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100
2
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https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/5ffc5f5b2bc8eaeaa1df6d6494d81794.mp3
0bdb2f7aea21e3304ca11976e497402a
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/90940a60da0b4092b863636334d7e439.pdf
f6d69399e30e75cc389a9e764dd96350
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
Seminole County Collection
Alternative Title
Seminole County Collection
Subject
Seminole County (Fla.)
Altamonte Springs (Fla.)
Casselberry (Fla.)
Goldenrod (Fla.)
Heathrow (Fla.)
Lake Mary (Fla.)
Longwood (Fla.)
Oviedo (Fla.)
Sanford (Fla.)
Winter Springs (Fla.)
Description
Collection of digital images, documents, and other records depicting the history of Seminole County, Florida. Series descriptions are based on special topics, the majority of which students focused their metadata entries around.
Mosquito County, a massive county south of St. Johns County that consisted of much of Central Florida was established in 1824. In 1845, Mosquito County was renamed Orange County when Florida earned statehood. This new county included present-day Osceola County, Seminole County, Lake County, and Volusia County. Orange County was named so for the area's major fruit crop: oranges. The area was devastated by a freeze during the winter of 1895-1896, which allowed for subsequent land speculators to initiate a land boom in Florida, with Orlando becoming a "boom town."
Seminole County separated from Orange on April 25, 1913, and was named for the Seminole tribes that originally inhabited the area. In the early-1900s, Seminole County was known for its agricultural development and close proximity to shipping lanes. By the 1920s, citizens in Seminole County, particularly in Sanford, soon shifted their interests in making the area a tourist destination.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Contributor
<a href="http://www.cfmemory.org/" target="_blank">Central Florida Memory</a>
Cepero, Laura Lynn
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>
<a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=456" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a>
Has Part
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/118" target="_blank">Altamonte Springs Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/117" target="_blank">Casselberry Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/54" target="_blank">Geneva Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/55" target="_blank">Geneva Historical & Genealogical Society Collection</a>, Geneva Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/56" target="_blank">Goldenrod Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/57" target="_blank">Goldenrod Historical Society & Museum Collection</a>, Goldenrod Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/129" target="_blank">Heathrow Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/119" target="_blank">Lake Mary Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/43" target="_blank">Longwood Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/128" target="_blank">Oviedo Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/147" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society Collection</a>, Oviedo Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/16" target="_blank">Sanford Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/82" target="_blank"><em>Celery Soup: Florida's Folk Life Play</em> Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/65" target="_blank">Churches of Sanford Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/131" target="_blank">Creative Sanford, Inc. Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/41" target="_blank">Georgetown Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/78" target="_blank">Marie J. Francis Collection</a>, Georgetown Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/101" target="_blank">Sanford Avenue Collection</a>, Georgetown Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/79" target="_blank">Goldsboro Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/116" target="_blank">Henry L. DeForest Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/12" target="_blank">Hotel Forrest Lake Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/14" target="_blank">Ice Houses of Sanford Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/42" target="_blank">Milane Theatre Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/13" target="_blank">Naval Air Station Sanford Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/15" target="_blank">Sanford Baseball Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/61" target="_blank">Sanford Cigar Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/10" target="_blank">Sanford Riverfront Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/11" target="_blank">Sanford State Farmers' Market Collection</a>, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/30" target="_blank">Seminole County Centennial Celebration Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central 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.
<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.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/125" target="_blank">Winter Springs Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Coverage
Seminole County, Florida
Altamonte Springs, Florida
Casselberry, Florida
Goldenrod, Florida
Heathrow, Florida
Lake Mary, Florida
Longwood , Florida
Oviedo, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Winter Springs, Florida
Contributing Project
<a href="http://www.cfmemory.org/" target="_blank">Central Florida Memory</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
External Reference
Bentley, Altermese Smith. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45705201" target="_blank"><em>Seminole County</em></a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2000.
"<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/index.aspx" target="_blank">Seminole County Government </a>." Seminole County Government. http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/index.aspx.
<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52607030" target="_blank"><em>Early Days of Seminole County, Florida: Where Central Florida History Began</em></a>. [Sanford, Fla.]: Seminole County Historical Commission, 2002.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
Youngers, Stephanie
Interviewee
Tucker, Cecil A. II
Bit Rate/Frequency
1411kbps
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 Cecil A. Tucker II
Alternative Title
Oral History, Tucker
Subject
Christmas (Fla.)
Gainesville (Fla.)
Ocala (Fla.)
4-H clubs--Florida
Sanford (Fla.)
Oviedo (Fla.)
Description
An oral history of Cecil A. Tucker II, conducted by Stephanie Youngers on September 23, 2010. Tucker served as a County Agent for the Extensions Office in various counties in Florida. In the interview, he discusses growing up in Christmas, Cracker Christmas and Fort Christmas Historical Park, his educational history, the 4-H (head, heart, hands, and health) program, working for the Extensions Office in Marion County and Seminole County, agriculture in Seminole County, opening Tucker's Farm and Garden Center, and his wife and children.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction <br />0:01:50 Growing up in Christmas<br />0:05:38 Schools in Christmas<br />0:08:40 College education and 4-H <br />0:13:27 Working for the Marion County Extension Office<br />0:17:39 Working for the Seminole County Extension Office<br />0:22:41 Agriculture in Seminole County<br />0:33:54 Growing watercress and managing dairy<br />0:38:20 Tucker's wife<br />0:39:15 RECORDING CUTS OFF<br />0:39:15 Tucker's wife<br />0:42:55 Tucker's family and cattle<br />0:43:47 Challenges while working at the Extension Office<br />0:51:17 Closing remarks
Abstract
Oral history interview of Cecil A. Tucker II. Interview conducted by Stephanie Youngers at the <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida.
Type
Sound
Source
Tucker, Cecil A. II. Interviewed by Stephanie Youngers. September 23, 2010. <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida.
Requires
Multimedia software, such as <a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/" target="_blank"> QuickTime</a>.
<a href="https://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Coverage
Christmas, Florida
Fort Christmas Historical Park, Christmas, Florida
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Citrus Heights, Sanford, Florida
Agricultural Center, Sanford, Florida
Tucker's Farm and Garden Center, Sanford, Florida
Creator
Youngers, Stephanie
Tucker, Cecil A. II
Date Created
2010-09-23
Date Modified
2014-10-09
Date Copyrighted
2010-09-23
Format
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Extent
543 MB
177 KB
Medium
53-minute and 48-second audio recording
19-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Stephanie Youngers and Cecil A. Tucker II.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>
External Reference
Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/783150094" target="_blank"><em>Sanford</em></a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003.
Edwards, Wynette. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank"><em>Orlando and Orange County</em></a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2001.
"<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/about-the-museum-of-seminole-county-hi/" target="_blank">About the Museum of Seminole County History</a>." Parks and Preservation, Seminole County Government. http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/about-the-museum-of-seminole-county-hi/.
