1 100 9 https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/04510635174e81e5ea6f3d3a9146efca.pdf 662c717c7a532bcff96e4980fcd28e48 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection Subject Museums--Florida Schools Elementary schools Grammar schools Sanford (Fla.) Description The Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and items ranging from the late 19th Century into the present. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, documents, videocassettes, and other historical records pertaining to the history of the Sanford Grammar School, the Sanford community through the years, and the history of teaching and learning within the United States from the 19th century to the 2010s. The Student Museum has collaborated with the University of Central Florida and established the UCF Public History Center (PHC). All of the Student Museum's collections are presently housed at the PHC. The goal of the PHC is to promote access to history through ground-breaking research connecting local to global, provide cutting-edge hands-on educational programs for students and visitors, and to engage the community in contributing to and learning from history. Contributor Student Museum UCF Public History Center Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum, Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Contributing Project Student Museum UCF Public History Center Curator Marra, Katie Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Alternative Title Student Museum and PHC Collection Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Part <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/32" target="_blank">General Photographic Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/73" target="_blank">Seminole County Public Schools Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer McLaughlin, Ian Interviewee Richards, Storm Leslie Location Geneva, Florida Original Format 1 DVD/DAT recording Duration 19 minutea and 4 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency 125kbps Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Oral History of Dr. Storm Leslie Richards Alternative Title Oral History, Richards Subject Oral history--United States Sanford (Fla.) Museums--Florida Grant writing Historic preservation--Florida Historic sites--Florida Longwood (Fla.) Walt Disney World (Fla.) Urban sprawl United States. Navy Navy Nuclear weapons Archaeology--Florida Urban development Archaeologists--United States Geographers--United States Conservation--United States Lake Monroe (Seminole County and Volusia County, Fla.) Tourism--Florida Traffic Description Oral history interview of Dr. Storm Leslie Richards, an archaeologist and environmental consultant for Storm L. Richards & Associates, Inc. Dr. Richards was born in Patuxent River, Maryland, on August 20, 1950, but his family migrated to Sanford, Florida, in 1953. He graduated from Seminole High School in 1969 and received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D from the University of Florida in Tallahassee in 1973, 1978, and 1987, respectively. Dr. Richards also wrote the grant for the Sanford Grammar School, located at 301 West Seventh Street. This interview was conducted by Ian McLaughlin at Dr. Richards' home in Geneva on October 24, 2012. Table Of Contents 0:00:00 Introduction 0:03:25 Grant writing and rehabilitation for the Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies 0:07:21 Other historic preservation projects 0:09:18 How Seminole County has changed over time 0:12:45 Impact of Walt Disney World Resort 0:15:42 Father’s experience in the Navy 0:17:57 Closing remarks Abstract Oral history interview of Dr. Storm Leslie Richards. Interview conducted by Ian McLaughlin at Dr. Richards' home in Geneva, Florida. Type Moving Image Source Richards, Storm Leslie. Interviewed by Ian McLaughlin. UCF Public History Center. October 24, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Requires <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>. <a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>. <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> Is Part Of UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/31" target="_blank">Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Format Digital transcript of original 19-minute and 04-second oral history: Richards, Storm Leslie. Interviewed by Ian McLaughlin. UCF Public History Center. October 24, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Coverage Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies,Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida Cuba Creator McLaughlin, Ian Richards, Storm Leslie Date Created 2012-10-24 Date Modified 2012-10-28 Format video/mp4 application/pdf Extent 46.9 MB 155 KB Medium 19-minute and 4-second DVD/DAT recording 6-page typed transcript Language eng Mediator History Teacher Civics/Government Teacher Geography Teacher Provenance Originally created by Ian McLaughlin and owned by UCF Public History Center. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only. Accrual Method Donation Contributing Project UCF Public History Center Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository UCF Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Exhibits." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. "<a href="http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/" target="_blank">Seminole High School</a>." Seminole High School, Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website) <a href="https://youtu.be/OjlBRZidNQ4" target="_blank">Oral History of Dr. Storm Leslie Richards</a> Transcript McLaughlin Alright, today is Wednesday, the 24th of October, 2012. It is 3:05 PM. I am with Dr. Storm [Leslie] Richards at his home in Geneva, Florida, and we’re going to discuss his experiences as related to historic preservation in Sanford, specifically concerning the Sanford Student Museum [and Center for the Social Studies]. Richards We moved to Sanford in 1953. My dad was in, uh, the Navy at the time, and, um, we came here, uh, when Sanford was a very small community. It was very agriculturally-oriented. Um, there were many, many schools in Sanford. Uh, I went to, uh, about four of them, uh, from about elementary school through high school—all in Sanford, and then I went to Seminole Community College,<a title="">[1]</a> which was what it was called at the time in the 1970s, uh, and got my Associate of Arts degree, and went on to the University of Florida and finished my Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate at, uh, the University of Florida in Gainesville. Um, did some graduate work at Tulane University, but, uh, for the most part, I was always at the University of Florida, and I had a very strong interest in historic preservation and archaeology and, uh, urban—urban development, and I think, uh, first time that I really became—became directly, um, associated with the school [inaudible] was I was asked to help write a grant. Um, he grant was originally through the Division of Historical Resources, which is part of Florida Department of State for doing architectural reconstruction and rehabilitation. Um, one of the things that came to me from the very, very beginning was that the school—the [Sanford] Grammar School was such a tremendous resource in terms of historically where[?] Sanford had been. It was constructed in 1907, I think—’02-’07, and, um, it had always been a real focal point for—for education for—for young kids, and I think, uh—I didn’t go to school there and—and I always remember the school having, uh, teeter-totters and having, um, jungle gyms and the having the maypole, uh, swing that the kids would swing around and stuff like that. It’s—it’s the kind of thing where you still remember the kids yelling and screaming, and just, uh, it was a very fun place. Um, academically, I can’t really speak for it, but, uh, I can remember that—that there was always a lot of activity there, and the school, uh, that I identified with the grant that I worked on was a very important hub for Sanford and for Seminole County to—to look at something historic and say that so many people had gone there and so many people’s lives had been involved. I just thought it was a wonderful focal point, um, to try to keep, and, uh, at that time, they were really the first time that they were getting into the notion of it being an historic properties, and being important for a museum, and—and I was just really, uh, excited about that for the kids to be able to go back and look at things the way they were a hundred years ago. McLaughlin All right. Um, in what capacity were you involved, specifically with the grant-writing process? Richards Um, because I was—I am a certified archaeologist, and I have a really strong background in historic preservation with the University of Florida and the Urban Re-Use and Planning Department, I was asked to—to come in and take a critical look at if the site was really historic. Now, it had already been designated on the [U.S.] National Register of Historic Places, which one would assume would make it very important, uh, but because it’s part of a district, um, that’s not necessarily the case, and you really want a building like that to stand on its own, be—because the importance not of just the neighborhood, but the importance of it being, uh, the structure that was there, uh, and so I put together, uh, all of the documentation on, uh, why it was historically important, and what it meant to the community, and why the state should look at it as being not just some local landmark, but as something that was important to the county and the State of Florida. So I wrote that up, and what really ended up happening was that the state looked at that and felt that there was enough merit there that it was designated on a, uh, state list of very important, uh, uh, schools for the State of Florida and it was designated as such with that important notice. I think that the other thing that I did was, uh, I contacted a number of commissioners and a number of people that had on a say on, uh—on how money was being spent, whether it was the school board of, uh, Seminole County, because it was certainly a focus of not just the City of Sanford, but the county also, uh, and told them the importance of preserving that, because at a certain point, older buildings have a way of just deteriorating to the point that they can no longer be used, and it takes an investment, and sometimes, that investment can actually cost more than—than new construction, you know? Rehabilitation’s a very expensive proposition, but what it does for a community, in terms of identifying the importance of a city, and importance of schools, and importance of looking at the people who got an education there and what they went on to do, and is—and it is far more important than any single dollar value. McLaughlin Right, I see. About how long did that process take from start to finish? From the beginning to the end[?]? [laughs]. Richards It took probably—the grants program probably took six months. McLaughlin Hm. Richards I think though the writing that I did, because I had a familiarity with it, was probably in days. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards I’m very quick at what I do, and so I think I wrote the, uh, four- or five-page report of why it was important in—in a day or two days. McLaughlin Excellent, and what year was this again? Richards You know, I think it was probably about, uh, 10 or 15 years ago. I mean, it was probably in the [19]90s—[inaudible] or something like that. McLaughlin So like 90s? Richards Yeah. McLaughlin Right, and who all—do you remember which people from the museum you worked with? Richards Se—Serena [Rankin Parks] Fisher… McLaughlin Serena Fisher. Richards Uh, she was, you know—and I’ve known her for years and years before that, because she’s a geographer and an educator, and—and I’m a geographer also, and so I knew her from the Florida Alliance, um, which was a group of educators who try to—to convey the importance of educating children, and she was working the museum, and, uh, it was the kind of thing that I felt real honored to help her with, because of the possibility of helping people, and, uh, when you drive by the school even today, which I did, McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards Um, it’s one of those things that you can go look at and be proud that it’s still there, because it could be somebody’s patio brick, you know? McLaughlin Yeah. Richards And—and so it’s a real good place for kids to go and look at the way that things used to be. McLaughlin Excellent, and were there any other instances in Sanford, in which you helped with local preservation efforts? Richards Um, yes. Uh, the Hopper Academy, which was the African-American school, h, over near the stadium. Uh, I put together the environmental assessment and some of the feasibility studies for—for looking at the rehabbing of that and making that, uh, another focal point, and because it was a wooden building and it had a lot of decay, it was really difficult, and the neighborhood, uh, didn’t lend itself to, you know—there were a lot of transients in the area, and people were sleeping near—in the school, and people were doing a lot of things that were just destructive. I’m not sure that worked out as well as I would have liked, but it was a real, eh, effort for someone to go over there and say, “We’d like to see, you know this—this kept for the community,” and so I worked on that, and, um, also, when I was the senior planner with Seminole County and worked, um, on comprehensive planning, I—I worked very hard to try to get a conservation element that reflected the importance of archaeological and historic sites, um, in—in Central Florida and Seminole County. In—in the profession that I have now, we do an awful lot of work in Seminole County. Uh, we worked for the airport in Seminole—the Orlando-Sanford [International] Airport. We’ve identified historic sites and identified preservation, uh, concepts for them. [inaudible]. We’ve worked for the Division of Historic Resources on the railroad sites[?] that existed here that came from the 1900s, when they were shipping an awful lot of, uh, produce out throughout—throughout the state and throughout different parts of the country, and so I’ve, you know, worked a lot on different aspects on Seminole County on—on cultural[?] resource assessments and evaluations, uh, both historic and archaeological resources for the county, and provided information for the of State of Florida. McLaughlin Excellent, and here’s a little bit of a different question. In your experience working in Seminole County and living here and growing up, how has it changed environmentally? You—what do you think are probably the biggest ways that it’s changed? Richards You know, I think—the—the interesting part of that story—and it just hits me immediately—is how recently—this year, someone burnt down the big.<a title="">[2]</a> They got inside the tree and they lit it on fire, and you have a tree that is older than the for—the 1400s. Before [Christopher] Columbus and… McLaughlin Wow. Richards This country. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards And the tree was there, and they burnt it up and destroyed it, and it was considered an “accident,” and it was considered of no great significance, and I can remember riding my bike out to the tree when I was a child from Sanford. It’s—it’s probably halfway between Sanford and Longwood on [U.S. Route] 17-92. Uh, I can remember there was a wonderful book written by [Elvira] Gardner, it was called Ezekiel’s Travels. McLaughlin Mmhmm. Richards And—and Ezekiel, a little black boy, rode his bicycle out to the big tree and they documented that in the 1930s. McLaughlin Wow. Richards You know, and—and—and they burnt this tree up and it was considered just kind of a… McLaughlin An accident. Richards An accident. So, uh—and I think that—it really has an impact, you know? McLaughlin Yeah. Richards The—the other thing that I can remember that’s changed so much is, when I was, uh, very young, I used to ride my bike down to the—the band shell, and to the, uh—to Lake Monroe, and used to fish there, and there used to be just the band shell, and just the sea wall, and in the last 25 years, you know, they’ve built, uh—they built hotels there, and, uh, they built, uh, mixed used development there. They have had varying degrees of non-success. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards Uh, but it’s taken away much of the character, you know? I can remember when the zoo was in Downtown Sanford, and, you know, it was a very small zoo. Sorta not like the really nice complex that they have now, but—but Sanford was [inaudible], you know—libraries were there, and it was a place that—that kids went, and young people went, and it was just very different. The [Sanford] Civic Center was a big, big deal, and they had dances every week, and it was just, you know—it was just a place that people went all the time, and, uh, I don’t see that in Sanford anymore. I don’t see that. McLaughlin You think some of the character is gone? Richards I think—I think the character—and I think that, you know, its—its, um—its environment, and its, um—the neighborhood, and it’s, um—it’s just the changes that have taken place, you know? I can remember the parades in Downtown Park Avenue, and just, um, very large parades that everybody in the community got involved in, and we have something like that now, but [inaudible]—it’s just a, uh—an agglomeration of people with big bands, and—and crazy things happen from early afternoon to way late McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards [inaudible], and it’s just not something that I’m interested in participating in, you know? Probably there are a lot of people that do, but it’s—it’s just very different from when I was raised in Sanford. McLaughlin Yeah. As far as developmentally, what effect do you think that the arrival of like Disney Corporation<a title="">[3]</a> and things like that had on the change, if any? Richards Yeah, eh, Disney is a very large beast. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards And it has a lot of beasts that, uh, have attracted to it—whether it’s the whale beast or the, you know, uh, any number of other international destinations that I think that it’s affected probably not just all of Florida, but the Southeast. It’s the number one tourist destination, you know, in the world, u, and I think it makes Interstate [Highway] 4, which used to be a wonderful opportunity to go to Orlando and you just got on the interstate and ten minutes later, you were in Orlando, and today, it’s, um—it’s questionable if it even functions at all. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards You know, we have a—we have a toll road system, in which, uh, I was assigned to that. I was Deputy Director of the toll way [inaudible] before they actually started developing it, and it was supposed to relieve the traffic and make traffic a lot different in Central Florida, but Central Florida is so densely populated that it was probably nothing can significantly change that. You know, whether it’s a rail system that they won’t put in, it will cost billions of dollars, whether it’s increasing lanes on I-4, or whether the [Central Florida] GreeneWay builds out. It’s—it’s not going to make the quality of life significantly different, in my opinion, you know, but that’s just part of the price you pay. McLaughlin Yeah. Just out of curiosity, how many lanes did I-4 use to be? [laughs]. Richards You know, I think it was always six—divided six. McLaughlin Divided six? Richards Yeah, um, eh, it—it had fewer ramps. McLaughlin Mmhmm. Richards And so they put in more ramps and more access, and it’s—it’s—the speed is much quicker today than it’s ever been. Uh, the Fairbanks [Avenue] curb is a problem that people have been having for years, and everybody’s looking at the engineering and saying, “It’s got to be engineering.” They say, “It’s got to be, you know, your problems,” you know? People are traveling between their ears if they don’t pay attention to traffic, and that’s why we gotta have people at such a quick pace today, you know? It used to be if you made it to work at 8- 8:30, you know, or if you, you know, were just there. Now, everybody fills the building up at 10-to-8, and, you know, so consequently, everybody gets on the interstate and it’s as fast as they can go, and it reminds me a little bit of Atlanta[, Georgia]. McLaughlin Yeah. Richards You know, if you’re not doing 80 [miles per hour], you’re not getting there. McLaughlin [laughs]. Richards I think that the—I think that I-4 is quickly approaching that. If you’re not doing 70, you’re probably not going to make it. McLaughlin Yeah. Richards You know, that’s just part of reality, part of the [inaudible], and the—the—it’s the quickness of what happens today. It wasn’t like that in the, you know, 1960s. McLaughlin Okay, before we go, if you could—would you like to share the story about your father Richards Uh… McLaughlin And what he did at the Navy base? Richards We moved to Sanford in—in ’53. My dad was stationed in Jacksonville, um, before that in the, um—in the Navy, and—and when we moved here, my dad was a navigator bombardier and a mechanic, and when the first jets, which were the [Douglas] A-3D[ Skywarrior]s came from California, my dad was part of the crew that flew the jets from California to Florida. That was before the [North American A-5] Vigilantes, before the larger aircraft. These were, you know twin-engine jets, but their total design and their total purpose was, uh, to launch a, uh, nuclear strike, and—and art of what Sanford, you know—Orlando-Sanford Airport today has the bunkers that they kept the nuclear weapons in, and they were going to load onboard the A-3Ds and—and go to Cuba, and my dad was the slim pickins’ of the aircraft, because it was his job to arm the nuclear weapons—To go back in the bomb bays and arm the nuclear weapons with, uh, I guess a detonation device that you screwed in the—in the nose of the bomb, and that was his job. It—and it was very, very stressful, and you know, at the time, I can just barely remember—I guess I was probably about seven—six or seven years old that all these young kids from the Navy would come over to the house, and they would have parties and stuff, and—and what they were doing was, h, the vanguard of changing the world, if—if they had to, and they all agreed to that—that that’s what they were going to do, and my dad was a really big part of that, and I guess there’s—there’s some pride in that, but there’s also some looking back and saying, “Is this really where we were?” You know, and [inaudible], and I know today—you know, 2012—we’re still talking about the Cuban Missile Crisis and trying to figure out what really happened, and when you think about the people that were going to do whatever they were told to do, you know, there’s a lot of frighteningness[sic] there, and there is a lot of, Have we gone that far? Or, Are we still in the same place? I kinda think about that occasionally. McLaughlin Do you have any other thoughts about Sanford or Seminole County or the Student Museum that you would like to share with us before we… Richards I think that the Student Museum is, you know—it—it—it—it’s probably a lot bigger than most people really think. It’s—it’s not a matter of postcards and maps and little things that you can touch or handle, but it’s the notion of where we come from and where we’re going, and will people identify those things in 10 years, in 20 years, in 30 years, and say that, uh—that there was something that was very valuable here? It was something that was very important to a lot of people, and I hope we can still see that, and I hope that that’s, uh, a multicultural thing that—that, uh, everybody can look at and say, “This is—this is where we were, and this is where we are, and lot of good things have taken place.” McLaughlin Excellent, and once again, my name is Ian McLaughlin, and I’m interviewing Dr. Storm Richards at his home in Geneva, Florida. Today is Wednesday, the 24th of October, 2012. <div> <div> <a title="">[1]</a> Present-day Seminole State College. </div> <div> <a title="">[2]</a> The Senator. </div> <div> <a title="">[3]</a> Correction: The Walt Disney Company. </div> </div> 17-92 7th Street A3-D band shell Big Tree Park Central Florida City of Sanford Columbus, Christopher Cuban Missile Crisis deputy directory Disney Disney Corporation Disney World Division of Historical Resources environmental consultant Ezekiel’s Travels Fairbanks Fairbanks Ave. Fairbanks Avenue Fisher, Serena Florida Alliance Florida Department of State Garner, Elvira Georgetown grant writer Greenway Hopper Hopper Academy I-4 Interstate 4 Interstate Highway 4 maypole McLaughlin, Ian mechanic National Register of Historic Places navigator bombardier Orlando-Sanford Airport Orlando-Sanford International Airport parade Park Avenue Patuxent River PHC Reconstruction rehabilitation Richards, Storm Leslie Sanford Civic Center Sanford Grammar School Sanford State College SCC School Board of Seminole County Seminole Seminole Community College Seminole County Seminole High Seminole High School Seminole HS senator senior planner Seventh Street SHS SSC State of Florida Storm L. Richards & Associates Storm L. Richards & Associates, Inc. Student Museum Toll Way TU Tulane Tulane University U.S. Route 17-92 UCF Public History Center UF University of Florida Urban Re-Use and Planning Department Vigilante WDW zoo https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/051ee286f0903797947a051e97cf081a.pdf d6d7cde96721d18bba333d517c8663a9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection Subject Museums--Florida Schools Elementary schools Grammar schools Sanford (Fla.) Description The Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and items ranging from the late 19th Century into the present. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, documents, videocassettes, and other historical records pertaining to the history of the Sanford Grammar School, the Sanford community through the years, and the history of teaching and learning within the United States from the 19th century to the 2010s. The Student Museum has collaborated with the University of Central Florida and established the UCF Public History Center (PHC). All of the Student Museum's collections are presently housed at the PHC. The goal of the PHC is to promote access to history through ground-breaking research connecting local to global, provide cutting-edge hands-on educational programs for students and visitors, and to engage the community in contributing to and learning from history. Contributor Student Museum UCF Public History Center Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum, Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Contributing Project Student Museum UCF Public History Center Curator Marra, Katie Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Alternative Title Student Museum and PHC Collection Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Part <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/32" target="_blank">General Photographic Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/73" target="_blank">Seminole County Public Schools Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer Kelley, Katie Interviewee O'Connor, Florence Location UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Original Format 1 DVD Duration 28 minutes and 57 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency 127kbps Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Oral History of Florence Patchell O'Connor Alternative Title Oral History, O'Connor Subject Oral history--United States Sanford (Fla.) Museums--Florida Teachers--Florida Educators--Florida Substitute teachers--United States University of Central Florida. Department of History DeBary (Fla.) Description Oral history interview of Florence Patchell O'Connor, a docent for the Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida. O'Connor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 10, 1931. While living in Pennsylvania, she taught elementary school for nine years. After marrying, she moved to Marlton, New Jersey, and continued teaching and then substitute teaching until 1991. That same year, she moved to Florida. O'Connor worked as a substitute teacher, and began volunteering as a docent in 1996. This interview was conducted by Katie Kelley at the UCF Public History Center on October 11, 2012. Table Of Contents 0:00:00 Introduction 0:01:55 Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies 0:05:00 Typical day at the museum 0:07:22 Teaching techniques 0:11:32 How the museum has changed over time 0:13:46 Teaching in a museum versus teaching in a classroom 0:15:30 Native American Exhibit: Life in an Ancient Timucuan Village 0:17:47 Pioneer Exhibit: Before the Settlement of Sanford 0:19:40 Memorable moments 0:21:50 UCF Public History Center 0:25:23 Lemonade Lectures at DeBary Hall 0:27:19 Closing remarks Abstract Oral history interview of Florence Patchell O'Connor. Interview conducted by Mary "Katie" Kelley at the UCF Public History Center, in Sanford, Florida. Type Moving Image Source O'Connor, Florence Patchell. Interviewed by Mary "Katie" Kelley. UCF Public History Center. October 11, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Requires <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a> <a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a> <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> Is Part Of UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/31" target="_blank">Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Format Digital transcript of original 28-minute and 57-second oral history: O'Connor, Florence Patchell. Interviewed by Mary "Katie" Kelley. UCF Public History Center. October 11, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Coverage Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies,Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida DeBary Hall, DeBary, Florida Creator Kelley, Katie O'Connor, Florence Patchell Date Created 2012-10-11 Date Modified 2012-10-16 2012-11-08 Format video/mp4 application/pdf Extent 350 MB 171 KB Medium 28-minute and 57-second DVD 9-page typed transcript Language eng Mediator History Teacher Civics/Government Teacher Geography Teacher Provenance Originally created by Mary "Katie" Kelley and Florence Patchell O'Connor and published by UCF Public History Center. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only. Accrual Method Donation Contributing Project UCF Public History Center Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository UCF Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Exhibits." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. "<a href="http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/" target="_blank">Seminole High School</a>." Seminole High School, Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website) <a href="https://youtu.be/mYUJ04qWmyY" target="_blank">Oral History of Florence Patchell O'Connor</a> Transcript Kelley Okay, I’m with Florence [Patchell] O’Connor. Florence was born November 10th, 1931. Florence has been a volunteer at the [UCF] Public History Center since 1996. She started in the 1996-1997 school year, when it was still called the Student Museum [and Center for the Social Studies]. We are conducting this interview for the Public History Center’s History Harvest event and we’ll be hearing about Florence’s experiences as a teacher and volunteer at the Student Museum. Today is October 11th, 2012, we are at the Public History Center in Sanford, Florida, and my name is [Mary] “Katie” Kelley. Okay, Florence. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, um—about you childhood and your experiences prior to, um, coming to the museum? O’Connor About my childhood? I—I can’t remember that far back. Kelley [laughs]. O’Connor But [clears throat] I am a school teacher. I don’t want to say former, ‘cause school teachers never die, I guess. Uh, I was in Pennsylvania teaching, and then when I was 29, I married my husband and moved to New Jersey. I was able to acquire two children through the marriage, so I did not keep teaching, but I stayed home to raise them and to raise the other three children that came along. However, I did do some substitute work at that time in New Jersey. Uh, we moved to Florida in 2000—no, we didn’t—in 19—uh, boo boo, right? 1991 and again we—our children were all gone by then, but we were co-parenting three grandchildren. So I was not able to go back to teaching right away, but by 1996, I was able to think about coming back, and you might be interested—I have, uh, notes here. You might be interested to know that the way I got to the museum was—there was an article in the newspaper and they were asking for docents, uh—people who would like to teach in the museum. My husband and I drove over. There was no one outside. He said, “My, this is a very busy place,” but I did go in, and, uh Serena [Rankin Parks] Fisher, who was the director at that time—[clears throat] pardon me [clears throat]—took me around the building and told me about the different rooms. We had no Geography [Lab: Where in the World Are We?] room at that time, or the [American] Ingenuity room. They were not open as far—as I recall. I like to joke that I always wanted to work in Williamsburg[, Pennsylvania], and to be one of those people there in one of the buildings. However, this, to me, was a poor man’s Williamsburg. I was able to dress up and, um, be, um, an active teacher in the different rooms. Kelley Can you tell me a little bit about what it was like when you first started volunteering at the museum? O’Connor Okay, when I first started, I truly did more in the Native American [Exhibit: Life in an Ancient Timucuan Village] room. For some reason, I leaned toward that room. I would do the others every once and a while, but, uh, that was my one I really liked the best, and then, I tried the [Turn of the Century] Classroom[: Lessons from 1902], and again, in the classroom you were wearing the costume of the day—of 1990—of 1902, where you would have a black skirt and a white blouse and you carried your hanky, ‘cause that’s what they did in those days, and you were very strict. Uh, [clears throat] Pardon me. Uh, I had fun. I wasn’t as strict as I am now, when I first started, it—it sort of eroded that I became more strict, and one of the things that I do make them do is to sit outside of the room and we discuss the fact that in 1902, children had to sit straight, had to sit with their hands folded, their feet flat on the floor, and put their hand up if they want to participate and talk to me [laughs]. Kelley Um, why did you decide to become involved, um—uh, you talked a little bit about this, but what—what was it about the fact—it was the poor man’s Williamsburg that made you want to volunteer? O’Connor Well, the thing is, as I say, “School teachers never die. They just sort of fade away,” and, uh, I wanted something extra to do. My grandchildren had moved on—back to with their mom—well, their mom was with us, but she remarried and they moved on, and I had really nothing to do. I was subbing—at that time, I was subbing at Wilson School, and I would keep Thursday open to come to the museum. That was my day. I did not take any substituting jobs on that day, because I was depended on here at the museum. Kelley Can you describe what your typical day, uh, at the Student Museum has been like, or at the Public History Center has been like? O’Connor I sure can. Okay, at the museum, what I would do when the children came in—again, it would depend if I was substituting or if I was just a docent.—when I substituted, I would do the, uh, verbal reading outside, and then we go upstairs and we talk a little more, and then we would go into a 45-minute class each time, and, uh, as I said before, they would start out in the hallway, and then I would take them in and they were not allowed to speak, and it was really cute to see that they really took on the character of the children in, uh, 1902, and then while I’m in the room—I think that’s part of this question you, uh—I would have them look around the room to see what was different from their classroom and what was different here at the museum. Kelley Um… O’Connor [laughs]. Kelley Do—do you have any—I mean, what else did you do when you, um—did you just teach or did you assist with lunch and that kind of thing? Or… O’Connor Oh, with the children? Well, they would have two classes in the morning and then they would break for lunch, and again, it would depend on whether I was just a docent or a volunteer or in charge, because at lunch time, when we went upstairs, the director of the museum or the person in charge would talk about 1902 lunches and how they would not eat up there, because that was the auditorium, and then we also would show them, um, a box of animal crackers, which was first started—made in 1903, and why did it look the way it did, and the reason was the string was put on it to use to hang on the tree. It was a Christmas ornament. So they ate the cookies, they hung ‘em on the tree—the box—and then the box itself became a toy for them, and we shared all that and again, about their lunches with their bottles of soda and their water, you know? We would go out to the well and we would try to just show them, even at lunch time, the difference between 1902 and now, when they were eating. Kelley Um, why was it so—why was it such an important teaching technique for you to show them the differences? O’Connor Well, I don’t think children realize how well-off they have things sometimes, and, uh, eh, it was one of those things where, um, they didn’t think about the differences, you know, when they—the flag in the 1902 classroom is a[sic] artifact from 1902, and big and dirty and they never—they would try to guess why it was different, and usually a child would put their hand up, stand up to talk to me, and realize there were fewer stars in the blue field than now, and that was what—and just comparing what they have now and what we had then. Kelley What do you think, um—what do you think was the value then for them in—in coming here? When they left, what do you think that the students walked away with? O’Connor I meant to look up the sign and I didn’t come in time for it, but we have a sign that says, “Tell me and I forget. Show me and I might remember. Involve me and I will—it will become part of me.” Something like that, and I think that’s the whole thing, by them having hands-on. When we did—when I do the classroom, after they look around and decide different things, um, we would read from a McGuffey reader, again, trying to compare the difference from what their books are to our books now—or, uh, then rather—and, uh, we wrote on slates with the chalk, and I do have a—a funny situation, I guess, that could come in here. Um, when I do teach the classroom, I always have my hanky, and [inaudible] right before that, I do walk through the classroom with a ruler, and the children would say, “Are you going to hit me?” And I’d look at them and say, “Well, it is 1902, so if you don’t behave…” And, you know, I had the ruler, and then when their hands were folded, I—if a girl had nail polish on, I would hit the desk, and then I’d laugh and say, “I didn’t hit you now, but would you please stand up?” And they would and they’d be scared really, and, um, then I would point out to them—or I would ask them, “Why am I so upset?” Well, they had different answers, but the main answer is nail polish was not invented in 1902, and they would say, “Well, you’re not allowed to wear it in school,” “Children aren’t allowed to wear it.” No, it wasn’t invented, and then I would ask them if they brought their hanky to school, and, uh, of course, they didn’t. So I would blow my nose and put my hanky back in my pocket, and you should have seen the faces like… Kelley [laughs]. O’Connor You know, and I would say, “Well, what do you do?” And their answer was “Well, we use tissues.” So then I would ask them to explain a tissue to me, and basically they’d say it—“It’s paper,” and then I would be shocked and say, “You want me to blow my nose on paper when I have such a nice soft hanky?” And, uh, then I would explain to them that tissues—or Kleenex, whatever—were not made until 1929, and then we’d have a little laugh, because that’s when my husband was invented. Kelley [laughs]. O’Connor And they think that’s funny, but that was the kind of thing—I do have an example and it’s sort of a funny one. I had them sitting like this and I saw nail polish, and it was a little boy that had nail polish on, and I had to continue, ‘cause I’d already told Katie or Mary to stand up, and I said, “Oh my goodness,” and he goes, “I have it on, ‘cause I made a bet with my sister and she said I wouldn’t do it and I’m getting five dollars.” So there again we just had a good laugh, and the children, uh—I asked if it was worth five dollars and some of them said, “No,” and some said it would have been, so that’s—that was that. Kelley Do you think you—you’ve been here for quite a long time teaching at the Student Museum. Um, have your experiences changed from the early days until know with either how the students react, or with how you teach, or—what has been the difference? O’Connor Okay, there’s[sic] two things—I did make a list last night—you sort of—we sort of fell right into my next thing. Kelley [laughs]. O’Connor I was teaching one day in this classroom, and after the—we were ready to go home, a little girl came up to me and she said, “Well, I liked your classroom, but I didn’t like you,” and I said, “Well, that’s okay, Katie, because I didn’t like you too much either,” and she looked at me and she said, “You can’t say that to me,” and I said, “Well, I just did,” ‘cause she was a little—little—you know, little 2011-type child who was just trying to rule the room, and another thing that I thought was so neat, um—I was the substitute at this time, and, uh, I did welcome the bus that came, and the group comes off with their chaperones and we take them upstairs, and at that time, we were not ringing the bell. The bell has been fixed and it’s wonderful. We can hear the school bell ring, but anyway, we went upstairs and I continued and the mother looked at—called me over, I guess, and she said, uh, “Are you from New Jersey?” And I said, “Yes, ma’am, I am.” Uh, “From Marlton, New Jersey?” And I said, “Yes, ma’am.” Well, here the mother was a child that I had taught—or when she was a child, I had taught here in New Jersey, and her comment was, “When I got off that bus and I saw you—I get the chills— saw you standing there, I couldn’t believe that I saw you again,” and that was a neat experience. I really—it’s a shame to think I didn’t change in those last 10 years, but, uh, she did remember me, and she lived right up the street from me. In fact, I believe she played with my older girls, but I’m not—not that sure about that. Kelley It’s a small world. My goodness. O’Connor Isn’t that something? Kelley Uh, how does—speaking of your previous teaching experiences, how does teaching at the museum compare to the more formal classroom setting from when you were, um, teaching at a… O’Connor Well, again, this is more hands-on. uh, as I do explain to the children going into the classroom, that I know that their teachers—and I will look at the teachers—allows[sic] you to talk a little bit, but eh, not in my room [laughs], you know, but each room is so different that it’s hard to compare, and again we only have them for 45 minutes, and you can almost put up with anything for even the—I al—I always will tell them that, you know, “If you don’t like sitting this way, realize in 45 minutes, you’ll be in the Native American room. You’ll be in Grandmom’s[sic] Attic. You will be able to walk around, but in my room, that’s the way we do it.” Kelley Are most of the children pretty willing to play along? Do they… O’Connor Yes. Kelley Do they take on the role? O’Connor Yes, they really are, except sometimes, I’d ask a question and they wouldn’t put their hands up and I’d laugh. I’d say, “I think that’s because I make ‘em stand up.” You know, they just went [inaudible], but they—they really did behave. I mean, the—I, uh—I ran a tight ship. I really did, but it was fun, and that’s why I say I started out in the Native American room and it was more casual, and then for some reason, I was in the classroom and I liked it [laughs]. I liked being mean. The only think I didn’t like was one of our uh, form—uh, former—she’s former now. Uh, she would announce to the children that I was the mean teacher and I just wish she’d let them not know that till they got in my room, but that’s alright. Kelley So you taught in the Native American room? What were your experiences like in there? O’Connor Okay, I’ve done that. I’ve done basically all of them. I’ll start with Native American. Uh, y experience there was, uh—again, my way of teaching it—I had them come in and sit on the floor, and then we would discuss the room, and then I would send them on a scavenger hunt, and I would tell them the different things that, uh, are in the room, and one of them was a six-legged deer, and if they found it—you know, not tell the others—and I’d give them time to walk around and go in the buildings and—because we do have two buildings and one, uh, hut—and, um, they were not allowed to sit in the boat—in the dugout, because it’s so old—but they were allowed to pick up and look at and find—and then they’d come back to the circle and we would discuss what they found, and, uh, we have three bears in there, and we have—and the six-legged deer was just the idea that a Native American had the deerskin on him and that way he could come closer to, you know—to, uh, hunt, and then, uh, I would pick a child to be the fish and he had swim—and some of them are crazy, you know, and I would talk about the costume that they wore, and of course, there’s no costume we can wear, because the Native Americans went topless, and when I would tell that to some of the chi—some of the groups, some of the children—boys and girls—would sort of snicker, not often, and I would say, “Have you been to the beach recently? They don’t wear too much either,” and so we got over that hump, but, uh, it was fun. It was a fun room and they, uh—they liked it. We used to paint—long ago, when I first started, we used to put, uh, the paint on their faces, and that was to show them—it wasn’t war paint. it was the, uh, chief—I couldn’t think for a minute—chief and their family wore the—the painting on their body to show that they were the—and then it has slowly dwindled down, and we don’t do that anymore, and in a way it’s better, I think, really. They’re not walking around with their faces all painted up. O’Connor Oh, and then if you want the other room—I’ve been in the Native—the, uh—oh, I can’t think for a minute—the Pioneer [Exhibit: Before the Settlement of Sanford] room, and there—in there, again, it’s a different format, because they do have clipboards and they go on a hunt there, but write things down, and again, the circle to introduce the fact about pioneers and anyone, even now, could be a pioneer, and they figure out by going to the Moon or going under the sea, and, um, we talk little bit about that, and then I break them into groups. Some go in the cabin with me, which is a three quarter cabin, and we again talk about that, and the others stay outside. You can always learn something, because I’ve been here since 1906—1906? [laughs] 1996, and Warren, one of our newer docents, taught me that in the cabin there’s a quilt that has no backing to it. Not at all. It’s just fabric, and I just never—I just used to tell the children, “There’s a quilt,” you know, and he’s pointed out to a group of children that that was used for privacy—that at night, they would drape that across the cabin so Mom and Dad would have privacy and the children—so you can always learn something. The Grandmom’s[sic] Attic was definitely set up as an attic. Really cluttered, and again we had the fun there. We dipped candles—we don’t do that anymore—and we churned butter, and again, there you’d talk a little bit, and then you divide them to go explore and do those things, and then the, uh, Geography Lab[: Where in the World Are We?] is, again, another exploring situation. Did I cover them all? Kelley I think so [laughs]. Um, do you have any, um, really memorable experiences that stand out in your mind? O’Connor Well, as I say, the—one with the boy with the nail polish. Kelley Mmhmm. O’Connor I almost like—What do I do now? There’s a boy with nail polish, and then the little girl who didn’t like me very—oh, and there is another one—and then the lady who I taught years ago and it just was thrilling to see her, and then the other experience I had, basically, was there was a group of mothers—maybe three mothers in the back of the line while we were waiting to come in, and children were being a little noisy and I corrected them, but I corrected them not nicely. I corrected them as a 1902 teacher, because I was dressed for that, and you could see the mothers, like, What is this woman doing talking to my child? And I didn’t—I wasn’t nasty. I was—I just said, “Katie, stop talking.” You know? And, um—I’m using your name—and anyway, you could almost see the wheels turning, that I was so sure they were going to call the superintendent of schools and tell them this woman at the museum, you know—and all that. So anyway, I told the director, who was, uh, a different one now—than we have now, and they did come into my classroom, and again, I was strict, and she did speak with them and they said, “That teacher—we didn’t understand. she was so mean,” and so, uh—I can’t think of her first name, but the director said, “Well, once Mrs. O’Connor puts on the costume, she becomes that 1902 teacher,” and, uh, after the whole day was over, one of the women came up to me and told me what had happened and I said, “Yes, I noticed you were really upset,” and she said, “Well, I want to tell you that I understand and you did a very nice job.” So, what—whatever, right? Kelley [laughs]. O’Connor You have to be careful though. You do have to be careful. Kelley Um, since UCF [University of Central Florida] took over with the Public History Center,<a title="">[1]</a> do you, um, [laughs] do[sic] want us to talk anything about that? I mean, is it… O’Connor I will. I—I think it’s wonderful. Kelley Mmhmm. O’Connor I do think you might want—after we get this done, you might want to take this part out. I am just very upset over Grandmom’s[sic] Attic. They have chosen to not have it be an attic. It’s set up as a class—not a classroom—as a room back in the 1900s, and, uh, we had such interesting things in there. It was a clutter. It really was cluttered, and if you don’t want that, I understand Dr. [Rosalind “Rose” J.] Beiler’s, uh, under—thinking, but the children that used to come were just so amazed at what they saw, you know, and they even had, in the room, my skate key, which might sound funny, but the museum had the skates that they used back in the 1930s, when I was a little girl, and I had the skate key. You had it on a ri—string around your neck and you had the key, so you could fix your skates—tightening them and all that. They didn’t have the key, so I donated my key to the museum and to go with the skates. I think they’re still in there in the room. Kelley Mmhmm. O’Connor And then another thing that happened was, uh, my one daughter, who’s now mother of two and, uh, in her early forties—she, uh, had a big brown bear and I had it. Don’t ask me why I brought it to Florida with me. I have no idea, but I had it and she didn’t want it, and so I donated that to the museum. I donated Cootie game to the museum and I don’t—I haven’t really been back in the attic too much, but I don’t know, you know, where they are, and it was just the toys were in one area and the children could touch them, play with them, see the difference in how that monkey was not like soft and cuddly like they are now, and, so I’d, uh—I—I miss that. We had a wedding dress in there from Serena’s mother, I believe. We had a 1900-bathing suit and I’d ask the children, “Well, what—what—where would you wear this?” “Oh, you’d go to a party.” “Really?” You know? And then we’d talk about that and how everything would be covered in 1902. The hat the glo—they even had socks, not gloves, and, uh—and then we also had a chamber pot, and I don’t think it’s back there now. So these are the changes and I have to roll with it. I mean, I have to understand it goes on, but the chamber pot was so