HISTORY: West Orange County of yesteryear for week of Sept. 19, 2024

OLD TIMES / THE WAYS WE WERE

Excerpts from the newspaper archives

80 years ago

Cpl. Dayl W. Donahey and Mrs. Donahey returned to Boca Raton Field following a stay with the latter’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Lau.

Gordon Wright, of Ocoee, left for Jacksonville to enter the United States Navy.

George W. Bray Jr., serving with the Armed Forces in France, was promoted to corporal with the U.S. Engineers.

70 years ago

Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Donaldson spent the weekend in Jacksonville as guests of Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Sewell.

Mr. and Mrs. Roy Fulmer entertained at their camp on Lake Butler honoring their son, Granville, on his birthday and as a going-away party. He graduated from the University of Florida with the rank of second lieutenant and reported to the Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

50 years ago

Howard’s Winter Garden Hardware celebrate its grand opening on North Dillard Street. The store specialized in supplies for home, auto, farm and industry.

The new West Orange High School under construction was cited for design excellence by the Council of Educational Facility Planners.

At Lakeview High School, class officers are as follows: Denise Morris, Rachel Mashburn, Lisa Godfrey, Jimmy Jones, Teddy Bryant and Rick Miller, seniors; Jim Roberson, Nancy Bowden and Greg Kannon, juniors; and Jerry Gillard, Skate Clenney, Tamara Wilcox and Ronnie Fleming, sophomores.

Wayne and Jean Icenhour reshaped the West Orange Music Center, adding men’s, women’s and children’s apparel — a smart move because they knew the clothing business well from their years running Penny Saver Department Store in Winter Garden.

45 years ago

Mary Anne Swickerath, an ADDitions volunteer at Ocoee Elementary School, spent her summer teaching arts and crafts at the Ocoee Youth Center.

Lee Ann Mitchell, of Windermere, was ready for the Valdosta State College football season as a Blazer Girl, serving as an official recruiting hostess for VSC football players and prospects.

The ground was broken for the erection of a combination church building and parish house for the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Winter Garden. It was being built at the corner of Woodland and Tilden streets in the cathedral style of architecture. Seating capacity was planned for 120.

40 years ago

Johnny Luff, town manager of Windermere, reported employees found two patches of hydrilla growing in the shallow water near the boat ramp at Seventh Avenue. The town called the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Orange County Pollution Control made a visit to treat the weeds.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

SEPTEMBER 18, 1942

An advertisement in West Orange News touted “Florida’s newest, finest and largest all-year hotel,” the Riviera Hotel Bar and Grill, near Daytona Beach. It was called the “po’ folks” vacation headquarters.

Amenities included a private bath, radio and electric fan in every room; three meals daily from $1.30 at the cocktail lounge, bar and grill; an artesian swimming pool with sand beach; tennis, badminton, ping pong, croquet, horseshoe and shuffleboard courts; ballroom and convention hall; banquet facilities; and 1,000 acres of spacious grounds.

“Where the Labrador (Arctic) current meets the Gulf stream, and bathing and fishing are superb,” the ad read.

FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION ARCHIVES

This Deutz-Allis tractor, model 6265, was made from 1986 through 1989. The back of this photo, dated September 1990, notes the image was made by Pounds Motor Co., once located in its building at the southeast corner of Plant and Main streets in Winter Garden adjacent to the Garden Theatre. Among his many enterprises, founder Hoyle Pounds sold tractors to area citrus and vegetable farmers. The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, thanks to the generosity of the Pounds family, preserves many artifacts and documents relating to this company.