A driving force behind some of the community's most dynamic organizations, Dina Rosetti has found her "giving place" in Bay St. Louis

- story by Denise Jacobs

That “giving place” has been a theme in Rosetti’s life. One of those lucky young women who know exactly what they want out of life, Rosetti made a conscious decision upon graduation from the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg) in 1990 to live a life that would make a difference. But where?
 
At university, Rosetti put her volunteer skills to work for the Ronald McDonald House via the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority in which Rosetti held a number of offices while earning her bachelor’s degree in clothing merchandise and marketing.
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By the time she graduated, Rosetti—then Dina Hitt—understood her giving place was her own hometown, Bay St. Louis.
 
The Princess Dress Shoppe was the first job Rosetti worked after turning to Bay St. Louis. She later moved on to the insurance industry and worked for two local agencies. Now, Rosetti and her husband John own and operate Rosetti’s Liquor Barrel on Highway 90.
 
Rosetti’s “volunteer career” track has also evolved through the years. When she first returned to the Bay after college she volunteered with the Hancock County Exchange Club, where she held more than one office and twice received the member-of-the-year award. During the same period, she was on the advisory board for the Family Child Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.
 
In the mid 90s, Rosetti’s volunteerism became personal when Scott Demboski, the husband of her best friend, lost his life in a train accident. Seeking to memorialize Demboski, Rosetti dedicated herself to creating what is now known as the Bay Area Youth Soccerplex but was then christened the Scott Demboski Memorial Soccerplex (on Longfellow Drive). If she wasn’t busy securing the grounds, raising money, or purchasing equipment, she was bringing lunch to the trustees who were clearing the property.
 

 
Through the years, Rosetti became a key member of the Bay-Waveland Yacht Club. She remembers the club as a haven for her family after Katrina—“a place that felt like home.” It was there that her son, Luke, developed the sailing skills he needed to later win high school national championships.
 
In 2017, Rosetti became the venerable club’s second female commodore. As commodore, she had no manager or assistant manager, so she was just as likely to be found bussing tables as making executive decisions.
 
Bay resident and club member Liz Maio remembers passing the yacht club after a serious storm and finding Rosetti clearing debris from the club grounds. “As commodore, Dina could have tasked any number of people with the job,” Maio says. “Yet there she was – the first one on the job.”
 
Rosetti also has served as the Junior Yacht Club coordinator from 2008-2016 and currently volunteers on the Food and Beverage Committee and the Entertainment Committee, in addition to serving as secretary for the Past Commodore Society.

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Krewes and clubs have played a large role in Rosetti’s life. While the Mystic Krewe of the Seahorse is front and center now, Rosetti has been a member of the Krewe of Nereids for 26 years and was an officer for 21.
 
While no longer a casting member, the parking lot of Rosetti’s Liquor Barrel is ground zero for one of the biggest Nereids’ pre-parade parties in town.  
 
Rosetti’s business is as active as its owner. In early May, Rosetti’s Liquor Barrel organized Bourbon on the Bay, its second benefit for the Starfish Café’s experiential education program. The business has also sponsored benefits to help allay the expenses of individuals in need of hospitalizations, etc.

 
Besides bettering and boosting the Bay/Waveland community, Rosetti has found volunteering a great way to meet new people or, alternatively, introduce new people to the community.
 
She credits her involvement with the Mystic Krewe of the Seahorse with friendships she’s established with transplants from parts far and wide, and she loves sharing her knowledge of Mardi Gras and the Bay/Waveland festival scene with newbies.
 
Dina’s husband, John Rosetti, is current president of Mystic Krewe of the Seahorse. While it’s true that Krewe members don their most swashbuckling outfits, Pirate Day in the Bay is not about the costumes. The event was created to help foster local economic development—and revelry, of course.
 
As the Krewe’s biggest fundraiser, Pirate Day garnered well over $10,000 in revenue last year, all of which was returned to the local community via various nonprofits.
 
The Krewe supports local business throughout the year, as well. Just a handful of Krewe members six years ago, now anywhere from 70-125 of its 300 members meet once a month at a different local business.
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Like many Krewe members, Rosetti has a closet full of costumes—a closet and a half, actually, filled with pirate wear, Mardi Gras outfits, and wigs in every color of the rainbow. She has come a long way since her first Pirate Day in the Bay outfit—one of those “thin, store-bought Halloween pirate costumes.” If you look at my Facebook page, you will see that I will dress up in anything,” Rosetti says.  
 