Transcript
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>My name is Stephanie Youngers. Today is September 23<sup>rd</sup>, 2010. And I am interviewing Mr. Cecil [A.] Tucker [II], here at the Museum of Seminole County History. Mr. Tucker, how are you?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>I’m doing great.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Good. We’ll start with where and when you were born, if you’re willing to give us that information.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes. I was born actually in Brevard County in Rockledge. May 26<sup>th</sup>, 1931. And we lived in Rockledge—my mother and dad and I—for just a few weeks. My dad was working for the state and the tick eradication and his job as a range rider was over in east Orange County. So he moved us to Bithlo. And so, I was in—actually, he was already working for the state and headquartered out of Bithlo when I was born. My mother went over to Cocoa, to where there was some of the family, to help when I was being born.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>We lived in Bithlo for about six months. And then we moved to Christmas.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>And that’s another story.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And is that where you live now, is in Christmas?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes. Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Okay. How—how was it growing up there? Obviously different from today, but…</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>You know, Christmas is a kind of unique community. In a lot of respects, there’s some areas of it—we live a lot different today than it was when I was growing up, primarily because the people worked real hard to keep it that way and not let influence come in.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>That’s good.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>But the community is—always had a—it’s a real close-knit community. And people pretty much look after each other, and help each other out. And the [Fort Christmas] Historical Park in Christmas is helping to preserve some of this kind of history.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And like, we talked about the Cracker Christmas, and that’s one of the main events out there.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And I know a lot of people don’t hardly go to Christmas, but during that time of year, you’ll find a lot more people out there.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Cracker Christmas is always the first weekend in December. That also is the time that we have the tree-lighting and carol singing. We have decorated a Christmas tree. A large, living Florida red cedar. We’ve decorated it every year since 1952.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>And we have the carol singing and tree-lighting. Tree-lighting and carol singing, always the first Sunday in December every year. So Cracker Christmas—that weekend involves usually the tree-lighting and carol singing, as well as what’s going on at the fort.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And is it like crafts and things at the fort?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes, at the fort. Crafts and—it’s a real nice festival. It really is.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>I know most people that go to Christmas during Christmastime want to get their letters stamped from Christmas.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes. That’s an interesting situation. When Mother became Postmaster in 1932, she found out how much people were interested to get their cards postmarked at Christmas time. So she created a Christmas tree cachet that could be put on the extra onto the cards.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>The envelope?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes. Yeah. And so, she started doing that. And that was in 1934.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And everything is by hand too?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker <br /></strong>Everything was by hand. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow. So how many people do you think, on average, would come through there?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, it started out, you know—it’d be 30 or 40 thousand a year. Now, we’re probably somewhere between 300 and 500 thousand a year that have this done. But it’s just for those extra, little special things. We don’t get a whole lot of cooperation out of the Post Office Department. Because they consider this an extraneous thing. It creates more problems for them.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Right. But you all still do it out there.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Still do it. Yeah [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>That’s crazy. Wow. Was there any other kind of events and things that you can remember, growing up?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>As I was growing up, the school—the activities at the school pretty much centered—it was the activities in the community. We’d have school plays, and get-togethers at school, a covered dish dinner, and this sort of thing. All those kind of things going on all the time in Christmas.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Right. And the school is located not in Christmas?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yep. Well, in those days, until 1969, there was a school in Christmas. It started out in the 19—in 18—probably the 1880s. It could have been a little before that. The post office—the church in Christmas was started in 1871, and shortly after that, the school was created in the church, in the building. But we’ve had a school in Christmas ever since, until 1969, when it ended up getting moved to Bithlo.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And that was all the grades throughout?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>We had a, it was eight grades. My first eight years of school was in that building. First four grades—we called “The Little Room,” and that was in the small room. That building has been moved to the fort, and is one of the preserved buildings at the fort. The larger room was grades four—five through eight.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And the high school?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, in those days, they didn’t—we had a junior high, but it went from ninth grade on. And now they call it, well…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Now they have elementary school, middle school, and high school.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Middle school. Yeah. They call it middle school. So…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And which high school did you go to?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>And then I rode a bus to Orlando and went to Memorial Junior High [School] in Orlando, and then I transferred in the tenth grade. I transferred to Orlando High School—OHS.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Okay. And after that, you went to the University of Florida?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, I went to Orlando Junior College, which was there in Orlando. It was in the early stages of junior colleges getting started. But I only went one year, because I had in my 4-H work. I had won a scholarship to the University of Florida. And that scholarship was fixing to expire on me, so I had to transfer out of junior college up to the university so I could get my scholarship.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>We’ll come back to your schooling. How long were you into the 4-H? I mean, what did you do while you were in there?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /> </strong>I was always very active in 4-H. In fact, when I got on up to—I stayed active in 4-H even when I was in high school. I drove my dad’s cattle truck, and I would haul our dairy heifers to the various shows around. I carried Orange County heifers to Tampa—to the show.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So you showed dairy cows?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Showed dairy cows and beef cattle. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Alright. And did you show any hog, or anything like that?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>No. Never was very intrigued by hogs.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>I can understand. So you won a scholarship through doing your shows and things?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Through the 4-H. yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Well, good. Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Wasn’t a very big scholarship, but in those days, every penny counted.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Exactly.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>I think it was $100, or something like that.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Well, good. And that helped you get into the University of Florida?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, no, it just helped to pay some of the expenses when I did get in.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>When you went there, did they have, like—was it still an all-male college, or…</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>You know, I need to do a little research on that. It was close. We did have—when I was attending there, it was co-ed. But it was pretty close to the time that it became co-ed, because I went there when—as I was active in 4-H, we used to go to what they called “Short Course.” And we spent a week at the university in the summertime every year. If you won that position in 4-H, you could go to Short Course. So I had been to Short Course, I guess, every year for five, six, seven years. And so I was involved there at the university as a 4-Her long before I got there as a student, so I knew some of the things that was going on.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And they already knew you. They were expecting you.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So is that what you went to college for was for the agriculture?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker <br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Did they have a specific program?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>I was going to major in animal husbandry. And did.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Okay. And you went for four years at the university?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, I actually went for four years, and I was thinking about going to vet school. And at that time, the only vet school was in Auburn, Alabama. And I applied, and the earliest I could get in, I would be already out of college. You had to wait two or three years to get in. So I decided I would back up and look at the feasibility of going into—I was interested in either extension agriculture, extension work, or in research. So, I ended up going toward a Master’s degree. So I got my Master’s degree, and had an opportunity to go into extension down in Marion County, in Ocala. And that’s what got me into County Agent.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So after you graduated, you went right into the [Marion County] Extensions Office? Wow. And you were the youngest, one of the youngest in the state?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, there were a lot of young assistant county agents my age. But when I became the full agent, I was the youngest at that time of that.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And had you—when you first started out with the Extensions Office, did you work there for a while, or did you just go right into the position that you were in?