Part 2: #MyBelleviewMemory

“Think of it kind of like the movie, Dirty Dancing. Everyone who worked at grand resorts like these in the 1960s and ’70s also lived at them. But the staff would also move around seasonally – meaning we’d work up north on Cape Cod for summer, then for the winter, we would come down to Florida to the Belleview Biltmore. I was the golf pro, and I did that for years, moving back and forth between the Cape and Belleair, where I would work four to five months out of the year. So when the Belleair Country Club – part of the Belleview Biltmore – opened full time, I decided to stay on year-round as their head pro (in 1971). This was back before they even had a proper clubhouse. There was just this little building where you could store your shoes and get snacks. But it was still such a great opportunity: I didn’t have to move around anymore and I was living at this beautiful resort, home to not one, but two Donald Ross–designed golf courses. I think I lived there for a total of almost 10 years.”

–Bill Conway, 77, the original PGA pro for the Belleair Country Club and the Belleview Biltmore

“I worked at the Belleview Biltmore for 16 years – and held just about every position from wait staff to executive secretary. The only thing I didn’t officially do was housekeeping, but on busy days, it was all hands, so I think we can include that one, too. I had kids, so during that time, my kids basically grew up at the hotel – it was like a second home to them. In fact, when my son got married in 2004, it was at the Belleview Biltmore. We did the dinner at the old Cabana Club and his ceremony was done at the Heart Tree. The whole day was beautiful. I have so many great memories of that place. Sure, I met so many celebrities, but that – my son getting married there – is my favorite memory.”

–Sharon Delahanty, 78, a Belleair local and former staff member at the resort