Rosetti’s suggestion to wannabe pirates is to start with one or two pieces—a simple white blouse, for example, or a gaudy coin necklace, and build from there. “Be creative,” she says. “It grows on you.” Now, after six years as a pirate, Rosetti sees costume possibilities everywhere she goes.
 
Rosetti offers the same sort of “start small” advice to residents who want to get involved. “Find an organization that supports your passion and start there,” she says.
 
As a person who has served in all aspects of volunteer spectrum—from delivering lunches to managing the finances to bussing tables, Rosetti has found that even the seemingly smallest efforts have big consequences. 

After a fulfilling career in education, Davis "retired" to a second career in social service, one that has both uplifted and inspired the lives of those around her.  

- story by ​Denise K. Jacobs, photos by Ellis Anderson

Spoken like an award-winning social worker.  

Upon further thought, she sums it up with, “making the world a better place.”  Being a good neighbor means making the world a better place, and Pat Davis knows that she has been fortunate enough to do just that. 

Born to parents in their 40s, Davis had the benefit of being a much-loved and welcomed child.  She uses the word “spoiled” to describe her upbringing, mentioning a father who was willing to help her pursue any and all interests, once driving young Patricia to weekly tennis lessons 50 miles away. 
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​“I lucked out big in the parents and friends department,” she says.  

Luck can only take a person so far.  Davis’ long strand of academic achievement garnered her the ability to work on issues that have interested her at the local, state, and global levels.  She began with a bachelor’s degree in English from the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina, her home state.

Later, she earned a master’s in English Literature at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti; a MSW at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor); a PhD at the Tulane University School of Social Work in New Orleans; and a master’s of Public Health at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. 

With an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics position at the Tulane School of Medicine came the opportunity to teach and take full advantage of the tuition reimbursement plan available to the children of Tulane faculty.  

Davis chuckles to recall a “wonderful benefit” of teaching at Tulane:  “Three of my children attended Tulane, and I probably received more in tuition-reimbursement benefits for my children than I did in salary!” 

In practice, Davis was the only PhD on the Pediatric Faculty among a host of MDs. Her position was funded by a grant to encourage medical schools to take a “biopsychosocial approach” in their training programs.  In other words, Davis emphasized the importance of understanding human health and illness in their fullest contexts. She taught about the psychological and social issues in health care while the MDs focused on biological aspects. 

In the last phase of her pre-retirement career before moving to the Bay, Davis directed the Medical Social Services Division of the Louisiana State Office of Public Health and the Department of Health and Hospitals for almost a decade.  

Upon retirement, she fully intended to relax and enjoy their home on Felicity Street in Bay St. Louis with her husband, Richard Waldsmith, a chemical engineer. The couple designed and built their home from the ground up. She laughs as she remembers the process.  

“We had a strict building inspector at the time who told us we couldn’t do our own electrical wiring.  Now, my husband was smart and could read directions,” she explains, “so he told the building inspector that he would like to take the same test as those licensed to wire. 

“And he did. And he passed!  So, when Katrina flooded the house to the attic, we were able to put it together again because we had built it and knew where every piece of house belonged.”   

A self-described “junker,” Davis pointed with pride to two doors opening onto the back yard.  She purchased them from a Green Project salvage store in New Orleans, not having a use for them at the time.  Several years later, they became a focal point in her home.  Davis says that most of the house is built from recycled matericals, including the windows, which were found at Carrolton Salvage Yard (also in New Orleans).  

As we segue back to the Davis family’s move to Bay St. Louis, “Dr. Pat,” as she is affectionately known, recalls that Betty Spencer, her dear friend and social worker, encouraged her to teach at the University of Southern Mississippi.  Together the two women forged community alliances that very much helped to make this corner of the world—at the very least—a better place. 

While Davis had more experience in domestic violence and homelessness issues, Spencer’s main expertise was in mental health. Davis also had extensive experience working in New Orleans organizations dealing with violence against women.  In the early 1990s, Mayor Mark Morial appointed her to the city’s first task force on domestice violence. She had also represented the Louisiana Health Department on Unity for the Homeless. 

Davis credits Spencer with involving her in a group that founded the Open Doors Continuum of Care for the Homeless coalition and for her service as a board member for eight years.  

“Betty disrupted my intention to sit on my rocking chair and rest on my laurels rather than take an active role in Mississippi advocacy activities,” says Davis. 

Open Doors is still a thriving organization dedicated to raising awareness by building bridges within the community and acting as a unified force dedicated to preventing, reducing, and ending homelessness.  

