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Jack Nicklaus was picked as our area's favorite icon, beating out Burt Reynolds and Jimmy Buffett. (Allen Eyestone / Palm Beach Post)
One of our most popular polls so far — Who is your favorite iconic Palm Beach County person? — came down to three men: The Golden Bear, the Bandit and the Man from Margaritaville.
In the end, the Bear won out.
Jack Nicklaus won the Taking Your Pulse poll for favorite local icon with 30 percent of the vote. More than 1,700 votes were cast, making this the second most popular poll so far.
Burt Reynolds ended up in second place at 15.8 percent, while Jimmy Buffett took third at 10.3 percent.
Rounding out the top five are comic Larry The Cable Guy at 3.9 percent and radio personality Rush Limbaugh at 3.7 percent.
We had a lot of good write-in candidates as well. The most popular was commercial pitchman/real estate agent Greg Rice, along with former New York Met catcher/Palm Beach Atlantic baseball coach Gary Carter and country singer Mel Tillis.
Take note, Jack. You will never be forgotten. I’ve had a lot of favorites in my life, but nobody did it to me like Jack Nicklaus. His autobiography is one of my favorite books and each time I pick it up to read his description of the ’86 Masters, I still have tears running down my senior cheeks. The one iron on 15. The tee shot on 16. “Be good!” “It is.” I can still see it. Thanks for years of thrills. A truly great man.
Dear Mr. Burke:
THe “Battle of Local Icons” is an excellent piece and Jack Nicklaus
deserves the honor. He should be inducted in the Florida Hall of Fame. Here’s some info on the Florida Hall of Fame
While the state of Florida has dozens of halls of fame honoring everyone from sports heroes to fishermen, it has never had a statewide hall of fame like California, New Jersey and other states.
That is changing as development has started on the Florida Hall of Fame with a mission to create a perpetual platform to honor all Florida citizens who have made invaluable contributions to the growth and development of Florida.
The founder of the not-for-profit Florida Hall of Fame is Leonard Saffir, a 20-year full time resident of Palm Beach County. Saffir’s search for a hall of fame was started to find a way to honor his late brother Herbert S. Saffir, a world renowned structural engineer who created the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Scale. “I was amazed that an all Florida hall of fame didn’t exist,” Saffir said. “There are so many greats, past and present to honor here. It was a no-brainer for me that I would start the Florida Hall of Fame.”
Saffir, Chairman and CEO of Florida Hall of Fame, Inc., has spent his life time in journalism, publishing, public relations, and marketing. He has been joined on the executive board by President Rodney Nail and Executive Vice President Richard Jacoves, full time residents of Broward and Palm Beach counties respectively.
The Florida Hall of Fame, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation and has already 501 (c)(3) status. Fund raising activities have started and all three executives said the response has been excellent. The company is temporarily based in Boca Raton.
The Florida Hall of Fame is seeking to raise $5 million to build and house the hall’s inductees and their memorabilia. Tentative plans call for a proposed 40,000 sq.ft. permanent home that not only will honor the inductees but will serve as an educational destination for all visitors and guests. “One of the major areas of the Hall of Fame building will be an auditorium for guest speakers, and, particularly for children’s lessons and learning,” Saffir said. The auditorium and other rooms will be named for million dollar and less donors. The Florida Hall of Fame is meeting with Florida universities and colleges to discuss the possibility of locating on campus.
A Board of Trustees is being formed to oversee the nomination process.
Leonard Saffir
http://www.fhof.org
(561) 289-3100 (561) 963-1673
Even though I thought Burt Reynolds deserved to win,I would say if a young local golfer wants someone to look up to Jack Nicklaus would be tops and Tiger wouldnt even be on the list.
EXCELLENT AND ONLY REASONABLE CHOICE. OF THE OTHERS, WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED MORE TO THE WORLD, THIS COUNTRY AND THIS COMMUNITY….?
NICKLAUS IS NOT A DRUNK OR PEDDLES BOOZE OR ANYTHING THAT COULD EVEN BE CONSIDERED QUESTIONABLE. I THINK IT IS INSULTING TO THIS GREAT GOLFER AND FINE MAN TO BE PUT IN COMPETITION WITH THE OTHER TWO SLUGS.