funny, ‘cause they had two different sized potties and then a big glass one—or ceramic one—and I’d hold up the one and I’d ask, “What would this be for?” They didn’t have to stand up in Grandmom’s Attic, see? That was gone. They didn’t have—and it’d be, “Oh, we could cook our soup in that.” “No, I don’t think you’d want to do that,” and they’d ask, you know, and I’d say, “Well, that’s what they put under the bed because you didn’t want to go out to the outhouse in the middle of the night,” and then, “Who’s the oldest one here in your family?” Well, hands would go up and I said, “Because you would be the one to empty the chamber pot.” Well, then the hands would go down. Kelley [laughs]. O’Connor But that’s my—my hang up. There’s[sic] things that I miss in Grandmom’s[sic] Attic and, uh—but I know progress moves on, and I know they’re planning something different, so… Kelley Well, that’s all of my questions. Um, I—I would like for you to share what you shared with me before the interview about the number of kids that you’ve, that you… O’Connor Oh, okay. Kelley How you figured it out O’Connor Well, last night I was doing my list of paper with—oh, I do have something else to tell you… Kelley Oh, sure. Oh, sure. Yeah, go ahead. O’Connor Before I do that. There’s a, eh—I don’t know what to call it, but they’re doing Lemonade Lectures over in DeBary at DeBary Hall. Every—this is a plug for them—every other Saturday, and it’s experts, and I don’t consider myself an expert really—come in and they talk about lighthouses, or they talk about, this, that and the other thing, and they asked me if I would go and talk about the museum, and I said, “Yes, I would,” and, um, I did bring—I took some artifacts over and some things over. The girls let me borrow them, and I went over there with my charts and my—my costume on, and I talked about that with them, and I guess it might sound conceited, but up until then, there weren’t that many people coming to the Lemonade Lectures. they were just starting. Well, they had to get extra chairs. People from John Knox [Village] came over, ‘cause it was in the paper… Kelley Mmhmm. O’Connor About this lady who was gonna talk about a museum from 1902, and some of the people even went to school there, and that was fun, and then the other thing I pointed out there was that, in 1902—and I do it in the classroom too—that boys and girls did not play on the same playground. So I would ask that question, and of course, if they did [claps hands], they got a smack on the bottom from the principal and, uh—but that was something that I really felt honored that I did it. At first, I was a little scared, but that wore off, and the Lemonade Lecture was really fun. Now, Katie has asked me—I got thinking last night. Uh, I worked here at the museum for 15 years, and if I taught 30 children a day, and let’s say, uh, I worked 30 days out of the year, okay? That would be 900 children I’d see in a year, and then I multiplied it by the, um—[inaudible] did I do? Oh, yeah, that was 15—yeah. I added that, rather, what all did I do here? Oh, yeah, okay. I’m with it, I’m with it. The total of that would have been in 15 years—okay, I would have been working with 13,500 children in my career here at the museum. I have chosen to no longer teach here for health reasons, but I do want to still be a part. So they’ve asked me to be a greeter, and maybe a little later, I’ll become a substitute in the, uh—in the classroom. I don’t know. Kelley Well, that’s excellent. Well, thank you, Florence. Um, I don’t have anything else, unless do you have anything else you’d like to add? O’Connor I don’t think so, no. Kelley Alright, well, thank you so much for sharing your experiences with me, and, um, you know, now your interview will become part of the history of this building as well. O’Connor Well, thank you for asking me. Kelley Thank you. <div> <div> <a title="">[1]</a> Correction: Student Museum. </div> </div> 7th Street American Ingenuity animal cracker Beiler, Rosalind chamber pot Christmas Cootie DeBary Hall deer fish Fisher, Serena Geography Lab: Where in the World Are We? Grandma's Attic greeter History Harvest John Knox Village Kelley, Katie Kleenex Lemonade Lectures McGuffey reader nail polish Native American Exhibit: Life in an Ancient Timucuan Village O'Connor, Florence Ann Patchell Patchell, Florence Ann PHC Pioneer Exhibit: Before the Settlement of Sanford quilt Seventh Street six-legged deer skate key skates Student Museum Turn of the Century Classroom: Lessons from 1902 UCF UCF Public History Center University of Central Florida volunteer Williamsburg Wilson School https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/2bca9f886cd7f48ed94fe8e02c1e5686.pdf 01843f1fd8a2b1c52a97b9fce648a676 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection Subject Museums--Florida Schools Elementary schools Grammar schools Sanford (Fla.) Description The Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and items ranging from the late 19th Century into the present. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, documents, videocassettes, and other historical records pertaining to the history of the Sanford Grammar School, the Sanford community through the years, and the history of teaching and learning within the United States from the 19th century to the 2010s. The Student Museum has collaborated with the University of Central Florida and established the UCF Public History Center (PHC). All of the Student Museum's collections are presently housed at the PHC. The goal of the PHC is to promote access to history through ground-breaking research connecting local to global, provide cutting-edge hands-on educational programs for students and visitors, and to engage the community in contributing to and learning from history. Contributor Student Museum UCF Public History Center Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum, Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Contributing Project Student Museum UCF Public History Center Curator Marra, Katie Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Alternative Title Student Museum and PHC Collection Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Part <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/32" target="_blank">General Photographic Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/73" target="_blank">Seminole County Public Schools Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer Glasshoff, Jesse Interviewee Muse, Shirley Location UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Original Format 1 DVD/DAT recording Duration 23 minutes and 33 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency 141kbps Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Oral History of Shirley Muse Alternative Title Oral History, Muse Subject Oral history--United States Sanford (Fla.) Museums--Florida Archives--Florida--Administration Archivists--United States University of Central Florida. Department of History Sanford, Henry Shelton, 1823-1891 Description Oral history interview of Shirley Muse, collection cataloger for the UCF Public History Center, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida. Muse was born in Corvallis, Oregon, on May 16, 1936. She was raised in the Panama Canal Zone. In 1958, Muse married her husband while attending Florida State University in Tallahassee. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Library Science that same year. She worked in the Florida Public School System as a Librarian/Media Specialist for 20 years until 1999. Following her retirement, Muse began volunteering at the Student Museum and Center for Social Studies. This interview was conducted by Jesse Glasshoff at the UCF Public History Center on October 12, 2012. Table Of Contents 00:00 Introduction 0:00:48 Student Museum Collections Manager 0:02:47 Museum visitors 0:03:50 How the museum has changed over time 0:06:23 Exhibits 0:12:29 How the museum has impacted visitors 0:15:23 How the community has impacted the museum 0:16:34 How the museum has impacted Muse’s life 0:19:14 Most memorable visitor 0:20:54 History Harvest and future projects 0:23:00 Closing remarks Abstract Oral history interview of Shirley Muse. Interview conducted by Jesse Glasshoff at the UCF Public History Center, in Sanford, Florida. Type Moving Image Source Muse, Shirley. Interviewed by Jesse Glasshoff. UCF Public History Center. October 12, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Requires <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>. <a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>. <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> Is Part Of UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Format Digital transcript of original 23-minute and 33-second oral history: Muse, Shirley. Interviewed by Jesse Glasshoff. UCF Public History Center. October 12, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Coverage Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies,Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Creator Glasshoff, Jesse Muse, Shirley Date Created 2012-10-12 Format video/mp4 application/pdf Extent 99.9 MB 161 KB Medium 23-minute and 33-second DVD/DAT recording 9 page typed transcript Language eng Mediator History Teacher Civics/Government Teacher Geography Teacher Provenance Originally created by Jesse Glasshoff and owned by UCF Public History Center. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only. Accrual Method Donation Contributing Project UCF Public History Center Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository UCF Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Exhibits." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. "<a href="http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/" target="_blank">Seminole High School</a>." Seminole High School, Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website) <a href="https://youtu.be/JOXJPIjHHPU" target="_blank">Oral History of Shirley Muse</a> Transcript Shirley Muse Interviewed by Jesse Glasshoff October 12, 2012 Glasshoff Okay, we’re on. So—let’s see. Today’s date is October 12th, 2012, and it is 10 AM and we’re here at the [UCF] Public History Center in Sanford, Florida—formerly the Student Museum. Uh, my name is Jesse Glasshoff. I’m a graduate student at the University of Central Florida, and I’m interviewing Shirley Muse. Do you want to introduce yourself, Shirley? Muse Good morning. I’m Shirley Muse. I’m the collections person in charge of the collection, and I’ve been here for 13 years—almost 14—and loved every minute of it. Glasshoff All right. Well, we’ll go ahead and jump right into these questions. So how did you—how’d come to be working at the museum? Muse Well, Serena [Rankin Parks] Fisher, who was the director of the museum in 1999, um, asked me if I wanted to volunteer, ‘cause we were both media specialists together, and I worked at Sanford Middle School, and I knew a lot of the old timers here and their children, and I’ve enjoyed it very much, because I could follow it up over here and see pictures of the grandparents and etcetera [laughs]. Glasshoff So what—what has been your involvement in the museum? You said you’re the Collections Manager right now. Uh… Muse I have been doing all the numbering of the pictures, cleaning the glass, putting them back with new labels, trying to make the print larger so that older people can read it without having to get right up to it, and then if they want a copy of it, they’ll tell me, or if they can identify someone in the picture that is not identified, then they will get in touch with me, make a note, and take the number down, then we go get the picture, and then I take it apart and put in the identity of that person that we didn’t have, and it helps a lot, and they’ve identified family members, and they’ve identified classmates from way back when, and it is really very, very satisfying to do. Glasshoff Now, is that—is this the same job you’ve always had here? Muse Yes. Glasshoff Or have you done… Muse I have done only that, because I was the only one that[sic] knew about cataloging, because I’m a retired media specialist. So it’s all gone into the computer and we are getting there… Glasshoff [laughs]. Muse Eventually, to the end, I hope. Glasshoff [laughs] Okay. Well, it sounds like a pretty big task, and it sounds like you’re the right person for it. Muse I love it. I love it. Glasshoff I think everyone else agrees, because you’re the person doing it. Muse [laughs]. Glasshoff Uh, so what—what kind of people—since you’ve been here, what kind of people do you see visiting the museum? Muse Well, we have visitors to the area, especially those that may be putting their car on AMTRAK to send back up north, or to pick up their car from the trains, and then they come into town and want something to do, and we are listed, I believe, at the [Historic Sanford] Welcome Center, and also maybe at the Amtrak Station. Then we have the old-timers that want to come back and look at the pictures and think about the old days, and then we have students. Glasshoff Okay. Muse So we have quite a… Glasshoff So tell me a little bit about the students. Muse The students—we have mainly K[indergarten] through—well, we mainly have fourth- graders, ‘cause we are with the fourth-grade curriculum. Glasshoff Uh huh. Muse And we teach to that, but then we have a lot of other students that[sic] come in for the events that we have, and they like to look at the pictures that go into the rooms and peruse what we have on display. Glasshoff So—since you’ve been here for quite a while—you have been volunteering for quite a while… Muse Uh huh. Glasshoff What would you think—what would you say has changed in the museum since you’ve been with them? Muse Well, for many years there wasn’t much change, but now that we have UCF [University of Central Florida] as a partner, things are changing for the better, and they are just doing a tremendous job, and I can see that it will go on and prosper and, I think just get better and better, and we are changing things now that we didn’t have the people to do it before, ‘cause there was only like a handful of us volunteers—maybe five or six that worked in the building, teaching the classes, and all of that, but I was the only one doing the cataloging, but then there were the gardeners, and they strictly stayed out in the Pioneer Gardens. So it’s been so many more people helping now, and we can see a real difference taking place now. Glasshoff Okay, what was it like when you first got here? Muse It was very quiet. We didn’t have many visitors. Well, we first had quite a few visitors for a while, but then when fourth grade would come, we were not allowed to have visitors at the same time, because we couldn’t have them intermingle with the students at that time, and that was, uh, school law to keep the children from wandering off or talking to strangers and everything, and we had to always abide by that. Glasshoff So… Muse Yeah. Glasshoff Just to make sure I’ve got it clear: when you first started, fourth-graders weren’t coming in, and then, shortly thereafter, they were? Muse No, they’d been coming in for years. Glasshoff Oh, they were? Muse Yeah, I misstated that. Glasshoff Oh, okay. Muse Yeah, yeah. Glasshoff That’s all right. I misunderstood you. Muse Yeah, but they’d been coming—that’s the main thing—the main that, uh, we did. Glasshoff Yeah. Muse Was with them, but then as soon as they left, it was open to the public, but then when the economy went down, we had to close down, and only had three days, we had to cut if off early, uh, so… Glasshoff Okay, when was that? Muse That was I think about three or four years ago. We had to start closing at 3, which didn’t give you much time, ‘cause the children were here until 1:30, and that was only an hour and a half, and a lot of people would have liked to come in, but we couldn’t allow them to come in until 1:30, but many-a-times—I will say—the director stayed until 4 and 4:30 on their[sic] own, to let those people go through and give them a tour. So I—I had to hand it to them. Glasshoff [inaudible].So kind of in line with that, who do you—who would you say the exhibits are targeted towards? What are the goals of the exhibits? Muse I—I think most of the goals of the exhibits are the fourth-grade curriculum, and the geography of Florida is included in that, and the history of the Native American, and also the pioneers—the early people that settled Florida, and—and that[sic] was[sic] the main ones, and that fit into the curriculum at that time, and I think now it’s been broadened more, since we have other people coming in, and we’ve got new ideas, which we needed, and I think we also have welcomed it, because you get a little stagnant if you don’t have new blood brought in, and I think that’s been very good. Glasshoff And it, eh—so would you say since you’ve been here, the exhibits have generally been the same? Muse They have generally been the same. There’s[sic] only been a few small changes when we got something that was really pertinent to that room, then we set up a little bit of a—a new part to that room, but that didn’t happen too often, because we weren’t really on the map that well. We didn’t get the publicity that we’ve gotten now. Glasshoff Can you give me an example? You said that every now and then, maybe one little part would change? Muse Well, um, they were talking about, um, fossils, and one of our, um, gardeners was very interested in fossils and came from a part—a place in Georgia that they’d a lot of them. So when he went up there, he brought back a whole lot of them, and then they put this sand box in and then they put the fossils into the sand so the kids could take little rakes and find them, like they would out in the desert, you know, when looking for things. So that was a new one that was nice at that time, and I can’t tell you exactly when it was. Glasshoff That’s okay. Muse [laughs]. Glasshoff That's why we write things down [laughs]. Muse [laughs]. Glasshoff So what do you think they’re meant to teach, uh—these exhibits? What—they’re directed towards the students? Muse Well, the Pioneer [Exhibit: Before the Settlement of Sanford] room showed how they lived, and how big of space—because we have a small, pioneer, log cabin. We have the cooking utensils that they used at that time in there. We have, uh, like, um, the—the pots that they used on the fire. We have, um, certain clothing. We have an old, pioneer-time nightgown that was actually donated, uh, just about—oh, about a year ago. The lady had two of them, and they’re really tattered and torn, but we washed them, and we hung them up in—one in there to show that they wore a long-sleeved, uh, long nightgowns and long to the floor, you know, and then they, uh—we put one also into the, uh, Grandma’s Attic. Yeah, so it was very neat, because the kids didn’t ever think about what they would sleep in [laughs]. Glasshoff Right[?]. Muse But it—it was fun, and the kids got a big kick out of it. Yeah, and if they just learn a few things, you know, and then they go home and tell their parents. Usually, they come back with their parents and their sisters and brothers to see it on their own. Glasshoff Yeah. Muse It’s nice, yeah. Glasshoff Well, what, uh—through all the exhibits you’ve seen—and you’ve seen all of them really, since you’ve been here—which exhibit was your favorite? Muse My favorite was Grandma’s Attic. Glasshoff Grandma’s Attic? Muse ‘Cause I had a grandma that[sic] had an attic like that. Glasshoff What was it like? Muse Well, the Grandma’s Attic—it used to have wallpaper, but they’ve since taken that down, and they’d pictures on the wall, but they were crooked, just like they would be if Grandma had put them up there to store them, and they got crooked. Grandma didn’t go up there to clean it. They just let them hang, and they were just out of the way, and then there was[sic] toys in the attic, and you would know which ones were yours to play with, and they saw that, and then they showed, uh, cooking utensils that Grandma used in the kitchen area, at that time. They had, uh, the irons that you used to heat on the big, uh, stoves that had coal in it or wood-burning stoves, and then they have the iron that they would have to put the coals in the iron and do it, and, uh, they had a coffee grinder there. They ground the coffee to let the children see that. They made candles also, so the kids could see how to make the candles, and everybody got a turn to dip it, but we had to be careful of that—and you might get burnt. So we had to take that out, much to our discouragement, but sometimes you’ve to do that for safety problems. Yeah, but it—it was just fascinating, because there were instruments that were hung from the ceiling on wires, just to keep them out of the way, you know, ‘cause Grandma stored all of that stuff up in the attic, you know, but it—it looked like a real grandma’s attic. Yeah, and everybody—I think the majority of people liked that one. It brought back a lot of memories. You had the old-fashioned toys—the ones that were made of iron and they were very heavy, but the kids still played with them, you know, but, uh, we had a little bit of everything, and we always let them play with the toys. We had, um, the old, um, wood toys that you could—I forget what they were—but they had this—pieces of wood—it was called something. I cannot remember what it was, but you always had to get it back together and it clicked. It was really neat, and the kids had never seen something like that. I should have brought one with me. Yeah, but I didn’t think about it. Yeah. Glasshoff [inaudible].Thinking about the exhibits and the changes through time, which parts of the museum do you think had the most impact on the children that have visited—the K through 12[th grade] children? Muse I think the Geography [Lab: Where in the World Are We?] room, because the map of Florida is large enough they can walk on, and then they have to learn the names of the cities and where they’re located, and then they have kind of like tops—there's holes driven in the actual map, and you have to take the top that has the name written on it. Pensacola—they learned that it went up in the panhandle. Um, Tallahassee was up north—part, and then there was Miami, and there was Orlando, and they’d to put the right one—the answer— in that position, and they loved doing that, because it was big enough they could walk around it and look, you know, and then actually put that in themselves, like they named it, and they felt real good about that in fourth grade. Glasshoff Mmhmm. Muse And then I the second best was Grandma’s Attic. They liked the interaction, because they always gave them time to play with the toys and pick them up and touch things, because that’s how we believe, that you should be able to touch things. Glasshoff Mmhmm. So aside from the children that have visited, uh, how do you think, uh—how do you see that the museum has had the most impact on the larger community? Muse Well, I think Sanford citizens that have been here for years love to come back and reminisce, and they see the houses that they used to walk by on their way to school, because they are still here in the pictures the same. A lot of them in Sanford have been restored and that’s just beautiful thing, but they can come back, and they find people on there that[sic] they haven’t seen in a long time, and it brings back memories, and if you get two or three of them from the same class, they start talking, and they really enjoy it, and they end up spending several hours here many-a-times, particularly the older people, because they are just so excited to be back in their element of time, you know? Yeah, and that toy with the blocks was the Jacob’s ladder, and I know a lot of people would know exactly what I’m talking about. Yeah, there. Glasshoff So the decisions to make changes in the, um, museum that have happened recently—and through the time of the museum since you’ve been here—how do you feel that the larger community has impacted the goals and the direction of the museum? Muse Um, that’s a good question, because not many changes were made for many years, ‘cause we didn’t have the people to do—to make the changes, and we didn’t have an assessment of what we needed. We didn’t have time to do that, and it’s something we are working on very diligently right now, and I’m very pleased about how it’s going, but at the time, we were so shorthanded, and we weren’t all professional museum people, and that makes a big difference, ‘cause you don’t realize exactly what goes into making a museum meaningful to that community until you start studying it like we are now, and it's really, I think, had a big impact on everybody working here, and I find we all are working together as a good unit, and that’s—makes me feel real good [laughs]. I really do. Glasshoff So how has the museum affected your life? Muse Well, my husband passed away, um, in 2007, and I find if I don’t get here to work at least two days a week, I get down, because I meet all the people here, I have something that's purposeful in my life, and I’m seeing things coming to fruition, and that makes me feel real good, but I’ve always liked detail-work, and I always feel like anything that has to do with books and pictures and things that have to do with one particular area has got to be a good situation to present to the public. I really do. Glasshoff And how has it—how has it affected the way that you understand Sanford? Muse I find the people are so friendly and so happy to know that we treasure them and their city as something very worthwhile, and has been very, very, um, very instrument—instrumentally with the—sending things from Jacksonville, the transportation, the steamships all here, and then it's disseminated out along the—the coast—the east coast, the west coast of Florida, and it’s been very interesting for me to learn about it, and they, I think, are proud that we are studying this and keeping track of all the pictures and everything, so that we can look back and see it, and General [Henry Shelton] Sanford—he lived right here in Florida, right at the top of the hill here for many years, and he has a real connection to this city, and I’ve been amazed at how many people have visited his grave up in Connecticut, and we have pictures of that downstairs on the Sanford, uh, bulletin board right outside the office, and the man came and brought me the pictures all on a CD, and I made copies of them with his permission, and I—I thought it was very exciting, and then when people come in and see it, they’re even—they say, “Oh, that’s new,” you know, and I say, “Yeah, we got those by him giving them to us,” and it was wonderful. Yeah. Glasshoff So kind of moving in a different direction now [laughs]—you’ve worked here quite a while, and you’ve seen a tons of people come and go. Uh, who do you think was the most memorable person to you that has come to visit the museum? Muse Well, I think, Mr. Douglas Stenstrom, who was born here in 1921, and he passed away in 2010. He was a fantastic person, and he—he was in the World War II in the South Pacific. He attended the University of Florida, the University of Virginia, Stetson College.