Sue Boe joined Suncoast Toastmasters with the same goal so many others have when they join a Toastmasters group: simply the need to improve everyday communication skills. However, one year after joining Suncoast, a tragic accident that led to the death of Sue’s five-month old granddaughter, Kate, led Sue down a different and unanticipated path.
With the skills and knowledge Sue developed during her first year as a Toastmaster, she had a new goal: speaking engagements to heighten the awareness of deadly hyperthermia, or heat stoke that can so often occur when young children and infants are forgotten in an overheated vehicle.
Without her Toastmaster training, Sue feels she would never have had the courage and the strength to tell “Kate’s Story”, and she feels certain that in the nearly four years since Kate’s death, her “hyperthermia” presentations have saved the lives of countless children.
Sue joined Suncoast Toastmasters in July, 2005. In January, 2006, she began writing the club newsletter. Sue was Secretary from 2006-2007, and President for a year and a half, from January 2008 through June, 2009. She is presently VP Education. Sue earned her CC in 2007, and was Club Coach for Carrollwood Toastmasters in 2007-2008.
Sue, and her husband, Frank, are the club videographers. Each speaker and each evaluator is video-recorded and the videos are uploaded to the Internet. Members of Suncoast find this one of the best learning tools available to them as they work to improve their speaking and listening skills during their Toastmaster journey.
On August 25, 2009, Sue and Frank pulled off a “Surprise Toastmaster Wedding”. Frank presented his 9th project, Persuade with Power, when he proposed and persuaded Sue to marry him. “Visitors” planted in the audience - a notary public, a best man, a matron of honor, a flower girl, etc, suddenly made their presence known, and a wedding took place. This event was certainly a first time for Suncoast Toastmasters, and perhaps for any Toastmasters group, anywhere.
Sue and Frank live in Odessa, where they share their home with pets Tatters, Dennis, Stretch, Sophi, and April.