Jeff Lynn has always had a passion for the arts, and now he is the administrative and development coordinator for the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood. He has also coordinated preview screenings of 100 films in 30 days at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.

Jeff Lynn

1977, Journalism

Coral Gables

Q: What do you remember about the night you won?

A: Honest to goodness, I really didn't want to be there. I didn't have a shot at winning. I remember there was going to be a Chevy Chase special on television that night that I wanted to watch. Bill Conti was there, I think the first Silver Knight award winner in music. He had been recently nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the score of Rocky. I mean, this is the guy that could have beaten Barbra Streisand!

I remember when they started reading the profiles, I started thinking, ''I did something like that, it could be me.'' And at that moment, when I realized it was me, it was absolutely amazing.

Q: How do people react when you tell them you are a Silver Knight winner?

A: About a couple of weeks ago, I got together with some Gator alumni and I mentioned about winning the Silver Knight. My friend turned around and said, ''You're a Silver Knight award winner? I can't believe it!'' She just went on about what a great honor it was. So it was like brand new all over again, and it was very flattering.

Q: Tell us about your life now, what do you do?

A: I am the administrative and development coordinator for the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood. It is one of the five major cultural institutions of Broward County. We do visual arts, performing arts and education, and we also have three galleries. I've also been very active with the AIDS Walk Miami. The best thing is I still get to work in my hometown.

Q: How did you get into the arts?

A: Basically because of my love of films. I was always a movie nut. One day I'm standing in the lobby of the Cocowalk Theatre and I saw this man standing there. I walked up to him and said, ''You do great work.'' It was Harold Prince, a man who has won 20 Tony Awards.

Q: What other celebrities have you had a chance to meet?

A: I've met Lauren Bacall, Debbie Reynolds, and I even have a letter from Katherine Hepburn who was in the play Matter of Gravity. I was 17, and the night I saw the show I gave her a gift at the stage door. She sent me a handwritten thank-you note that arrived on my birthday.

Q: What advice do you have for students who want to be Silver Knights?

A: There's no greater gift than giving, and I think a lot of the community service we look for as a Silver Knight is a big part of it. What can you do to become a better person and help your community?

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