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World War II

Enjoying entertainment, and sampling syrup

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Syrup-makers at ‘Raising Cane,’ an event at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, used the same techniques that were used in the 19th century to make sugar cane syrup. Here, Jerry Moates, of Zephyrhills, right, and Marcus Copeland, left, of Dade City, filter and skim the cane syrup juice as it boils down in the 80-gallon kettle. The Southern Syrup Maker’s Association also had a cane syrup tasting and competition at the event. (Fred Bellet)

For some, the chance to sample syrup was the big attraction.

Others wanted to watch a WW II reenactment.

Still others wanted to check out the traditional craft demonstrations, enjoy some food, or take a look at the model trains.

“Raising Cane,” an event held on Jan. 9 at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, in Dade City, seemed to have offerings that appealed to a diverse crowd.

The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featured old-fashioned syrup making and tasting, music by Emett Stevens, and a chance to step back in time, while reenactors presented a battle from World War II.

Published January 20, 2021

World War II U.S. Army reenactor Joe Gibson, of Fort Myers, took part in the World War II battle reenactment at ‘Raising Cane.’ His wife, Tara Gibson, reenacted the role of a French Resistance freedom fighter.
Hannah Schultze, of Tampa, explains the major role that women in the service played during World War II.
Jennifer Pettys holds on to some stalks of cane sugar that she plans to plant at her Polk City home. She was the event with her friend, Lyle Combee, of Polk City.
Hannah Schultze, left, of Tampa, emphasizes the important role women in the service played during World War II. She and Hannah Hoffman, right, of Tampa, display a portion of a female Marine uniform.
World War II U.S. Army reenactor Joe Gibson, of Fort Myers, and Kevin Slaughter, of Brooksville, prepare a 943 GPW Jeep for a skirmish against German reenactors in a battle dubbed the ‘Raid on Renault.’
John Falls, of Dade City, made sure the fire was hot under the 80-gallon kettle used for syrup-making. Temperature readings showed the syrup reaching 200-degrees and more.
Mark Redden, 10, center, and his brother, Matthew Reddon, 8, right, both of Dade City, get a closer look at the boiling cane juice, as Jerry Moates, left, talks about the age-old process of making cane sugar syrup.
Mike Alvarez portrayed an American G.I., during a World War II battle reenactment at ‘Raising Cane.’ Here, Alvarez, wearing the U.S. Army uniform of a corporal in the 34th Infantry division, rests on a Browning heavy machine gun. He and others with the Florida Historical Preservation group took part in the reenactment designated as the ‘Raid on Renault.’
Dressed in 1800s-period clothing, Jeanene Fisher, of Zephyrhills, left, volunteered her time to make corn cakes. Here, she shows 7-year-old Raygan Mae Phillips, right, how to make the batter. The young girl was the event with her dad, Cody Phillips; her mom, Brandi Phillips; and, her little brother, Rhett Phillips, 3. In the background, smoke billows from the chimney over the syrup-making shed.

Flying Eight-Balls member survived 30 missions

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At 6 feet and weighing less than 140 pounds, Jim Rossman was 20 years old in 1944, when he nearly lost his life over the English Channel in World War II.

A copilot of a B-24 heavy bomber, Rossman would fly 30 missions — and survive daylight attacks from Adolf Hitler’s German Luftwaffe.

Jim Rossman’s ‘Heaven Can Wait’ crew in World War II. Rossman was cross-trained to fly the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber. (Courtesy of Jim Rossman/Ted Johnson)

“I don’t know how we did it,” Rossman told The St. Petersburg Times in 2005. “I guess we were young.”

As the future owner of Pasco County Insurance Agency in Dade City, Rossman had his part in the “Greatest Generation,” a time in our nation’s history described by Tom Brokaw’s best-selling novel about the sacrifices and struggles made by veterans in World War II.

Rossman’s journey with history began with as many bananas and milkshakes as he could consume to put on enough weight to make the cut with the Army Air Forces.

He was a teenager living in Tampa when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Soon after that fateful event, Jim Rossman joined up at MacDill Field in Tampa.

His group, known as the Flying Eight-Balls, would later set sail for the United Kingdom aboard the Queen Mary on Sep. 4, 1942.

Decorated on one side with a winged bomb cartoon of a pool hall 8-Ball, Rossman’s B-24 Liberator had a thin metal skin that offered little protection against German strafing in the air, or antiaircraft fire from below.

“You’d see that plane coming in at you, firing those guns, you knew you were in for it,” Rossman said in his interview with The St. Petersburg Times.

Jim Rossman and his crew survived this crash landing despite having a full load of bombs and 164,700 pounds of fuel, approximately 2,700 gallons, onboard. (Courtesy of Jim Rossman/Ted Johnson)

A full account of the American Air Offensive against Nazi Germany is archived at the American Air Museum in Britain.