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>I went right in. When I graduated from university, in Marion County, Assistant Agent position opened up. I applied for it, and received it, and went right into it. And so I was very fortunate, because Marion County was one of the most active 4-H counties in the state. They had numerous state titles, teams, judging teams that won. And then 4-Hers that won positions and went to Chicago[, Illinois], or the national deal. And so it was a great county to go into for training.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>What did you do at the Extension Office when you first started out there?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, I—my job was two-fold. As a—see, at that time, I had a Master’s degree in Animal Husbandry and Nutrition. So, I had a job in Marion County working with the cattle people. And then I had the job of being 4-H Agent. And so, as leader of the 4-Hers, I ended up training judging teams. We had judging teams in dairy, and judging teams in beef, and judging teams in poultry.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And you taught them, like, what to look for in the animal…</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Right. In the area of poultry—I didn’t know that much about it, but I found somebody that did.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>That seems like it would a little bit more in-depth.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yep. But we had some good teams. Some great 4-Hers there.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So, when you say, working with the cattle there, like what types of cattle? What types of things did you do with them?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, it had to do with the cattlemen on their pastureland, and any problems they had with pastureland. And, of course, we had a number of purebred ranches in the area. Some of them were Brahman, some of them were Shorthorn, some of them were Hereford. And Angus. So it was a good training area for me.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>It sounds like it. And how long were you with the Marion County office?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>I was with Marion County for two years, and the, just before I left Marion County, the county agent of Marion County—he’d always been quite interested in the Sheriff’s Department, and in fact, he periodically would go on with the Sheriff’s Department on activities, and it became available to him to be able to get appointed as Sheriff. And so he took it. So I was appointed for a brief time as acting county agent in Marion County—big county.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>But at the time, I had already applied for the job of County Agent here in Sanford, Seminole County, because it had became available.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And it was closer to home.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>And it was the closest one home.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Now, when you were up in Marion County, did you live up there?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Okay. Good to know you didn’t try to commute every day.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>No, no. I lived there.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So once he took the position as Sheriff, how long until you got to come down here? I mean, did they find someone else?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yeah. They found someone right away. In fact, I was just Acting Agent to take care of some things at the school. I wasn’t in the county, just for—goodness, it probably wasn’t for more than six or seven months.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Then you come down here.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yep.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Okay. You want to talk about what you did down here, which was a lot?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>The county agent that was here at the time—it was an interesting situation. He had—he had almost retired before his retirement. And some of it’s understandable. During the [Great] Depression, they cut back drastically on salaries. In fact, one of the stories told is: one of the farmers said to him, “Charlie, I heard they cut back your salary. Cut back 25 percent.” [<em>laughs</em>] He says, “Doesn’t that bother you?” Charlie says, “Well, yeah. But no, I just set the lever back 25%percent.” Well, he had done that. And he was fortunate that he was—had been in place for a long time. And the farmers were a little unhappy that when he first came in to the county, he did a tremendous job as county agent. I went through his files and things, and letters and all that he sent out, and he did a remarkable job. But after the episode with the salary and all of that, I think he was fortunate that he was real close friends with the director of Extension.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Goodness. So you came in about mid-1950s, into Seminole County?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>In 1956, I came here. The joke in the community was that, well, if you want to look for the county agent, just go down to Roumillat and Anderson’s Drug Store. He’ll be down there in the coffee shop.” So I says, “I tell you what. You won’t find me in Roumillat and Anderson’s. I’m going to go down to the other drug store.”</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh, goodness.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>But Charlie had—Charlie had a good job. It was just there towards the end.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>He was ready to go.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yeah. And some of the old time farmers here, they pretty well understood. And so—but he was—the day came time for him to retire. It was pretty well fixed.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So when you came in, what types of things did you do down here?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, one of the first things I did was to begin to get the 4-H going. Because there wasn’t much going in that area. And then I started working on the—bringing all of the mailing lists of the various farms—the citrus growers, the vegetable growers, the cattlemen—bringing those up to date. Charlie pretty well had a list, but he wasn’t keeping all of it up-to-date. And that was one of the things I worked on.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So there was quite a bit of agriculture planting?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes. There was. In those days, we still was one of the more active vegetable producing areas in the state. And we had quite a bit of citrus here. We had probably 15 to 18 thousand acres of citrus.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And that was in the Sanford area?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>In the Sanford area—Seminole County area. Now, the unique thing about that is, Seminole County is the fourth smallest county in the state in land area. So to have much acreage of anything is a little unique, because of the size of it.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>I know the big thing that I’ve heard is, like celery and citrus.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>But I know there was maybe some other things in there, as well.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, in the—in those days, the nursery part of it was not—it was just beginning to come on. And in the ‘70s, we predicted that the nursery part—ornamental, horticultural, nursery—was probably going to outstrip the rest of it. And it has. But that’s just one of those things of how an area changes to meet the needs of the community.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow. And what about like agriculture—beef and things? I know there’s still quite a bit of it here, but not as much as it was.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>No. In fact, the only thing that is as much as it was is ornamental horticulture. The vegetables has dropped way down. Almost nil right now. Beef cattle is still, over in the eastern part of the county is where most of the traditional pastureland was. And it’s still a lot of it over there.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So that’s like, Geneva?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker <br /></strong>Geneva. Yep.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oviedo kind of area.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Chuluota. Yep. Kind of area. Osceola.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Chuluota. Osceola. Okay. Back in those days, was it more prominent? Did it come further into Seminole County, or is it just kind of always in that general area?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>It’s always been out in that area, although every area in the county had some cattle scattered in it. Not today, but back in those days.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong></p>
<p>No. Definitely not today. Now, when you were with the exchange office, you were telling me earlier about getting the new buildings, and even using this building, the county home building,<a title="">[1]</a> as an agricultural office. Could you tell me a little bit more about that?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Alright. Let me back up before that. I probably developed more offices for the county than any other department head. When I became county agent in 1956, we were in the bottom floor of the courthouse. I called it the Salt Mine Section of the courthouse. And it was just basically one big room, which housed my office, the home economics agent’s office, and we had Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation [Service (ASCS)], the old AAA. That office was also in that area. And so, basically, and I was trying to develop part of the program that we provide in extension to farmers is information about agriculture. And some of the best information that Extension has available are the bulletins that they print on the various topics. So, I determined that we were going to have a—when I was working my way through college at the university, one of my jobs, I worked in the bulletin room. And we sent out to county agents all over the state. They would send in an order for so many bulletins of this, so many bulletins of that. And so I was involved in shipping those out to the various agents. So I was pretty well familiar with the—what was available in bulletins. And I determined, in Seminole County, we was[sic] going to have the best supply of bulletins south of Gainesville. And we did.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow. What kind of things did the put out for bulletins? Was it like that tell of, like maybe a pest type thing for plants, or…</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Right. They would have a bulletin out on chinch-bug control. And a bulletin out on varieties of grasses. You name the topic, and they had it. In vegetables, there was a general vegetable production guide that gave how many pounds of seed, and how you would do for all the vegetables for growing a garden.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So being down here in Seminole County and making more offices, and making more of this information available, you were very helpful to more of the general population here, to help them with their agriculture.