Vincent Delisi: 2009 Kiwanian of the Year

The crowd lined the parking lot of Temple Beth Israel by 11:55 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, 2005. Veterans of the event stood with trays in hand. At noon, Vince DeLisi put his fingers to his lips and blew out a loud whistle, announcing the beginning of the 24th annual St. Jude Gourmet Luncheon. The crowd stampeded through the entrance, eager to fill their trays with samples from the 26 participating restaurants.

But the event almost didn’t happen.

For 23 years, the luncheon had operated as a Longboat Key gathering with restaurants coming together to raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tenn. As of 2005, the event had raised more than $550,000. But the luncheon was becoming increasingly difficult to put on, because the event lacked status as a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, which made it subject to certain government regulations. So, 2004 organizer Art Falls approached DeLisi, who, at the time, was serving his first term as president of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key.

“He said he had enough on his hands,” Falls said. “I said, ‘We won’t ask you to do too much.’ He said he would do his best. Of course, his best is phenomenal.”

Five years later, the St. Jude Gourmet Luncheon is still alive, and Kiwanians credit DeLisi with the event’s continued success. Fellow club members say it’s just one of the ways DeLisi has earned the title of 2009 Kiwanian of the Year.

Before DeLisi developed the winning formula for the St. Jude Gourmet Luncheon, he was working to develop formulas in a laboratory. DeLisi grew up in Bronx, N.Y., and worked throughout his childhood as a gopher for businesses including a pharmacy and a tailor shop. But his real passion was chemistry. He kept a small laboratory in his childhood home where he made colored smokes. He enrolled at New York University, where he graduated with a degree in chemistry and minored in mathematics and philosophy. He married his wife, Marie, in 1952, and the couple had three children: Vincent, Michael and Mary Louise.

DeLisi worked as a chemist and later opened his own consulting business, Fanwood Chemical, in 1971. He began vacationing on Longboat Key in the late 1980s and bought a condominium on the island in 1995.

DeLisi joined the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key at the invitation of Commissioner Hal Lenobel in 1999 and went on to serve as the group’s president from 2004-05 and 2008-09.

But his service on Longboat Key has extended beyond the Kiwanis Club. DeLisi has served on the town’s Zoning Board of Adjustment, Tax Oversight Committee and Water Advisory Committee.

DeLisi’s fellow Kiwanians say he is a hands-on leader, one who gets the job done with organization and enthusiasm.

“He doesn’t just care,” said Longboat Key Commissioner Bob Siekmann, who is active in the Kiwanis Club. “He’s passionate about it.”

Every Thursday morning, DeLisi can be found at the group’s weekly meetings, and during the holiday season, he rings the Salvation Army bell at the Longboat Key Publix. And, although he has sold his company to his son, Vincent, and retired, DeLisi never stops learning. He takes classes at the Academy of Lifelong Learning at the University of South Florida, where he is currently studying great books, energy problems, religion and war.

In his last term as Kiwanis Club president, DeLisi lined up successors for the club’s leadership to ensure that it will continue to thrive.

“Through his efforts, we have ensured that the Kiwanians have continuity,” said Bob Tucker, who took over the role of president last fall. “When he was president, he left some very large shoes to fill.”

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]

IF YOU GO
Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key Citizen of the Year Reception
What: Citizen of the Year Ron Johnson, Kiwanian of the Year Vince DeLisi, Police Officer of the Year Randy Thompson and Firefighter of the Year David Kyle will be honored. Cost is $35. Tickets include hors d’oeuvres and two drinks. A cash bar is available. Reservations are required. Contact Patti Colby at 383-5509.
When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22
Where: Longboat Key Center for the Arts, 6860 Longboat Drive S.