Brotherly bonds transcends ages.
From camaraderie among members during social events to empowering students through mentorship and scholarships, The Sophisticated Gents of Florida has become a blooming brotherhood for the past 20 years.
Glen Lomax, president of The Sophisticated Gents, said that is why he was inspired to join the organization 10 years ago.
“(The group) was of interest to me because I mentored for most of my career,” he said. “The camaraderie of men, with the mutual desire to focus and extend their legacy to students through mentorship and scholarships really interested me.”
The organization — which is dedicated to the intellectual, spiritual and emotional fellowship of its members in The Villages and surrounding communities — first started with a few friends having lunch at the Cattle Baron Restaurant at Katie Belle’s in The Villages.
Lawrence Parker, of the Village of Piedmont, was the one who arranged the original lunch and later helped decide the group’s name and location it holds its monthly meetings.
“It wasn’t meant to be all of this,” said the former vice president of The Gents. “I had an ex-brother-in-law who came down in February 2024. I called some of the fellows I wanted to introduce him to. The guys stood up one at a time, telling how they came to The Villages and it was all really interesting.”
Walter Martin, of the Village of Ashland, was at that first lunch meeting and remembers how good it felt to have the group of men come together.
“To have a group of us Black men meeting and socializing in The Villages during ’05 was great,” Martin said. “We weren’t excluded but we (didn’t feel) included and that still is a little true today, even though more Black people live here. I think it’s important to have a presence and let people know (there are Black people in The Villages).”
On his way home from the lunch, Parker ran into Nelson Bickley, who is now deceased, and told him about the experience. The two had been playing golf with each other when they realized they wanted the group of men to keep meeting.
“By that time, the Spicy Ladies had been formed and we realized we wanted to start meeting like the ladies,” he said. “We started calling around to get together the guys who wanted to meet. Nelson and I would go to different venues once a month to see if we could have dinner together. We did it like that for about a year.”
Parker, who is considered, along with Bickley, founders of The Sophisticated Gents, said the idea for an official name for the group came about during a lunch. When the server asked, “What can I do for you gentlemen?,” it sparked the thought for Parker, “Why don’t we call ourself The Gentlemen?” After pitching the name, he was asked, “What kind of gentleman do you want to be?”
“That’s how sophisticated came,” Parker said. “We don’t call it ‘of The Villages’ because we have members from Wildwood, Stonecrest and other places, those guys are Gents too, so we officially named it The Sophisticated Gents of Florida.”
In 2007, Parker and Bickley secured the group’s current monthly meeting location, Golden Corral, on County Road 466 in The Villages. Parker said the group has made many memories in the restaurant where they still gather on the first Wednesday of the month.
“At Golden Corral there is also a photo of Nelson and me with the manager getting a plaque from The Gents when they recognized us as founders,” Parker said. “We worked our tails off to make this work.”
Although the social goals of the group haven’t changed, Lomax said the group has expanded its reach to add more educational, charitable and community outreach events as a nonprofit, collecting donations and sponsorships. Along with becoming a nonprofit in 2019, The Gents became a multicultural focused group.
“One thing that’s happened is the organization has evolved,” Lomax said. “We are now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which allows us to expand and be more connected with community partners and neighboring areas. We’ve really expanded our wings.”
This year, The Gents participated in the city of Eustis’ African Heritage Parade, Leesburg MLK Parade and the 2025 Annual Black History Month Celebration hosted by Beverly Steele, founder of the community of Royal’s Alonzo A. Young Sr. Enrichment and Historical Center.
During monthly meetings, The Gents discuss topics including men’s health, politics, estate planning and more. Members also volunteer for the organization’s community programs such as mentoring students, cleaning up County Road 42 through the state’s Adopt-A-Highway and working election polls through the state’s Adopt-A-Precinct.
The group continues to host social events such as its annual Black and White Gala, which will take place March 2026 as the anticipated anniversary celebration for the nonprofit, and the recent Jazz Meets Motown on Sept. 12 at the Savannah Center.
During Jazz Meets Motown, attendees enjoyed an evening filled with music, dancing, fellowship and fun. Music was performed by AndrewLuv & The Franchise Players.
“With this event we are giving back to members,” Lomax said. “They look forward to it each year and it’s a way for them to relax and enjoy the evening.”
The Gents will partner with The African American Club of The Villages to host the Friendship Golf Tournament Scholarship Fundraiser 2025 on Oct. 25 at Harbor Hills Country Club, 6538 Lake Griffin Road, Lady Lake. The tournament is the primary fundraiser for the nonprofit’s scholarships that benefit Lake, Marion and Sumter county students from low-income families who are pursuing higher education.
Lomax said over the years, scholarship recipients have expressed how grateful they are for the support.
“We’ve had an interesting dynamic with some of our students who’ve received scholarships,” Lomax said. “One student had gone on to care for one of our members in the local hospital and they expressed they were a recipient of the scholarship. To me, it’s amazing to think we’ve helped someone who is now in the workforce providing medical assistance to a Gent.”
“I tell students, ‘don’t sit on your assets, be an asset,” Lomax said.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
