The idea of providing computer lessons to all members of the club was broached to Kraig Spina, Club Manager and C.O.O. of Gleneagles Country Club, West Delray Beach, in 2007 by resident, Jerry Bartzoff, president of Gleneagles Computer Club and Mrs. Tobie Widis.
Bartzoff was a founding member of the Computer Club in 1989 with the late Donald Nadler. His goal was to inject new life into the club beyond their monthly meetings by providing computer lessons on a daily basis within the community to any resident that wanted to learn. Their need: A permanent, secure space for a classroom. Jerry suggested one side of the Lomond Hills clubhouse would be the ideal spot; a space previously used as a tap dance studio. (There are seven neighborhood clubhouses and adjoining swimming pools in the community.)
Bartzoff also discussed with Spina the need to install Wi-Fi capability in the main clubhouse and swimming pool area as well as Wi-Fi in the Lomond Hills clubhouse and pool area. Computer Club member, Mrs. Toby Widis wrote a business plan which she and Bartzoff submitted it to Kraig Spina May 2007. He liked the idea and took it to the Board of Governors explaining:
“Teaching residents to become computer literate can bring them closer to their families, since most of the adult children and grandchildren of our resident’s use computers daily in their homes and businesses. Enabling laptops of visitors to utilize Wi-Fi on premise will benefit children and grandchildren when they visit here during holiday seasons. It is an excellent asset for the club.”
The board of governors approved the request and the renovation plan moved forward. Within six months the Lomond Hills Clubhouse became a state of the art computer teaching facility.
Ms. Tobie Widis and Bartzoff created the curriculum for beginning and intermediate computer users. For 30 years Mrs. Widis taught Remedial Math and computer applications to Metuchen, N. J. high school students. Computer Club members, Allen Schwarz and Bernie Harris provide valuable assistance to Bartzoff and Widis.
To date over 200 Gleneagles residents have participated in the classes which typically run two hours each session; 10 A.M.-12 Noon, 1-3 P.M. and 3:30 to 5:30 P.M., Monday through Friday each week. An everning program on Digital Photography is being added. (Bartzoff is shown teaching a class in photo.)
The backgrounds of Spina, Widis and Bartzoff provide the clues to their dedication in accomplishing their objective of training the maximum amount of people in the community to become computer literate.
Kraig Spina has been the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Gleneagles Country Club for the past 2 ½ years. A native Floridian, born and raised in West Palm Beach, Kraig graduated from Florida International University with a B.S. in Hospitality Management and entered the country club management field.
Kraig, who is an outdoors guy, stands 5’ 10” tall and weighs a solid 183 pounds. He enjoys fishing and surfing with his family. His main hobby is auto racing his own Limited Production STI Subaru at Homestead, Morosco and Sebring tracks when time allows.
Gleneagles Country Club, located between Linton Boulevard and Atlantic Ave. in West Delray Beach serves the 1,800 club members living in 1,082 condo apartments and single family homes. This keeps Spino busily involved every day. He oversees the 404 acre complex built over a two year period begun in 1986: two Karl Litten designed regulation18 hole golf courses; a Racquet Club with 21 Har-Tru tennis courts, and a state of the art free standing fitness center. Each sports venue is supervised by professional staffs of instructors that keep residents busy and fit. Wackenhut Security mans a 24 hour security staff.
Mrs. Toby Widis was born in New Brunswick, N. J. She graduated Douglas College with a B. S. in Arts and taught at Metuchen, N. J. High School until her retirement in 1999. She and her husband Marvin divide their time between Long Beach Island, N. J. in the summer and Gleneagles in the winter months. They are blessed with three adult children and four grandchildren.
Mrs. Widis’s proudest accomplishment besides raising her family was her three decades as an educator at Metuchen High School. At Gleneagles she has learned to play golf; wrote the computer class lesson plans and schedules the computer classes.
Computing entered Jerry Bartzoff’s life many years ago in 1959. He used IBM punch cards in his personnel recruitment business. IBM put him through a training course in those days, providing him with a thorough knowledge of the inner workings of computers. In 1984 he installed an early IBM personal computer using DOS in his business office.
During his retirement years he has completed many on-line training courses, gaining expertise in Paint Shop Pro, MS Word, Excel, Front Page, Digital Photography and HTML.
Bartzoff serves as President and Webmaster for the Gleneagles Computer Club and is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Boca Raton Computer Society. Occasionally he fills in at Paint Shop Pro Special Interest Group classes and Q & A sessions at Society meetings. When he’s not busy at his computer, and generously donating his time to help others with their computer problems, he and wife Dolores enjoy golf and bridge.
After enlisting in the Navy in 1944, Jerry returned to his home in Brookline, MA. in 1946, completing his higher education and earning a B.A. in Communications at Boston University. During that time and for the next ten years he worked as a broadcast engineer at local Boston radio stations and the CBS outlet, WEEI.
In 1949 Jerry married Dolores. First born daughter Judi arrived. She has stayed close by residing in West Boca. A few years later their son Bob was born and now lives in Newport Beach, CA. Raising his family is Jerry’s proudest accomplishment. Watching Judi’s two sons, Matthew 25, and Zachary 22 grow up; being able to nurture and coach his grandsons’ interest in golf and computers has provided Jerry with great pleasure. His one major regret: Not attending Carnegie Tech and becoming an architect.
The entrepreneurial urge took over in 1956. He bought and opened an employment agency franchise, growing it to eleven branches, and partnered in a total of fifty-six branches throughout the northeast extending as far west as Indiana.
Jerry, 5’ 10” and weighing a trim 172 pounds, served as President of the National Employment Association in 1973. In 1980, Jerry and his brother left the franchise umbrella and established their own chain of recruiting services as Barclay Personnel Systems, Inc., until retiring in 1990.
“The most influential person in my life was my Father—a charismatic, successful advertising executive and entrepreneur,” says Bartzoff. “I’ve tried to mellow by learning to be more patient than I was in my younger days.”
The Gleneagles Computer Club is in capable hands under the leadership of President Jerry Bartzoff and his associates who are nurturing the growth of computer users throughout their community.
Hagen Ranch Road Library Update from John J. Callahan III, Library Director Palm Beach County:
The Hagen Ranch Rd. Library is on track to finish construction in May. It will take approximately 6 – 8 weeks to move in furniture, set up computers and move the book and media collections from the current location to the new. At the same time we will be receiving and interfiling new materials to supplement the collections. Right now it appears that we will open to the public in late June or early July.
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