Vicki Nichols and Butch Meader with "Deeogee"

    James "Butch" Meader was born on August 5th, 1951 in Dubuque, Iowa, USA to Joyce Bunell and James Meader (deceased). He grew up enjoying a happy childhood along with his three sisters and two brothers.

    Butch lived in Iowa until he was four years old when his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, he attended public schools but when he was 16 years old, he dropped out of high school to become part of the work force instead. Butch was first employed as a machine mechanic for a porcelain factory that made electrical fuses.

    In 1969, Butch enlisted in the Army and that September, was deployed to fight in the Vietnam War. During the war, he was a soldier with the infantry as part of the ground troops, backpacking through the jungle. After four years in Vietnam, Butch returned home to Milwaukee, got married, and became the proud father of a baby girl, Dawn.

    For the next seven years, Butch made a living doing everything from construction to roofing to working on an oil rig. In 1980, he re- enlisted in the Army. After successfully completing a course in computer repair, he was shipped to Korea to maintain a top-secret military communications facility. In 1982, Butch immediately returned to the US when his wife was suddenly stricken with an extreme case of influenza. Sadly, this "flu" left his wife severely disabled, so he moved his family to Georgia, where he found a long-term care facility that could properly care for his wife.

    Faced with the responsibility of raising his daughter on his own, Butch and his daughter moved to Palatka, Florida where he went to work remodeling homes for several families. In 1992, after his wife passed away, he received an offer to move to Tallahassee, Florida to live and manage several properties, (including the Bristol and Young estates). As fate would have it, Butch's life began to change, and three year's later he met Vicki Nichols.

    Vicki Nichols was born on September 21st, 1960 in Moultrie, Georgia, USA, the daughter of Nanci and "Peppy" Cannizzaro, and a member of an extended family that includes a brother and three sisters. Vicki's family moved to Dallas, Texas when she was five years old where she attended Lipscomb Elementary, and became interested in cheerleading, an interest that followed her through the rest of her life. For a year, she lived in Toronto, Canada, and then moved to Amherst, New York, (a suburb of Buffalo). Vicki graduated from Sweet Home High School in 1978, and enrolled at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where she majored in English and Psychology. Since her family was in the hotel/restaurant business, she grew up in tourism, traveling the world. While she was in school Vicki worked for her parents but every school break, she earned money being a tour guide at scenic Niagara Falls, a tourist attraction located near her home. During one of these tours, she met the President of the American Express Travel Company who invited her to join his Public Relations staff. Vicki moved to Lake Placid, New York, (where the Winter Olympics were scheduled to take place) to receive formal training. In 1980, she was given the opportunity to be the company's representative for the Olympics. In 1982, she graduated from SUNY - Buffalo and decided to move back to Dallas, Texas.

    Vicki got married in Texas, was blessed with a son, Cheyenne, and then made a decision to live closer to her grandparents who resided in Georgia. Unfortunately, her marriage did not work out and for the next ten years, she worked as a substitute teacher, teaching English and Social Studies. Vicki also took on the job of cheerleading coach, since she had been a cheerleader throughout the years and had even cheered for the Buffalo Bills football team.

    Finding she was more inspired by coaching, Vicki eventually quit teaching and went to work for the National Cheerleading Association. She learned all aspects of the business, including choreography, uniform design and was even invited to judge at competitions. For years Vicki worked with the Florida State University cheerleaders, and coached teams at Valdosta State University and Abraham Baldwin College, as well.

    In 1995, a friend invited her to a dinner party where she met Butch Meader and the two agreed to go out the following weekend. Love struck, two months later, on November 21st, the couple were married. Vicki continued advancing in her profession and the following year, she formed her own Cheer Company, Cheerz!

    Unfortunately, in 1996, a fatal automobile accident claimed the life of Butch's daughter. Sadly, six years later, tragedy struck once more when Vicki's son passed away after a battle with cancer.

    Heartbroken, Vicki felt like a vacation would be good for her and Butch, so she called her travel agent and the following day they arrived in Ambergris Caye for the first time. Butch had a passion for marine life and instantly fell in love with this "Jewel of the Caribbean," so much so, that one week into their vacation they bought a house on "La Isla Bonita." The following year, they returned to vacation and learning that the Caribe Island Resort Management Company was for sale, they decided to buy it, too.

    For two years, Vicki has traveled back to Georgia where she manages the US reservation/marketing office for the resort. While in the US, she loves spending time with her grandmother, Nona Price and attends travel shows, as well as dive club and school organization meetings to spread the word about "Mother Nature's Best Kept Secret." She also attends every home game of her beloved Florida State football team, and manages to visit at least one Buffalo Bills game every year. Butch, on the other hand, remains in sunny San Pedro to handle the day-to-day operations of the company.

    Active in the community, Butch and Vicki are both members of the Belize Hotel Association, Belize Tourism Industry Association, Ambergris Caye Chamber of Commerce and the South End Neighborhood Watch. They also sponsor the island's semi-pro football team, the San Pedro SeaHawks. Due to both of them losing their own children, Butch and Vicki now find ways to help the children of Ambergris Caye. "Whenever I visit the US, I bring back as many books, toys and clothes as I can to donate to children who are less fortunate," she said. Along with her friend Ernie Brannon (a former San Pedro Town resident), Vicki spearheaded a fundraiser in Texas with the purpose to raise money for a School Lunch Program, which will be implemented this year at the San Pedro Roman Catholic School.

    Butch and Vicki intend to remain in Belize for a long time. "We love Belize, but everyone needs to understand that they need to do their part in saving this natural beauty. One person can make a whole world of difference and if everyone does their part, the results will be amazing," they commented. Vicki mentioned that despite all of their achievements, their true blessing is having friends that really love and appreciate them. "We now understand the true value of friendship," they both ended.

    Always looking out for the best interest of both the country of Belize and the children of San Pedro, James "Butch" Meader and Vicki Nichols have found their "peace" of paradise in "Our Community."