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yeah. And that was part of the making information available. So when I came in to the—to the Salt Mine Section of the courthouse, it was a little bit difficult to do what I wanted to do with the—just that one big room. So, I showed—in those days, the [Seminole County] Clerk of the Court pretty much ran the county. And so, I was to see Mr. Herndon, and I said, “Mr. Herndon, I know we really need a little bit more office space. And the other day, I was downstairs here, on the other side our office in this big storage area down here, and I could regroup a lot of stuff that’s in there, and make an office right there.” He says, “Son, let’s go down there and see what you talking about.” So I went down there and showed him, and he says, “We’ll think about that.” And he agreed, as I recall. I don’t think I even had to restore the stuff. They moved it around. And so we put an office in, and it was an all-inside deal. I didn’t have any—if I’d had claustrophobia, I would have been in trouble, because there wouldn’t have been any windows.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>No windows. Wow.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>But it provided more wall space to do what I wanted to do. And that was to put these bulletins available for people to see and pick up.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Right. And then did you all stay in that office, or did you eventually move out into the new one?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, we were there until the early ‘60s. The judges needed more room. And we had made our space into a pretty nice office area, over the course of time. And so they wanted that space. So again, I says, “Mr. Herndon, there is an abandoned county building. It’s a good building. It has a potential. And what I’d like to do is for us to create a[sic] ag[ricultural] center and move all the agriculture people we’ve got—we’ve got soil conservation, plant inspector, we’ve got ASC here, and put all of us in one area for the farmers just to come into one spot. To see all these things.” And so, he says, “Well, we’ll think about that.” Well they appointed a committee, and I was on the committee, and we created the Ag Center at the Stockade building down here.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And that’s where everybody moved with you.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>They all moved with me.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yeah. So then they wanted more space for the road department. And that was shortly about the same time that the county home had moved out of here. And so I said again, “I know where there’s a place that would really work out better for us, because we’re a little bit crowded here for all the people for the Ag Center.” And they agreed to it.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So you made this entire area here?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>This entire building became the Ag Center.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow. And how long was that office here?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>From the middle ‘60s until 19—I think Frank [Jazzen] moved over into the new Ag Center in the mid-70s.<a title="">[2]</a> I had already left as county agent at that time.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And how long were you County Agent?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Thirteen and a half years.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow. So what did you do when you were done being the county agent?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>I had an opportunity to go into a farming operation growing watercress down in Oviedo. Went into a watercress-growing enterprise, another young fellow and I. And after a couple of years, well, we ended up merging with Don Weaver and his brother-in-law, and created B&W Quality Growers. That grew into a pretty sizeable watercress-growing operation. We were the largest in the eastern part of the United States. And we had farms in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Florida. Later on, I got out of that.</p>
<p>And Joe Baker, who had Baker’s Dairy over here, was interested in my coming to work for him. In fact, when he found out I had gone into the watercress, he says, “Cecil, you, uh, I didn’t know you was[sic] available.” I said, “Joe, I probably wasn’t available for anything except what I did.” Because it was a good opportunity that I got into. Anyway, when I got out of the watercress deal, I went to see Joe. He says, “Yeah. I’m still interested in you.” And he says, “When can you start?” I says, “Well, I got a couple of things I got to finish at home. I’ll need a couple of weeks.” He says, “No. I need you to start Monday.”</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Alright then.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>So, I managed Baker’s Dairy here for a couple of years. And then, well, let’s see. I got out of Extensions in 1969. And then I was in the watercress business for a couple of years. And then I managed Baker’s Dairy for I guess it was about a year and a half on each one of them. In 1972, I opened my own farm and garden supply store in Sanford. Tucker’s Farm and Garden Center. And we ran that as a family operation for the next 30 years.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And it’s Myer’s now?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yeah. Horstmeyer [Farm and Garden]. Horstmeyer. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And when did you sell that there?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, I sold it to my son in 198—1983. That’s when I moved to Christmas. Let’s see, ’83-’84 —somewhere along in there. And he sold it to his friend, Horstmeyers[sic], in—about 15 years later.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So during the time that you lived—or that you worked—out here in Seminole County, did you still live in Christmas?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>No. I’ve always lived in—from the time I came here as County Agent, I’ve lived here in Seminole County. I didn’t move back to Christmas until I sold the store and moved back to Christmas in the mid-80s.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So you lived in the Oviedo-Chuluota area?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>No. Always right here in Sanford. Actually, over here is what’s called Citrus Heights. That’s where we lived.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>The whole time?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>The whole time. Yeah. Well, I shouldn’t say the whole time, because I bought a house on Rosalia Drive, and we lived there a few years, and then I lived out her. [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Now, during all this time you met a lovely lady?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Actually, I met her and courted her while we were in college at the university.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So she went to University of Florida too?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker</strong>She went to the university for a while. Her mother had to have an operation, and that was money sending her to college had to be used. And so by that time, she and I had gotten pretty serious, and she got a job working for an orange packing company in Orlando. And after—I don’t know—a little over a year we ended up getting married. And then she came back to the university.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>How’d you win her over? Did you do anything special? Or did you just say, “Alright, woman...”</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>We need to make that a continued story. I’ll be right back.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Now then, you was[sic] wanting to know about my wife.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Yes, sir.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, during the year that she was—I knew her—knew of her—before we got to university. I doubt if she knew too much about me beforehand, but we—I was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, agricultural fraternity there, and I would invite her every guest night to come over to the fraternity house and eat with us. And so they got to be pretty—and by the way, you’ll want to put Ms. [Mart Albritton] Tucker on your list as one to do an oral interview.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>I will do that.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Because she is an old-time—as an Albritton, old-time Florida family. But she’s been active here in Seminole County. She helped me in to get the store going. She’s active in the cattle operation. In fact, when I was running the store, she did as much of the cattle work as I did. We had a—a pet at the store. It was a wild pig that became pretty well-known in the community. She used to take it on a leash downtown when she went to make the deposit at the bank. She’d carry the pig with her.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>What was his name?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Pete. Streaky Pete. Pete the Pig. And he grew to be about 700 pounds. But anyway, that’s another story. But she was active in the [Seminole County] Farm Bureau—in the women’s deal at the Farm Bureau. She was active in 4-H, doing some of the judging, and some of the 4-H activities here. And of course, when we were opening the store, she was part of that. So she’d be another one.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And she—so you all married before you graduated?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So she went to Marion County with you?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes. In fact—well, let’s see. Before I got my Master’s, she was expecting my daughter. And she typed my thesis. And then when we moved to Ocala, uh—trying to remember at what point—my daughter was born before then.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And you have one daughter?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>I’ve got one daughter and two sons—twins. They were born on my daughter’s second birthday. And then, we have an adopted daughter, as well.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And you all have always had cattle in your family?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Put your boys to work?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>We’ve had cattle in our family since as far as we can tell, going back into the 1700s. And that’s another thing I’m researching, because one of these days, that’s going to be a part of my book too.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow. That’s a long time. Okay. As far as the cattle in your family—the history—that’ll be good?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Do you have anything else that you want to add to our…</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, let’s see. Well, there’s a lot of things we could go into and talk about [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>We could always come back and talk about different things, if you wanted to.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>The problem of being able to have—to build a program when the county didn’t have any funds, it was a problem. I needed—and of course, I was always on the low-end of the pay scale. If it wasn’t for the fact that this is where I wanted to be, I’d have gone somewhere else. In fact, when I left to go into the watercress, I was offered a job paying me twice as much I was in extension. And he couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t take it. Because my opportunity that I was going into was better [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, let me look here. See if there’s anything—this is interesting. When I came to the county, the phone number for the county agent’s office was 470.