<a title="">[1]</a> He was a county judge, he was a state senator, and he did many more things than that, and he would come and sit and talk with us when we had an event, and he’d sit for an hour or two, and when he left, he always left a check for us to put into the—the—the bank for keeping this place going, because he was very attached to it—both he and his wife, and they were lovely people, and with all that education and everything, he always found time to stop by, and we just really delighted in him, and I think everybody did, because you couldn’t walk by him without saying something to him, ‘cause everybody knew him. Yeah, it was wonderful. He was a wonderful man. Plus he has a school named after him out in Oviedo, Stenstrom Elementary. Yeah, he[sic] a very generous gentleman. Glasshoff So kind of moving away from that, uh—do you’ve any people in mind that[sic] might have gone to the school here that we could contact for future projects at the museum? Muse Well, to tell you the truth, Jesse, I gave a whole list of them to Dr. [Rosalind “Rose” J.] Beiler, and they are a lot of the people—the Stiffys—and they are local people that have been here for years and donated their time in many schools and for many activities, and then, um, there’s, um, Bill Robinson. He’s a local person that lives here, and he is just as friendly and happy a man as I’ve ever known, and he went to school here, and his picture’s down one of the bulletin boards downstairs. Plus there is a number of other ones, but I—I can’t remember them all, but I did give her a long list of them with phone numbers, and how to get a hold of them. Glasshoff That’s good news [laughs]. Muse [laughs] In fact, you could get that list, if you’re interested, from her. I’m sure. Glasshoff Do you’ve any ideas about spreading the word about the history harvest? Muse Well, I think one of the best ways we could do it is to get The Orlando Sentinel columnists—there’s, I think, a Kay—Kay Richardson or—or something. I can’t remember her name, but there’s[sic] several columnists that[sic] do stories on this, and also The Sanford Herald, and if they would do a piece on it and tell ‘em we’re looking for people to bring in things for this, um, um, history harvest, I think it would get out real quick that way, because most people take that Sanford Herald, and if—if they don’t get The Orlando Sentinel—I know friends do, and they pass it around the neighborhood, but I’m sure there would be a lot of people that would be interested in it if they explained what it was and what they want to do. I think it would be great, and I’m excited about it. I really think it will be great. Glasshoff Well, thank you for doing the interview. I think that’s[sic] all the questions I have. Muse You’re quite welcome. Glasshoff Is there anything that you wanted to say—that you wanted to add? Muse No, I’m just so happy with the partnership that we have. The people that are coming to work and help are so good, and they are doing a tremendous job, and it makes me feel so good that it’s going to be carried on for years to come, really. Glasshoff [inaudible]. Muse Yeah, I really am. Glasshoff Okay. Again, thank you for doing the interview. Muse You’re quite welcome. Shirley Muse Interviewed by Jesse Glasshoff October 12, 2012 <div> <div> <a title="">[1]</a> Present-day Stetson University. </div> </div> 7th Street Amtrak archival collection Beiler, Rosalind collection cataloger collections manager columnist county judge Florida State University fossil FSU gardener general Geography Lab: Where in the World Are We? Glasshoff, Jesse Grandma’s Attic Historic Sanford Welcome Center History Harvest Jacob’s Ladder librarian Library Science media specialist Million, Shirley Muse, Shirley Orlando Sentinel Panama Canal Zone PHC Pioneer Exhibit: Before the Settlement of Sanford Richardson, Kay Robinson, Bill Sanford Herald Sanford Middle Sanford Middle School Sanford MS Sanford Welcome Center Seventh Street South Pacific state senator Stenstrom Stenstrom Elementary Stenstrom, Douglas Stetson College Stetson University Stiffy's Student Museum The Orlando Sentinel UCF UCF Public History Center UF University of Central Florida University of Florida University of Virginia UV volunteer https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/5361858e574a773bd9ef69022c09f284.pdf b461139bed7cf82e625d3a9a91f777f4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection Subject Museums--Florida Schools Elementary schools Grammar schools Sanford (Fla.) Description The Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and items ranging from the late 19th Century into the present. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, documents, videocassettes, and other historical records pertaining to the history of the Sanford Grammar School, the Sanford community through the years, and the history of teaching and learning within the United States from the 19th century to the 2010s. The Student Museum has collaborated with the University of Central Florida and established the UCF Public History Center (PHC). All of the Student Museum's collections are presently housed at the PHC. The goal of the PHC is to promote access to history through ground-breaking research connecting local to global, provide cutting-edge hands-on educational programs for students and visitors, and to engage the community in contributing to and learning from history. Contributor Student Museum UCF Public History Center Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum, Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Contributing Project Student Museum UCF Public History Center Curator Marra, Katie Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Alternative Title Student Museum and PHC Collection Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Part <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/32" target="_blank">General Photographic Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/73" target="_blank">Seminole County Public Schools Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer Vance, Meghan Interviewee Miller, Algerine Location <a href="http://www.goldsboromuseum.com/" target="_blank">Goldsboro Museum</a>, Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida Original Format 1 DVD Duration 35 minutes and 40 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency 195kbps Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Oral History of Algerine Miller Alternative Title Oral History, Miller Subject Oral history--United States Sanford (Fla.) African Americans--Florida--Sanford Museums--Florida Schools High schools Integration Desegregation Civil rights--Florida Description Oral history interview of Algerine Miller, who was born on December 6, 1940, in Sanford, Florida. Miller graduated from Crooms Academy, located at 2200 West Thirteenth Street, in 1958. After high school, she attended the Walker Business School for one year. Miller worked for the State of Florida as an Eligibility Interviewer for 16 years and for Seminole County Community College as an Assistant Financial Interviewer. Miller has also worked with the UCF Public History Center as a volunteer, especially within the Crooms Academy Alumni Exhibit: Triumph Through Adversity. This interview was conducted by Meghan Vance at the Goldsboro Museum, located at 1211 West Thirteenth Street, on November 7, 2012, in Goldsboro, an African-American neighborhood in Sanford. Table Of Contents 0:00:00 Introduction 0:00:60 Life after graduation 0:01:58 Crooms Academy Alumni Exhibit: Triumph Through Adversity 0:06:34 Alumni events 0:07:24 Future of the exhibit and memorable moments 0:10:19 Connecting the exhibit with other museums 0:14:57 Sanford 0:17:00 Crooms and school segregation 0:21:34 Other museums in Sanford 0:22:55 Teaching history 0:25:19 Integration and the Civil Rights Movement 0:28:59 Motivation for working with the exhibit 0:30:01 Local ice house and family history 0:33:08 Closing remarks Abstract Oral history interview of Algerine Miller. Interview conducted by Meghan Vance at the <a href="http://www.goldsboromuseum.com/" target="_blank">Goldsboro Museum</a>, in Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida. Type Moving Image Source Miller, Algerine. Interviewed by Meghan Vance. UCF Public History Center. November 7, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Requires <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>. <a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>. <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> Is Part Of UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Format Digital transcript of original 35-minute and 40-second oral history: Miller, Algerine. Interviewed by Meghan Vance. UCF Public History Center. November 7, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Coverage Crooms Academy, Sanford, Florida Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida Public History Center,Sanford, Florida Hopper Academy, Georgetown, Sanford, Florida Creator Vance, Meghan Miller, Algerine Date Created 2012-10-23 Date Modified 2012-10-25 2012-11-18 Format video/mp4 application/pdf Extent 112 MB 53.4 KB Medium 35-minute and 40-second DVD 24- page typed transcript Language eng Mediator History Teacher Economics Teacher Geography Teacher Provenance Originally created by Meghan Vance and Algerine Miller. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only. Accrual Method Donation Contributing Project UCF Public History Center Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository UCF Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Exhibits." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. "<a href="http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/" target="_blank">Seminole High School</a>." Seminole High School, Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website) <a href="http://youtu.be/I5YudPwNnn0" target="_blank">Oral History of Algerine Miller</a> 13th Street 7th Street A. Duda & Son, Inc. African Americans Beiler, Rosalind J. civil rights Civil Rights Movement class reunion Crooms Academy Crooms Academy Alumni Association Crooms Academy Alumni Exhibit: Triumph Through Adversity Crooms Academy of Information Technology desegregation Duda, D. A. executive secretary exhibit Five Points Operation Complex Gibson, Colonel Goldsboro Goldsboro Museum high school Hopper Academy ice house integration King, Martin Luther, Jr. Miller, Algerine museum Museum of Seminole County History Oliver, Francis oral history Orangeburg pool Sanford Sanford Civic Center Sanford Museum Savannah State University school SCPS segregation Seminole County Board of Education Seminole County Community College Seminole County Public Schools Seminole County Public Schools School Board Seminole High School Seventh Street SSU State of Florida Student Museum and Center for Social Studies Thirteenth Street trade school Vance, Meghan Walker Business School Williams https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/874b525f5ae8dd9a254d791ebd51e153.pdf 43350c88e67fa6cd7d91553b015fdf21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection Subject Museums--Florida Schools Elementary schools Grammar schools Sanford (Fla.) Description The Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and items ranging from the late 19th Century into the present. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, documents, videocassettes, and other historical records pertaining to the history of the Sanford Grammar School, the Sanford community through the years, and the history of teaching and learning within the United States from the 19th century to the 2010s. The Student Museum has collaborated with the University of Central Florida and established the UCF Public History Center (PHC). All of the Student Museum's collections are presently housed at the PHC. The goal of the PHC is to promote access to history through ground-breaking research connecting local to global, provide cutting-edge hands-on educational programs for students and visitors, and to engage the community in contributing to and learning from history. Contributor Student Museum UCF Public History Center Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum, Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Contributing Project Student Museum UCF Public History Center Curator Marra, Katie Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Alternative Title Student Museum and PHC Collection Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Part <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/32" target="_blank">General Photographic Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/73" target="_blank">Seminole County Public Schools Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer Rotton, Patrick Interviewee Michels, Helen Location UCF Public History Center, in Sanford, Florida Original Format 1 CD/DVD Duration 42 minutes and 51 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency 126kbps Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Oral History of Helen Michels Alternative Title Oral History, Michels Subject Oral history--United States Sanford (Fla.) Elementary schools Grammar schools Schools Students--Florida Palm Bay (Fla.) Teachers--Florida Educators--Florida Tutors and tutoring--United States Halfway houses May Day (Labor holiday)--United States Social justice--Florida Segregation--Florida World War II San Juan (P.R.) Description Oral history interview of Helen Michels, who was born in Palm Bay, Florida, on May 4, 1936. Michels, her parents, and her thirteen siblings migrated to Sanford in 1942. She attended Sanford Grammar School, located at 301 West Seventh Street, and Seminole High School, at 1700 French Avenue. When Michels entered college, she originally began as a lab technician, but changed her major to education. Following college, she taught as a schoolteacher in Hollywood, Melbourne, and Puerto Rico. After witnessing social justice issues while teaching in Puerto Rico, Michels decided to enter into drug therapy work for about 10 years. She then became the director of a halfway house for federal prisons. Upon retirement, she moved back to Sanford. This interview was conducted by Patrick Rotton at the UCF Public History Center in Sanford, Florida, on October 23, 2012. Table Of Contents 0:00:00 Introduction 0:01:27 Sanford Grammar School 0:05:17 Teachers and school activities 0:11:28 Layout of the school 0:12:54 School clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities 0:15:02 Memories with siblings and classmates 0:18:15 Career 0:21:38 May Day 0:22:50 High school and physical education 0:27:54 Pig'n'Whistle 0:30:3 Keeping in touch with classmates 0:32:47 School memories 0:37:01 World War II 0:39:50 Closing remarks Abstract Oral history interview of Helen Michels. Interview conducted by Patrick Rotton at the UCF Public History Center, in Sanford, Florida. Type Moving Image Source Michels, Helen. Interviewed by Patrick Rotton. UCF Public History Center. October 23, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Requires <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>. <a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>. <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> Is Part Of UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/31" target="_blank">Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Format Digital transcript of original 42-minute and 51-second oral history: Michels, Helen. Interviewed by Patrick Rotton. UCF Public History Center. October 23, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Coverage Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Seminole High School, Sanford, Florida Federal Halfway House, San Juan, Puerto Rico Creator Rotton, Patrick Michels, Helen Date Created 2012-10-23 Date Modified 2012-10-25 2012-11-18 Format video/mp4 application/pdf Extent 117 MB 51.5 KB Medium 42-minute and 51-second CD/DVD 18-page typed transcript Language eng Mediator History Teacher Civics/Government Teacher Geography Teacher Provenance Originally created by Patrick Rotton and Helen Michels. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only. Accrual Method Donation Contributing Project UCF Public History Center Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository UCF Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Exhibits." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. "<a href="http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/" target="_blank">Seminole High School</a>." Seminole High School, Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.seminolehs.scps.k12.fl.us/. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website) <a href="http://youtu.be/mq0CDArmXOI" target="_blank">Oral History of Helen Michels</a> 1st Street 25th Street 7th Street arithmetic education art education Bible Book of Psalms cafeteria can drives CB celery Celery Crate celery field Celeryfeds chemistry chemistry set Christmas citizenship citizenship education City of Sanford class historian class reunions communion current events Davis, Lavinia R. Dewey Decimal System Downtown Sanford drug therapy drug treatment drug treatment company Easter Easter Seals educator elementary school federal prisoners First Street French Avenue Girl Scouts of the United States of America grammar school gym education gym teacher halfway house Halloween high school history education horse intramural sports junior high justice movement lab technician library marionette May Day maypole Michels, Helen music education oral history P.E. Page Palm Bay Park Avenue Parks, David patriotism pep club PHC physical education Pig 'n Whistle playtime Pledge of Allegiance public library rationing reading education recess Ritz Theatre Rotton, Patrick Ruth, Babe Ruth, George "Babe" Herman, Jr. San Juan, Puerto Rico Sanford Sanford Grammar School savings bond school schoolteacher science education science teacher Seabee segregation Seminole High School Seventh Street social justice softball softball team Southside Elementary School spelling education sports program Star Spangled Banner Stinecipher, Grace Marie student Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies study hall teacher The Plow Penny Mystery tutor Twenty-Fifth Street U.S. Navy UCF UCF College of Graduate Studies UCF Department of History UCF Public History Center United States Naval Mobile Construction Battalio victory garden war bond war effort Welch World War II WWII https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/71a5f2fdec8a5e8c214d9cf29f22b692.pdf e3ea0bfd10f0ad36bfc81e8bcb2337db Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection Subject Museums--Florida Schools Elementary schools Grammar schools Sanford (Fla.) Description The Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and items ranging from the late 19th Century into the present. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, documents, videocassettes, and other historical records pertaining to the history of the Sanford Grammar School, the Sanford community through the years, and the history of teaching and learning within the United States from the 19th century to the 2010s. The Student Museum has collaborated with the University of Central Florida and established the UCF Public History Center (PHC). All of the Student Museum's collections are presently housed at the PHC. The goal of the PHC is to promote access to history through ground-breaking research connecting local to global, provide cutting-edge hands-on educational programs for students and visitors, and to engage the community in contributing to and learning from history. Contributor Student Museum UCF Public History Center Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum, Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Contributing Project Student Museum UCF Public History Center Curator Marra, Katie Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Alternative Title Student Museum and PHC Collection Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Part <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/32" target="_blank">General Photographic Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/73" target="_blank">Seminole County Public Schools Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer Kaczmarek, Megan Interviewee Kruckemyer, Gene Location Univesity of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida Original Format 1 audio/video recording Duration 11 minutes and 19 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency 158kbps Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Oral History of Gene Kruckemyer Alternative Title Oral History, Kruckemyer Subject Oral history--United States Sanford (Fla.) Orlando (Fla.) Museums--Florida Bells--United States Historic preservation--Florida University of Central Florida. Department of History Newspaper editors--Florida Description Oral history of Gene Kruckemyer, editor for UCF News at the University of Central Florida's News and Information Office. Kruckemyer moved from Orlando to Sanford in 2004, following a series of hurricanes. He worked as a publisher for The Sanford Herald for three years and as an editor for The Orlando Sentinel for 33 years. This interview was conducted by Megan Kaczmarek at Kruckemyer's office at the University of Central Florida on October 31, 2012. Within the oral history, Kruckemyer discusses his involvement with the UCF Public History Center, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida. Table Of Contents 0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:30 Restoration of the school bell 0:07:10 Life in Sanford and working for The Sanford Herald and The Orlando Sentinel 0:11:02 Closing remarks Abstract Oral history interview of Gene Kruckemyer. Interview conducted by Megan Kaczmarek at the UCF Public History Center, in Sanford, Florida. Type Moving Image Source Kruckemyer, Gene. Interviewed by Megan Kaczmarek. UCF Public History Center. October 31, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Requires <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>. <a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>. <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> Is Part Of UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/31" target="_blank">Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Format Digital transcript of original 11-minute and 19-second oral history: Kruckemyer, Gene. Interviewed by Megan Kaczmarek. UCF Public History Center. October 31, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Coverage The Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, Florida University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, Sanford, Florida Public History Center, Sanford, Florida The Sanford Herald, Sanford, Florida Creator Kaczmarek, Megan Kruckemyer, Gene Date Created 2012-10-31 Date Modified 2012-11-04 2014-02-25 2014-04-03 Format video/w4v application/pdf Extent 27.7 MB 141 KB Medium 11-minute and 19-second audio/video recording 9-page typed transcript Language eng Mediator History Teacher Civics/Government Teacher Geography Teacher Provenance Originally created by Megan Kaczmarek and owned by UCF Public History Center. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only. Accrual Method Donation Contributing Project UCF Public History Center Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository UCF Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. "<a href="http://mysanfordherald.com/pages/about_us" target="_blank">About Us</a>." The Sanford Herald. http://mysanfordherald.com/pages/about_us. "<a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/" target="_blank">Orlando Sentinel</a>." The Orlando Sentinel. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/. "<a href="http://knightnews.com/about/" target="_blank">About</a>." KnightsNews.com. http://knightnews.com/about/. Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website) <a href="https://youtu.be/uNCCbk3pQEM" target="_blank">Oral History of Gene Kruckemyer</a> Transcript Kaczmarek Alright, uh, today’s date is Wednesday, October 31st, 2012. I’m interviews— interviewing Mr. Gene Kruckemyer in his office at University of Central Florida about his involvement with the [UCF] Public History Center and the Student Museum [and Center for Social Studies]. When did you first move to Sanford[, Florida]? Kruckemyer I moved to Sanford in 2004. So I’ve lived within view of the museum for the past eight years. I can see it from my front porch. Kaczmarek Nice, and where are you originally from? Kruckemyer From Orlando. Kaczmarek Oh, Orlando. Okay, and what brought you specifically to Sanford? Kruckemyer Uh, back in 2004, when with a succession of three hurricanes coming through Central Florida. Uh, the first hurricane came—we had purchased a house in Sanford as an investment actually, and we weren’t going to move there, but, uh, the first hurricane came and knocked our power out in Orlando. Uh, we had the house in Sanford. It had power. We decided to just move up there until everything was okay back in Orlando, and then two more hurricanes came, and did the same thing, and we just finally decided to stay in Stan—in Sanford, uh, because we enjoyed living there. We enjoyed the town. We enjoyed the people. Kaczmarek Nice[?], and, um, you worked at The Sanford Herald for a while? Kruckemyer Currently, uh, I’m at the University’s News and Information office. I’m the news editor. Previous—previous three years, I was the publisher of The Sanford Herald, and for the 33 years before that, I worked at The Orlando Sentinel. Kaczmarek Oh, okay, Um, and what did you do at The Sanford Herald? Kruckemyer I was a publisher. Kaczmarek Publisher? Okay. Kruckemyer Which is—which is basically the, you know, CEO [chief executive officer] of the newspaper. Making sure all the different departments worked together and… Kaczmarek And how did you first learn about the Student Museum? Kruckemyer Well, it was—in my time as publisher at The Herald, uh, while living right across the park from it. I, uh—I couldn’t avoid it, but—but the issues that were coming to the museum were that, uh—it was during a critical time, while I was the publisher, that—that the school—the Seminole [County Public] School[s] Board was considering closing the building down, because of economic reasons, and, uh, people in town and the county—the whole county—got involved and started creating committees to preserve the building, and that’s how The Herald got involved, and, uh, one of the things that we did was to, um, uh, redo the school bell that had not been used for decades. The building was built in 1902, and, uh, it was first used as a—as a, uh, senior high school.1 Uh, I think, in 1911, it became a, uh—a grammar school.2 And it was that until 1984, when it was put on the [U.S.] National Register for Historic Places, and it was turned to the Seminole County, uh, Student Museum—or actually they called it—it had a longer name like—you probably know what it is. It had like—it was the, um—uh, the Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies, but most people just called it the Student Museum, and it was a place where fourth graders go to learn Florida history, and it was a hands-on, uh, interpretive museum for other people come in during the week and learn different things about local history, and Florida history and, the native, uh, Floridians, uh, pioneers—a demonstration garden in the back show what people used to grow in the 20th, uh—at the turn of the 20th century. So it’s an interesting place. Kaczmarek And how did you get specifically involved with the bell? Kruckemyer Um, I did a column one time. Uh, it was a Q&A with the building. I asked building questions and answered questions, and, uh, I talked to a friend of mine in Sanford—her name is Bette Skates—and she was student at the, uh—uh, I think she was there when it was a grammar school, and, uh, she said she wished that bell would be, you know—able to be rung again. It hadn’t been rung in decades. Nobody knows why it stopped being used, but, uh, in 1916, the building got electricity, so they put in an electric bell. Sometime after that, they stopped using the bell, which had a, uh—a pull cord that went from the bell tower to the principal’s office, but the—but the hole was blocked off, so it wasn’t used, and I was talking to Bette, and she said she sure wished that bell would be able to be used again. So, uh, I thought that’d be a good project for The Sanford Herald. We, uh—we decided to make it work. So I talked with the then superintendent, whose name is Bill Vogel, and, uh, we—we figured out how much it was going to cost, and, uh, I had, uh—I contacted a friend of mine in Sanford—his name is Steve Meyers[sp]. He’s a[sic] historic preservationist and he does construction work, and—and, uh, he and I went up one day and he did all the work, and I was the gopher[?], and I ran his errands, and he made a new channel for the rope and put a marine-grade rope up there, and, uh, now it goes to the principal’s office, and every year they use the bell on the first day of school to signal the start of school for each year. Kaczmarek Wow. Um, and what was—you talked a little bit about the process of restoration. Um, what was the community, um, reaction to you this project? Kruckemyer Well, you can imagine, a lot of people that, uh, went to school there over the years had a—had a soft spot for the building. So, uh, they were objecting to the plans to either close the school on purpose, or just let it fade away, you know? Uh, so a lot of people formed committees to, uh, preserve the building. Um, uh, they raised money different ways. They had sales. I think—I think they still have periodic garage sale, at least until I think UCF [University of Central Florida] took over. They used to have periodic garage sales to help, you know offset the costs, ‘cause the school board was in some dire financial problems, because of the economy. So they didn’t have the money for it, but, uh, at least the community groups kept it going long enough, until UCF thankfully came in and, uh—and leased the building to use it for the Public History Center. Kaczmarek And, um—let’s see. Are you—what—what other projects were you involved with the museum, if any? Kruckemyer Um, that was—that’s pretty much, uh—as far as The Sanford Herald—I mean, uh, that’s pretty much right there in my neighborhood. Kaczmarek [laughs]. Kruckemyer So, uh, I’m sorta a—a watchdog to see if there’s anything that needs to be reported. That’s been going on so the only thing. Kaczmarek And, how are you involved with the Public History Center now? Kruckemyer Um, I’ve been to several of the events that have been there. Kaczmarek [laughs]. Kruckemyer They just had the, uh, Pumpkin Fest, and I was there on the opening day of school, and, uh, there was another event recently I went to, um… Kaczmarek The open house? Kruckemyer The open house. Kaczmarek And, you’ve lived in Sanford for—since 2004. Um, have you seen a lot of changes within the community of Sanford, since the time you’ve lived there? Kruckemyer Um, I—I live in the historic district, and the museum, er—the Public History Center was in the museum—in the—in the, uh, historic district. So we live in an area that doesn’t see as much change as a lot of places, uh, because there are[sic] a lot of restrictions of what you can and can’t do, but I don’t mind. I moved into the neighborhood not even knowing that was the case, and I think that history’s—or the, uh, historic district is one of the things that’s really saved Sanford, because people got interest in preserving the neighborhood, preserving the houses, preserving the way things used to be, and that’s something I enjoy. Kaczmarek Nice. Um, and when you said you worked at The Herald, what would—what would you say would be one of your more memorable experiences with The Herald? I know The Herald goes back and it’s a part of Sanford and that it’s been around for a long time. Um, what would you say would be one of your most memorable experiences as working at the smaller paper—as compared to The Sentinel—is? Kruckemyer Well, um, in my time there, I—I always maintained that the community papers were going to be the ones to survive, because, um, bigger papers—they carry a lot of things that you can get online at a hundred different sources. The things that are in a community paper are only in the community paper, and one of my goals was to—to make sure that we could provide to the community with what—what, uh—what they needed to know, and people seemed to respond. We did all kinds of, uh, reader interactive things and, uh, contests, and—and, uh, I started something called the “Centennial Forum,” which was, uh, like, uh, every edition. We’d have an, uh, opinion piece written by somebody from our, uh, town. We had all kinds of people running for supervisor of elections to, um, handymen, to teachers, to just everybody. So that was something that got a lot of positive response, and, uh, it worked so well that once I came here, I sorta, uh, hijacked that idea. Brought it to the university, and we started a similar thing called “UCF Forum,” and, uh, every Wednesday, we have an opinion piece by somebody that’s on our panel. We had nine people on the panel and they’d rotate, and, uh, so the, uh, opinion piece runs on the UCF website every Wednesday. Kaczmarek Very nice, and now, you said you had a column about—with the museum. What—can you tell me a little bit about that? Kruckemyer Uh, the original one was a column I wrote when I was at The Sentinel, and, uh, that was the one where I had the Q&A, where I talked about the building. Kaczmarek Yes. Kruckemyer And they asked how old it was, you know, and its interest and its favorite movies—that sort of thing [laughs]. Kaczmarek [laughs] And what were its answers? [laughs]. Kruckemyer [sighs] Oh, um, I don’t remember offhand. I know I asked about relatives, and it said it had relatives all over the world, like the Louvre, the Smithsonian [Institution], and… Kaczmarek [laughs] And how would you describe the community of Sanford to someone that doesn’t, like, know Sanford? Kruckemyer Uh, as I said, I moved 8 years ago, and, uh, it’s not as congested as Orlando is. Uh, it’s—it’s a community that I enjoy. In fact, they’re undergoing, uh, a program right now called Imagine Sanford [Community Vision and Strategic Planning]. It’s a, uh, group that’s been called together, and I’m on the committee to do that. Um, so we’re just looking to see what’s Sanford wants to be like within the next 10, 20, 30 years. What are the things we value? What are the things we want to improve? What are the things we want to change? Uh, so this something that we’re undergoing right now, and, uh, hopefully by next May, we’ll have a report to, uh, give to the [Sanford] City Commission to—to tell what we think should be done. Kaczmarek Wow. That’s really interesting. Well, thank you very much for your time. I really much appreciate you doing this interview with me. Kruckemyer You’re welcome. Kaczmarek Uh… Kruckemyer [inaudible]. 7th Street bell Centennial Forum historic preservation Imagine Sanford Community Vision and Strategic Planning Kaczmarek, Megan Kruckemyer, Gene Meyers, Steve museum National Register for Historical Places newspaper newspaper column newspaper editor oral history orlando PHC Pumpkin Fest restoration Sanford Sanford City Commission Sanford High School school bell Seventh Street Skates, Betty Student Museum Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies The Orlando Sentinel The Sanford Herald UCF UCF Department of History UCF Forum UCF News UCF News and Information UCF Public History Center University of Central Florida Vogel, Bill Westside Grammar Elementary School https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/14b93c17287a076148840608e8dc9534.pdf 9a986791d7846893de4742a36fcb83af Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection Subject Museums--Florida Schools Elementary schools Grammar schools Sanford (Fla.) Description The Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and items ranging from the late 19th Century into the present. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, documents, videocassettes, and other historical records pertaining to the history of the Sanford Grammar School, the Sanford community through the years, and the history of teaching and learning within the United States from the 19th century to the 2010s. The Student Museum has collaborated with the University of Central Florida and established the UCF Public History Center (PHC). All of the Student Museum's collections are presently housed at the PHC. The goal of the PHC is to promote access to history through ground-breaking research connecting local to global, provide cutting-edge hands-on educational programs for students and visitors, and to engage the community in contributing to and learning from history. Contributor Student Museum UCF Public History Center Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum, Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Contributing Project Student Museum UCF Public History Center Curator Marra, Katie Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Alternative Title Student Museum and PHC Collection Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Part <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/32" target="_blank">General Photographic Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/73" target="_blank">Seminole County Public Schools Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer Reisz, Autumn Interviewee Grace, David C. Location UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Original Format 1 audio/video recording Duration 34 minutes and 56 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency 194kbps Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Oral History of David C. Grace Alternative Title Oral History, Grace Subject Oral history--United States Fort Myers (Fla.) Museums--Florida Gardens--Florida Army Veterans--Florida Okahumpka (Fla.) Native Americans--Florida Description Oral history of David C. Grace, the Master Gardener and docent at the Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida. Grace was born in Wichita, Kansas, on December 2, 1942. He attended Wichita State University and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in 1965. He performed missile maintenance at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, until he retired after three years. He accepted a job with United Telephone and moved to Fort Myers around 1970. When United Telephone purchased the Winter Park Telephone, Grave migrated to Central Florida. After being laid off, he decided to become a Master Gardener for the Student Museum, while also working as a Chief Financial Officer for the Florida Safety County. This interview was conducted by Autumn Reisz in Sanford on October 30, 2012. Table Of Contents 0:00:00 Introduction 0:03:42 Student Museum 0:10:20 Garden maintenance 0:16:32 Being a docent 0:28:01 Favorite stories 0:29:50 RECORDING CUTS OFF 0:29:50 Favorite stories 0:33:30 Closing remarks Abstract Oral history interview of David C. Grace. Interview conducted by Autumn Reisz in Sanford, Florida. Type Moving Image Source Grace, David C.. Interviewed by Autumn Reisz. UCF Public History Center. October 30, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Requires <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>. <a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>. <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> Is Part Of UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/31" target="_blank">Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Format Digital transcript of original 34-minute and 56-second oral history: Grace, David C.. Interviewed by Autumn Reisz. UCF Public History Center. October 30, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Coverage Fort Myers, Florida Ocala, Florida Winter Park, Florida Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, Sanford, Florida Creator Reisz, Autumn Grace, David C. Date Created 2012-10-30 Date Modified 2012-10-30 Format video/mp4 application/pdf Extent 248 MB 183 KB Medium 34-minute and 56-second audio/video recording 13-page typed transcript Language eng Mediator History Teacher Geography Teacher Provenance Originally created by Autumn Reisz and David C. Grace. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only. Accrual Method Donation Contributing Project UCF Public History Center Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository UCF Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Exhibits." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website) <a href="http://youtu.be/Rq-r1Elhi_s" target="_blank">Oral History of David C. Grace</a> Transcript Reisz Okay, alright. Here we go. So I’m going to do a little intro, uh, that—I am Autumn Reisz and I am interviewing David [C.] Grace this morning, and we’re gonna talk about, um, his experiences and work at the Student Museum in Sanford, um, as a Master Gardener and also a docent, and then—so if you want to start with telling us where you grew up, and went to school, and—and how you ended up here in Florida. Grace Okay, uh, how I wound up in Florida goes back in history. I am from Wichita, Kansas, where I was born in 1942. Went to, uh, high school there at Wichita [High School] East. One of my close buddies was [Robert] “Bob” [Michael] Gates… Reisz Nice. Grace Uh, the Secretary of the Defense, formerly. Went to Wichita State University, graduated, unfortunately, four years later. Uh, I didn’t think I was going to make it. I say “unfortunately,” because I graduated with a business emphasis in accounting, and I was also commissioned as a Second Lieutenant United States Army in 1965. So I tried to work on a Master’s Degree, and that didn’t work too well. So I found myself going on active duty and Redstone Arsenal in [Huntsville,] Alabama—missile command. So I was a missile maintenance officer for three years. Then I, uh, then I decided to retire early, after three years. I interviewed with a number of companies, and, uh—Firestone [Tire and Rubber Company], um, uh—some other companies in the Midwest, but then somebody offered me a job in Fort Myers, Florida. Now my connection to Florida goes back to 1914. My dad was born here in Okahumpka in Lake County. Uh, my grandparents—my grandmother grew up in a little town called Bloomfield, Florida, which no longer exists. It’s on the south side of, uh, Lake Harris—close to Yalaha. My dad was named after, uh, the kaolin pit. Kaolin is a white chalk used as a filler in paper, china, that sort of thing. So, uh, things did not work out, eh, the price of kaolin went south, so the family had to move to Central Georgia, where the Kaolin was better quality. Dad decided in, uh, about 1937, he didn’t want to be a pig farmer, or be in Central Georgia, where it was just a mining town. He went to aviation school and was later hired by Walter Beech—Beech Aircraft<a title="">[1]</a> in Wichita. So, uh, that is where my mom comes in and, uh—so my, uh—so, uh, that’s where my life started in 1942. Now, you know, we’d always go to Grandma’s house in Central Georgia every year, until I was 17 years old, and from there, we’d always venture down to Florida. So I knew something about Florida and I guess that one of my decisions about going to work for United Telephone [Company of Florida] in Fort Myers. I’ve been here in Florida basically since 1970. I followed the purchases of, uh, Florida Telephone Corporation in Ocala. So I was there in Ocala for a few years, came here in 1978, with the purchase of Winter Park Telephone [Company], and, uh, now we know United Telephone has the, uh, the company that is Sprint [Corporation], and the other company is right now called CenturyTel. So that’s how I got here. Reisz Nice. That is quite the journey [laughs]. So how did you become involved with the Sanford museum?<a title="">[2]</a> Grace Uh, when I retired, and I was at the regulatory with the phone company, the regulation went away. The telephone company was deregulated. Uh, so in 1997, at the age of 55, they said, “The regulation has gone away and so are you.” So I retired and, uh, [clears throat] one of the things that I wanted to do was be a—a gardener. Moving to Florida and being a gardener—you have to understand that things don’t grow like they do in Kansas. So, um, I guess I wanted to be a Master Gardener. So I took the 14-week course, which is one day a week—essentially from 9 to 3. After that time—time you become a Master Gardener. So the day that I graduated from being a Master Gardener, I also went back to work with a, uh—as a CFO [Chief Financial Officer] for the Florida Safety Council. So I gave that up after three years. Now, what was beautiful about, um—about workin’ at the Central Florida Safety Council, being a Master Gardener—which requires 35 hours a year of volunteer service—every last Saturday of the month, here at the Student Museum was an opportunity to volunteer in the gardens. The gardens started here in about 1997-98 time frame. So over a period of three years, I was up here once a month to get my 35 hours a year, and after that, I just kinda hung around. Reisz Um, can you tell us a little bit about the teaching gardens? Um, and how they are used to teach the students? Grace [clears throat] Okay, well, when I retired the second time, I was asked to come in and be a docent, and, uh, I used to teach the majority of all the rooms here, but I did fall in love with Native American history [clears throat]. The individual that started the gardens was, uh, Walter Padgent, who, at that time, owned Higgins House [Bed and Breakfast], just up the street here, and he was also in the same class as I was for the Master Gardener organization. So, uh, being here, at the—at the Student Museum, I kind of fell in love with [clears throat] Native American history, and, uh—and Walt Padgent—that’s how the gardens started—was he had this vision of—and he used to be, I believe, a pioneer docent. So he wanted something out here—immediately right outside the windows here—uh, where the first grounds of a vegetable garden, or pioneer garden, which allowed the fourth grade students to come here, dig a trench, plant their beans, cover it up, water it, and end the exhibit part outside. Couple of years ago, I challenged a lady—and I didn’t actually challenge her. I just said to her one day, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a three sisters garden out here?” The three sisters—corn, uh—three sisters garden are corn, beans, and squash, and it, uh—it’s part of the—we gave up painting faces, which was about a 10-minute mission there, in the Native American [Exhibit: Life in an Ancient Timucuan Village] room, and what else are you going to do with the 10 minutes? I said, “Well, let’s take them out to the gardens.” ‘Cause out here, in the teaching gardens, we did have the three sisters garden. We showed the kids. It’d be surprising that maybe some kids don’t what corn looks like, other than what’s on the breakfast cereal box, and of course, the three sisters are complimentary to each other. They give a balanced diet to the Native Americans. You—you get your carbs from corn, you get your protein from the beans, and you get a well-balanced, nourished diet from squash. So, uh, we also have, out here, the coontie plant, which became a major industry here in Florida, because it was a source of, um, uh, starch. Everybody needs a li’l starch. The coontie plant would provide that starch, and it became an industry, uh—it was an industry up until 1909. Up here in DeLand, Florida, a company manufactured coontie starch. So I show the kids that, because the Native Americans used that. Uh, it is a poisonous plant, uh—with the red berries. It is kinda common. Nowadays, it’s become more popular in the local landscape. Then we move on over to a beautyberry—the American beautyberry bush—which at this time of year, has some really beautiful purple berries on the stems, and we tell ‘em that grandma used to make jelly from those. Uh, Native Americans can use that as, uh, some—sometimes they say there’s a little color in there. It could get used for body paint, or ‘bout the best use I know of is it’s a good insect repellent. Uh, we also stop at the herb garden, and, uh, most kids don’t—they understand what an herb might be, um, but they probably have never seen one, like rosemary. Uh, I try to show ‘em like four different kinds of herbs: rosemary—aloe that we use for sunburns—thyme—you could use for casseroles and soups—and there’s another—there’s another one out there I throw in there if it is out there in the herb garden. We go around and talk about the sassafras tree, and then lastly I take them to yaupon holly. We have a weeping yaupon holly here in our gardens, and, uh, the botanical name for that is ilex vomitia, and it doesn’t take too long for the kids to understand there’s something about the word vomitia. Uh, the yaupon holly was used as a ceremonial tea—a drink. Every morning, the chief and the elders of the tribe or branch would partake of yaupon holly tea—or we know it today—they called it “black drink.” It’d make you—it’d make you sweat profusely. Uh, I’ve told it has six or seven times more caffeine than a cup of coffee. It’ll keep you awake for 48 hours. So the hunters of the tribe would drink this. Uh, drink all they could get, throw up which was good luck. Uh, and they’d go out to the hunt and they would—would, uh, be in the stand—the steer dan—deer stand for 48 hours, and, uh, that was the hunt. Reisz Wow. How so—do you do plantings that are seasonal here? Do you change as the cycle goes around? Or do you try and continue to keep the same basic things around to teach the students? Grace Um, we replenish, like the herbs, and we plant, of course, the three sisters garden. We didn’t have irrigation here, until about 2003, which meant before that, uh—that in the summertime, we just covered up the gardens with plastic, go home, and don’t come back until September. Reisz Oh. Grace Now we have irrigation year-round. Um, so it’s all up to the climate and, uh, we’ve been a mode for the last several years, probably since about—since 2005, and that mode is—is what you’d basically call “maintenance.” Maintaining what we have because of the, uh, things that we heard about the school’s gonna close up. It’s gonna be sold, and some Master Gardeners even thought about coming here and digging up the plants, and moving back to the extension, which to me is called trespassing. So what’s good about the gardens right now, we’ve maintained them. Haven’t done a lot of planting, other than what we do here for the students: the vegetable garden, the herb garden, uh, butterfly garden. We kinda keep up on that, but the other plants and the other gardens, like our shade garden, subtropical garden, our wildlife habitat, is going wild and is flourishing, and we can stand back and trim and prune, as necessary. Reisz Yeah, do you have to do any extra maintenance with the roses or anything like that, other than regular pruning, or do you just let them be? Grace You’d be surprised that the roses we have here, which are maintained by the Orlando Area Historical Rose Society. Uh, they’re the ones that set it up back in 1997. They are what we call “antique roses.” They have very little response to, uh—in other words, they don’t get black spot. They don’t get diseases. Um, you can get an antique rose of any size, any color. We have one rose out there, which is probably about 15 feet in diameter—about 8 feet tall. Beautiful rose—pink rose. Ah, we have the other roses that crawl on the ground, like a ground cover. Uh, the rosarium that takes care of that rose garden right now is the president of that society. So he’s an expert on roses, and, uh, while a homeowner might not think that, uh, they need a lot of care. I don’t really care. I have some in my own yard. They don’t get a lot of care. So they’re by themselves. They’re happy, but, uh, as an exhibit here, he comes out maybe two or three times a year. Gives ‘em—gives ‘em a good heavy feeding of fertilizer, uh, in the fall, we try to round up at least 20 bags. I mean big bags of leaves—oak leaves—and spread them in the rose garden, as well. So is there a lot of maintenance? Not really. Reisz Yeah. Grace We just make ‘em happy. Reisz Yeah, make them happy. Um, I saw online—I looked up, um, the Master Gardeners, and it—there’s a newsletter called The Seminole County, uh, Green Thumb. Grace Yup. Reisz It mentions that people can stop in and ask questions of the Master Gardeners.