From Andy Greenwell Family
Andrew Daffron “Andy” Greenwell, 89, passed away Friday, January 25, 2019, at Patriots Colony, Williamsburg. Andrew, or Andy, as he was called in Hampton, was the proud father of six daughters and the loving husband of Jean Greenwell, his wife of 55 years, before she preceded him in death in 2014.
Andy, or “Daff,” as he was known in his hometown of Leonardtown, Maryland, was born on Oct. 29, 1929, to Florence Daffron Greenwell and Charles Benedict Greenwell. Daff was one of four children. He attended Leonard Hall and St. Mary’s Academy, where he met our mother, who was a boarder at St. Mary’s. Their first date was with one another to a class dance at the age of 15. Our mother often said that “God broke the mold when he made Dad.” She wasn’t kidding.
Dad did not follow a direct path after graduating from St. Mary’s in 1948. He became a chartered member of B Company, 121st “C” Engineer Battalion, 29th Infantry Division, Maryland-Virginia National Guard. He served in the U.S. Merchant Marine and the U.S. Army, including one year of service with the United Nations Forces in Korea 1953 to 1954. He bounced from the Merchant Marine to the University of Maryland, graduating with a B.S. Degree in Business and Public Administration in 1960. He later earned an MPA from Golden Gate University, where he lectured close to 10 years at Golden Gate’s graduate center in Hampton.
He began his career as a journalist in Hampton with the Newport News-Hampton Daily Press, where he became known as Andrew (Andy). According to Dad, after accepting the position of staff reporter, the editor insisted that his byline name be changed to Andrew because he didn’t want any disgruntled readers to refer to him as that “daffy” reporter. He served as a reporter covering local news for four years before accepting a position with the City of Hampton as director of the Hampton Department of Commerce from 1964 to 1975. This began his career with the City of Hampton, where he also became director of the city’s Department of Conventions & Tourism (1976 to 1990), and which culminated most notably as the Director of the Hampton Coliseum, serving from 1975 to 1995.
Dad always joked that he had no idea how a small-town boy managed to draw world-class entertainment. His determination to book acts to appeal to all audiences resulted in bookings including The Who, Rolling Stones, U2, Elvis, Kenny Rogers, Alabama, Grateful Dead, and events such as the Jazz Festival, Ice Capades, sporting events, rodeos, and graduations.
In addition to serving as director of the Hampton Coliseum, he was a member of the Virginia Governor’s Tourism Advisory Board, chairman of the Virginia Travel Council, chairman of the board of trustees of Hampton Elks Lodge 366 and chairman of the Hampton Roads Chapter, American Red Cross. In addition, he was an original Hampton delegate sent to visit Anyang, Korea, to establish a sister city affiliation. He was a participant in the Governor’s Civic Leaders Tour to Israel relative to the Virginia-Israel Commission. He was a life member of the VFW.
Dad was instrumental in the naming of the Ruppert Leon Sargent Memorial City Administration Building in honor of the late U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ruppert Leon Sargent of Hampton, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for combat action in Vietnam.
Dad enjoyed an active social life, particularly as a member of the Hampton Elks Lodge, where he loved to play cards with friends. After he retired, he made sure he could get there early for a seat at the card table. He looked forward to spending time with his son-in-law, Carl, on Thursday nights at the Hampton Yacht Club to meet up with friends.
Dad had a zest for living. He became a private pilot. He flew on an orientation flight in an F-15 Eagle jet fighter, was a guest of the skipper of USS Hampton for a four-day cruise submerged from Virginia to Florida and traveled extensively visiting more than 50 countries on six continents. His favorite memories were taking our mother to many of those countries, including fulfilling her wish to visit the Vatican.
But mostly, Dad loved to spend time with his family. He always said that the best thing that happened to him was marriage and family. As a father, he could be counted on to give us encouragement, guidance and confidence. He always felt we could accomplish any goals we set to achieve and never understood why none of his six girls wanted to become a fighter pilot. Sorry, Dad, that we didn’t make that happen.
Dad was as generous with his heart as with his wallet. Our mother always said he would give the shirt off his back to a stranger. His generosity gave him happiness in his heart. His idea of money was that it couldn’t be taken with him, so share with those who could benefit.
