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| Elizabeth Moss, right, with her friend Lisa Losordo after voting this morning |
Elizabeth Moss voted today.
If you been around Anna Maria for any time at all, you have heard of Elizabeth Moss. If you have been blessed to meet and share time with Mrs. Moss, your life is unquestionably better for it. The Bartow, Florida native first came to Anna Maria in 1921 and has never looked back. She and her late husband Gene bought the beach cottage at the gulf-end of Willow Avenue in 1943 and she lives there to this day.
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Mrs. Moss was a conservationist before, it seems, the term was invented. It is not an exaggeration to attribute the early protection of native species throughout the city, particularly in the lineal park running beachside from Palm to Oak, to her persistent and vocal and often lonely efforts.
Mrs. Moss has championed preservation and education in Anna Maria for longer than many of us have been alive. She was a charter member of the Historical Society and spent years training the museum’s docents. She and Gene met at Anna Maria Elementary School where they were both teachers and they continued tutoring island children long after retiring from the school system.
Mrs. Moss will not hesitate to let others know where she stands on important issues, with her voice and with her vote. This writer had the pleasure of serving with her on a parking committee several years ago and I am not embarrassed to say we were on opposite sides of the issue. But she was educated on the particulars, considered the opposing interests and articulated her position, the opposite of mine usually, with graceful tenacity. Then we would share a laugh and an island anecdote as I drove her back home to her cottage in the pines on Willow.
Yes, grace is an apt word for Mrs. Moss. She is the soul of Anna Maria. She still knows the issues and she still articulates her opinion with grace and tenacity. And she still votes.
Elizabeth Moss voted today and even spent some time campaigning. After all, it was her city long before it was ours.
Thank you, Mrs. Moss. This place would not, could not, be the same without you.
Bill Yanger
The header on this blog is all about Mrs. Moss. Bless you dear lady, and all your friends who helped you make our paradise so special. We commit to you not to give it up, and will fight like the dickens to that end.
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