Bios

Delany Dean

When Delany was a little girl, her grandparents chose Sanford, Florida, as their retirement home. In 1956, they moved from Alabama to Sanford, on the banks of Lake Monroe (which is part of the St. Johns River), because they loved boating, duck hunting, and fishing. They built a small house and brought their boat along with them, and she and her parents often visited them. These visits usually included long trips on the St. Johns River; it was on those river trips that her deep love for this river -- and the springs that feed it, and the plants and wildlife that depend on it -- began to grow.


Jane Goddard

Jane grew up in Cocoa, Florida, only a block from the Indian River, where she learned the names and habits of various animals, birds, and plants. She spent many hours by the river, at the beach, and horseback riding in swampy pastures near the St. Johns. Despite her interest in nature, science escaped her. Instead, she gravitated to literature and history, art and philosophy. She hopes to weave all that book learning into the St. Johns experience itself, focusing on how important the river is to our culture, our economy, our sustenance, and our awareness of ourselves, living within the natural ecological marvel we call Florida.



Debbie LaFreniere

Debbie grew up in the swamps of Lake Howell.  Following a career as an RN, she now volunteers to establish a better Nature Center at Wekiwa Springs State Park.