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>470? That’s it? [<em>laughs</em>]</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] 470. That’s it. But we went through the medfly infestation, we went through the fire burning the [Sanford State] Farmers’ Market down, and having to help get things going for it to build back up. We had, in ’57—late ’57, early ’58 —a severe freeze deal that actually we had cattle dying, because there wasn’t enough hay, and we brought in hay for that. We had—one of the projects that I worked on was the eradication of screwworms. And my dad was involved in that. That was one of the miracles of using atomic energy to eradicate the screwworm fly. The female fly mates only once. And so they found that if they would raise screwworm flies and eradiate them with atomic energy deal, it sterilized the males, and they put these male flies out in the area, and they mate with the wild females, and the eggs wouldn’t hatch. And by continually doing that, they lowered the population of the screwworm fly to completely eradicate it.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Really? So it’s gone for good?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes. Yes. it’s gone.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow. That’s amazing.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>And my dad was involved in that. He was an inspector. And in fact, some of the first pastures that they put the medfly—I mean the screwworm fly—out in was his pasture. So, when I was County Agent, of course I would make contact with the cattle people, and pass along the information to him about what was going on, and if there was an outbreak somewhere, they’d get on top of it.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Did they still have the technique of doing the cow dipping?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Yes. Now, the cow dipping—this was to eliminate the cattle tick—the fever tick. And in the early ‘50s, they was[sic] still—in fact, my dad worked with that. There’s still a lot of the, uh, dipping going on. Getting rid of the fever tick. And that lasted until, I guess, the early ‘60s.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Right. Is that something that they were able to just control?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>They were able to control it by dipping continually. They were able to eliminate the fever tick. After they wiped out a bunch of the deer who was perpetuating it. And some of your family was involved in that.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Yes, sir.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Oh, let’s see. We had a fire ant infestation that came into the county and we almost got it eliminated by flying [Boeing] B-17s [Flying Fortress], and putting out Myrex, until the do-gooders got involved and killed the program.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And we still have fire ants.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>And we still have fire ants, and we’ll always have fire ants. But we came about within two flights of eliminating them.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow. Now, did that have any—the chemicals used, did it have any effect on people? Is that why people got involved?</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>The problem is it could create some problem in the water and affect fish, and that sort of thing. But we could have eliminated that. You know, by staying away from those areas. Anyway. Well, let’s see. Any other questions?</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>No. Not if there’s anything. I mean, I have lots of questions. I know you’re big into the rodeo, and you’ve done a lot for 4-H, and different things like that, but we can come back maybe and talk about that another other time.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Well, what do—yeah. Make a list. And we’ll do it. And like I said, I think you need to interview my wife, because I think you’ll find that to be interesting, as well.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers <br /></strong>Absolutely.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>There’s a lot of little ins and outs of what went on here in the county.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Well, I’ll definitely schedule a day with her, so she can come in and talk to me.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Good deal.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Well, I appreciate it very much.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>And I appreciate your being on board to help do these things.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Absolutely.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>We want to look through the list of people and be sure that we get some—thing of it is, we’re five years late on a lot of people that passed on. Joe Baker, he—would have been great to be able get his. And I want to set up Don Weaver.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Don Weaver and his family was—they came here from Pennsylvania. But they are pioneers in the watercress industry in the United States. And he lives down in Chuluota, on the south side of Lake Mills. And we’ll work out getting that set up. Anything else?</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>No, sir.</p>
<p><strong>Tucker<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Thank you.</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p> </p>
<div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Old Folks’ Home.<br /><br /><a title="">[2]</a> Correction: November 1980.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
4-H
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
agriculture
Alpha Gamma Rho
Angus
animal husbandry
ASCS
B&W Quality Growers
Baker's Dairy
beef
Bithlo
Brahman
cattle
cattleman
cattlemen
Cecil A. Tucker II
Christmas
Christmas trees
citrus
Citrus Heights
Cocoa
cow dipping
cows
Cracker Christmas
dairy
Don Weaver
extension agriculture
extension offices
Fort Christmas Historical Park
Frank Jazzen
Gainesville
Hereford
Herndon
horticulture
Joe Baker
Marion County
Marion County Extension Office
Mart Albritton
Marty Tucker
Memorial Junior High School
Museum of Seminole County History
Ocala
Old Folks Home
orlando
Orlando High School
Orlando Junior College
ornamental horticulture
Oviedo
poultry
Rockledge
Rosalia Drive
Roumillat and Anderson's Drug Store
Sanford
screwworm flies
Seminole County
Seminole County Extension Office
Short Course
Shorthorn
Stephanie Youngers
Tucker's Farm and Garden Center
UF
University of Florida
vegetables
watercress
-
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/330b481d11752c95bb7ee8e364ce2778.mp3
f2fba4678f31251f7f6dec05c9a55f83
https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/41846bbdf8d53b88ff0b72258acdde63.pdf
845d9983bdb4a30744de4c4b8047cc8f
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
Seminole County Centennial Celebration Collection
Description
The Seminole County Centennial Celebration Collection contains digital items related to the 100 year celebration of the creation of Seminole County. Items include ephemera distributed before and during the celebration, photographs, and other digital items.
Seminole County will turn 100 years old on April 25, 2013. This centennial benchmark is being commemorated as Seminole Celebrates A Century of Success with a 100-day celebration beginning January 16, 2013, and will conclude with a community-wide Centennial Festival planned for April 20, 2013.
Seminole Celebrates will highlight the county Points of Pride and is designed to celebrate Seminole County's heritage while embracing its future. Collaboration among the business community, faith-based organizations, art and historical societies, civic groups, and educational institutions will provide our residents with numerous fun family oriented events and activities over the 100 days of celebration.
Contributor
<a href="http://www.celerysoupsanford.com/" target="_blank">Creative Sanford, Inc.</a>
<a href="http://www.goldenrodhistoricalsociety.com/" target="_blank">Goldenrod Historical Society Museum</a><a href="http://www.goldsboromuseum.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.goldsboromuseum.com/" target="_blank">Goldsboro Historical Museum</a>
<a href="http://www.sanfordwelcomecenter.com/" target="_blank">Historic Sanford Welcome Center</a>
<a href="http://www.lakemaryhistory.org/" target="_blank">Lake Mary Historical Museum</a>
<a href="http://www.usgennet.org/usa/fl/county/seminole/Geneva/museum.htm" target="_blank">Museum of Geneva History</a>
<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>
<a href="http://oviedohs.com/" target="_blank">Oviedo Historical Society</a>
<a href="http://www.ruralheritagecenter.net/" target="_blank">Rural Heritage Center</a>
<a href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=108" target="_blank">Sanford Museum</a>
<a href="http://www.publichistorycenter.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">UCF Public History Center</a>
Alternative Title
Seminole Centennial Collection
Subject
Seminole County (Fla.)
Goldenrod (Fla.)
Sanford (Fla.)
Lake Mary (Fla.)
Oviedo (Fla.)
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/30" target="_blank">Seminole County Centennial Celebration Collection</a>, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Creative Sanford, Inc., Sanford, Florida
Goldenrod Historical Society Museum, Goldenrod, Florida
Goldsboro Historical Museum, Goldsboro, Sanford, Florida
Historic Sanford Welcome Center, Sanford, Florida
Lake Mary Historical Museum, Lake Mary, Florida
Museum of Geneva History, Geneva, Florida
Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida
Oviedo Historical Society, Oviedo, Florida
Rural Heritage Center, Geneva, Florida
Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida
UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida
Contributing Project
<a href="http://apps.seminolecountyfl.gov/centennial/index.aspx" target="_blank">Seminole County Centennial Celebration</a>
Curator
Marra, Katherine
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
<a href="http://apps.seminolecountyfl.gov/centennial/index.aspx" target="_blank">Seminole County Centennial Celebration</a>
<span>Francke, Arthur E. </span><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/39871004" target="_blank"><em>Early Days of Seminole County, Florida</em></a><span>. [Sanford, FL]: Seminole County Historical Commission, 1988.</span>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
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 Mart Tucker
Alternative Title
Oral History, Tucker
Subject
Orlando (Fla.)
Christmas (Fla.)
Gainesville (Fla.)
Description
An pral history of Mart Tucker, conducted by Stephanie Youngers on November 10, 2010. In the interview, Tucker discusses the various towns and cities that she resided in, her college education, her career as a typist, her family history, her children and grandchildren, her husband's career, her involvement in the Seminole County Farm Bureau and the 4-H program, and opening Tucker's Farm and Garden Center. The interview also includes commentary from her husband, Cecil A. Tucker II.
Table Of Contents
0:00:00 Introduction<br />0:00:18 Biographical information<br />0:02:33 Living in Holopaw<br />0:05:51 Family life<br />0:11:58 College education and career as a typist<br />0:18:21 Children<br />0:19:44 Living in Marion, Seminole, and Orange counties<br />0:23:36 Seminole County Farm Bureau and 4-H<br />0:27:21 Opening Tucker€™s Farm and Garden Center<br />0:32:05 Grandchildren<br />0:34:17 Family history<br />0:40:07 Closing remarks
Abstract
Oral history interview of Mart Tucker. Interview conducted by Stephanie Youngers at the <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida.