Davis had served on the Louisiana National Association of Social Workers (NASW) board and had not planned to be so involved in Mississippi.  Yet, Spencer insisted that her friend also become an active member in the local NASW Program Unit.  That led to Davis serving on the Mississippi State Social Work Board of Directors for two terms.  

“Being friends with Betty gave me easier acceptance into leadership roles in my new community,” Davis says.  “In retrospect, I am extremely grateful that my beloved friend Betty used her finely honed leadership and advocacy skills on me.”  

Davis adds that it was a great source of pleasure that she and Spencer were named NASW Pioneers in the same group of ten “inductees” in 2012. Unfortunately, Betty had died in 2010 and was not able to attend the banquet in the NASW Building in Washington, D.C. 
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In 2015, Davis received the Woman’s College Legacy Award from the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina, her undergraduate college. 

Dr. Pat has many other awards to her credit, including the Mayor of New Orleans’ Citizen of Merit Award for Contributions to Domestic Violence Prevention (1993) and the coveted National Association of Social Worker’s (NASW) Schenthal Leadership Award, Orleans Region (1995).  

Also, Davis is credited in Feminists who Changed America 1963-1975 (Barbara J. Love) for her work on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment, her presentations on women’s issues at universities across the country, and her advocacy work on behalf of healthcare services for women. 

Davis's husband Rich passed away in September of last year. Now Davis seems to have finally retired and finds herself catching up on her reading. She calls herself an “audio booker” and explains with a touch of self deprecation that she tries to alternate between light reading—mostly detective stories with female protagonists—and biographies and autobiographies, Ruth Bader Ginsberg: A Life, the latest.  

In Dr. Pat’s experience, following her passion has been a good guide for living.  She's made significant contributions toward her goal of "making the world a better place," while enriching her own life - and those around her - in the process. 
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This volunteer extraordinaire finds that she gets more out of community service than she gives - including a lot of fun. 
- story by Denise Jacobs

For Bernie, nursing was an external response to an internal call, one inspired by her maternal Cajun grandmother, a “nurturing, caring, spiritual role model.” Cullen remembers her grandma as her “safe space.” 

“I think,” Cullen muses, "if back then Grandma had had a profession, it would have been nursing. She may not have had the title, but she was the family’s first nurse . . . I knew that if I could just be one iota of that woman, I could consider myself successful.”  

By all accounts, Bernie Cullen has arrived.

In August of 2018, the Hancock County Chamber recognized Cullen as one of Hancock County’s Outstanding Citizens, citing her numerous volunteer commitments. Bernie’s response to the recognition is rooted in gratitude.

​“The community has embraced me and my family,” she says.  “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”  
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“I’ve always been a joiner,” she notes, “from high school on. I always wanted to meet more people in the community. I never realized how many people I’d met until the Chamber Gala this year. I looked around the room that night, and I thought, ‘I know these people.’”  

One of Cullen’s first volunteer involvements was with New Orleans’ Relay for Life in 1991. Relay, the biggest fundraiser effort for the American Cancer Society both internationally and nationally, was dear to Cullen’s heart because of her nursing experience in oncology and her personal experience as a mother (Cullen’s son, Joey, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010).  

“It’s one thing to love your patients and help them through cancer,” she says, “and quite another when it’s your own child.” 
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Cullen is currently the chair of the Hancock County Relay for Life 2019 kick-off event and fundraiser, Dancing with the Relay Stars, scheduled for Saturday, January 26, at the Hollywood Casino. 

“I see so many people improved by the money the American Cancer Society raises,” she says.

​Of all Cullen’s volunteer commitments, Relay tops the list. Cullen says she can’t imagine not being involved in the organization in some way for as long as she lives. 

Cullen’s volunteer experience has grown exponentially since her first experience as a retiree living in Waveland, when she felt an impulse to “beautify the city.” While the impulse extends into the present in so many ways, it began with Keep Waveland Beautiful. 

“Beautifying gardens was within my comfort zone. I knew that I could pull weeds and prune trees, and I wanted to know more about gardening.” It was a good fit. Now, she is one of the co-chairs of KWB. 

The first thing Cullen will tell you about volunteering is that “fit” is important. 

“It needs to be a good fit. If it’s not the right fit for you, you can’t give them what they need, and you’re going to feel that it’s just work. I’ve done work. I’m not going to not get paid and not have fun. If I’m not getting paid for something, then it’s not going to be work; it’s going to be fun.”  

For newbies interested in not getting paid for having fun, Cullen recommends the Hancock County Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), where she serves on the Advisory Board.

