(Annie Williams, Miami Herald, 11 March 2007)
Posted by Ana from Ellan Vannin
More pics from the event
The late Bee Gee and beloved Miami Beach resident Maurice Gibb was honored last weekend when his favorite South Beach park was dedicated in his name
After a busy day of recording hits with the Bee Gees, Maurice Gibb would walk a block from Middle Ear studios in Miami Beach and find solace in a quiet park nestled between Biscayne Bay and Purdy Avenue.
Those closest to Gibb remember his love of Island View Park, a personal oasis where he would feed the seagulls, stare out at the bay and wait for inspiration.
"Mo meditated here; magic happened and answers came," said friend Arthur Hamm, referring to Gibb by his popular nickname. "Now we can always come here, close our eyes and listen."Family, friends, fans and city officials came together last weekend at Maurice Gibb Park, renovated and renamed for the musician four years after his death.
Gibb played bass and keyboard for the group, whose name is short for the Brothers Gibb. The brothers - Maurice, his fraternal twin Robin and Barry - won seven Grammy Awards and are most known for their hit songs on the 1977 Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.
"Mo the dreamer, Mo the artist, Mo the magician, Mo the husband and father," Barry Gibb said at the March 4 ceremony. "This place now becomes sacred."
During the ceremony, Gibb's widow Yvonne and their two children, Adam and Samantha, sat in the front row with Gibb's mother, Barbara, and Barry and Robin. Behind were 100 family members and friends who traveled from all over the globe to attend the dedication. Farther behind stood 400 fans, who had begun congregating five hours before the 4 p.m. event with video cameras, cards and other Maurice Gibb mementos.
"My dad loved living here and now a piece of Miami Beach is his," said Adam Gibb, who lives in Surfside.
Maurice and Yvonne Gibb moved to Miami Beach in 1978. Here, Gibb raised his children and worked until he died at age 63 in January 2003, following emergency surgery for a blocked intestine.
The project to dedicate the park in Gibb's memory began in late 2003 and was passed by an overwhelming majority of city voters in November 2003.
The park renovations cost $75,000 and included new landscaping, a carved concrete entry sign designed to resemple the word "Mo," and a tricolored glass tile mosaic memorial, both created by Dale Bryant, Miami Beach landscape architect.
"This is a great day for the city," Mayor David Dermer said as he honored Gibb's family with a key to the city. "To know his spirit is here, with the view of the water and the sky, is special for all of us."
The afternoon clouds parted and Gibb's wife and children unveiled the memorial under a ray of sunshine, revealing a plaque from them that quotes a Billie Holiday tune: "I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places. One day at a time."
The family stayed at the park for an hour after the ceremony, shaking hands, hugging and signing autographs for fans, some who came as far away as Japan and Germany."
"This is really awesome. This is a family event and they let us be part of it," said Bonnie Conte, who came from Chicago with her husband and two of her four children. Conte, 44, has been a Bee Gees fan since she was 13. She came with a group of 50, who all met in a chatroom at BarryGibb.com.
Maurice Gibb is best remembered by the world through his music, but his legacy also included his generosity enthusiasm and charm, said Arnold Gitomer, a family friend of 30 years.
"A park is a gift of nature because it's full of life. This is an accurate description of the life Mo led," Gitomer said. "Mo could have lived anywhere, but he said Miami Beach is heaven on Earth. He would be humbled to have his name linked to this paradise."