Type
Sound
Source
Tucker, Mart. Interviewed by Stephanie Youngers. November 10, 2010. <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida.
Requires
Multimedia software, such as <a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/" target="_blank"> QuickTime</a>.
<a href="https://get.adobe.com/reader/" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>, Sanford, Florida.
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/44" target="_blank">Seminole County Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Coverage
Orlando, Florida
Christmas, Florida
Holopaw, Florida
St. Cloud, Florida
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Citrus Heights, Sanford, Florida
Tucker's Farm and Garden Center, Sanford, Florida
Creator
Youngers, Stephanie
Tucker, Mart
Date Created
2010-11-10
Date Modified
2014-10-01
Date Copyrighted
2010-11-10
Format
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Extent
412 MB
166 KB
Medium
40-minute and 49-second audio recording
19-page digital transcript
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Stephanie Youngers and Mart Tucker.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a> and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Source Repository
<a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/" target="_blank">Museum of Seminole County History</a>
External Reference
Sanford Historical Society (Fla.). <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/783150094" target="_blank"><em>Sanford</em></a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003.
Antequino, Stephanie Gaub, and Tana Mosier Porter. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48909411" target="_blank"><em>Lost Orlando</em></a>. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub, 2012.
Edwards, Wynette. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53015288" target="_blank"><em>Orlando and Orange County</em></a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2001.
Akerman, Joe A. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2647695" target="_blank"><em>Florida Cowman: A History of Florida Cattle Raising</em></a>. Kissimmee: Florida Cattlemen's Association, 1976.
Transcript
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>My name is Stephanie Youngers. Today is November 19, 2010, and I am interviewing Mrs. Mart Tucker and Mr. Cecil Tucker here at the Museum of the Seminole County History. How are we all today?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>We’re doing great.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Just fine [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Good. Well, we’re going to start where and when you were born.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Okay. I was born in Fort Pierce. January 19<sup>th</sup>, 1932.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And when did you come to the area here?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well—here?</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Did you move around a lot before you moved to the Seminole/Orange County area?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No. I remember—the thing that I remember first was when we moved to the two-story house on Lake Barton—Little Lake Barton Road<a title="">[1]</a>—out just outside of Orlando. And we lived there for about 12 years, I think. And then Daddy, of course—he was going up and down the state when the tick eradication was on. And when that was over, he then became a foreman of the ranch south of Christmas. And, so when he was in the tick eradication, he never knew where he would be moved to another place. And so we rented the house that we lived in for about 10 or 12 years.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>But, this[sic] was[sic] the [World] War [II] years, and you couldn’t find housing in Orlando. And somebody found that house, and bought it, so we had to find another place. And couldn’t go out to the ranch, because there was no school bus going there.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>How far was the ranch from civilization?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, it was 18 miles south of the main highway.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh, wow.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>That was 18 miles south of Christmas. And Christmas was 20 miles from Orlando.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow. And you went to school in Orlando?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yes. Well, when that house was bought. If you worked for the company, they would give you housing in Holopaw. And the ranch was—that he was foreman of—was…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Osceola County.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, it was in Osceola County, but it was owned by the Holopaw outfit. And therefore, we went to Holopaw. And we lived there. Best year of my life—well, not really.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>But I had lots of fun out there in Holopaw. Mother was—helped to do out the—what is it?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>The commissary. Food stamps.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No, the—food stamps and things. Still the war—we still had that. And that was in the commissary. So I’d come to the commissary and I’d help the guys put cans up in that grocery department, and then I’d go to a guy that cuts up all the meat, and I’d do help there. And then at the end of the week, they would do their hand in their pocket and give me out some change. And I still have the .22 rifle that I bought with that money.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh, my goodness. So, the commissary—that was like the grocery store?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>That was out in Holopaw.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yes. Because you didn’t have to go to town if you need clothes or, if you need…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>That was P. V. Wilson Lumber Company. Big outfit.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh, okay. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>And they’re not there anymore. Not at all.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>No. they’re not. Do you know—what is the school that you attended?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, I went to the school in—what is it? I had it down here. The city that was…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Holopaw.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No, no, no. They had to go out.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Fort Pierce?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>St. Cloud?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>St. Cloud. St. Cloud. Rode into there.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>That’s still quite a drive. I’ve been down that road.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yes. It was.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And they had a grammar school there, or…</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No. I don’t think so.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>What—in St. Cloud?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No. in Holopaw they did.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>But in St. Cloud? Did you attend grammar school? Or was it a large school? Or was it a small place?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Just regular. St. Cloud.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>It wasn’t that large.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Wasn’t anything like Orlando. But it was bigger than Holopaw.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And you all lived in Holopaw for a year?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Just a year.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>When did you—where did you go after you left there?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, when we left there, the ranch was just officially our home. But Mom and us—well, there’s[sic] four girls at the time—had not yet finished all high school. So we went into Orlando and rented in Orlando until my twin sister and I…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh, you’re a twin, too? Wow.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Tell us about your brothers and sisters.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, hm. Well, Sally [Albritton] and Betty [Albritton]. Helen [Albritton] was the oldest. And then I had a brother, Boots [Albritton], that[sic] was about, I guess, four years younger than she. And then there was two sets of—Sally and Betty. And then there was Miriam [Albritton] and Margaret [Albritton].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So two sets of twins? Goodness.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Two sets of twins. Twenty months apart.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh, my goodness.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>You can figure why I guess she had her tubes tied. Didn’t need any more kids. And what else did you…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Well, just tell us about your brothers and sisters, because that…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers <br /></strong>Did you all help out at home a lot on the ranch?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, see, we didn’t live on the ranch. I was privy to be able to—well, in the sixth and seventh grade, Daddy would go out for two weeks in the summer. And even then, on Wednesday, he would let me ride. I’d cow-hunt with him. I sat up on horse, and all that. He was my dad, but you took care of whatever you was supposed to do. So I loved to cow-hunt. We’d ride all day. We’d ride all morning and then have lunch and take a snooze before we rode some more. So you could get tired of it, but I didn’t.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>How about your brother?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, my brother, Boots—he was out at the ranch. He married and was out at the ranch. But he—he didn’t stay there very long. Thing of it is, you have to not let hollerin’ at you bother you, because when you’re having to do something, or things are quick—and Daddy hollers at you to do something—you don’t get out of sorts, because that’s just the way it is. But he couldn’t take it. And so he went into Orlando there.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Now, did your other sisters do this with you too?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>She was, um—Mart<a title="">[2]</a> was the only boy.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>They didn’t. They didn’t never come out to the ranch when for—you know, like I did.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Her dad said that he had a pretty good cowhand in her until I came along and started courting her and messed it up [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Oh, well, you could have jumped in and helped us. No.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>When you went to the high school in Orlando, were you part of any groups or anything there? Did you have any kind of social functions that you attended?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, I was athletic. So we had a group—a club—that I was head of. And as far as us girls that were athletic were concerned, we stayed after school and played the different sports that were available at that part of the year.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>What were some of the sports that y’all played?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Speedball was one. Of course, basketball. Volleyball.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Softball?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah, yeah. Softball. I was pitcher. But my main thing in high school was sports. And that and makin’ honor society.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>What about rifle team?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, I forgot about the rifle team.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>You were on the rifle team too?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, we had a rifle club. I got a picture home, shows this old, oh, eight or ten boys and girls up there with their rifles, out from the school building there. Now, can you imagine? They’re letting people bring rifles to school today? [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh, yeah. Were the boys a little put off by the fact that you could shoot a rifle?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, no. No.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>No? They liked that? They weren’t afraid?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>I still have the rifle. Oh, when I was in Holopaw, and the guys—well, did I say that? And the guys, when they would give me money…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And you bought your .22.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah, that’s when I bought that .22. When I was in the eighth grade. So…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh, wow. And they let you buy it all by yourself?