BRADENTON — The Manatee High School Alumni Association recognized six community leaders on May 21 for their lifetime contributions in several areas of expertise.
William Rennagel (Class of 1960), Judge Gilbert Smith Jr. (1969), Dr. Daniel Pope Jr. (1970), Tom Moseley (1974), Mark Barnebey (1973) and Todd Sellitto (1997), were honored at the Outstanding Alumni Awards Banquet at the Bradenton Country Club, joining 52 other alumni honored since the awards began in 1994. Manatee High School was the first public high school in Manatee County, founded in 1893.
Rennagel was honored posthumously with the Military Achievement Award. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1966, he held high-level positions in the U.S. Army, the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency for 34 years. He was seriously wounded in Vietnam, losing a hand, and continued his career as a teacher at the U.S. Military Academy, Ohio State University, the U.S. Army War College and the College of William and Mary, retiring as Executive Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander in 1995.
Judge Gilbert Smith, of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court, received the Community Achievement Award for his volunteer efforts in the community. A former banker, Smith teaches the Law Merit Badge curriculum to Boy Scouts in Southwest Florida, is a past member of the Board of Trustees of Manatee Community College (now State College of Florida) and is past president of the Manatee County Bar Association and the Bradenton Kiwanis Club. He wrote a history of Manatee County lawyers from 1955-2024 and is the latest recipient of the Leadership Manatee Kent. C. Schulz Award, honoring individuals who have made a meaningful and lasting impact on Manatee County.
Dr. Daniel Pope Jr. was presented the Professional Achievement Award. An ophthalmologist, Pope saved the historic 1925 CSX train depot in downtown Bradenton from condemnation, buying and renovating it. He opened his medical practice there, renaming it The Eye Depot, in 2001. Pope has served on the board for Lighthouse Vision Loss Education, Meals on Wheels and the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature. He is also past president of the Manatee Medical Society and a member of the American Medical Association, Florida Medical Association, Florida Society of Ophthalmology and the Manatee Medical Society.
Tom Moseley was presented with the Community Achievement Award. An attorney with Florida Bar board certification in wills, trusts and estates, he served three years as chairman of both the Florida Area Council and the Florida Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County. He is past president of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County Foundation. He was recognized as Board Member of the Year for the Florida Area Council of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Moseley also is past chairman of the legislative affairs committee of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and a past president of Bradenton Kiwanis and the Kiwanis Club of Bradenton Foundation. In 2008, he was presented the President’s Service Award by President George Bush for his volunteer service, and in 2012 he received the Hixson Award from Kiwanis International.
Mark Barnebey was presented the Service and Support to Manatee High School Award for donating his time for 40 years to Manatee High School announcing girls and boys basketball games and supporting the football team. A land use and local government attorney for 40 years, he is the city attorney for the City of Palmetto, formerly serving as the senior land use attorney for Manatee County, School Board attorney and special counsel. He has served as a hearing officer, special magistrate and mediator, and received the two highest honors from two statewide bodies, the Ralph A. Marsicano Award from the City, County and Local Government Law Section of the Florida Bar, and the George W. Simon Jr. Award from the Florida Planning and Zoning Association. He also has served on the Manatee Chamber of Commerce Board, Take Stock in Children of Manatee County Board, Just for Girls Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Manatee County Library Foundation, Golden Herald Student Awards Judge, Jessie P. Miller Elementary School Advisory Council, Manatee River Fair Association, The Great Outdoors Conservancy, the Gold Star Club, Manatee Players and Head Start. He and his wife, City of Bradenton council member Marianne Barnebey, are the first married couple to each receive the award.
Todd Sellitto was presented with the Heroic Achievement Award. A veteran law enforcement officer with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, he has more than 28 years of experience in patrol operations, criminal investigations, specialized enforcement and multi-agency task force work. Sellitto has served as a detective in the Crimes Against Children Unit and became the first certified Computer Forensics Examiner in Manatee County through the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. He participated in federal investigations targeting human trafficking, child exploitation and online predatory activity with the ICE Blue Lightning Task Force and the FBI Innocent Images Task Force. He has received multiple lifesaving awards, including in 2020, when he responded to a capsized vessel at Bean Point off Anna Maria, where he rescued three children from the water, pulled them safely to shore and rendered aid. In 2021, he prevented a juvenile suicide by maintaining communication, gaining trust and physically intervening to bring the individual to safety. He was twice awarded the Florida 16th District Congressional Law Enforcement Preservation of Life Award.