Located north of London, visitors can read a document that details the story behind the formation of the 44th Bombardment Group at Shipdam, England, and you can learn the heroic story behind Rossman and the Flying Eight-Balls.

On March 12, 1944, Rossman and his men were scheduled for a sixth mission deep into Germany when bad weather forced them to take an alternate target, the museum records show.

A closer target meant more fuel reserves. But, when flying over France, they were suddenly attacked by enemy fire.

“We (received) some antiaircraft or flak damage and lost one engine over the target,” Rossman recounted.

Since Rossman’s crew was part of the Flying Eight-Balls that day with worsening weather, the pilots returning with the most aircraft damage dropped through the clouds first and then attempted a landing.

“Unfortunately, there was more damage to (our) fuel tanks and after flying around for 3 ½-hours it came our turn to let down. We did this and flew into the clear at some 600 feet and quickly spotted a small English Fighter Base with a grass landing strip,” Rossman said, according to the museum’s records.

Rossman’s navigator did the best he could heading the B-24 Liberator in a general direction that took them out over the English Channel.

At its peak strength in 1944, the U.S. Army Air Forces employed 450,000 Americans in Britain. That included operating the first U.S. heavy bomber airfield pictured here in England at Shipdam. Nearly 30,000 of these Americans never made it back home. (Courtesy of American Air Museum)

It was then they lost another engine.

“A B-24 doesn’t fly well on two engines and we certainly couldn’t climb,” the historic document says.

Rossman and his crew cleared the White Cliffs of Dover.

Then, they flew under a high-tension power line that was 200 feet high.

With a landing in sight, Rossman’s crew lost the third engine.

“By the grace of God and nothing else, I looked out my right window and there in perfect position for landing was the fighter strip. With no time to prepare or make decisions we turned to line up with the strip. (We) made a picture-perfect belly landing, sliding in on the grass, each moment expecting the plane to disintegrate and kill us all,” Rossman said, as recorded in the museum’s archives.

The crew members of Rossman’s B-24 boosted each other out of the aircraft when it started to burst into flames.

Black smoke quickly engulfed the crash site.

“After we were taken to the hospital on this English base to be checked out, something unusual happened. Hospital attendants came bearing a man on a stretcher. He had been cleaning the windshield on an English fighter parked there. He looked up at the last moment to see (our aircraft) pass over his head. With all engines dead we made no noise and the shock almost caused him to have a heart attack,” Rossman recounted.

The crew of 10 men made it back to flying duty at Shipdam.

“I was always real careful, real conservative,” Rossman said in his interview sixteen years ago.

He made his final bombing run on May 30, 1944.

A week later, the Allied forces began the D-Day invasion along the beaches of France.

Jim Rossman found out the airlines did not want to hire such a youthful-looking pilot like him when the war was over.

The American Air Museum in Britain has exhibits and archives on the men and women of the U.S. Army Air Forces who served in England during the Second World War. (Courtesy of American Air Museum)

That is when he decided to get into the insurance business.

He hired Scott Black, another youthful-looking man who later became a commissioner and mayor of Dade City.

“Jim was a fine gentleman and a very good friend,” recalled Ted Johnson at the time of Rossman’s death in October 2014.

Johnson visited the American Air Museum in Britain years later, where he was able to take updated photographs to bring back to Jim Rossman in Dade City.

Much of Ted’s research overseas was used as a reference for this column and is a part of the story behind the formation of the 44th Bombardment Group at Shipdam, England.

“He is a real hero in my book,” said Johnson, who also is vice president of the Zephyrhills Military Museum in East Pasco County.

Rossman’s story is so special, Johnson said, it should be preserved and shared.

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at ">.

Published December 16, 2020

The Dade City Banner chronicled local news

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By the time Katharine Graham became publisher of the Washington Post in 1963, Margaret Bazzell had already been the publisher for The Dade City Banner for 20 years.

Both women became owners of their family owned newspapers upon the deaths of their husbands.

Succeeding in a male-dominated industry, Graham was the first female publisher of a major American newspaper. Her paper’s coverage of the Watergate scandal eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.

The National Guard was brought in to protect dozens of homes and businesses damaged by a tornado, as reported by The Dade City Banner on April 2, 1959. (Courtesy of the University of Florida Digital Collections)

Bazzell became the first female publisher in Pasco County during World War II. Her husband died when he was just 42.

The newspaper reported the death under the headline — “H. S. Bazzell died suddenly Sunday p.m.,” spelled out in all capital letters.

An account, published Jan. 22, 1943, said in part: “When an employee is called upon to chronicle the passing of his employer and intimate friend it borders on the impossible.”

Prior to the Banner’s first publication on July 25, 1913, it chose a name that was briefly considered for Pasco County in 1887.