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>See, can’t do that anymore either.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>[inaudible] Right, yeah. That was better days.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Yeah. And from high school, you went to University of Florida. Did you do that right out of high school, or did you take some time in between?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No, I went right out of high school and I was going to major in animal husbandry. And, when did I see you first?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>The summer before you went up there.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, I can’t…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>You saw him here back home?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>When my sister and I graduated from high school, then the ranch was our home. And that’s where I lived. And our post office was in Christmas. We’d go into Orlando to get groceries and stuff, and so one of those days before I went off to college, got the mail, came out and told Mom, “Oh, I saw the postmaster’s son. He was waiting—in there waiting on customers.” She said, “Oh, you should have told him you’re one of the lucky ones. You’re going to be in Reid Hall.” And I was really surprised that Mother would want me to—but I knew what—she was afraid I was going to get homesick at university and didn’t know anybody, and at least I would know one person. Of course, since I was a beginner there, I had to go a week early for the week of orientation. Well, it just so happens there’s this guy sitting on the steps of the big building we were waiting for something, the next thing to be done. But because he was a transfer student…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>I had to go to orientation too.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>He had to do the same. And so that’s where I really met him. And, of course, we went to the frat[ernity] house and met all those guys.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Yeah. He said he used to invite you to dinner every week to come have dinner with him and all the boys there.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Of course, he made sure to tell everyone one of them—oh, man. Whole house full of guys, you know. He told every one of them, “Hands off.” Never did give—well, he was out of town, he had to go home for his teeth or something, and old McGregor—tall, lanky fellow—asked me out. And I had already planned to do ironing and what not, but I said, “No.” That was the only…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>The only opportunity you had. He hadn’t gotten a word yet at that point.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah. He hadn’t gotten to the frat house yet. But that was great. And I went that one year. But if I really wanted to go again back, I’m sure money would have been able to be found. Mother had an operation that took what normally would have sent me, but by then, I was…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Sidetracked.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, yeah. I was wanting to get a job and save up money so that whenever we were—we were getting pretty close, and so I didn’t mind not going back to work there. I worked there and I forget where it was in Orlando, but then we were married.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Jacob’s Packing House.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah. That’s it.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So when he finished out his education up there…</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No, when he finished his—see, he had his first year in Orlando. Second year when I was up there too, and then the third year before—which way was it? We got married before he was graduated from college.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So, did you stay down here?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Yeah. You did. You stayed one year working at Jacob’s.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>After we were married?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>No. Not after we were married, before we were married.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, the next year, then what?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Then we got married and you moved to Gainesville with me.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>And I got a job in the animal husbandry department at Typhus. I was supposed to type this book they were wanting to have. And they ended up finally making it not a book, but something else. And they—do you remember?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>It was a book, but go ahead.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, anyway. That was—we had a lot of fun up there. One professor’s—of course I was a typist. They would give their handwritten stuff, and I would type it up. So I typed up this test that was going to be given out. And I went back to the fellow and I handed him the typed thing. And I had his handwritten, I says[sic], “Do you want this? I usually give it to Cecil.” He says, “Don’t.” [<em>laughs</em>]</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>At that point, I was working on my Master’s [Degree].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh. They didn’t want him having the test questions.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Of course, she was teasing, but…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Aww.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Those were good men in the ag[riculture] —animal husbandry. Until I was pregnant with Miriam [Tucker].</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>They weren’t good after that?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah. They were, but—then I was no longer working. So, what else is there to be said?</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>When you all had twins too, right?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Goodness gracious.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>We had a little girl first. Then had twins. And Dr. Hoffman from Orlando—he saw to things. I mean, here I was pregnant, but in Gainesville, and we’d come home for, you know—back and forth. And in Thanksgiving—I think it was—came home and stayed.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>But now the twins were born in Ocala. They were born in Orlando, while we were living in Ocala.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>True, true. Okay, so, it’s Ocala still. And he informed me that he’d tied my tubes. He contended with three on the ground, and coming in two’s, I didn’t need—and his financial status at the time, we couldn’t afford to have any more. To me, that was the best thing. That just made life so much easier, to not worry about getting pregnant.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers</strong><br />Right.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Good deal.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Right. And when you all moved back to this area, it was so that Mr. Tucker could take his job at the Extension Office?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah, when were first in Ocala, and then…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>We were in Ocala for two years. I was Assistant County Agent in Marion County. And then we came here. I was [Seminole] County Agent and we came—I think it was in 1957.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>What else we got here?</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>What else did you do back here? Did you go back to work, or did you stay home?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, what did I do? Cecil?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>You had three children. What do you think you did? [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Alright. We were living out by…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Christmas.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Well, first we lived in Rosalia Drive.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>In Sanford. In about 1960, we moved out on old Orlando Highway.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>We had acreage there—oranges and pasture. Well, that was one. And we had cattle. Cecil was workin’ at the dairy and he—they had calves that weren’t going to be dairy cattle. And we started building up a herd there.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>It was 1956 that we came here.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>But whatever had to be done with cattle and whatnot around the place, I usually did it. Because he had to go to work. We were feeding out—how many? Seven steer? That year?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Well, y’all raised a bunch of heifer yearlings first. And later on it was about 10 steers that y’all fattened up.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>What do you mean, “Y’all?”</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>You [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>In other words, the kids didn’t help out.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /> </strong>Well, they probably had to go to school or something. It was probably wasn’t in the summertime or not. But that’s…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So, you did a lot of work.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, and also, we had some cattle…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Lake Osprey[sp]. North of Osteen.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>And so I primarily would go out there and check the cows or take them feeding. And he wasn’t always with me.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Right.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>We’d do it real nice [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>About 1960, we moved out to Citrus Heights—Ginderville[sp] [Heights], or near Ginderville[sp]. And that’s when we were able to have a lot more cattle she could look after, and the kids could have 4-H projects.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>And really, what was really nice was there was an old house down the way, and Mom and Dad were able to—he kept the livestock market in Orlando. They lived there until finally when he retired. And this little house—with Daddy’s expertise on carpentry and stuff, they made the house a nice little place and lived there.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So you were close to your Mom and Dad. Oh, good.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Mmhmm.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And you were—when you were part of the women’s club for the [Seminole County] Farm Bureau, was that while Mr. Tucker was working at the Extension Office?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>It was after that, when we started a store in 1972. And at that point, I became president of Seminole County Farm Bureau. And it was a law in there that she became chairman of the women’s—deal.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>What did you do while you were on that board there?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>I knew that would be asked. I don’t know. Well, when we would have the whole group would have an annual meeting, and supper, and whatnot. Of course, I was involved in getting all that prepared. Getting tables right and things like that.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Did you help set, like, regulations? Or were the ladies involved in that way?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Not much. Not much. It was primarily just providing information of programs of what was available to them and what was going on.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /> </strong>Okay. Very good.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>But also, when we moved out to Citrus Heights area, you became more active in 4-H. Because the boys became active in 4-H.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And did they raise heifers?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No, they raised chickens.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Chickens and pigs.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil </strong>And they did raise heifers, but they never did raise any to show.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh, okay.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>At one point, they won all of the trophies [<em>laughs</em>]. With the chickens at the show.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, yeah. They felt kind of bad, I guess. Or we did [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>They raised all the best chickens.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>I can see why. They had the best of help.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /> </strong>They had the best parents. That’s right.