Dad enjoyed life and lived life to its fullest and because of that his favorite saying was, “Don’t cry for me Argentina.” Dad, we love you and will miss you.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Jean; sister, Barbara Ann Barry; and brother, Charles Benedict Greenwell Jr. He is survived by six daughters, Karen (Carl) Voglewede, Carol Hardy, Ann (John) Malarkey, Cathy Medders, Helen (Steve) Mallon and Beth (Lance) Heater; brother, Robert C. Greenwell; and close to a couple dozen grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Disabled American Veterans.
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Paul Abe, a long-time IAVM member until his retirement in 2007, passed away on February 6 at the age of 77 while on a visit with his wife, Diane, to visit their granddaughter at college in Virginia when he suffered a heart attack in the couple’s hotel room.
“Paul had a passion for the venue management business and his commitment to living life to the fullest,” Diane said. “He was a kind and honorable man who is missed dearly. Needless to say, I was and will forever be devastated.”
Paul was born in Sacramento, CA on July 20th, 1941 and lived in Tempe, AZ. Paul was preceded in death by his brother Alan, father Hershel, mother Gladys, beloved dog Cassie and cats Jetta and Prini. He leaves behind his wife of 17 years, Diane; daughter Stacie Robles and husband Juan; daughter Tania Cuellar and husband Mark; granddaughters Kaila and Isabella Cuellar; beloved sister-in-law Kathy Abe; nephew Brian Abe and wife Cheryl and great nephews Chase and Austin; nephew Kevin Abe and wife Yuko and great nieces Maia and Emika; sister-in-law Linda Heppe; mother-in-laws Deja Heppe and Pat Wolf; and his fur children Kiki, and the “kittens” Zoe and Cali.
Paul, a Japanese American, spent the first few years of his life in the Jerome Relocation Center during World War II. The family was sponsored out and relocated to Pueblo and then moved to Sterling, CO where he spent his adolescent years. He earned his Bachelor’s in Theatre from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley and a Masters in Technical Theatre from Purdue University, Lafayette. Upon earning his Masters, Paul was a faculty member at various colleges teaching lighting design and technical theatre but found his true calling and passion directing the opening and renovations of convention centers, performing arts theatres, and arenas. Some of the many buildings he managed included the Farmington Civic Center in New Mexico, Lima Civic and Convention Center in Ohio, and the OnCenter in Syracuse, New York.
He desired to relocate to the warm southwest sun and moved to Albuquerque, NM in 1995 where he met the love of his life and soulmate, Diane while working together at Popejoy Hall. They later settled in Tempe and were married on the beautiful island of Maui, HI in 2001 and shared a wonderful life together with their fur children. After retiring from ASU Gammage, he was able to fully enjoy his hobbies which included becoming a certified HAM radio operator, off-roading in his Jeep Wrangler (JJ), golfing, cooking and hosting many gatherings. He and Diane enjoyed spending time at their cabin in Payson, AZ also known as their little piece of paradise. They enjoyed traveling the world and filled up their passports by visiting Costa Rica, Cuba, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Canada, and also traveled throughout the USA including Hawaii and Alaska. Their greatest highlight every year was “Camp Grandma and Grandpa” where their granddaughters would visit from Texas for a fun filled week of adventure.
Paul was a quick witted, honorable man with a lovely spirit who cherished his wife and family. He will be dearly missed by all who were blessed to know him.
Donations may be made to the Arizona Humane Society at www.azhumane.org.
The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) will host an Active Shooter Exercise, Operation Vanguard, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) on Friday, March 22. The MCCA and its partner Public Safety agencies including the Boston Police Department, Boston Fire Department, Boston Emergency Medical Services, Massport, Massachusetts State Police, Mass DOT, MBTA, FBI, and United States Secret Service have worked collaboratively over the past two years to design and develop a comprehensive Active Shooter Joint Response Plan (ASJRP) for the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center ― the
largest building in New England.
