“The future has a way of arriving unannounced.”—George Will.

The Greater South County Road Association: John Ellis Bush (Jeb) at the Mar-a-Lago speaker’s podium, November 1997.

Please Note: What you are about to read is not about national politics or a political statement. The blog post below is about a very special place in American History: Mar-a-Lago. From a collection of boxes left unopened for many years I — Yours Truly, Wes Blackman — am looking back at my decade plus years (1993–2003*) working as Director of Projects at Mar-a-Lago for a man I called, “Mr. Trump”.

In November 2016 that very same man became President Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States.

Let’s take a look at what happened 21 years earlier
at Mar-a-Lago, in November 1997:

“GSCRA RETURNS TO
MAR-a-LAGO”

“And our host this year is C. Wesley Blackman. . .”

The “GSCRA” is the Greater South County Road Association, Inc., and this organization remains very active in the Town of Palm Beach:


The Greater South County Road Association is an organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the businesses, merchants, and professionals located in the South County Road business corridor in the Town of Palm Beach.
     Our organization holds regular monthly meetings featuring a wide variety of guest speakers and topics that help promote and benefit our members, South County Road businesses and the community as a whole.

From the GSCRA newsletter dated “21 November 1997”, the 42nd Issue, Vol. IV, No. 6:

Front page (partial image).

(Photograph below was taken by Beall Turecamo,

a self-portrait and more photos are below.)

Click on all images to enlarge.

“And our host this year is C. Wesley Blackman, A.I.C.P. (American Institute of Certified Planners), and project director of the Mar-a-Lago Club. . . .

“In September 1993 he was asked by Mr. Trump to convert one of the world’s most historically sensitive homes to a private club . . . including hiring the architects, engineers, and contractors. In April 1995 the certificate of occupancy validated 18 months of incredible effort. As such, Wes holds the distinction of being the Club’s first employee.”

A quote from the GSCRA “President’s Page” referring to John Ellis Bush, a speaker at
Mar-a-Lago in 1997:

“While an original is always hard to find, he is easy to recognize.”†

Page 7 (partial image of page).

“Descendant of a prominent family, Jeb still goes
his own way . . . and may someday be
Governor of Florida.”

Back page.

“BEALL TURECAMO ON ASSIGNMENT.”

“MAR-a-LAGO ENCORE.
It keeps getting better.”

A most proper quote to end this blog post:

“The future has a way
of arriving unannounced.”

*Other recent blog posts that may interest you:

• Click on this link for, “The Mar-a-Lago Club, 1994–1998: From the ‘King of Clubs’ to the legendary crooner Tony Bennett.”
• Brochure from Christie’s dated March 1995, auction of items in New York City: “Property from Mar-A-Lago”.
• March / April / May 2003 edition of the much-anticipated magazine in Palm Beach: “The Mar-a-Lago Club, L.C.”

†This quote originates from John L. Mason (1832–1902). An American inventor who patented the metal screw top salt shaker and, among many other inventions, another item you may be familiar with, “the metal screw-on lid for antique fruit jars that have come to be known as Mason jars.”