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A DESTIN CITY LEADER PASSES
The Destin Log
http://www.thedestinlog.com/opinion/city-15693-needed-leader.html
Oct 26 2010
Florida
When the city needed money, he opened his wallet. When the city needed
its grass cut, he fired up his mower. When the city needed a leader,
he stood up.
In many ways the story of Zovak "Jerry" Najarian is a love affair
with his adopted city of Destin.
The man, who passed away Saturday, directly or indirectly touched
the lives of every Destinite and visitor. In his decades of public
service, Jerry had a hand in almost all areas of civic life. He helped
Capt. Royal Melvin land a loan for a new charter boat. He chronicled
the history of Destin. He helped form the first fire district.
Most recently, he has championed the cause of affordable housing for
Destin's workforce. He even came full circle as the 2007 parade grand
marshal; after all, he led Destin's earliest parade in 1974.
But in Najarian's case, it isn't all that he's done - rather, it was
his attitude toward doing it.
"I believe that if you love your community, you shouldn't have to ask
what needs to be done," he once told The Log. "If you see something
that needs to be done, that is not illegal or immoral, then do it if
you're capable."
In a nation where the answer to many problems is more government,
Jerry Najarian embodies the virtue of self-responsbility.
This is all the more rare in that Najarian was a member of the Destin
City Council between 1999 and 2004. It took him nine times to be
elected, but "if you want something bad enough, you keep trying,"
he said.
Translated into English from Armenian, Najarian's full name means
"little sea carpenter." It is a fitting name for a man who has helped
build Destin into what it is today.
Perhaps a reader's comment on our Web site best captures the spirit
of Najarian's contributions.
"At a time when Florida and America yearn for a renewal of the spirit
of civic responsibility, it's great to pay tribute to Jerry Najarian
and his personal commitment to building a better quality of life in
Destin. His example is a guiding light for all Destinites who share
a vision of investment in our area."
Najarian would be the first to tell you that he is not a city
"founder," like the Destins or the Marlers. But what he lacks in
bloodline he made up for in years of commitment and love for a city
that now mourns his passing.
From: A. Papazian
The Destin Log
http://www.thedestinlog.com/opinion/city-15693-needed-leader.html
Oct 26 2010
Florida
When the city needed money, he opened his wallet. When the city needed
its grass cut, he fired up his mower. When the city needed a leader,
he stood up.
In many ways the story of Zovak "Jerry" Najarian is a love affair
with his adopted city of Destin.
The man, who passed away Saturday, directly or indirectly touched
the lives of every Destinite and visitor. In his decades of public
service, Jerry had a hand in almost all areas of civic life. He helped
Capt. Royal Melvin land a loan for a new charter boat. He chronicled
the history of Destin. He helped form the first fire district.
Most recently, he has championed the cause of affordable housing for
Destin's workforce. He even came full circle as the 2007 parade grand
marshal; after all, he led Destin's earliest parade in 1974.
But in Najarian's case, it isn't all that he's done - rather, it was
his attitude toward doing it.
"I believe that if you love your community, you shouldn't have to ask
what needs to be done," he once told The Log. "If you see something
that needs to be done, that is not illegal or immoral, then do it if
you're capable."
In a nation where the answer to many problems is more government,
Jerry Najarian embodies the virtue of self-responsbility.
This is all the more rare in that Najarian was a member of the Destin
City Council between 1999 and 2004. It took him nine times to be
elected, but "if you want something bad enough, you keep trying,"
he said.
Translated into English from Armenian, Najarian's full name means
"little sea carpenter." It is a fitting name for a man who has helped
build Destin into what it is today.
Perhaps a reader's comment on our Web site best captures the spirit
of Najarian's contributions.
"At a time when Florida and America yearn for a renewal of the spirit
of civic responsibility, it's great to pay tribute to Jerry Najarian
and his personal commitment to building a better quality of life in
Destin. His example is a guiding light for all Destinites who share
a vision of investment in our area."
Najarian would be the first to tell you that he is not a city
"founder," like the Destins or the Marlers. But what he lacks in
bloodline he made up for in years of commitment and love for a city
that now mourns his passing.
From: A. Papazian