The establishment of the ASJRP is the first of its kind in the City of Boston. The live exercise will bring together the full complement of expertise, resources and personnel of the respective agencies to test critical elements of the plan and validate the unique protocols developed to implement a full-scale response to an emergency situation at the BCEC.
“The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center presents a unique challenge for safety and security due to its size, location and purpose which is to open its doors to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors to Boston from around the world to enjoy their event and experience everything that makes Boston a premier global destination,” said Rob Noonan, MCCA Chief Information and Security Officer. “The work thus far has already delivered tremendous benefits for all of the participants and Operation Vanguard provides an opportunity to test our assumptions in an environment specifically designed to deliver actionable results.”
Operation Vanguard marks the first comprehensive full scale exercise to take place at a “Large Venue” since Governor Baker signed into Executive Order a security task force to examine the safety and security of large venues including stadiums, concert halls, and convention centers in Massachusetts. Lessons learned from this exercise will be shared with all of the large venues
throughout the Commonwealth.
“Beyond the obvious benefits of training in a live action environment, the long term impact of working with and among all of our public safety partners are the professional contacts and personal relationships that are so vital when emergency situations arise,” said David Gibbons, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. “The plans and protocols
developed today will be the foundation for a coordinated response to a potential public safety emergency on our property, as well as other large venues in Massachusetts.”
Due to the size and scope of Operation Vanguard, and to simulate as closely as possible the real time impact and response to an emergency at the BCEC, there will be significant activity in and around the venue on March 22.
Smart City Networks announced that AEG at the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) extended its contract with the company for an additional three years. The contract extension will allow Smart City to provide the necessary upgrades to prepare the venue for future technology.
“Our continued partnership with Smart City enables the LACC to bring the best technology services to our clients and guests, and establishes the facility as a premier event destination,” said Ellen Schwartz, AEG General Manager at the LACC.
The contract extension includes an upgrade to the networking capabilities by Smart City including upgrading the LACC’s wireless infrastructure. The exhibit halls will be updated with new Wi-Fi 5 access points, with significantly increased density. All other areas of the facility will benefit from further Wi-Fi density. Added to this, a new Cisco Wireless LAN controller and it all equals more density, better speeds, and the ability to support more than 375 percent more devices than before the upgrade.
“Over the past five years AEG and L.A. Tourism has increased the number of technology-driven events booked at the facility,” said Julia Slocombe, Vice President of Western Operations at Smart City Networks. “This upgrade and our continued partnership with AEG will position LACC to attract new tech-heavy events to downtown Los Angeles.”
Smart City has served as the convention center’s technology and telecommunications provider since 1988. Since then, the facility’s technology needs have changed dramatically, and Smart City has adapted with them. This extension will allow them to continue this long-running partnership and keep providing the LACC with superior cutting-edge technologies.
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The cashless experience is fully underway at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The occasion for the debut was Atlanta United’s season-opening soccer match against FC Cincinnati. In becoming the first NFL and Major League Soccer facility to utilize the cashless transaction model, the venue expects the move to not only allow the stadium to adjust prices on F&B choices with greater frequency, but to save guests time as well.
Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium has reported a “very smooth” transition to a fully cashless experience, despite stating that less than one per cent of attendees at Sunday’s opening event utilised new reverse ATM machines installed in the venue.
AMB Sports + Entertainment operates the stadium and installed 10 reverse ATM machines located on each level to enable guests to deposit up to $1,000 in cash for use on a universal debit card from Visa that can be used inside and outside the facility.
The venture marks the latest effort by AMB Sports + Entertainment (AMBSE) – operator of the stadium, United and NFL team the Atlanta Falcons – to enhance the fan experience at the venue. AMBSE installed 10 reverse ATM machines on each level of the stadium, allowing fans to deposit up to $1,000 (£759/€885) in cash for use on a universal debit card from Visa, both inside or outside the stadium.
AMBSE spokesperson Heather Sautter told the Atlanta Business Chronicle that while the machines were used by less than one percent of the 70,000-plus crowd at Sunday’s game, the move to card and mobile-only payments “went very smoothly,” and that officials “are pleased with the progress.” Sautter added that the number of transactions before and during the match were in direct line with average numbers from last season.