MILT THOMAS

Dr. David Sullivan, who has served as provost at the Indian River State College Mueller Center in Vero Beach, has retired after 18 years at the helm. Anyone who lived here 18 years ago is familiar with the monumental growth that has occurred on that campus. Sullivan has had his hand in virtually all that growth and every other change in that period of time. “When I came here, people wanted to know why we put this campus in the middle of nowhere. Now it is the heart of everything.”

First of all, what exactly is the role of provost? According to Sullivan, “That is the one person responsible for everything that involves the college in Indian River County, including the 250 faculty members, scheduling of classes, 160-acre campus, operations, maintenance and our image in the community. Actually, we have two operations in Sebastian, three locations in Fellsmere, two in Gifford, as well as classes at Piper, the Sheriff’s Department, and if something as mundane as an air conditioner breaking down, I am responsible for having it fixed. All of this falls under the purview of the provost.”

Achieving that position was no small task. A native of Long Island, New York. Sullivan went to the University of Miami on a music scholarship in 1972. “I changed my major to business after deciding I wouldn’t make a good living in music.”

He stayed in Miami until the late 70s, finished his master’s degree, then moved to Orlando where he ended up as an instructor at the University of Central Florida. “I loved the work, but it didn’t pay that well and I could not earn tenure.”

He applied to a college just beginning to expand that did have a tenure track – Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce. He would spend the next 13 years teaching, working on his doctorate in education and becoming totally immersed in fund raising for the school. “I volunteered for anything to do with raising money — fund raising events, performances, the annual golf tournament and more.”

He was looking for advancement opportunities and the position of provost at the Mueller Center came up in 1996. “I loved the job and became very involved in the community, an important responsibility with the position. I served on the United Way board, Chamber of Commerce board all 18 years I was provost, and was an original board member at the Indian River Charter High School. I was a founder of the Gifford Youth Activities Center. I also served on the Economic Development Council, Fellsmere Community Enrichment program, Character Counts and the Indian River Golf Association even though I don’t play.”

Sullivan is more a fisherman than a golfer. He also served on committees within the boards, all in addition to his responsibilities on campus. One of the duties he is most proud of won’t be found on his resumé, but in a box on his bookshelf. “I helped save many kids to they could have a better life, from helping them get admission to the school or back in school if they failed, helping to get a refund, just about any problem that needed to be addressed so they could continue their education. There is documentation and letters for about 1,000 of those cases in this box.”

As to his future, “I’m too young at 60 to retire and have plenty of energy, but so far I have only scheduled a day of fishing and lunch with a friend.”

Sullivan is very upbeat about his successor, Charles “Casey” Lunceford and has spent a great deal of time showing Lunceford ‘the ropes.’

Casey Lunceford came to Vero Beach in 1966 when he father, Ray Lunceford was hired as band director for the high school. “My Dad was later hired as band director at IRCC and started the music program. He went from there to dean of arts and sciences, then like David Sullivan, became provost of the Mueller Center.”

While David Sullivan just retired as the fourth provost in Mueller campus history, the elder Lunceford was the school’s second. Now his son, Casey, is the fifth provost at the Mueller Center. He is the first “local boy” to hold that position. Many of his Vero Beach High School classmates are well known figures in the community – John Moore, Tommy Lowther, Brad Rossway and his sister, Leslie Rossway Swan.

“I graduated from Vero Beach High School and earned a degree in music education at the University of Florida. I was close to the band director, Mr. Wicks, and followed him to LSU in Baton Rouge, where I earned my masters in music.”

Lunceford came back to Vero in 1988 after marrying a high school band friend, Brenda LaMarca. Then, like his father, he came to IRCC in 1997 as music director, eventually becoming dean of math, science and fine arts. This past summer, he heard that David Sullivan was retiring and expressed interest in the provost position.

So Lunceford truly followed in his father’s footsteps. As another coincidence, the reason his father came to Vero Beach and interviewed for the high school band director’s position was through a recommendation by Milt Thomas, Sr., the father of this writer, who was himself in the band instrument business! Lunceford says his father remembers many great times coming over to the Thomas home for dinner in those early years.

Lunceford sees a great future for the Mueller Center. “We have a lot of property to fill, so I expect we will see expansion and growth continuing.”

And who knows, maybe he will have the job long enough so his son Lance will replace him and keep up the family ‘dynasty.’