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Help ‘em learn.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Good.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, goodness.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>But when we’d have our annual 4-H contest and things, she was in involved in helping us judge things like the lamp contest and making lamps.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>They make lamps? Really?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Yeah, and electrical, you know—learn things about electricity. And she also judged these speaking contests.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>The what?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Speaking contests.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, yeah. Okay. A lot of this I don’t remember [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>That’s okay.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>I remember him, so far [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>That’s important.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>But it’s been really, really great being involved in those kind of things. Being around with the kids, and…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>We—we started the store in 1972. Were you involved in that?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Slightly. I always brought the main attraction of the store. And where did we find that little pig?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>My son-in-law found him. He was a little wild pig. And he was so young that he still had, you know, fawn with half-spots on it. Wild pigs have similar spots as well.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>So he became mine. And did he have a collar on?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Yes.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>A leash. Because when he was littler, if I was going to go mail something…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Or deposit something. Make a deposit at the bank.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>I would take him along down the streets of Sanford and take him in on a leash and finally he got bigger and bigger and bigger. And he’d come up on the porch. I’d chain him up there out of the sun.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>At the store?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah. At the store. But he would come in, I’d bring him in to the store in the car. And he would be in the front seat. And one day I went there, heard someone said, “Hey!” I saw somebody on the corner there with a friend, who went on to work. She told me later she said, “The person said, ‘Was that a pig?’” And she said, “Oh, that’s Mart Tucker. That’s all she can get to ride with her.” [<em>laughs</em>] What a good friend. So a car would stop in the middle of the street from the store and the lady would get out, come up the steps, and give something to Pete right there, and go down, get in her car, and go off.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>It was a daily ritual with her to give him some piece of candy. Something.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Some edible thing.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So they would just come up and give him treats then.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Yeah [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So how long did you have him for?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Until we finally, I quit bringing him in to the…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>He got to be about 700-800 pounds.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow. Yeah. You wouldn’t be toting him around too much.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>So he had a place there, at the barn at the house, and I guess…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>He got an infection. Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Well, he got to be an awfully big boy, so…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil <br /></strong>He did.<br /><br />[<em>phone rings</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>He must have been a happy boy.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>He had lots of friends. Lots of attention.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Excuse me. I forgot to turn this thing off.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>That’s alright.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Let’s see. That was at the store.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>So, you helped with the store, doing like all the stock. And, like, when the customers would come in, you’d help them?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah. It’s Cecil and I. we did it all. It was a real enjoyable, and funny. Um, Horstmeyers?</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Horstmeyer [Farm and Garden].</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah, they have it now. Of course, we come in and get our feed there. And we came in and Miss Horstmeyer was behind the counter, and she made some comment about, “There’s the Tuckers.” And her telephone rang and she said, “Tuckers?” Instead of “Horstmeyer’s.” We had the biggest laughs over that. Her calling her own store by the wrong name. Oh, goodness.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And you sold the store to your son first, right? And he just took it over, and did you retire, or did you move on to different things?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, we didn’t do any—I don’t know. You’d have to ask Cecil.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Um, I don’t—I haven’t been—I haven’t thought of that in a while. Oh, goodness. So…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Do you have grandchildren?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yep, we got great-grandchildren. We had Miriam, and then Cecil and John. Miriam is in—still in Christmas. She’s in Christmas. And Cecil III—he lives in a house that was ours in Sanford, and John is on the coast.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Daytona [Beach]?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>No, closer by.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Melbourne?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>That’s south. What is it, right down Cheney Highway? Um, Titusville.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Titusville?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Titusville. When, let’s see. I was trying to think, I guess Drew, his son, one of his sons, moved up to Titusville and he wasn’t going to be left behind from being around his grandchildren. And so they moved up. And they live in that area. So it’s real nice. Drew has four children—two boys and two girls. So John and Pam just make do over there profusely. [<em>laughs</em>] Which is really nice. So, we’ve spent time over there ourselves.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>You like it over there on the coast?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah. It’s nice. Yeah. We were talking about John and Pam and the kids there.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>I had asked Mrs. Tucker what she did once the store closed. If y’all retired, or if you just kind of—what you did.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Well, we sold the store to my son. And when we moved out to Christmas, we just spent more time working on the ranch. So. And that went on, we were pretty much full time on that until Mother—well, my dad passed away in ’95, and in the next couple years Mother came to live with us. And Mart looked after her for the next 10 or 12 years.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Wow.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Mother lived to be 101, one month, one week, and one day old.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>She was the one. She was quite a lady.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>And how about your parents?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, my dad passed away. I don’t know when.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Well, he was in his late 80s. And then later, your mother came to live with us, and she was in her 90s when she passed away.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>She was living the little house, where she did when we were in Sanford. And my sister Betty was living with her when, after Daddy died. And keeping care of her. And it was getting to be a burden for her. So I just had her and Mother to come on over to our house and she would be looking after Mother, but she wouldn’t have that, you know, burden of having to do all the shots of making decisions that she had us to be able to do that too. And…</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Well, I was going to take you back a little bit, because Mr. Tucker told me your maiden name was Albritton. And I know that’s real prominent down in the South Florida area. I know that the families would run cattle and different things. Was your family involved in that kind of thing as well?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, yeah. And, of course, Daddy—he was—how long was he foreman of the ranch south of Christmas?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>15-20 years.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>The thing of it is, he was involved in the tick eradication, and then whenever that was over, then he got the job of being foreman of that ranch. And so…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>But his family, the Albrittons, were raised around Polk County/Hillsborough County area.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, I was thinking of another—I can’t think of it. Where the Albrittons came from, I mean most of them were…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Well, some came from that area.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Okay. What’s the name of the area you’re talking about? [<em>laughs</em>]</p>
<p><strong>Cecil </strong>Pine Level in Pine Crest. Plant City.</p>
<p><strong>Mart </strong>Oh, okay.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Arcadia. By the way, Arcadia was named after Arcadia Albritton.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>That’s really neat [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>] Oh, something came on my mind.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>But Mart’s family came from—there’s two lines of Albrittons. There’s fence-cutting Albrittons and hog-stealing Albrittons. She’s from the fence-cutting Albrittons. [<em>laughs</em>] That’s another story.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Yeah. Yeah. Because cattle people move their cattle up and down the state of Florida, according to the weather. Weren’t any fences anywhere. People fenced their yard in, and things. And then whenever the—what is it? The people that put the fence across?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Oh, the, uh…</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Phosphate…</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Phosphate mining.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>That came in. And so they didn’t want cattle going through, and they put a fence over, and so a group of men went and tore the fence down. And there was a big shootout there.</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>Well, the second or third time that they tore the fence down was when the shootout happened [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>I think we talked about that too.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Oh, did you? What else?</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Do you have anything else that we didn’t talk about that you want to talk about?</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Don’t know. No, I don’t guess so.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Okay.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Guess we’ve got everything.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>How about you, Mr. Tucker? You want to add anything?</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>No. I think we did pretty good[sic].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Alright, then. Thank you very much, Mrs. Tucker.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /></strong>Well, you’re welcome.</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /> </strong>And Mr. Tucker.</p>
<p><strong>Mart<br /> </strong>I hope it’ll be worth having [<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Cecil<br /></strong>[<em>laughs</em>].</p>
<p><strong>Youngers<br /></strong>Oh, it will. Yes, ma’am.</p>
<div><br /><div>
<p><a title="">[1]</a> Correction: Barton Road.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><a title="">[2]</a> Correction: Boots.</p>
</div>
</div>
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Tucker, Cecil A. II
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