Old Times 01.29.15

75 years ago

Mary Roper, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. Frank Roper, was selected by the Lakeview student body to represent that school in the final award of the girl from the state of Florida who will be the lucky one to win the Good Citizenship Pilgrimage to the nation’s capital at Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

45 years ago

SP4 Willie Weatherspoon Jr., of Winter Garden, has been awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in action while serving with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam. In addition to the Silver Star — the nation’s third-highest award for valor — he also has been awarded the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for service in Vietnam.

40 years ago

From “Editor’s Notebook”: Sonny Howard, of Bekemeyer Realty, told us about an item in the Clermont newspaper. Someone issued a cordial invitation to the public to attend the sand truck races held daily on State Road 50.

Residents of Windermere were treated to an ice-cream social to mark the opening of the new Winter Park Federal branch in their community. Dave Bergman, office manager, was pictured with Mayor Dean Kinzey, while tellers Patty Crabbe, Marjorie Fain and Sharin Matteson stood behind the counter where they will be doing business.

35 years ago

Winter Garden city officials received a request that a parcel of land adjoining the new Burger King restaurant be rezoned commercial for a new Kmart shopping center. If constructed, the shopping center will be built on State Road 50 across from the Admiral Benbow Inn, formerly the Winter Garden Inn.

Don Rider, former publisher of the Pine Hills Sun, has been appointed city clerk in Oakland. The Riders have bought a three-story home that was once a part of the old Oakland Hotel across from the town park and tennis court.

30 years ago

Orlando Regional Medical Center’s new Sand Lake Campus is nearing completion. Pictured in front of the new building were ORMC Vice President John Hillenmeyer. who will be administrator of the new hospital, and Stan Masson of Windermere, under whose leadership as the founding president of ORMC the plans for a hospital in southwest Orange Count were originally conceived.

25 years ago

The new provost of Valencia’s West Campus, Dr. Edmund K. Gross, has no tolerance for the term “Kirkman High” as a description of the 21-year-old community college. He is passionate in his belief that VCC West is an outstanding college, and he is dedicated to making it an even better one.

From “Editor’s Notebook”: We made our periodic grandchild-napping trip to Atlanta in hopes that our one and only will have some acquaintance of her doting grandparents. The motel clerk hardly blinked an eye over the phone when we called to reserve a room “with a crib, please … and we want the senior-citizen discount.”