Letter from Gaye Guinta to Delee Perry (March 31, 1997)
Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
Springs--Florida
Parks--Florida
Mermaids--Florida
Motion pictures--Production and direction
Underwater photography
Florida--In motion pictures
Perry, Newton, 1908-1987
A letter dated March 31, 1997, from the director of the <a href="https://museumoffloridahistory.com/" target="_blank">Museum of Florida History</a>, Gaye Guita, to Delee Perry. In the letter, printed on <a href="https://dos.myflorida.com/" target="_blank">Florida Department of State</a> letterhead, Gaye Guita invites Delee Perry to attend the opening reception for an new exhibit about Florida's film heritage at the Museum of Florida History on April 6, 1997. This exhibit featured and was dedicated to the memory of Perry's father, Newton "Newt" Perry, and Guita thanks Perry for her assistance with the exhibit.<br /><br />
Newton "Newt" Perry was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1908, and moved with his family to Ocala, Florida in 1922. He was a member of the swimming and diving teams at the University of Florida. Perry earned the nickname "The Human Fish" for his performances of underwater stunts in advertising clips and film shorts, and acted as a swim double for actors in movies and TV shows, including Johnny Weissmuller as "Tarzan." Perry also advised filmmakers filming underwater scenes at Silver Springs, Wakulla Springs, and Weeki Wachee Springs, and developed a system for breathing underwater using an air compressor and hose, which was used in the 1948 film "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" and during Weeki Wachee Springs' mermaid shows.<br /><br />
Perry worked as a lifeguard, public school principal, coach, swimming and scuba diving instructor, and Ocala city pool manager. He opened Perry's Swim School in 1955, and taught more than 120,000 individuals to swim during his career. Perry was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. Perry's daughter Delee Perry took over Perry's Swim School following her father's death in 1987, and it was still in operation as of 2020.<br /><br />
Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947, and used his experiences working at Silver Springs and Wakulla Springs to develop the original concepts for its underwater theater and mermaid shows. Perry sold his stake in Weeki Wachee Springs in 1950. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.
Guinta, Gaye
Original 1-page letter from Gaye Guinta to Delee Perry, March 31, 1997: Personal Collection of Delee Perry.
<a href="https://riches.cah.ucf.edu/">RICHES</a>
image/jpeg
eng
Text
Museum of Florida History, Tallahassee, Florida
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Weeki Wachee, Florida
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 9: Volusia County Railroad History: An Interview with Seth Bramson
Podcasts
Documentaries
Volusia County (Fla.)
Titusville (Fla.)
Florida East Coast Railway
Flagler, Henry Morrison, 1830-1913
Labor unions--Florida
Jacksonville (Fla.)
Episode 9 of RICHES Podcast Documentaries: Volusia County Railroad History: An Interview with Seth Bramson. RICHES Podcast Documentaries are short form narrative documentaries that explore Central Florida history and are locally produced. These podcasts can involve the participation or cooperation of local area partners. <br /><br />Episode 9 features an interview with author Seth Bramson and focuses on passenger rail transportation in Volusia County, but also delves into the effects of rail service changes on the region. In addition, this podcast covers attempts to return passenger traffic to Eastern Volusia on the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). The FEC, a project of Henry Morrison Flagler, was built primarily in the late 19th and early 20th century. From 1963 to 1977, the company and some of its employees were engaged in one of the longest and most violent labor union battles of the 20th century, which had to be resolved with Federal intervention.
Hasbrouck, Kim
Original 18-minute and 51-second podcast by Kim Hasbrouck, June 30, 2011: "RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Episode 9: Volusia County Railroad History: An Interview with Seth Bramson." <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/podcastsblog.php" target="_blank">RICHES Podcast Documentaries</a>, Orlando, Florida.
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
Bramson, Seth
audio/mp3
eng
Sound/Podcast
Jacksonville, Florida
Titusville, Florida
Key West, Florida
Palatka, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Yelvington, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Lake Harbor, Florida
Lake Harney, Florida
Maytown, Florida
Miami, Florida
Okeechobee, Florida
Orange City, Florida
Bunnell, Florida
Fort Pierce, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
Daytona Beach, Florida