On Wednesday, May 20, 2015, Orlando Remembered, a Committee of the Historical Society of Central Florida, met in the 3rd floor Grand Jury Room at the History Center, 65 E. Central Blvd., Orlando FL. Meeting was called to order at 9 a.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America. Attending were:
Robert Serros, Chairman
Shirley Cannon, Vice Chairman
Mark Line, Past Chairman
Grace Chewning, Secretary
Daniel Assael
Joe Baker
Texann Buck
Joy Wallace Dickinson
Charlie Gray
Leon Handley
Rodney Kincaid
Vic Ratliff
Robert Smith
Jane Tracy
Peggy Jo van den Berg
Claude Wolfe
Bob Woodbery
Richard Forbes
Anita Lam
Gail Padgett
Mike Perkins
Kimberlee Riley
Whitney Broadaway
Emilie Arnold
Paul Trembly
Rick Kilby
Nancy Garmon
Eric Gray
Bill Leach
John Olin
1. MINUTES – The April 15 minutes were approved as written on motion of L. Handley, seconded by V. Ratliff and vote carried.
2. TREASURER’S REPORT – K. Riley cited balances through April of $17,321.78 in the OR Money Market account and $9,498 in the Andrew N. Serros Legacy Endowment Fund [CD].
3. PROJECT PRIORITIES
A] 390 N. Orange Ave./Bank of America – A. Lam reviewed progress toward making this project a reality with suggested branding of the proposed display model utilizing a 7’ pole design with cross arms!
B] Autrey Arcade/Jefferson Court block – A. Lam advised that photos and captions are needed to finalize this proposed audio-visual monitor display.
4. OLD BUSINESS: [a] Strategic Initiatives: ► Member Education: Visit existing displays. ► Exhibits and website: Mike Perkins stated the on-going revamping of the History Center website will include OR. ► “We Love Orlando” Party: No report. ► Orlando Remembered Legacy: No report. [b] Edited draft of “Historic Downtown Orlando Walking Tour” brochure, incorporating OR displays, is in final review. [c] R. Forbes cited an estimated cost of $4,000 to relocate the original Sperry Fountain from City storage to a site in Greenwood Cemetery.
5. NEW BUSINESS: ☑ Mike Perkins was asked to “dust off” the audio-visual production on OR exhibits for a presentation at the September 16th meeting. ☑ R. Forbes noted sizeable attendance at the May 19 Unveiling of the Eppes-Shine Family Florida Marker in Greenwood Cemetery and that the April 19 Lake Eola Heights Walking Tour raised $2,000 for donation to the Orange Preservation Trust. He also announced the theme for the 2016 Historic Preservation Board Calendar will be the bungalows of Orlando’s historic districts in black/white photos that capture their craftsmanship, history and unique architectural characteristics. ☑ Eric Gray, former History Center staff member, now Executive Director of the Community Food & Outreach Center, 150 W. Michigan St., was welcomed and provided a summary of the organization’s mission to help those who are trying to break the cycle of poverty. For more info, go to www.communityfoodoutreach.org.
6. ON-GOING ACTIVITIES: () M. Perkins related that $115,000+ was raised from the hugely successful 2015 “John Young History Makers” event on April 23 honoring Dr. John C. Hitt [present], UCF President, and Burt Roper [past], Florida citrus pioneer/inventor/philanthropist. () Historical Society President Mark Line commented on positive recent ad hoc committee meeting with A. Lam, T. Buck, W. Broadaway, E. Arnold and P. Trembly resulting in commitment by Collections/Exhibit staff to a restoration plan for existing OR exhibits. W. Broadaway elaborated on myriad factors involved in this endeavor, stating she plans to “tackle” one case a month. Regarding new exhibits, it was the committee’s consensus that they be content oriented with QR codes and/or web page, digital references rather than actual artifacts. () T. Rivera’s report was received via email: The RICHES Mosaic Interface in rolling out a new release that allows users to analyze the items they’ve saved to their Bookbag. Enhancement features include: Organize items into folders; view annotations; See items from a selected folder on a map or timeline; Use the Connections tool to find new items related to items in your Bookbag. [Reminder: OR exhibits can be found at: https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/orlandoremembered. Exhibit titles are Orlando Regions Bank, Orlando Public Library, Downtown Information Center. You may also search by repository. Orlando Remembered is listed and can be selected.]
7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/GOOD OF THE ORDER: S. Cannon mentioned various activities by the Pine Castle Woman’s Club and the Pine Castle Historical Society, especially noting that ABC has donated $10,000 toward the Crawford House restoration/relocation effort. A new undertaking involves saving the Pine Castle School. KUDOS! Rick Kilby is the new Editor of the Society’s “Reflections” magazine! Today, the Anniversary of Chairman Serros’ Natal Day, was acknowledged by card and song!
8. ORLANDOANS REMEMBERED – People whose lives were so important to so many, who helped make Orlando a great City and whose passing represents a significant loss to our community: Daniel Edward Zaffran, Kenneth Houston Kraft, Jr., Ray Norman, Jeanne D’Agostino Rodriquez, Chris W. Amick, Judge George C. Young, Ollie McCullers Sullivan, Nancy N. Garthwaite, James Louis Hayes, Carrie Johnson, Thomas Ross Mulcahy, Dr. Richard Harriss Hellinger, Sr., Mark Barker, Jr., Judge Warren Edwards, Richard Howard.
9. ADJOURNMENT – There being no further business, meeting was adjourned – at 10:07 a.m. Next gathering is June 17, 2015, 9 a.m., at the History Center.
Grace Ann Chewning, Secretary
Orlando Remembered Loves “The City Beautiful!”