Welcome Our New Member
Jim Allen
JIM ALLEN currently lives in Yankeetown, FL and spends his summers in Dwight, Ontario. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and his family moved several times until settling in Baltimore when he was eight years old. He left Baltimore when he was eighteen to go to Franconia College in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with the intention of majoring in forestry. He ended up majoring in Theatre when the Forestry Dept. folded, and graduated with a B.A. in Dramatic Arts. He moved to Boston and worked for various Theatres designing and building sets, and occasionally acting in productions. He subsequently was hired to be an artist-in-residence at an elementary school which proved to be a life changing event. He then pursued a Master’s Degree in Theatre Education and Directing and had a thirty year career in teaching, directing and Theatre administration. Among the highlights of his career was working at the Burt Reynolds Theatre in Jupiter, the Actor’s Repertory Theatre in West Palm Beach, the Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach, Lake Worth Playhouse, Palm Beach State College, and Ft. Pierce Magnet School of the Arts. The thirty or so productions he directed include A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A LESSON FROM ALOES, FOOL FOR LOVE, THE BIRDS, IT IS SO IF YOU THINK IT’S SO, and THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES.
After thirty years in Theatre he changed course to work in photography for a few years. Then, he was at an Arts & Crafts Show playing his guitar to pass the time and ended up with more tips for his music than selling art. Since then, he has worked as a musician and has played both in Florida and Canada for almost twenty years. He is delighted to be a new member of the fellowship. He discovered NCUU when he saw an ad for it while waiting for an eye appointment in Crystal River. One of his favorite quotes “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it” – Rumi
Diane Cecala
My name is Diane Cecala. I was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and when I was five years old, my family moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where I lived for 55 years before relocating to Ocala, Florida. I’m a Libra, neurodivergent, and proudly on the spectrum. I’m married, have two children and a granddaughter, and our family is united by our love of dogs — ours is Dot, a nine-year-old pocket beagle who keeps life interesting.
I worked as a hairdresser for 36 years before retiring, and now I enjoy filling my days with Tai Chi, abstract painting, meditation, puzzles, reading, and studying crystals and their metaphysical properties. I love taking walks with Dot and stargazing with Dave. My beliefs are wide and varied, drawing from Jesus’ teachings, Buddhism, and Indigenous cultures. I’m currently preparing for knee replacement surgery on February 3rd, so I’ll be out for a few months, but I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all again soon.
Candace Tinagero
I grew up in the NYC suburbs—Long Island and every summer at our little cabin in the Catskills. I do remember going to Sunday school in some Lutheran church but it was fleeting and unremarkable for me. At some point in my life, my mother (a self described “recovering Catholic”) brought us to the Ethical Culture Society. I remember learning about many different religions and wishing I had something I could believe in. I heard about UU over the years and was always intrigued, mostly because of the social justice aspect at its core. I became a social worker and eventually an executive in the foster care/child welfare system in NYC. There, I was able to put my social advocacy skills to work but it was a 25 year, often difficult process; witnessing the pain of children entering the system. Retirement has led me to Unitarian Universalist. I have decided to join because the Sunday meeting comforts me. I adore the music, enjoy the speakers and appreciate the people I am meeting. We are heading back to upstate New York in April.
Donald Tinagero
I was born and raised in Queens, New York, and graduated from St. Anastasia Grammar School, Bayside High School, and St. John’s University, where I was exposed to plenty of Catholic dogma along the way. I served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969, including a tour in Vietnam in 1968, an experience that deeply shaped my life and perspective.
I married in 1970 (she was desperate, I was lucky) and went on to build a career in Human Resources, working in recruiting, employee services, and benefits administration at Brookfield Associates, Dean Witter Reynolds, Morgan Stanley, and ReServe. I’m the proud father of one son, an educator who is about to turn 50.
