit for anyone interested in seeing a great facility. The RCSC might want to use it as an example of what is possible at Lakeview. Imho.
Originally, Oakmont was called community center. It made sense, recreation centers weren’t really a thing in 1960. Community centers were almost always at the heart of any neighborhood, hence the name. The change came in 1972 when the RCSC a formally renamed a couple of others centers. If only we had asked members if they wanted to buy the Lakes Club, we might well have had the John Meeker Community Center and the Sun City way of life would be far different. Either way, shorts would still be the choice for many of us.
Unfortunately, that ship has sailed probably never too return again! If it did return, would we even be able to afford it? The loss of that opportunity is over shadowed by the loss in confidence the board has for the community Members!
Too bad nobody followed up With Joe LaRue after he asked folks from SC to call him. I worked in that office. Joe was VP of Sun Health Properties and worked closely with Roskamp/Sun Health Management Services.
No question about that Tom, an opportunity missed. That said, some of us are smart enough to know every mistake, misstep and wrong turn should be a teachable moment. The only real question is: Are they paying attention?
I don't think we'll know that answer until the revised bylaws are posted. Will the Members be granted more freedoms and responsibilities or just more limitations and restrictions? There are also things in the Board Policies that need to be addressed.
Bill, Every once in a while I research the Lakes Club, just to see its current status within the Core System. Things have taken a turn to create holding companies to support and hold the commercial side of the business separate. Real estate owned by The Core appears to have been transferred to a holding company called Hopco. In moving the properties away from the main business of health care and into a holding company Hopco. Through Hopco, several physicians are now principal shareholders of the physical properties owned by Core Institutions. There is no longer a central file to read or review as to the status of a given company building. At one time it was easy enough to track the property and its relationship to the Core. Now, with all of the individual investors involved in various projects, including the lakes club. Lakes Club is a needle buried in a huge haystack. I made several attempts to get to the actual ownership, but after seeing various physicians with equity buy ins of varying financial commitments into the structure including the Lakes Club, it would be quite difficult to dispose of in it’s current ideation of the business. With the allowing individual physician to be equity partners makes the idea of ever seeing the Lakes Club ever being offered again as a single real estate transaction as almost impossible. I apologize Bill for such news, but thought it best to keep you informed. The ability to get the Lakes club ever back for sale as a separate, whole entity is most slim. Please accept my apologies for providing such news.
No apologies necessary Carole, i wrote the Lakes Club off the last time i drove by (2 or 3 years ago) and saw the Core Institute had filled a good share of it. We had our chances, we blew it. The first time we (the RCSC) didn't have the money, the second time we didn't have the will. In fact we were terrified about asking the members, the general manager was concerned about what they would want and that it would upset her grand golf course remodel plans. Life goes on and sadly we can't fix the stupid that was, i'm more concerned we won't fix the stupid that is/will be. Some rumors circulating about ideas being bantered about in the "working group" that makes the Lakes Club decision (or lack thereof) seem like child's play. One step forward, two steps back.
Are you free to share what some of the speculation being bandied about is? Not out and about while dealing with clearing up a nasty kidney infection. Thank you for sharing if you are able.
• Dates of Town Hall Presentations – The Town Hall meetings have been scheduled for Monday, October 20, 2025 from 10:00am to noon and Wednesday, October 22, 2025 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. (May 21, 2025) • The presenter for the Town Hall meetings will be Les Bethany with assistance from Linda McIntyre. (June 18, 2025) Source: RCSC Finance, Budget & Audit Committee Meeting Minutes https://suncityaz.org/committees/finance-budget-and-audit/ -
So....what are these Town Halls about, the Budget or Mountain View ? The presenters mentioned certainly don't seem to have anything to do with the Bylaws!?!?!?
