As residents finished settling in at the Legacy Pointe at UCF auditorium for a Memorial Day event honoring our fallen veterans, the faint, somber notes of a bagpipe could barely be heard, but were still unmistakable. The bagpiper, starting off at a distance from the auditorium, slowly but steadily marched toward the venue, the music gradually growing louder with each step.
As he played, he slowly worked his way into the auditorium and up to the front to begin the program. A quick introduction was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem before a video started to play. In the video, Ronald Reagan spoke about the sacrifices that had been made on the nation’s behalf by those in uniform.
“It was very moving,” said Legacy Pointe resident Larry Mitchell, who is known as “Mitch” throughout the community. “In this particular case, we were honoring a member of the family, so to speak. The brother-in-law of one of our residents here had been shot down over North Korea in 1968 and has been missing since. So, it was a tribute to him and his service as a particular individual representative of the many.”
According to Stephanie Turner, Director of Sales and Marketing at Legacy Pointe, it was an emotional event that had a significant impact on her and everyone else who attended.
“It was beautiful, beautifully done,” she said. “Somber, of course, for obvious reasons. But I think it was a good mix of giving respect where respect was due, and then having a beautiful luncheon, getting to know people and how they've served or how they've contributed in ways after the fact. It opened up a discussion that I hadn't had yet with some of our residents. And we have a lot of our residents who are military veterans, so it was a very important program.”
About Legacy Pointe at UCF
Located just minutes from the UCF campus, Legacy Pointe is a senior living community affiliated with the University of Central Florida. The affiliation with UCF brings a lifestyle of unprecedented excellence to Orlando senior living. Residents have access to many of the programs on campus, including use of the library and the ability to audit some courses. Lifelong learning is a substantial focus at Legacy Pointe that includes an active lecture series that brings professors to the facility to discuss a wide range of topics.
For more information, visit legacypointeatucf.com.
