McKuen helps Seminoles

Legendary poet gives facility two thumbs up

An American icon gives a benefit concert at the Seminole Hard Rock, then makes a pit stop for VIPs in Plantation.Rod McKuen, a writer and composer considered a rock star of poets in the 1960s and early '70s for capturing the love and angst of that restless era, was nearly speechless after a tour of Gizmo House in Plantation.

Would he give the Ann Storck Center residential facility, a computerized technological marvel for people with extreme physical disabilities, an A?

After all, residents who can barely lift their limbs or speak a word can cook, bathe, communicate, open doors, turn on lights, draw the curtains, turn on the TV and perform other daily functions in the three-bedroom house with a control panel attached to a wheelchair.

"I wouldn't even know how to grade this place. I've never seen anything like it," McKuen said.

The iconic McKuen, 72, was invited to tour the house, near U.S. 441 and Broward Boulevard by Marge Osceola, wife of Seminole Tribe of Florida representative Max Osceola, who also serves on the Ann Storck Center's board of directors.

Led by Executive Director Jim McGuire, the tour followed an intimate charity concert for the center the night before at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Chaired by Marge Osceola, the benefit raised about $25,000.