<a title="">[3]</a> Do you get a lot of, like, adults coming in to ask you questions about planting—Florida planting—anything like that? Or they just come in and see the gardens? Grace Especially they just come in on special occasions, and, uh, hoping that UCF [University of Central Florida] here—that we get people to—when they come in the front door, you want to get them to go out the back door, ‘cause that’s where the gardens are, and, historically, uh, people that have come and visited the gardens do ask questions, but, uh, sometimes getting traffic back here to the garden has been difficult. Reisz Yeah. Possibly that will change, since they changed the parking situation as well, since people have to see the garden… Grace Right, right. Reisz Before they go in. Um, how much time do you devote to the gardens now? I know you had said that you were doing, like, one Saturday a month to get your yearly. Is that the same? Are you doin’ more time? Are you doin’ little less time? Grace Historically, we found out, over the years, that people get more active on the weekends. Reisz Yeah. Grace Especially at this time of year when there are a lot of festivals going on, and this is the best time to come out to the gardens and work. So, uh—and it’s difficult to get volunteers to come here. The Master Gardeners—the main membership is probably about 40—maybe 50—members, and a lot of times they take the classes for one or two purposes. The guys come out—maybe they run a landscaping business—they want to become a Master Gardener and have that in their portfolio, so they can sell their services. We have a lot of ladies that come out. The last class of 24, uh, attendees—23 of them were women, and so the odds are in my favor, because, uh, today, if maybe it was a little warmer, I’d have at least three ladies here on Tuesdays. So, uh, we quit having the Saturday end of month work day. It just was not working out. People were not coming out. They’re more active with families. So, uh, I try to designate, as each graduating class comes along. I tell ‘em come on out, get interested in a project, uh, tell me when you can come out, and, uh, Tuesdays have become a favorite day. Uh, trying to get Thursday and maybe another day. Some people come out here on a—on a monthly basis. The ones I associate with on Tuesdays, come out on a weekly basis. We spend anywhere from—uh, right now, a day like today, we could work out here for six hours and think nothing of it. When the church bells ring across the street at noon, I call it quits. Reisz Okay, so we talked a little bit earlier, um, about you being a docent with the museum. Um, when did you become a docent? Grace I was asked to come inside, uh, to be a docent in the year 2001, after I had retired the second time. Reisz And then you said—you had mentioned you, um, you had taught the Native American room. Did you teach any of the other rooms? Grace I’ve taught—one of my favorite ones—which I can get emotional about sometimes when I taught it—is Grandma’s Attic. Reisz Yeah. Grace Because I’m old enough to realize that, when I went as a young man—to grandma’s house or to a great aunt’s house that lived down in Florida or Kansas, uh—you still had to go to the well to get your water. The outhouse was out in the back. Uh, we tried not to take a bath, because basically a bathtub did not exist. So you get all those, uh, things lined up and you try to tell these kids, uh, how life was. In fact, the—teaching Native American history and pioneer history and Grandma’s Attic—which is about a 100 years ago—wasn’t that much different, and I taught the other rooms, as well. Reisz Yeah? Grace Geography [Lab: Where in the World Are We?]. Um, it was kind of interesting. When I came here, uh, my life as a young man, uh—going into adult—it kind of fits. I was in accounting for 30 years. I did so, because that’s how you make money. Dad says, if you want to make a decent salary, uh, be an accountant—be in business. That didn’t really fit like a glove. Uh, my dad and I used to look for Indian artifacts in—in Central Kansas, ever since I was five years old. Uh, we were members of the rock society, Wichita Gem and Mineral Society for, uh—I quit paying dues about five years ago. Uh, so I’ve been involved in archeology, paleontology, minerals—you name it. Uh, I fit here. Reisz Yeah. Grace And, uh, I love Native American history, ‘cause I’ve been involved in that. We may have talked on the phone about—I was a member of Indian Guides. For Indian Guides, you’re a Cub Scout in Wichita, Kansas. It’s about Native American history. For Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow. So all my life, in the summertime, we used to go out to the camp—Boy Scout[s of America] camp, every week, ‘cause we were a special troop. We had, uh, costumes, you might say, and we danced for the audience. So, uh, Native American history been a part of my life, even though I am 50 percent German and 50 percent English and Scottish. Reisz Um, was the Native American room your favorite room to teach? Or was Grandma’s Attic your favorite room to teach? Grace Native American is probably one of the favorite rooms to teach. Grandma’s Attic coming in second. Ah, [Turn of the Century] Classroom[: Lessons from 1902] coming is third. Pioneer [Pioneer Exhibit: Before the Settlement of Sanford] room is fourth, I would say. Geography, uh—it comes in fifth, and, uh, when I started here the coordinator—the program coordinator—she was the one that taught geography. So the other three rooms I—I used to teach the classroom. It was okay. It takes a special person. We had a special person, by the name of Florence. Uh, she is a little older than I am, but she knew how teachers were in 1902, and she demanded that same, uh, discipline. So that’s kinda cool. Pioneer, uh—since I’m not a native Floridian, I don’t really understand that, until I read that book Remembered Land or [A] Land Remembered. I could really find out something about the pioneers of Florida. So, uh, being a collector of artifacts, uh, since I was a kid—we’re talking about 60 years plus. I’ve donated artifacts, fossils to the museum, so that’s where I fit. Reisz Mmhmm. Do you have a particular, like, favorite teaching tool with the kids in any of the rooms? I know, that, um, for a lot of the docents—like especially with Grandma’s Attic or the Native American room—they’d have one particular artifact that they really used—liked to use to teach the children. Did you have anything particular like that? Grace Well, one of the things that kids would always come and ask, the number one question: “Is this real?” So it kinda irritated me for some time, so I said, “Don’t ask me that question. I’m going to tell you it’s real, even though it’s not.” A lot of the materials we’ve had here—they’re not exactly real, of course. You don’t expect things to be real that go back to about 1500, but in my collection, we used to collect a lot of artifacts out of Central Georgia, which are approximately three to four to five thousand years old, and I bring those with me. Sometimes, I’d wear pants that have the mini pockets and I’ll fill the pockets up with anything from shark teeth, Uh—I’ve brought in a couple of meteorites that I found in Texas in a parking lot that was a gravel parking lot. Just so happens to be something I picked up, and it was determined by the University of Kansas to be a meteorite. I bring that in and I pass it around. Uh, sometimes I, uh, go out bounds. Sometimes, the, uh, program director sometimes gets a little—little irritated with me. Sometimes I go out of bounds, and—and teach some things and touch on some things that, uh, they don’t want me to teach, but I—I bring artifacts. Uh, that’s one thing I liked about Grandma’s Attic. Before UCF came, it was all cluttered. It looked like an antique store. So just about everything I looked at or touched is a memory. So it’s kinda like the same thing with Native Americans, even though I didn’t go back to 1513. It’s about artifacts, pottery, uh—I’ve brought in pottery shards of different designs, and asked the kids, “Well, how did this pattern get on this piece of pottery?” It was done with a paddle. It was done with pine needles. So I’ve tried to bring in the real stuff, and I use the artifacts—the things in the room—uh, to get their attention. I like the “wow” factor. I like to challenge the kids, that when they leave they might go to the library, and grab a bunch of Native American books, and go home and read ‘em, ‘cause I think it is the most fascinating history about how that—how it’s all about survival. The hunters, the male [inaudible], the female [inaudible], okay? That was survival. The lady had to fix the guys buttons. The guy had to fix his meals. I ask the kids, “When you go home, who do ask—who do you ask in your family what’s for supper? Do you ask your dad?” Probably not, ‘cause he’s in the living room. He’s being a warrior. His face is painted orange on one side, blue on the other side, and he’s got a big bowl of popcorn. Mom, she’s slaving in the kitchen fixing your dinner for you. That’s the person you go and ask. So nothing’s changed over—since 1500. The men are still hunters—still warriors. Mom does everything else. Reisz So what is it like teaching fourth graders? How do you keep the children focused and—and engaged in what you’re telling them? Grace Well, sometimes that’s interesting. It depends upon, the, uh, school that comes, unfortunately. I used to have a list of—Okay, this, uh—this school’s coming this week. Okay, I’ll bring some of my artifacts.‘Cause I—‘cause I know, in the past they—I can get their attention real quick. Some of the other schools—little bit differently. So I just go down the middle of the road, and stick with the subject matter, ‘cause some of the kids that come here, I—I extend myself. Um, some of the other students, I can almost figure it out, based on which elementary school comes. They’re about the same as last year. So sometimes the days are difficult. Um, you know, chaperones—I don’t know if I can say this on tape—but we have chaperones that like to chit chat, when I am trying to present my presentation. Sometimes, the teachers are down here looking at stuff we’re trying to sell in a rummage sale. So it’s kind interesting just to see as each group comes through. They’re all unique. They’re all different, and as a volunteer, uh, sometimes you have a problem with discipline. Can’t figure out how to do that. Sometimes, being an old codger like I am, uh, I’ve got in trouble a couple of times. In Grandma’s Attic, I point to the back and say there’s a blue outfit. Give some clues. I might say, you know, it was a Victoria’s Secret original. I’d say, Oops. I just stepped in it. ‘Cause it is a swim suit that goes back to 1907. Uh, okay. So I’ve been called down for that, but what the heck? I’m a volunteer. Reisz Yeah, is it hard to stay on, um—with the kids that you’re really engaged in, Um, I know you said you do go off script. Is hard to make sure you cover everything that is set out in the curriculum, while still covering the things you think are important? Grace I’ve been kind of a rebel the last few years. Um, I guess it is because when I first came on board, who taught me how to do this was the program director or the secretary. The secretary was very knowledgeable, because she was called upon numerous of times to do teaching. Secretary—yeah. Well, I gotta go teach that, close the door and, uh, ‘cause I’ve gotta go teach Grandma’s Attic or be a school teacher today. They’re the ones that taught me what to say, uh, and it continues today. I’ve gone through, I think, three program directors, and the same wording I heard—what I learned—specifically is still used today. I mean, we go outside and we meet the school bus, and talk about Romanesque revival architecture, and I’ve learned this since day one. You ask a student—you ask a class, “I wonder where Roman architecture comes from?” If a kid says, “Rome[, Italy],” okay. He gets a pat on the head. After 14 years, they still get a pat on the head. I mean, it’s just like going around telling a story from number one to number 20. I seem to stick with the idea that ,when a student gives a correct answer, give ‘em a pat on the shoulder—or, “You’re a straight A student today.” Reisz Do you have a favorite story about, um, either the gardens or, you know, being a docent at the Student Museum? Is there a favorite moment with a child or story with a child? Or even just, you know… Grace One… Reisz Working in an exhibit? Grace One of my favorite stories—again, this is something I don’t know if it’s unique to our education system. We used to have animals in, uh, the Native American room. We used to have a bobcat, and, uh, I’d tell the story when things were getting kind of slow. Or, you know, this is—again, being kinda like a rebel—I’d tell the legend of how the bobcat got its, uh, spots on its fur. Well, he was chasing a rabbit one day, and, uh, the rabbit went into a tree trunk—a hollow tree trunk. Well, the rabbit knew he was gonna get caught, ‘cause here comes the bobcat. The bobcat knows he’s in there, and the rabbit tries negotiating. What am I going to do now? So he says, “I know you’ve got me now. So why don’t you just set this tree trunk on fire?” Sometimes, the kids ask, “Well, how does the bobcat set the tree on fire?” I just say, “Well, that’s for another time and I’ve got to keep this story kind of short.” So when he set the tree trunk on fire, smoke and sparks were billowing out of the top of the tree trunk, and, uh, all of the sudden the bobcat realizes that these sparks are landing on his fur. Well, he’s got to pay more attention to these little fires that are now appearing on his fur, and he loses attention of, well, you know, what happened to the rabbit. Now that the bobcat has all these spots on his fur, the rabbit is now gone. He’s on up the trail. He has escaped. “That his spots come from this story about 5,000 years ago.” So I think it is a kind of a cool story. Reisz Yeah, I think so. Grace It is legend. It’s[sic] stories. It’s, in some cases, superstition, and I’ve been—I’ve been careful to be—not to say a whole lot about superstition. It’s like our three sister garden is—is grown in a circle, and that circle is because they believed that there were higher frequencies or things out there in the universe that were focused down on a—on a circular garden. Same thing with a dunce cap. Sometimes—sometimes, I tell the kids that you won’t learn this when you go to the classroom, but the dunce class—the dunce cap that you will see in there was invented by Mr. [John] Duns [Scotus] in England in the 1700s. It was for a therapy of—of slow learners. Again, the dunce cap is in what form? A cone. So that cone focused down all this knowledge for you to absorb between your ears. Like, in the 1800s, of course, the dunce cap became a disciplinary method, but again, that’s going back to superstition. Reisz Mmhmm. Grace It’s common. You find it all over the place today. Go down to the local café, and underneath the counter you’ve got these little books that all about fortunetelling, uh, things you can do with your dog and get his emotions straightened out. Kinda cool. Reisz Very cool. Any other stories you’d like to share? About the museum? Your experiences here? Grace Well, you know, it’s—it’s, uh, somebody mentioned today that, since they did the tenting of the termites, that the place smells better. I said, “You know, I kind of miss that—what it really used to smell like,” ‘cause you can imagine, when you walk around here [clears throat] a lot of times, you’d say, If only the walls could talk. This building goes back to 1902. Sometimes, we—we don’t really tell the whole story. [coughs] Like, uh, what happened during the [Great] Depression years? What did the kids wear to school? I know most of the kids—or a lot of the kids—came to school barefooted. A lot of the girls wore the same—uh, their dresses looked the same. Why is that? That’s because their dresses were made by feed bags. Their mom sewed the—the feed bags. The lady down the street did the same thing. The girls came to school wearing basically the same thing, and you wonder, Well, you know, it must’a been cooler around here in Florida. Which to me, I’ve thought about, Why didn’t I move to Florida? If it wasn’t for air-conditioning, I know I wouldn’t be here. So it’s—it’s kinda cool. We’ve had visitors drop by that came here to school in the [19]50s, they relate to, uh—there was no air-conditioning. Uh, the railroad yard was just down the street belching out—the steam locomotives in the morning belching out smoke and soot and whatever comes out of locomotive stacks, and settled all over the city here. Imagine what, kind of—when—when you’re walking to school as a kid, you hear the school bell ring, I mean, it’s so cool. Those are the kinda things—I like—this public history, because I forgot to ask my grandmother what life was back when she was a kid. So that’s what I like about public history. Reminds us to, uh, start asking questions about how life really was—not about dates, people, things. I don’t care about what— [Thomas Alva] Edison invented the light bulb. We have light bulbs, but it would’ve been nice to ask him, “What was life like in Fort Myers in 1900 or—er, 1900?” I don’t care about your light bulb. I want to know about your life. “How’d your friend [Harvey] Firestone get down here to Florida?” I mean, I’m still trying to find out—my relatives came from Bearaboo, Wisconsin, and settled in Lake County, which was—at that time, was Sumter County, in about 1870. How’d they get here? I have no idea. From Bearaboo, Wisconsin. They came here. Why? ‘Cause somebody said, “You’ve got a child with asthma?” “Yeah.” I had a great-uncle that had asthma. That’s why they moved to Florida. I still don’t know how they got here. Reisz Wow. Thank you very much. Um, we’ve covered everything that I wanted to ask about the gardens, and then your work as a—as a docent. Um, if there’s anything else feel free. If not, I think we’re all set. Grace I think that’s about it. Reisz Okay. Grace I really don’t talk about—or I generally don’t talk much at all [laughs]. Reisz Well, I’m glad you talked to me. Thank you very much. Grace That’s why I am out in the garden, ya know? Reisz Yeah. Grace Dig a hole, fertilize[?] it, fill it in. Reisz Fill it in, yup. <div> <div> <a title="">[1]</a> Correction: Beechcraft Corporation. </div> <div> <a title="">[2]</a> Correction: Student Museum and Center for Social Studies. </div> <div> <a title="">[3]</a> Seminole County Master Gardener Program. </div> </div> 7th Street A Land Remembered aloe American Beauty berry bush antique rose archaeology beans Beech Aircraft Beech, Walter bobcat Boy Scouts of America butterfly garden Central Florida Safety Council Central Georgia CenturyTel CFO Chief Financial Officer coontie corn Cub Scout docent dunce cap Eagle Scout Edison, Thomas Alva exhibit Firestone Florida Safety Council Florida Telephone Corporation Fort Myers garden gardener Gates, Bob gems geology Grace, David C. herb herb garden Higgins House Bed and Breakfast ilex vomitia Indian Guides Lake Harris Master Gardener minerals missile command missile maintenance officer museum Native American Exhibit: Life in an Ancient Timucuan Village Native Americans Okahumpka oral history Order of the Arrow Orlando Area Historical Rose Society Padgent, Walt paleontology pig farmer Pioneer Exhibit: Before the Settlement of Sanford rabbit Reisz, Autumn Robert Michael Gates Romanesque revival architecture rosarium rose rosemary Sanford Grammar School sassafras tree Scotus, John Duns Second Lieutenant Seminole County Green Thumb Seminole County Master Gardener Program Seventh Street shade garden Sprint Corporation squash Student Museum and Center for Social Studies subtropical garden superstition thyme Turn of the Century Classroom: Lessons from 1902 U.S. Army UCF Department of History UK United Telephone Company of Florida University of Central Florida, UCF University of Kansas vegetable garden veteran Wichita Gem and Mineral Society Wichita Gem and Mineral Society, Inc. Wichita High School East Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas wildlife habitat Winter Park Telephone Company WSU Yalaha yaupon holly https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/1382d312f61236de0818f1d85f3c268a.pdf 6a8fc9e72438766c811fa07b8b83cba5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection Subject Museums--Florida Schools Elementary schools Grammar schools Sanford (Fla.) Description The Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and items ranging from the late 19th Century into the present. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, documents, videocassettes, and other historical records pertaining to the history of the Sanford Grammar School, the Sanford community through the years, and the history of teaching and learning within the United States from the 19th century to the 2010s. The Student Museum has collaborated with the University of Central Florida and established the UCF Public History Center (PHC). All of the Student Museum's collections are presently housed at the PHC. The goal of the PHC is to promote access to history through ground-breaking research connecting local to global, provide cutting-edge hands-on educational programs for students and visitors, and to engage the community in contributing to and learning from history. Contributor Student Museum UCF Public History Center Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum, Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Contributing Project Student Museum UCF Public History Center Curator Marra, Katie Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Alternative Title Student Museum and PHC Collection Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Part <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/32" target="_blank">General Photographic Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/73" target="_blank">Seminole County Public Schools Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer See, MacKenzie Interviewee Parks, Serena Fisher Rankin Location Sanford, Florida Original Format 1 DVD Duration 32 minutes and 5 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency 195kbps Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Oral History of Serena Rankin Parks Fisher Alternative Title Oral History, Fisher Parks Subject Sanford (Fla.) Teachers--Florida Educators--Florida Museums--Florida Schools Gardens--Florida Students--Florida Special education--Florida Description Oral history of Serena Rankin Parks Fisher, a resident of Seminole County, Florida. Parks was born in Concord, North Carolina, on March 3, 1941. She has worked as a social studies teacher, a media center specialist, and a social studies resource teacher for Seminole County Public Schools, as wells as a Museum Specialist/Teacher Curator from 1992-2000. She then as a Volunteer/Docent at the Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, located at 301 West Seventh Street in Sanford, Florida. This interview was conducted by MacKenzie See at UCF Public History Center on October 8, 2012. Table Of Contents 0:00:00 Introduction 0:01:01 Involvement with the Student Museum 0:03:52 Influence on the community 0:06:02 Accomplishments 0:09:23 Favorite stories 0:13:51 Field trips and student behavior 0:15:43 Role of the UCF Public History Center 0:18:03 Favorite room 0:19:43 Advice for volunteers and future of the museum 0:23:19 Hands-on learning, students, and other purposes Abstract Oral history interview of Serena Rankin Parks Fisher. Interview conducted by MacKenzie See at the UCF Public History Center, in Sanford, Florida. Type Moving Image Source Parks, Serena Fisher Rankin. Interviewed by MacKenzie See. UCF Public History Center, IMG_0036. October 8, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Requires <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>. <a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>. <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> Is Part Of UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/31" target="_blank">Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Format Digital transcript of original 32-minute and 5-second oral history: Oral history interview of Serena Rankin Parks Fisher. Interview conducted by MacKenzie See at the UCF Public History Center, in Sanford, Florida. Coverage University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida Student Museum and Center for Social Studies, Sanford, Florida Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Creator See, MacKenzie Parks, Serena Fisher Rankin Date Created 2012-10-08 Date Modified 2012-11-14 2014-07-16 Format video/mp4 application/pdf Extent 466 MB 160 KB Medium 32-minute and 5-second DVD 13-page typed transcript Language eng Mediator History Teacher Civics/Government Teacher Geography Teacher Humanities Teacher Provenance Originally created by MacKenzie See and Serena Rankin Parks Fisher. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only. Accrual Method Donation Contributing Project UCF Public History Center Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository UCF Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Exhibits." