HISTORY: West Orange County of yesteryear for week of April 3, 2025

OLD TIMES / THE WAYS WE WERE

Excerpts from the newspaper archives:

55 years ago

Winter Garden Police Chief C.R. Nelson presented Lt. Jody Anderson with a gold-plated .38 Chief’s Special on behalf of the Winter Garden police force. More than 100 friends and neighbors were in attendance as Anderson retired after 13 years of service.

45 years ago

Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies, tipped off by the Winter Garden Police Department broke up a student “painting party” under the turnpike overpass on Beulah Road. A large group of West Orange High School seniors had been painting names and initials on the overpass and concrete embankment, and the circular columns had been painted orange and blue.

40 years ago

Ross Lenhardt, Peter Schuyten, Jack Jackson and Angie MacFarland, outstanding swimmers for the West Orange High School team, competed in the East Junior Nationals meet representing the Justus Dolphins Swim Team. They qualified at the Junior Olympics Meet held at the Justus Aquatic Center.

The newspaper began a new feature on the editorial page, a weekly column written by H. Lee-Allen, later revealed to be Winter Garden resident Harriette Grimes.

30 years ago

The father-son duo of Jerry and Parker Mott won the top awards at the Ocoee Bass Club’s monthly tournament. They netted 13 pounds, 14 ounces worth of large-mouth bass and bagged the biggest bass trophy with one weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces.

Dear friends and old memories were together once again as the telephone employees of the old Winter Garden toll office, which closed in 1985, met for a reunion for the first time in 10 years. The highlight of the evening was the crowning of three queens: Ruby Maloy, Dooley Shepphard and Mary Crouch Turner. Shepphard was one of the first chief operators in the 1940s.

In celebration of Gotha’s 110th anniversary, the Gotha Community Association sponsored a German Spring Festival that included authentic German food, music and dancing. The Schuhplattler Gruppe Alpen Rose dance group highlighted the event with German dancing in authentic Bavarian costumes.

20 years ago

The town of Oakland recognized Nina Kuhn, the former principal of West Orange Charter School (later renamed Oakland Avenue Charter) for her powerful presence in opening and operating the school. Kuhn was only at the school for 18 months before she had to retire because of a debilitating disease.

Hollis Holden retired as city manager of Winter Garden after 11 years of helping shape and mold the downtown sector into what it is today.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

APRIL 9, 1970

The Here’s My Card advertising section of The Winter Garden Times gave readers a quick look at many different businesses in West Orange County and what they offered customers. From insurance and real estate to vehicles and auto services, from paint to plywood to plumbing, these companies were ready to do business with local citizens.

How many of these have you frequented?

FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION ARCHIVES

What was originally constructed by the Rosenwald family was the Oakland School for the Colored, known later as Oakland Elementary School for the town’s African American students under segregation. Rosenwald schools were constructed under the leadership and guidance of Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish-American who became part-owner and president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and Booker T. Washington, the African American leader, educator and philanthropist president of Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute. Oakland’s school eventually became a Head Start Center but has since been razed. The Rosenwald-Washington program succeeded in establishing more than 5,000 schools, shops and homes for teachers across the segregated south for African Americans during the early 20th century.

The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation would appreciate hearing from people whose family members might have attended the local Rosenwald-Washington schools. Call (407) 656-3244.