​“You can basically pick and choose what you want to do with RSVP,” she says. “It’ so much fun!  You don’t have to commit to anything long term—just a few hours will help.”  

​The Hancock County Library System is also a good fit for Bernie.  “I’ve loved books since I was a little girl,” she says, “and the library was a place of refuge for me, so being able to work on behalf of the Library System is a labor of love. It’s an opportunity to give back,” and that’s what she’s been doing during her six years on the board, which she vice-chairs. 

Every one of Cullen’s volunteer places gives her something in return. As a member of the Bay St. Louis Little Theater Guild, where husband Terry surprised her by pursuing an acting career in his retirement, Bernie has found the unexpected.

​“In supporting my husband as an actor, I have found another family,” she says.  “You won’t find me on the stage, but I can read plays and weed gardens!” 

The unexpected has found its way into Cullen’s involvement with the Arts Hancock County, as well.  “I am not an artist,” she says. “I don’t sculpt or paint or take photos, but I have enjoyed this year with the arts.”  

​As Board secretary, Cullen brings a sense of organization to the group, a skill she attributes to her nursing career. “As a nurse, you have a process. You’re organized. I often bring my nursing experience to my volunteer role.” 

Are there drawbacks to such a deep commitment to community service? Nothing that outweighs the joy factor.  

“Every six months, religiously, I look at what I’m involved in,” Cullen explains, “and I find there’s not one thing I want to give up. To me, if you work for your passion in community service, then you get the joy.” Still, at this point, she notes, “the bucket is full.”  
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What interests Cullen currently is mentoring. “I don’t want to be in the spotlight,” she says. “I want to help others have their day.” These fortunate “others” could not find themselves in more capable hands.
 

For 32 years, one Mississippi family has been focusing on the "giving" part of the Thanksgiving holiday, serving up a free feast. 
- story by Lisa Monti, photos courtesy the Kelly family

Carrying on her mother's legacy of building community and love of local libraries, Suzi Lee believes in the ripple effect of goodness.  
- story by Tricia Donham McAlvain

This remarkable teacher and community volunteer discovers a lifetime of giving comes back around during a recent benefit drive on her behalf.   
- story by Ana Balka

A retired Army Colonel, author, leadership coach and craftswoman extraordinaire, this Waveland resident takes on every challenge with  a can-do attitude - and a cheerful disposition. 
- by Anna Hirshfield 

From handshakes to haircuts, this dynamic retired businessman spends his days doing for others and "paying back."  
- story by Anna Hirshfield

A champion sailor and civic volunteer has a simple motto that spurs her on:  "Get moving!"
- story by Pat Saik

A "crazy idea guy" starts one of the most dynamic youth programs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast - and takes drumming to a whole new level with the Bay Ratz Marching Battery. 
- story by Pat Saik, photos and video by Ellis Anderson 

A new program approaches a difficult problem with an out-of-the-box solution - literally.  Meet the organizers and find out how you can help keep local children from going hungry.  
- by Pat Saik 

This month, the Good Neighbor column celebrates the Harvest Dinner at Christ Episcopal Church, which will be serving up home-cooked food for the 68th year on November 17th.  
​- story by Pat Saik 

How a Dust Bowl girl wound up seventy years later as one of the most beloved residents of a Mississippi Gulf Coast town.
- story by Pat Saik

An advocate for sustainability, this local architect and leading volunteer has been working for the last two decades to protect and enhance our own little piece of coastal paradise.
- story by Pat Saik

This former Bay St. Louis councilman shines as a local chef and a member of the legendary St. Rose de Lima choir.  However, behind the scenes, he's quietly working for a better community - all with a song in his heart.

- story by Pat Saik, photos courtesy Charles Johnson and Ellis Anderson

The bad news is she's moving to Chattanooga, the good news is her positive influence on this community will continue to improve our lives, for many years to come.
- by Pat Saik

The Bay's animal control officer deals efficiently and humanely with anything that flies, swims, walks, crawls, or slithers - including the occasional irate citizen.  Meet Dorty Necaise, a dog's best friend.  
story by Ellis Anderson,  photos by Denise Hines and Ellis Anderson

A world-class athlete who will soon graduate sixth grade, Evan Drye is competing in international kite-boarding competitions. 
 - story by Pat Saik, photos courtesy the Drye family 

A feisty woman with the nickname of "granny" moves the world by helping veterans feel appreciated and loved. 
- by Pat Saik

Nine decades spent determined to leave the world a better place than she found it shows in the wisdom and the smile of this Bay St. Louis icon. 
- story by Pat Saik