Cathy Heighter is the co-founder of Remembering Vets, a charitable organization committed to supporting the needs of veterans of all eras, and is the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., Daytona Beach Chapter President. Her son, Army Cpl. Raheen Heighter, was killed in 2003 while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cathy will be speaking with fellow Gold Star Mother Terri Gordon about keeping the promise to remember.

Music by Daytona Beach Choral Society

Attendees can expect to hear the National Anthem, and perhaps even a patriotic sing-a-long!

For more than 40 years, this community choir has brought the “joy of singing” to Volusia County. In addition to concerts that cover genres from classical works to contemporary pop, DBCS offers an outlet for our residents to learn new music, sight read, harmonize, exercise their vocal skills, and socialize with friends.

Last year, they tackled their first virtual project, a performance of “A Tribute to the Armed Services,” which was arranged and orchestrated by Lloyd Larson (watch the video at https://youtu.be/mpSKI5Jwl1k). 

Captain William J. Toti, USN (Ret), is a business executive, photographer, and author who served more than 26 years on active duty in the United States Navy.

In the Navy, Captain Toti commanded Fleet Antisubmarine Warfare Command Norfolk, served as commodore of Submarine Squadron 3, and as commanding officer of the nuclear fast attack submarine USS Indianapolis (SSN 697). He also served for more than nine years in the Pentagon, including tours as special assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, as Navy representative to the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, and as deputy director of the Navy War Plans Cell, Deep Blue. In industry he has held executive positions at Raytheon, Hewlett Packard, Cubic, and L3 Technologies.  He currently serves as President and CEO of Sparton Corporation in DeLeon Springs, Florida.

Captain Toti holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the U.S. Naval Academy, a master’s degree in spacecraft systems engineering, and the pre-doctoral Electrical Engineer degree from the Naval Postgraduate School. In 2012, he was a member of the White House Roundtable on Military Credentialing and Information Technology in support of President Obama’s initiative to help service members receive civilian credentials and licenses.

He is an honorary survivor of the World War II cruiser USS Indianapolis, and his narrative describing his experiences during the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon were incorporated into the book Operation Homecoming, published by Random House.  He has been featured in several global-release documentaries, including “9/11: One Day in America,” “9/11: The Pentagon,” “9/11: Inside the Pentagon,” “USS Indianapolis: Live from the Deep,” “USS Indianapolis: Legacy Project,” and “USS Indianapolis: The Final Chapter.” He has recently authored a book titled “From CO to CEO: A Practical Guide for Transitioning from Military to Industry Leadership,” slated for publication in 2022.