Volume 1, number 1 of the Banner was a “well-edited and well-appearing paper,” observed its first editor John Tippen.

Published on the Banner’s front page was a picture of “the beautiful Edwinola Hotel.” It was completed the previous year at a cost of about $50,000.

The structure was described this way in the Banner: “It is a fire-proof concrete building of three stories, containing 32 guest rooms, all of which are located on the second and third floors, the first floor being used for office, parlor and a dining room.”

In a notice to its readers and advertisers in 1915, the Banner promised “to conduct a clean, wholesome newspaper, which will give in every instance a fair deal to all.”

For much of the Banner’s history, that public pledge was followed by Margaret Bazzell.

During her time as owner and publisher until 1968, Margaret Bazzell would see her son, Harley S. Bazzell Jr., become editor.

She also hired her daughter-in-law Roszlyn “Ro” Bazzell (who died earlier this year); Harold Taylor, as typesetter; and William R. Branas, as advertising manager.

Calling itself “Pasco County’s Leading Newspaper,” the Banner became a daily and would eventually cover all of East and Central Pasco County, including the towns of Blanton, Dade City, Land O’ Lakes, Richland, Ridge Manor, San Antonio, Trilby, Gator (Wesley Chapel) and Zephyrhills.

“We lived within walking distance of our jobs,” former reporter Nell Moody Woodcock recalls on the Pasco County history website Fivay.org.

This old post card shows the offices of The Dade City Banner sometime in the early 1920s. The newspaper’s staff is pictured on the front steps, while a company car is shown on the right. (Courtesy of David Ward)

Keeping a finger on the pulse on Pasco
“The Banner was the newspaper of record for legal advertisements. Hard news was generated at the Pasco County Courthouse or city hall,” Woodcock recalls.

It was convenient that the Coleman and Ferguson Funeral Home was located on the opposite side of Seventh Street from the Banner.

“Their ambulances were called to emergencies, and a check with the front office would reveal the location and severity of the incident,” explains Woodcock, who grew up in Lacoochee and later retired as a staff reporter with The Tampa Tribune.

Readers especially enjoyed the Society Page by editor Catherine H. McIntosh. This section of the Banner was filled with articles about children’s birthday parties, families entertaining out-of-town guests, and weddings that were not complete without full descriptions of the dresses worn by the brides.

Typical was the following published on June 30, 1952: “Given in marriage by her father, the bride (Miss Vivian Bailey) wore a gown of candlelight satin with the full skirt terminating in a cathedral train. An overskirt of princess lace was a feature of the gown, which was fashioned with a basque bodice, with jewel neckline and long fitted sleeves with points over the hands. Her fingertip veil of illusion fell from a Queen of Scots cap, caught with orange blossoms, and appliqued with princess lace. She carried a shower bouquet of lilies of the valley and stephanotis, centered with a white orchid.”

With no door-to-door delivery, “subscribers got the paper in the mail (and) those who were in the military could learn all about what was happening back home by having the paper mailed to them,” according to the Fivay.org website.

That included local sports coverage by Gerald Newton, who was hired by the Banner in 1965 while still a 23-year-old student at Southeastern Bible College in Lakeland.

“I was once warned about being too wordy with some of my articles,” Newton posted on his Facebook page for Feb. 23, 2020.

This undated photograph shows the new Edwinola Hotel near downtown Dade City. Opening on March 8, 1912, it made front page news published in the first edition of The Dade City Banner on July 25, 1913. (Courtesy of Fivay.org)

The 1979 Dade City Little League state championship and the 1992 Pasco Pirate state title were covered during his 47-year career that spanned three newspapers following the Banner, as well as sports director for radio station WDCF in Dade City, and as a coach and teacher for Pasco County Schools.

Nearly 3,000 issues of The Dade City Banner are part of the digital collections on file at the University of Florida.

Preserving the newspaper began with efforts by the Pasco County Genealogy Society in 2000.

“They thought it would be a good idea to start indexing the births, deaths and marriages in The Dade City Banner,” explains Glen Thompson, a member of the Friends of the Hugh Embry Library in Dade City.

Following seven years of work on issues printed from 1913 to 1923, these copies were sent to the University of Florida. Also shipped out were Banners found in a dumpster, and others stored in archival boxes at city hall.

According to Angelo Liranzo, the library’s manager, copies of The Dade City Banner were digitized from 1914 to 1971 at a cost of approximately $15,000.

While the digital files are all PDF, the original papers still survive.

They chronicle news including construction of the new Evans bulk orange juice concentrate facilities south of Dade City in 1957, and the closing of the Cummer & Sons Cypress Company in 1959.

But, the stories of generations of families are the primary history that is preserved, in part, on the pages of The Dade City Banner.