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website) <a href="http://youtu.be/WU_e8k8SgOA" target="_blank">Oral History of Serena Rankin Parks Fisher</a> Transcript See This is an oral history interview of Serena [Rankin Parks] Fisher. The interview was conducted by MacKenzie See at the [UCF] Public History Center on Augu—er, on October 8th of 2012. Interview topics include experience with the Sanford Student Museum [and Center for the Social Studies] and Public History Center. Okay. Um, what is your name? Fisher My name is Serena Parks Fisher. See Um, and what is your occupation? Fisher My occupation is dilettante. In other words, I’m a retired teacher and I now do things that I enjoy doing. A little of this and a little of that. See Um, and how long have you lived in the Sanford[, Florida] area? Fisher I don’t live—well, it depends on what you consider the Sanford area. I do not live in Sanford, but I have lived in Seminole County since 1978. See Okay, um, how did you become involved with the Public History Center and what is your role here? Fisher Okay, uh, um, I’m a little confused about you asking me about the Public History Center, because, uh, my involvement with the Public History Center came as a result of my involvement with the Seminole County Public School[s’] Student Museum, and I was involved with the Student Museum. First, as a social studies teacher in the school district. At the time the museum was created, I was hearing about it, etc., and at that point, every school was asked to submit a display that gave information about their school. Now, that would have been during the time period of [19]85-‘86 and so forth. Um, then as time went on, I left the social studies classroom, and went into a media center at a middle school, and again, I would hear about groups going to the Student Museum, and then later, I became, uh, the social studies resource teacher for the district, and then from that position, had the opportunity to become the museum specialist, which was the teaching position at the Student Museum, and as such, I was the teacher, curator, what—whatever, and so, uh, I retired in 2000 and went about my merry way just being a volunteer at the Student Museum, until there was a crisis regarding the restoration of the building, and there was some, um, controversy regarding that, and so I was involved as a member of the restoration committee, and then that morphed into, uh, UCF [University of Central Florida] having the agreement with the school district and the Public History Center, and I must say that I could not be more delighted about this relationship between the University of Central Florida Public History Center and what, uh, has taken place with the school district, because I feel now that the Student Museum—Public History Center—will be achieving the goal that it originally was intended to achieve. See Um, in what ways do you feel that the Student Museum is important to the community? Fisher Well, I feel that the Public History Center and the Student Museum is important to the community—just the building itself. One of the few remaining examples of Romanesque revival architecture—educational architecture—that is, uh, in the state of Florida. So just from an architectural standpoint, I think the building has a special purpose, but I think more importantly, the reason for me that it is so important is that it is a hands-on museum for students coming through, so that they learn by being involved and actually doing work here at the center. I think that for adults in the community, um, in many ways it’s a reminder of what their school days might have been like and also a reminder of things they have heard their family, um, talk about, and I feel something that the Public History Center will be working on now is using the archives here at the Public History Center, so that those who are doing research can find out more about the past in this area. Um, uh, so I think that is more speaking to the building and the interpretive exhibits, uh, here in the building. Uh, I also feel that this is a very unique setting, because of the teaching gardens here, and there are other hands-on museums in [U.S.] National Register [of Historic Places] buildings, but I don’t know of any other that is a hands-on museum in a National Register building and also has the teaching gardens, and I think this is an added dimension here. See Um, you were telling me earlier about the three things that you thought were really important about, um… Fisher During me my time here? See During your time here [laughs], yes. Can you tell me more about those? Fisher Okay, I interpreted my job here—as a museum specialist—that I was a teacher—that my job was to work with students every day and to also work with the teachers, uh, and this gave me many opportunities, not only for, uh, elaborating on curriculum, but also in providing for in-services and so forth, but looking back over my time here at the museum, the three things that I am most proud of—that I can say, “Well, this is something tangible that I did,” uh, was seeing that, um, the gardens were established. This was something I wanted to do, and I realized when I was talking to the students in the Native American room<a title="">[1]</a> about the three sisters and, um, about the plants, the crops that were grown by the Native Americans, or in the Pioneer Room<a title="">[2]</a> talking about the three G’s—grits, greens, and gravy. I realized that many students did not quite understand about—what I was talking about. “What are these vegetable for?” For them, these things just came from the store in frozen packages or in cans, and so I thought if they could actually see the plants growing, that that would be important, and fortunately there was, in the neighborhood, a master gardener, Walt Paget, who needed to have a project, and therefore, he was the one who actually came, and we worked together in establishing the very first garden, which was more of a pioneer-oriented garden, but I felt that the establishment of the teaching gardens—showing plants, herbs, and also the historic rose garden— that this was a significant, uh, development during my time here, and the other two things may seem trivial, but to me, they made a difference, and one was having the animal sounds in the Native American room. I thought that, with the subdued lighting, that created more of an atmosphere of traveling back in time to a Native American village, and then here in the Turn of the Century Classroom[: Lessons from 1902]—the ticking of the clock. because I realized that many students could—are just accustomed to digital clocks and had never heard a clock ticking, and so we not only have a clock that ticks, but the face of the clock has Roman numerals, which again, served as a teaching tool. So I guess the three things, when I look back on my tenure here as a museum specialist, were the gardens, the animal sounds, and the ticking clock. See What’s your favorite story about the Public History Center or the Student Museum? Fisher I have many, many [laughs] that I guess would be favorites that are quite different. Um, two immediately come to mind. One involves students. I had the privilege of working with the tea—uh, a teacher of the autistic, uh, students at Eastbrook Elementary [School], and we worked on a curriculum that we would have the students visited once a month throughout the entire school year. I found that most of the students who were coming were not able to communicate with us verbally, but they seemed to have a real appreciation. They could identify items and so on and so forth. So we felt that we were accomplishing something, and then one day, we were in the Pioneer room, and I had brought down the items from the American Girls book that corresponded to the pioneer period or to a pioneer period, and one of the students in the class was examining the items, and he picked up the item and called it by the name in the book—the, uh, American Girls book, and the teacher had told me earlier that he had read all of the books, but they weren’t sure if he were—was really understanding what he had read. He picked up the lunch pail—and the pail was called a “tenet”—and he picked it up and said that word, and the teacher was astounded and she said, “Did you tell him this?” And I said, “No,” and she said, “I did not.” His mother could not believe it, and that’s when the teacher and the mother realized that this student was reading these books and truly was understanding. That was a memorable day. Another memorable day was a very early morning knock on the door, uh, at the Student Museum, and an older man was there with his wife and asked if he could come in, and he explained that he had just come in on the auto train—uh, was here in Sanford, because of the auto train, and they were headed on into South Florida, but as a child he had lived here in Sanford, and this was his elementary school, and he wanted to show it to his wife. He asked if he might go upstairs to the auditorium, and he began telling his wife about the plays that the students put on here, and that one of the most proud moments in his life was being in a school play, and that his parents had come to the performance, and how proud he felt, and that he was just bursting with pride when he greeted his parents after the play, and they told him—this was in the depths of the [Great] Depression—that this would be his last time at the school—that they had lost their house, and they moved from the area, and he said that they had to move in with relatives in another state, and he went from this high point, where he was feeling so good to—about himself to a point where he felt that he was—he—he didn’t have anything anymore, and he wanted to come back and show his wife this location, where he had once felt so good about himself. See Um, did you ever have any students who misbehaved during a field trip [laughs]? Fisher Um, it depends on what you call “misbehave.” Um, I dressed in the role of a turn-of-the-century teacher, and I—I—I did not have any real problems. I had some I had to speak to, and, uh, I tend to use a lower voice when I am really serious and really stern, and it worked out. I think one of my interesting experiences, though, uh, took place when I student came in at lunchtime, and I just—he was joining his class—and I just assumed the student had been to a doctor’s appointment or something like that, and I noticed that the other students were very much interested in talking to him and I thought, Well, you know, maybe it was an unusual appointment or something, but it was at lunch and they were chatting, you know? So that was it, and after lunch, I took the group to Grandma’s Attic, where they had the opportunity to try on clothing and so forth, and, uh, that’s when I realized that the student had been given—at the appointment in the morning—an ankle monitor, and that’s why [laughs] his classmates were very much interested in how his appointment had gone, but it—it was no problem with the child. He cooperated beautifully. See Um, how do you see the Public History Center’s role in the community changing, now that it’s open to the public, instead of just for fourth grade field trips? Fisher Okay, the key thing there is “open to the public.” Because of very limited staff— it was very difficult to have it open for extended hours, and working under the school district, we could not have the public in when students were here, and so that meant there were just limited opportunities for the public to come. I now see this for—as an opportunity for, uh, people from all over whether they’re coming in by auto train or the airport or, uh, wherever—having the opportunity to visit here, because of the extended hours and the fact that the, um, Public History Center will be open on the weekend. I also envision that there will be learning opportunities—special programs for adults here, and I had mentioned one that I hope—I would love to see it develop—um, where there was to be a workshop here for adults, where they would be given the opportunity to start writing down their own personal history—their own life story, [air conditioner turns on] and I think that this would be an ideal setting for that, because there are so many visual props that would remind them of episodes in their own life, that they might want to jot down these stories and pass on. Now, we’re probably being distracted by the sound of the air conditioner, but that points out [laughs] a challenge now, but it also points out something special about this building—that the building itself can be used as a teaching tool, with the wonderful windows, and how they were used for light, as well as ventilation, and how the design of the building was also used to take advantage of cross- ventilation, but we obviously have a very loud air conditioner. See [laughs] Um, do you have a favorite room in the museum? Fisher I guess, being a teacher, this Turn of the Century Classroom is my absolute favorite room. Uh, I feel very much at home here, and, um, I have very happy memories of teaching in this room. I have very happy memories of teaching in other areas, but I’m the daughter of a teacher, and in many ways this reminds me of things my mother would tell me about. See Um, do students seem to get more out of some rooms in the museum than others, or does it just depend on the student, or all the rooms equally valuable? Fisher It depends on the students, and it depends on the preparation they have had before they had come here. I think, for me, the beauty of the hands-on experience is that students, who might not excel at the written word or reading in the traditional classroom, all can do very well here because of hands-on and verbal participation, but, um, I think—I think it depends on the student’s own interests, and, uh, again, it probably has a lot to do with the enthusiasm of the guide who is showing them the particular area. That might be a factor, as well. See Um, what advice would you give people who want to volunteer at the museum? Fisher Do it. Uh, the beauty of the Public History Center is that there are so many volunteer opportunities, not just for working with the students. Now, the main[?] one that I found most rewarding was working with the students and the exchange—the interaction—but there are jobs that are needed to be done behind the scenes. Whether it is inventorying the suitcases or books, or whether it is working with the archives, or whether it is working as a gardener in the teaching gardens. I think that there is—or a greeter. Oh, that is a wonderful job for someone who enjoys people, but really does not want to, uh, work with the students in the instructional program. That is a wonderful opportunity. So I really—that there is something here for everyone, and so, if someone is a little tentative about volunteering, I would suggest that they come and tour, and say, “Alright. This is what I like to do. What can I do to help you?” See Um, if you could describe your ideal future for the Public History Center and the Student Museum, what would it be? Fisher [laughs] For the instructional program to continue for fourth graders, but also for that program to be expanded, and again, during the time, I was here, I had the opportunity—we had year-round school. We had multi-age classes—that was a phase that the district was going through. I especially enjoyed working with the multi-age classes, because that meant that students came here one year and then they would come the following year, and so we could do different things. I also liked working with teachers on special programs, and I think this is where the Public History Center, working with UCF students, could do a great deal—is working with teachers collaborating—using the resources here at the Public History Center—to develop special programs. I would like to see more in-service staff development done with, um, teachers here. So that teachers, who are required to do certificate renewal, could take a course here at the Public History Center. Again, going back to what I had mentioned about community programs—and I hope that someday there is an elevator, so that we aren’t limited in the use of the auditorium and use of the, um, second level, but I just see this more as a very active center in the community and—where all of us can learn about changes in education and innovation in the education. See Um, what do you think is the ideal age for students to come to the Student Museum? I mean, we’ve heard about the fourth grade field trip. Is—is that about the ideal age or… Fisher Oh, I think it depends on what you are offering. I think that, uh, the fourth grade fit in with the Florida curriculum, but again, depending on what the teacher might be doing—or special programs that could be developed. You see, uh, at one time there was an eighth grade program here as well, and, um, due to budget cuts and so forth, that program had to be eliminated, and also, there were problems scheduling with the middle school schedule, but, um, I—and I have had the opportunity again with year-round education to work with senior high students. So this is the beauty of this facility. It can be taught at so many different levels, depending on where you’re putting your focus. See Um… Fisher I think everyone should come here and, as I said, I am delighted at the potential that I am seeing, the enthusiasm with those from UCF, uh, in transforming this into a Public History Center, and I’m delighted that the public will now have greater access to this facility. See Um, I’ve heard that the Public History Center serves—or has served—a lot of other purposes in the community, other than just as a museum and a teaching facility. I even heard a story about someone getting married here. Um, do you have any experiences with it in other capacities, other than as just the, uh, museum? Fisher Well, I was not involved with someone getting married here, but I know that it has been open, thanks to the Sanford Historic Trust, several years ago inviting the museum to be part of the annual tour. It was opened for that. So for—that would be more of a social, um, learning experience too, but I—I really do not know beyond that. I know students always want to know about ghosts. “Are there ghosts here at the Student Museum?” But I, um, don’t know about that. See Well, speaking of ghosts, um, do you have a favorite aspect of the history of this place? I mean, as a school, as Sanford Grammar, or, um… Fisher Uh, no. I do not. Uh, I think that could definitely be addressed by students who came here, and something that I found very rewarding was when reunion groups from what had been Sanford High School and now is Seminole High School, when they would have their reunions and request that the museum be open on the weekend, so that they could come back and visit. I enjoyed hearing the stories of that and since I had no grown up in the Sanford community. Um, I learned a lot from that, but, um, no. Nothing else I don’t think. See Um, so I’ve heard that there are a lot, um, of seasonal celebrations that take place here, um, especially around fall and things like that. Do you—do you go to those? Or… Fisher Well, in the past, I have volunteered with those, and, um, one of the favorite celebrations—it depends on how the, uh, calendar goes—is the Spring Fest around May Day, because when this was Sanford Grammar School, the May Day celebration was a major celebration for students here, and so—for several years, the Spring Fest has included that dancing of the May Pole, and that was of appeal to those who had gone here remembering their days as students. See Um, we’ve talked a lot about school-age children coming to the Student Museum and Public History Center. Um, is there a minimum age where it’s appropriate to bring children? Fisher Uh, I think it depends on the parents, who would be bringing them. Um, uh, I would think that a child from, I would say, maybe three on—although we have had them in strollers and so forth coming through, but, um, I—I think it depends on—are you talking about them coming just to visit the building, just to see the building or to participate in a program? I—I would think that three would be about the youngest, but it depends on the parents, and, um, what the children have been exposed to before. See Um, what about adults coming here? I mean, I know Student Museum sort of implies that it’s only for children, but do you think there’s something for adults also? Fisher Oh, absolutely, and, um, again, uh—going back to things that I remember—um, I remember, um, an adult friend of mine bringing her mother here, and the mother, uh, was quite elderly and had limited vision, but coming into this classroom and hearing the sound of the footsteps on the hardwood pine floor and so forth, and the ticking of the clock, and just feeling the chalkboards and so forth, brought back memories of her school days, and the mother just began sharing these stories that the daughter had never heard. So I think that this is a multi-generational location. Student Museum—remember that its origins are with the Seminole County Public Schools, so I think that that is larger, but there was another part to that name. It was the School Board of Seminole County’s Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies, and this goes back to the point that I was—wanted to make earlier—was that I think with, um, UCF now and with the emphasis on public history, that this is going to be more of a center for social studies and for adults to be involved. See Alright. Thank you so much for talking to me. Fisher Okay, thank you. <div> <div> <a title="">[1]</a> The Native America Exhibit: Life in an Ancient Timucuan Village. </div> <div> <a title="">[2]</a> Pioneer Exhibit: Before the Settlement of Sanford. </div> </div> 7th Street American Girls archive curator docent Eastbrook Elementary educator exhibit Fisher, Serena Rankin garden Geography Lab: Where in the World Are We? ghost Grandma’s Attic May Day maypole media center museum museum specialist National Register of Historic Places Native American Exhibit: Life in an Ancient Timucuan Village oral history Paget, Walt Parks, Serena Fisher Rankin PHC Pioneer Exhibit: Before the Settlement of Sanford Romanesque revival architecture Sanford Sanford Grammar School Sanford Highs School Sanford Historic Trust school SCPS See, MacKenzie Seminole County Seminole County Public Schools Seminole High School Seventh Street social studies social studies resource teacher social studies teacher special education Spring Fest student Student Museum Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies teacher Turn of the Century Classroom: Lessons from 1902 UCF UCF Department of History UCF Public History Center University of Central Florida volunteer https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/04d83ac62271044ec1fce5f45cfe1f90.pdf 87bca60c29340d57cb26a85733bea164 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection Subject Museums--Florida Schools Elementary schools Grammar schools Sanford (Fla.) Description The Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection encompasses a broad range of materials and items ranging from the late 19th Century into the present. The collection includes artifacts, photographs, documents, videocassettes, and other historical records pertaining to the history of the Sanford Grammar School, the Sanford community through the years, and the history of teaching and learning within the United States from the 19th century to the 2010s. The Student Museum has collaborated with the University of Central Florida and established the UCF Public History Center (PHC). All of the Student Museum's collections are presently housed at the PHC. The goal of the PHC is to promote access to history through ground-breaking research connecting local to global, provide cutting-edge hands-on educational programs for students and visitors, and to engage the community in contributing to and learning from history. Contributor Student Museum UCF Public History Center Language eng Type Collection Coverage Sanford High School, Sanford, Florida Westside Grammar Elementary School, Sanford, Florida Sanford Grammar School, Sanford, Florida Student Museum, Sanford, Florida UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida Contributing Project Student Museum UCF Public History Center Curator Marra, Katie Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference "Public History Center." Public History Center, University of Central Florida. "Student Museum." Seminole County Public Schools. http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/studentmuseum/Home.aspx. Alternative Title Student Museum and PHC Collection Is Part Of <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Part <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/32" target="_blank">General Photographic Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/73" target="_blank">Seminole County Public Schools Collection</a>, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer Ford, Frank "Chip" Interviewee Caolo, Jackie Location Groveland, Florida Original Format 1 CD/DVD Duration 31 minutes and 54 seconds Bit Rate/Frequency 127kbps Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title Oral History of Jackie Caolo Alternative Title Oral History, Caolo Subject Oral history--United States Sanford (Fla.) Education--Florida Swimming--Florida Swimmers--United States United States. Navy Teachers--Florida Educators--Florida Water safety Students--Florida Poems Swimming pools--Florida Head Start Program (U.S.) American Red Cross Description Oral history of Jackie Caolo, a resident of Groveland, Florida. Caolo was born in Texas but raised in Florida. As an adult, she traveled with her husband for 20 years while he was in the United States Navy. In 1956, the Caolo's husband was transferred to the Naval Technical Training Command in Sanford. The Caolos stayed in Sanford for a year and then were transferred to Texas. After Caolo's husband retired, the couple settled back in Sanford. Caolo spent much of her time working as a swim instructor. This interview was conducted by Frank "Chip" Ford at Caolo's home on October 20, 2012. Table Of Contents 0:00:00 Introduction 0:00:35 Migrating to Sanford 0:01:32 Swimming lessons 0:04:25 Students 0:08:28 Swimming poem 0:09:40 Teaching locations 0:12:10 Teaching methods 0:17:00 Water safety 0:23:00 Staying in touch with students 0:24:38 Memories and accomplishments 0:29:39 Breaking the color barrier Abstract Oral history interview of Jackie Caolo. Interview conducted by Frank "Chip" Ford at Jackie Caolo's home in Groveland, Florida. Type Moving Image Source Caolo, Jackie. Interviewed by Frank "Chip" Ford. UCF Public History Center, TOSH0002. October 20, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Requires <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/" target="_blank">Adobe Flash Player</a>. <a href="http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp" target="_blank">Java</a>. <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> Is Part Of UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/31" target="_blank">Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida. Has Format Digital transcript of original 31-minute and 54-second oral history: Caolo, Jackie. Interviewed by Frank "Chip" Ford. UCF Public History Center, TOSH0002. October 20, 2012. Audio/video record available. UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida. Coverage Sanford, Florida Crystal Lake, Lakeland, Florida Wekiva Springs, Florida Creator Ford, Frank "Chip" Caolo, Jackie Date Created 2012-10-20 Date Modified 2012-10-21 2012-10-24 2014-11-26 Format video/mp4 application/pdf Extent 2.78 GB 146 KB Medium 31-minute and 54-second CD/DVD 14-page typed transcript Language eng Mediator History Teacher Geography Teacher Provenance Originally created by Frank "Chip" Ford and Jackie Caolo. Rights Holder Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES</a> for educational purposes only. Accrual Method Donation Contributing Project UCF Public History Center Curator Cepero, Laura Digital Collection <a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a> Source Repository UCF Public History Center/Student Museum External Reference The Seminole Herald. