Page 10 - Summer 2024 Bulletin

Editor’s Page
April brought more than showers, of which there weren’t many
David Lubin, MD dajalu@aol.com
The first two weeks in April were quite eventful in the Lubin house- hold. With Elke at the helm, the HCMA’s 26th annual Foundation golf tournament was quite success- ful, along with the first hole-in- one in the tournament by Andrew Bright, with Morgan Import Mo- torcars donating prize money of $20,000 t0 split between Andrew and the Foundation.
Andrew, please tell the readers a bit about yourself.
I am 38, originally from Georgia, but have been in Tam- pa since 2009. My beautiful wife, Gabrielle, and I do not have any kids yet. I work in the medical device field for Stryker Orthopaedics. Stryker provides total joint (hip and knee) implants and services to local hospital and physician groups, like FOI. I have worked with Dr. Michael Miranda (FOI) for over 8 years. I have not been able to join Dr. Miranda on the mission trips with Operation Walk, but I have plans to volunteer for the next trip in 2025. Opera- tion Walk is a great organization that provides total joint surgeries for those in desperate need both domestically and internationally.
Assuming it’s your first hole-in-one. What do you usually shoot?
I have been playing golf for many years and never come close to an ace. I typically shoot in the high 70s to low 80s, so I have been frustrated for some time that I have nev- er had a hole-in-one. It was a relief to get that milestone checked off my golf bucket list.
When did you first start playing and what got you interested in the game? How did you wind up on a team playing in the event?
My dad has always played golf and introduced me to the gameatayoungage. ItwasagreatwayformydadandI to “catch up” when I came home from college. Dr. Michael Miranda (FOI) asked me to play in the HCMA tournament.
What were your first thoughts when you realized it was in?
It was a surreal moment. I remember hearing one of my partners saying, “it’s on a nice line” and then another say-
ing “get in the hole” before the ball disappeared. Everyone on the tee went nuts, with high-fives and hugs all around. The moment didn’t really set in until I picked my ball out of cup. It was my first ever, so I didn’t really know how to react. It was exciting to know that one swing generated such a significant donation to HCMA on behalf of Morgan Import Motorcars.
Thank goodness you didn’t get it on the hole where The Bulletin was the hole-in-one sponsor, offering a measly $5,000. So, any thoughts on how you’ll spend your winnings?
I owe my wife a honeymoon, so I plan to use that money to fund a trip to celebrate our marriage.
Congratulations again and good luck in the future. Any final thoughts?
It was such a surreal moment to have a hole-in-one on the TPC course on such a beautiful day and during a great event. Thank you to HCMA for an amazing tournament, Morgan Import Motorcars for the hole sponsorship and prize, and Dr. Michael Miranda for including me in the event.
One of the golfers, David McKenna, who was from the New Orleans area, saw my Tulane Green Wave shirt and presented me with one of his golf balls with the Green Wave logo on it. Thanks, David.
Another David, David Goss, HCMA Executive Director Debbie Zorian’s partner, and I went to the afternoon Rays game the day before the golf tournament, and something might have happened to me that may have been unique in the history of Major League Baseball. The cameraman along the first-base line in the upper deck caught a foul ball. I know one of the Rays (and Lightning) cameramen, who was also my patient and a friend. I texted him, and asked if he had just caught the baseball and got a text back, “Hell, yeah.” He then asked where I was sitting and a few minutes later I received a text with a photo of David and me in our seats. Now, I know there might be a rare instance where someone else might have known a cameraman who caught a ball, but how many have gotten back a photo of them sitting in their seats, eh?
On April 11th, at the Judeo-Christian Health Clinic’s Humanitarian Award dinner, the University of Tampa pres-
(continued)
10
HCMA BULLETIN, Vol 70, No. 1 – Summer 2024