People: An installation with Scottish flair

When Eckerd College was making plans to install its new president, Donald Eastman III, the fourth man to hold the office decided to do something different. He requested that the college draw on the Scottish heritage of his wife Christine's family in planning the event.

The invitations for last weekend's festivities were made with a tartan border representing the MacKinnon clan.

For the Friday night gala at the Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa, Eastman donned the MacKinnon clan tartan kilt and Prince Charlie jacket.

Eastman, who is always nattily dressed in a bow tie, had toyed with the idea of wearing his tartan for the installation ceremony. But he opted to join the procession Saturday at St. Petersburg's First Presbyterian Church in his academic robe. The Scottish theme was carried out during the ceremony with a bagpiper.

St. Pete Beach artist/jewelry designer Evander Preston created the medallion the new president wore around his neck.

Among the Eastman clan who came for the inauguration were son and daughter-in-law Andy and Ashley of Athens, Ga., and sons Bryan and Zack from Atlanta.

Two of Eastman's six brothers and their wives also attended the ceremony. Gerry and Kay Eastman came from Knoxville and Frank and Betsy from Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Flower power

A few months back, hibiscus baron Curt Sinclair picked a few of his newest blossoms, including the blue and orange "Gator Pride," and sent them off to homemaking/garden maven Martha Stewart.

Stewart was so fascinated by the blue blossom festooned in orange that she invited the former Pinellas Park and now Myakka City grower to come and tape a segment for her TV show.

"One day I was filming with Martha Stewart and the next I was back in Florida, weeding," he says.

The show aired a couple of weeks ago, and within two days Sinclair had more than 100,000 hits on his Web site (www.exotichibiscus.com), with orders for various varieties.

Sinclair says he has 3,000 "Gator Pride" cuttings coming along, which will be priced at $15 a plant when they are ready to leave his nursery.

Washington scene

Former Florida Gator coach Steve Spurrier is making the celebrity scene in Washington now that he's the head coach of the Redskins. Spurrier was among the 550 guests at Larry King's Cardiac Foundation Gala at the Ritz-Carlton last Friday.

Spurrier rubbed elbows with Vice President Dick Cheney, Gen. Alexander Haig; solicitor general Ted Olson, Mayor Anthony Williams and Sens. Orrin Hatch and John Warner. The evening brought in $800,000 for the foundation.

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