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52633016" target="_blank">Sanford: Our First 125 Years</a>. [Sanford, FL]: The Herald, 2002. Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank">Sanford</a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. "<a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=48" target="_blank">Sanford: A Brief History</a>." City of Sanford. http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=48. Brochure, <a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/media/pdf/leisure_services/20110407_historic_brochure.pdf" target="_blank">Sanford: Central Florida's Waterfront Gateway. Sanford, Florida: City of Sanford, 2005.</a> Click to View (Movie, Podcast, or Website) <a href="https://youtu.be/1FVTAggOkLk" target="_blank">Oral History of Jackie Caolo</a> Transcript Ford Hi. My name is [Frank] “Chip” Ford. I’m with Jackie Caolo. It is October 20th, 2012, and we are at Jackie Caolo’s home. Jackie, um, where are you from originally? Caolo Actually, born in Texas, raised in Florida, then travelled for 20 years with the Navy with my husband. Ford And—well, when did you move to Sanford[, Florida]? Caolo Actually, 1956. Ford Mmhmm. Caolo My husband was transferred here with the—the Naval Technical Training Command. Ford And what was Sanford like back then when you moved here in 1956? Caolo Wonderful. It was just wonderful. It was really a Navy town, and most everybody here was—that you talked to—was from the Navy, and, uh, a nice place to raise children. Wonderful teachers in the schools. We just always—we picked Sanford. Uh, my husband was able to pick his own, uh, place of deployment. So we were here for a year, and then we had to go to Texas for a year for, uh—and then he retired there, and then we settled down, came back to Sanford, and stayed here the rest of the time. Ford So, uh, what were some of the factors that got you into teaching people how to swim? Caolo Well, I had always been a swimmer when I was a young girl, and one of my friends won the swimming and diving championship in Berlin[, Germany]—Catherine Rawls[sp]—and I was always so proud of her and I always wanted to kinda be like her, but, uh—also, I thought everyone knew how to swim and when I found out they didn’t know how to swim, I thought, Well, it’s—uh, I went out to the Navy base actually to get my children started in advanced swimming, and the teacher there needed assistance, because her husband was, um, in a squadron in, uh, Vietnam. So I offered to help her and that’s how I really started teaching—assisting her in 1956 and ‘57. So… Ford And what were some of your experiences with those early lessons? Do you remember, like, how they were set up or… Caolo Well, you—you mean the, uh—my classes? Ford Mmhmm. Caolo Well, I always felt it was important to teach water safety, because if you teach them how to swim, but don’t teach them the water safety—so that was always emphasized—was water safety, how to behave in and around the water, and, uh, just as long—and I felt just as long as they were happy doing that, that they would learn faster, which they did, and… Ford Were you nervous at first? Caolo No, not really. I always just had—I knew that I could reach anybody at any, uh—because I knew I was young and agile, and I could get from one end of that pool to the other in nothin’ flat. Uh, so I had classes on the hour, every hour, from eight in the morning to nine o’clock—10 o’clock—and hopefully just 10 to a class, but quite often people would say, “Well, we brought our neighbor over. Is that all right if they swim?” And I couldn’t help but say, “Okay, go ahead,” and, uh, I just kept right on with the classes, until, uh, adults came at night, of course, at eight o’clock and nine o’clock, and it was a hard time getting them out of the pool. They had such a good time they never wanted to leave too, so we just had a good time. Ford And you mentioned adults. Uh, who—who were some of the people you, uh—you were teaching to swim back then? Did you teach all ages—adults, kids? Caolo Oh, all ages, yes. The older children, of course, came earlier. Uh, I’d say the adults I taught actually—Emory Blake brought his children—Jeff Blake and his sisters and brother—and, um, also I taught, um, a little girl named Dana Morosini. In fact, her father’s letter is in my folder, but Dana had her swimming lessons here, and I didn’t realize that later she had married Christopher Reeves[sic], and, uh, I saw ‘em on television, so I called her mother in New York and I said, “Is that my little Dana?” And she said, “Absolutely, sure is. So be sure an’ watch it this weekend. They’re gonna have a big program about it.” So I saw her on television. Then unfortunately, Chris died. Then her mother, Helen [Morosini], who was my good friend. She died from elective surgery, uh, and then later on, Dana also did, but she was one of my students here that—a lot of people’ve[sic] grown up to be pretty famous. They weren’t famous when I knew ‘em, but they got famous when I got through [laughs]. Ford Ah, so—and, uh—so what were your experiences like teaching African- American children how to swim back in the 1950s? Caolo Well, uh, they were just so anxious, because they never had the opportunity to go swimming, and they didn’t know that the water was wet, and they didn’t know that if you jump in, you were gonna go to the bottom, but it was fun teaching them to learn to understand the water and to learn how to enjoy it, and I learned that they—the black children—learned just as fast if not faster, because of their—they’re so anxious, and, uh, I thoroughly enjoyed it and got to know a lot of people, and a lady they used to call Mother Wilson—everybody in Sanford knew her, because she used to take care of, uh, people out in a nursing home. So she came to watch on a patio one day, and I was real pleased. She came to the edge of the pool and she put her finger up. She said, “I see that they learn more than just to swim when they come here,” and I was very flattered with that. She was right. The children learned early that I said what I meant and meant what I said, and they listened to me and I listened to them. So we got along just fine. Ford Did you have any negative experiences? Caolo Well, yeah. The—not really. One little girl came, and she told me—she says, “You’ve got a yucky pool. Yucky, yucky, yucky.” She didn’t want to swim. [laughs], but she did—but that was her—I couldn’t help but laugh at her, but, uh, I think that there might have been some people that felt at first that the children were—they didn’t think they could understand in mind. Well, children understand in mind very well, if you say what you mean and mean what you say. Yep. Ford Uh… Caolo I told you about the poem that I wrote. So they all learned how to say that poem first and then we’d go on the swimming sidewalk. You don’t go near the swimming sidewalk when you have your clothes on. You wait until you—until you’re in your bathing suit. Ford You want to say that poem for us? Caolo Oh, sure. I’d love to. I’d say: Sit down first and look around, ‘Cause we’re the smartest kids in town. Never, never swim alone, Practice 9-1-1 on the phone. Big black clouds will spoil your fun, And pretty soon here comes the sun. Lots of laughs help learning too, Underwater, I see you. Underwater hear me sing, Swim and turn and do your thing. Safety first and safety last, Say the whistle, get out fast. Attention friends, Now have some fun. I love you, You’re number one. Yay! Ford [laughs]. Caolo Also there are mirrors underwater. That’s—when they’re underwater, “I see you”—that’s when they’d go underwater and look at themselves in the swimming, uh, mirror. Ford [laughs] So did you teach at one location or did you go all over Sanford and Seminole County to teach people how to swim? Caolo At first, I went all over, until we built the pool here, and, uh—and I went wherever they, uh, went—downtown at the downtown pool, but that does remind me, the downtown pool was, uh, like a two-story pool, and they asked me if I would teach down there. They gave me nine mornings to teach in the swimming—and I said, “Well, I’m so free. I would…” “Well that’s all the time we can give you.” So the children would come and there were just dozens of them in the class, and they would go upstairs, but the parents were made to stay downstairs—but upstairs, I had to ask—I went to Seminole High School and asked volunteers to help me, because the children couldn’t touch bottom there. So it was difficult teaching ‘em swimmin’ when your feet won’t go down. So I had a group—in fact, one of the mothers that helped me way back then is still—she went in to teach swimming herself, and she’s still teaching, uh, but one day, after the swimming classes, they all left and there was a whole group of children, and later on that day, the mothers—two of the mothers took five of the children out to Crystal Lake in Lake Mary, and they sat on the—way up on the side of the hill, and they let the children go in the—in the pool, not realizing the children would swim, then they’d would stand up and take a breath. They could not pass—they hadn’t done enough to pass their test, and one little boy would swim and then he’d stand up. Then he’d swim and stand up, and swim and stand up, and then disappeared, and the parents did not have enough time to go out in the water and get him and he drowned. I was—that was so that many years ago. I was so upset when I heard about that, and that’s when I decided that the parents needed to learn as much as the children. So the parents were always allowed to pay attention in, but that was—that was a terrible thing. Ford Um, so what were some of the methods that you used to teach children? Did you, like, get them all in the pool and then you jumped in there with them? Or… Caolo No, uh, the children—when they would do their safety walk around the pool—and the reason you do that—when you have a pool, there could be a snake in the water, and you could get in trouble. One time there was a opossum that had fallen through the screen, and it was hangin’ on underneath a chair. So you did your safety walk first, and then you listened to directions. Swim up, swim back. Swimmers up, swimmers back, and they learned that you just don’t go out and just jump in, and then, um, they would sit down and they’d do their kicking on the side of the pool, and then they would learn to turn over on their stomach and slip in the pool and monkey around to the step. Monkey around—you let your hands take you around the pool, and I had my pool built so that a young child—there’s a little ledge on the bottom where their feet could touch. When they feel like they could touch, they’ll feel more secure. So they would walk around and let their feet touch and they would swim over to the side of the pool, and then one at a time, they would jump out to me, and when they would jump out, gradually they’d let ‘em get a little wetter and a little wetter, and then turn around and swim back to the step. That was their first—“to jump out pick a bale of cotton. Jump out turn around pick a bale of hay. Jump out pick a bale of cotton.” That’s the way the children learned—sing their little song happily and do their swimmin’. Ford So you mentioned that the pool was here at the house and you gave lessons here. What’d the neighbors think? Caolo Well, at first, they didn’t mind so much [laughs], but when it got so there were dozens of cars—but they never really complained. I felt that my neighbors were very, very tolerant, and they realized what I was doing was to benefit everyone in town, and so nobody ever stopped me or ever complained, uh, except when I brought in the Head Start [Program] children in. At first the chief of police at that time, didn’t think I should do it, but he was a good friend. He never stopped me. I continued teaching and—right up until I actually saw him years—years later, and, uh, when he saw me, I was at a private party, and, uh, when he saw me and gave me a big hug and thanked me for all the work. So he wasn’t against it. He just wasn’t used to it, you know, and one young black man told me—he said that the first day when they let him sit at the edge of the pool downtown and stick his water[sic] in that wonderful cool water, he said it just felt like something he had never ever experienced before, but they knocked down the pool and that was the end of that and the only place you could take swimming, uh—and teach the black children was to come here. They knew that then and they know it now. We’d go out there today if we could [laughs]. Ford [laughs] Now—so you’ve been involved in teaching swimming now for basically 40 years? Caolo 50 years. Ford 50 years? Caolo 50 years with the American Red Cross Water Safety. The entire 50 years from start to finish. Ford So how—how did your curriculum or style of teaching change over the years from the—from beginning to when you retired? Caolo Actually, I would say it’s never changed. There’s[sic] some techniques that I’m not very fond of that I hear that other—they fall in the pool. They’re supposed to roll over onto their back. Well, I had people bring their children here who had been through that technique, and they roll on their back and their face is gettin’ all wet. They’re gurgling and sputtering and cryin’, and I like to teach my children, if they fall in, you turn around and go back to the wall. I don’t want you to turn over on your back and stay out in the middle of the pool. Somebody’s gotta go get ya. So I—my technique really never changed much. Ford So what were some of the factors that made you concentrate on water safety as the focus of swimming instruction? Caolo Well, you know, the—you know, the, um, American Pediatric Association would say that you should never teach your children how to swim before five years old, but what they really, um, should say and do say now is, uh, you should start teaching your children water safety from the time they’re babies. You start in the bathtub and let them learn that the water is wet, and how to splash their little hands, and, um—the point I was gonna make was, uh, their safe—their water safety, as opposed to—yeah. You teach water safety, and teach them how to love the water and understand the water from the time they’re—well, actually six months is—is a good time to start. You can start earlier in the bathtub, then you play around ‘til they’re six months old, and then you can start lettin’ ‘em fall off the sides and into the water. My grandson—at four months old, he was able to fall off the step and turn around by himself and get to the step at four months old, but he just—I’ve been teaching him since—well, the doctor says he can get wet at three days old. So into the pool—into the bathtub actually, not the pool—into the bathtub, and you want to learn that water is wet. So many people, uh, prevent them, and you start teaching the actual swimming strokes and swimming lessons possibly at four to five years old, and that’s when swimming lessons—such as the overarm crawl, American crawl, breaststroke, backstroke—when they’re five, but you certainly start teaching water safety long before then. Ford So when did, uh—when did you start teaching children five and under how to swim? What made you decide that that’s where you wanted to focus as well? Caolo Well, actually, uh, whenever anybody ever brought a baby here, I’d say, “Well, let me—let me get ‘em used to the…” I guess, show them how to let them go into the bathtub and get started, and then when they were old enough, to bring ‘em here. Age never made much difference to me. The only thing I did was teach the older children, you know, at eight in the morning, before they went to school perhaps, and, uh, I took the babies as soon as they were born. Ford How many babies do you estimate that you taught how to swim? Caolo Thousands, thousands. I, uh—it’s almost unbelievable to, uh—when I say “thousands,” I mean thousands, but sometimes I’d have a hundred children a day here for all summer long, and, um… Ford So what were some of the factors that made you decide to do the Miss Jackie and Sally Seal Water Safety Video? Caolo Oh, actually that was kind of accidental. On my birthday, they were gonna have a surprise birthday party for me at the [Sanford] Civic Center, and they’d made arrangements with the school of dance and arts to bring their dancers, and the singers to bring their singers. So they—my son sent over a photographer—an underwater photographer—and a young lady that did the typing. So they made the tribute, which is at the back of the, uh, video, but that was the first thing we did, and, um, with the leftover film from that, my son took it to a photograph—uh, producer—in Dallas[, Texas], and said, “What do you think we could do with this?” And he said “Well, I think you got somethin’ there.” So I put together the video, and that video later—uh, it’s been used all over Miami, uh, Sanford, even in Holland. Um, when I was over there travelling with my daughter, um—but, um, the video was submitted, without my knowledge actually, to, um—um, to a safety-for-children program. It took first place and I got a wonderful, uh—it’s equivalent to an Oscar.<a title="">[1]</a> Uh, it’s called a Telly, I think, and I’ve got it here somewhere. It’s a beautiful bronze statuette that we took first place for safety on the video for children’s safety. Not necessarily water safety, but all safety for children. I was proud of that. Ford Do you feel like you’ve—you’ve kind of expanded your teaching methods through the use of the video out to more and more kids? Caolo Absolutely, yes. We—my son founded a children’s water safety organization, and whenever he has the opportunity—need be[sic]—he sends the video to help when there’s been a problem somewhere in, uh, another state. He sends a letter and the video to have them, uh, help with that. Yes, I think it’s expanded a lot.s Ford So out of those thousands of children that you taught, do you stay in regular contact with a lot of them? Caolo Absolutely, yes. Ford Like who? Caolo Like who? Ford Mmhmm. Caolo Well, one little boy—the—Brady Sapp. He was one year old when his mother brought him, and he swam the length of the pool before he was two years old and the pool’s the—the long pool. Well, Brady, he will—every year, I have a joint birthday party and have a lot of my friends, and Brady will be there. He’s now over 30 years old—maybe 35, and he will be at the party with his children and grandchildren, and, uh, his mother brought him every year, until he was five years old, when they started going to kindergarten. They would come here until five and then they’d go off to kindergarten, and by then, they were such good swimmers, they’d either need to go to competition or just more swimming, and, um—but Brady will be here and his own children will be there too. Their mother is very good at teaching, ‘cause she spent so much time here watching and helping me with the books. I never charged anything. Only enough to pay for the electric bill and the chlorine expenses. I didn’t even like charging even then, but you have to charge to continue what you’re doin’. Ford Hm, so, if you could tell me only one time in your experience as a swimming instructor, what would be that story? Caolo Oh, my. Well, I’m afraid I… Ford How about any several stories? Anything that like—that really stick out in your mind that you really want to convey? Caolo Hm, well, lemme see. When it comes to the—the children, I guess the things that stick out in my mind is Brady, for one. To know that it’s possible to swim that well—which is a 38- foot pool—uh, at two years old—before he was two, and then later on, before he was three years old, he swam underwater the length of the pool. He’s just one little child that I remember, and I also told you about the little girl who came that was terrified to get her eyes wet, and she came, after listening to—watching the video for two weeks. Her parents and grandparents brought her, and before her hour was up, she had—this three year old—had swum the entire length of the pool just exactly like she learned on Miss Jackie’s video. Ford Well, Miss Jackie, is there anything else you’d like to add to our interview, before we wrap things up? Caolo Well, anytime you can use the video to help other people, um, it would just be—would make me feel real good, and, um, I would do it all over again. I have a little bit of sun damage, but other than that, [laughs] it’s, uh, been very exciting. Ford Do you—I know you’re very proud of your accomplishments and—and such around the area. Um, are you proud of the children that you got to teach, both African-American and white? Caolo Absolutely, absolutely. I learned to understand people a little better than I did before, and I always admired the people that went out of their way to put all kids and their neighbors in the car and bring ‘em over here. I gave ‘em credit for wanting their children to learn to swim, and I think I told you—Jeff Blake, who came as a two year old—when he grew up, he went to meetings with me to build a new swimming pool, and, uh, that’s—the result of that was that well’re[sic] building that wonderful pool, which is being used constantly at Seminole High School for the young people. Of course, I think that all the children should know how to swim before they graduate high school, and in some states, that’s the case, but not in Florida, but, uh, they do their best to teach as many as they possibly can, and now Jeff’s son—he’s now retired as a football player and his son is one of the big players today. So… Ford Um [clears throat], you were telling me a story about Jeff Blake’s family earlier that was really, really interesting. Would you like saying that—would you like telling that story again? Caolo Well, yes. Um, when Jeff Blake was a baby, his family would take him out to Wekiva Springs for some—there’s a little place where you can stand in the sand and you can play, but his aunt stepped off the ledge, and was in the process of drowning, when her sister, who was Jeff Blake’s mother, jumped out there to save her and threw her back to safety, and everybody was so happy to see her and so intent on watching her, they failed to look around and realize that Jeff’s mother was in trouble, and she did drown that day at Wekiva Springs, which was a terrible, sad day, and then, um—so the father brought Jeff as a baby for swimming and we’ve been friends ever since. Ford Mmhmm. Uh, one final question and then we’ll—we’ll go ahead and stop the interview, but what were some of the factors that made you decide that you were going to go ahead and teach African-American children how to swim? Like because—what were some of the… Caolo Well, there was never any decision to be made about it, but being Navy, of course, I was accustomed to swimming. Uh—they were always permitted in the Navy base pools, but, um, I realized they didn’t have the opportunity. That’s the reason they couldn’t swim. Their grand—their mothers would tell them, “Don’t you dare go near that water. I’ll spank you good.” So they were always, uh, told to be frightened of the water. So when they came and found out how much fun it was and how fast they—and they—they can learn absolutely, one child against the other. In the video, you’ll see. There’s, um, some black children in the video that dived off the diving board, but what’s so amusing to me about that is those two were older children. They had never dived off the diving board, because they were gonna be on film. They wanted to get up there to [laughs]—and they just got on the end of that diving board and stuck their heads down and fell into the water [laughs]. It didn’t bother ‘em, because they knew they were gonna be saved. I have the reaching pole, which is—every swimming pool should have a reaching pole that you can reach out and pull them in and teach them how to do that. So I have to laugh every time I see that video and see those children. I’ve forgotten their names, but I knew them well at the time. ‘Course, they’re all grown up now. Ford All right. Well, Miss Jackie, I’d like to thank you for myself and on behalf of the Public History Center for granting us this interview. Thank you so much for your time. Caolo You’re so welcome. Thank you so much. Ford Thank you, ma’am. <div> <div> <a title="">[1]</a> Academy Award. </div> </div> American crawl American Pediatric Association American Red Cross American Red Cross Water Safety APA backstroke Blake, Emory Blake, Jeff breaststroke Caolo, Jackie Crystal Lake Downtown Sanford education Ford, Frank "Chip" Head Star Program Lake Mary Lakeland Miss Jackie and Sally Seal Safety Video Morosini, Dana Morosini, Helen Mother Wilson Navy opossums oral history overarm crawl PHC Public History Center Rawls, Catherine Reeve, Christopher Sanford Sanford Civic Center Sanford Grammar School Sapp, Brady Seminole High School swimmer swimming swimming lessons swimming pool teacher Telly UCF Public History Center water safety Wekiva Springs Wilson