This week in West Orange County history: Feb. 2, 2023

OLD TIMES

90 years ago

C.J. Kitchen, citrus grower and member of the Winter Garden City Council, lost three carloads of citrus when the freighter City of Sanford sank off the Old City Dock at Sanford with 66,000 boxes of oranges. Damage was estimated at $20,000.

Among those from Winter Garden who were in Orlando Monday were Mrs. J.M. Sullivan, Mrs. Alva Gross Jr., Mrs. Ingram, Miss Geraldine Sullivan, Miss Jane Hall, Miss Agnes Waterman, Bailey Ingram, Miss Mary Smethurst and Miss Cotton Barden.

85 years ago

Dock Reeves and Lizzie Mae Jones were married in Winter Garden by the Rev. Harry Frazer. Mrs. Reeves was the daughter of Mrs. A.J. Jones and the late Mr. Jones of Winter Garden. Mr. Reeves was the son of Mr. and Mrs. B.M. Reeves of Ocoee.

82 years ago

Residents of Winter Garden and its vicinity were notified they could obtain their auto tags at City Hall this month but after that would have to go to Orlando.

50 years ago

The Rev. Arthur L. Dasher was instituted as rector of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Winter Garden.

Mrs. Bert E. (Barbara) Roper, president of WMFE-TV Channel 24, logged many air miles in pursuance of her responsibilities with the station. She recently had attended meetings in Dallas and San Francisco and was planning to attend important sessions in Atlanta and Washington.

40 years ago

It was a surprise party for Rusty Johnson of Ocoee to celebrate his 35+ birthday, compliments of his sneaky wife, Marilyn, and his softball-playing buddies.

30 years ago

Harriette and Larry Grimes of Winter Garden learned they both would be featured in calendars for the following year. Harriette’s “I Want You to be Happy Day” was selected for the Random House Calendar for Kids; and Larry’s great-grandfather, Confederate Army Lt. Edward Joel Dillard, was chosen for the Confederate Calendar.

Families of First Baptist Church in Windermere played host to 16 businessmen and businesswomen from Kazakhstan as part of a business exchange program. The exchange was sponsored by the Central Asian Foundation and was established to allow foreign visitors to learn first-hand information on the free enterprise system.

Orange County officials dropped plans to expand the public boat ramp on Lake Down, within the Windermere town limits. After many years of dispute and some expensive legal wrangling, the county’s elected officials voted to withdraw their appeal of a Department of Environment Regulation ruling.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

Feb. 6, 1942

Valentine’s Day is next week; have you bought your sweetie a present? An advertisement in the Feb. 6, 1942, issue of West Orange News promoted an offer of a gift that would last all year and claimed, “there is nothing she would like better.”

Readers were invited to subscribe to several “magazines for smart young women” for $2.50 to $5: “Harper’s Bazaar,” “Mademoiselle,” You,” “Harper’s and “Vogue.”

Folks wanting to order a Valentine’s subscription could do so by contacting Agnes Waterman at the West Orange News office.

FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION ARCHIVES

LaVoyce Leggett of Miami is seen at the 1966 Florida Citrus Queen coronation, accepting her crown from Karol Kelly of St. Petersburg. This enormously popular event served to publicize Florida’s citrus industry, and its annual queen traveled extensively to promote Florida’s liquid gold. The ceremony, which debuted in 1924, held its final coronation in 2003. Beginning in 1983, titleholders served as paid, full-time employees of the Florida Department of Citrus — and are now known as Miss Florida Citrus due to nomenclature that gave a nod to society’s changing mores.