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Civitan Honors Ex-GTE Exec

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By WILLIAM MARCH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 12, 2008

Updated: 02/11/2008 11:23 pm

TAMPA - William E. "Bill" Starkey, a former GTE executive and longtime Tampa civic activist, was named as the Civitan Club's Citizen of the Year at the annual Governor's Lunch at the Florida State Fair on Monday.

A Tampa resident for 23 years, Starkey retired as regional president of GTE in 1994, but has remained active since then in volunteer work for a variety of local education and charitable institutions and groups.

He serves as president of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, an organization that administers charitable funds established by local individuals and organizations. The foundation currently administers more than $140 million in assets devoted to supporting local charitable causes.

A board member of WEDU, Channel 3, the local Public Broadcasting Service affiliate station, Starkey also served as chairman of the station's recent $12.5 million endowment fundraising drive.

In 2004, largely at the behest of Mayor Pam Iorio, Starkey served briefly as interim director of the Port of Tampa. The port at the time was engulfed in management turmoil and was searching for a permanent director, but needed a temporary leader to guide it through the controversy. Starkey served in the post without pay.

Starkey, 72, a Pennsylvania native who studied business in college and graduate school, moved to Tampa in 1985 to become GTE's regional president. His list of civic activist positions includes: chairman of the Tampa Chamber of Commerce in 1989-90; chairman of the Tampa Committee of 100 from 1993-95; board memberships at Bayfront Medical Center, the Florida Council of 100, the University of Tampa, Eckerd College, the University of South Florida Engineering Advisory Committee, the State Fair Authority and the Tampa Bay Biracial Committee.

He also served as chairman of Hyde Park United Methodist Church's endowment campaign.

Starkey and his wife, Barbara, who also is involved in local civic activities, have three children: Ted Starkey of Tampa, head of commercial real estate lending in Florida for Wachovia Bank; Jennifer Coan, a banker in Boston; and Mike Starkey of Tampa, a computer software salesman.

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