The records are not clear, but sometime between 1973 and 1974, The Dade City Banner changed its name to The Pasco News under new management.

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published October 07, 2020

Time capsule unearths memories in Lutz

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A 60-year-old time capsule unearthed at Learning Gate Community School will be a teaching moment for at least one third-grade teacher.

The battered metal box held items buried on July 18, 1948 during a ceremony to lay the cornerstone for the First United Methodist Church of Lutz.

The congregation now resides in a new church off West Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The former church site came into ownership of Learning Gate in 2014.

The time capsule came to light as workers demolished the old church building. Learning Gate plans to build new administrative offices in its place.

Linda Fuerst, a third-grade teacher at Learning Gate Community School, takes a cellphone shot of a 1948 newspaper found in a time capsule. (Kathy Steele)

Inside the box, school officials found a few, water-logged items, namely: A July 18, 1948 edition of the Tampa Sunday Tribune with full comic section, a Bible, a hymnal and a round glazed window panel.

Using the Tribune issues as a guide, Linda Fuerst foresees a timely history lesson for her third-graders.

One headline captures the connection between then and now: “New Links Found, May Aid Polio.”

In the 1940s and 1950s, polio was a crippling disease that could cause paralysis. The virus frequently attacked children, but it also affected one famous figure, President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Today, the world is battling COVID-19 and is waiting for a vaccine.

Another news item is on “meat rationing,” a part of the Depression and World War II familiar to older generations.

“I talk about my parents a lot,” said Fuerst. “They grew up in the Depression and World War II.”

Learning Gate teachers got a laugh out of one story, in particular, about teachers’ salaries being lower than that of craftsmen. Salaries ranged from a low of $2,812 to a high of $3,150.

Advertisements from Maas Brothers highlighted fashionable clothing on sale at the iconic Tampa department store. The store closed in 1991 and was torn down in 2006.

The comics and some language in the 1948 newspaper reveal some outdated views on race and women.

A brief news item notes the importance of the day for the Lutz church members – a cornerstone ceremony for the then-new church construction.

An aging hymnal from the First United Methodist Church of Lutz was found inside a 1948 time capsule.

The congregation traces its beginnings back nearly 100 years through church mergers and other church locations.

The article described a concrete block building plastered with stucco, an auditorium measuring 30-by-50 feet, and a rear addition of about the same size.

The total cost? Thirty-five thousand dollars.

When Learning Gate bought the property, the vacant church was adjacent to the campus of Learning Gate’s middle school, at 207 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road.

School officials considered keeping the aging structure. But, Learning Gate Principal Michelle Mason said, “It was in a complete state of disrepair, unsalvageable. The financial cost of it was enormous.”

In addition to new offices, Learning Gate also is renovating existing school buildings to upgrade air-conditioning and to enlarge classrooms.

Work is expected to be complete by the start of the new school year.

The discovery of the time capsule was not unexpected.

“They had been told to be on the lookout,” Mason said.

Water had seeped into the box.

It took a while to dry out the newspapers and books.

Mike Reid, the worker who found the time capsule, said about 40 people stopped by to view the church before the demolition.

“A lot of people who came by were married here,” he said. “I think it was pretty cool.”

Victor Alonso remembers his wedding there, and the years he and his family attended the church.

“It was a sweet time,” he said. “It will be sad whenever we drive by and it’s gone.”

But, he added, “I feel better that it’s being acknowledged.”

Mason hopes to pass on the artifacts to church members, and has reached out to church officials.

Now that the word is out, Mason said, “I’ve had so many people reach out who want to see if they can come by and see it.”

Published June 10, 2020

Pasco courthouse has colorful history

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If you visit downtown Dade City, it’s nearly impossible not to notice the stately Historic Pasco County Courthouse.

It sits in the middle of a town square, at Seventh Street and Meridian Avenue.

Originally constructed in 1909, and restored in a $2.3 million renovation in 1998, the courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Sept. 20, 2006.

Pictured in 1909, Pasco County’s historic courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic places on Sept. 20, 2006. (Courtesy of Fivay.org)

With its Classical Revival style of architecture, the building at 37918 Meridian Ave., has a colorful history of its own.

For instance, there was confusion for years over who designed the red brick building, according to various accounts published in The Tampa Tribune.

Altemus Roberts was credited in local history books for designing the courthouse, but that was put into question after Gregory Herrmann, originally from East Pasco, moved to Texas and spotted a courthouse in Mason, Texas, which looked very much like the one in Dade City, the Tribune reported.

The East Pasco man learned that an architect named Edward Columbus (E.C.) Hosford had designed the Texas courthouse. He sent that information, along with a photograph, to his brother, Eddie, who was deeply involved in local history circles.

Eddie dug into old Pasco County records to find out that, indeed, the building people had believed to be designed by Roberts, actually was designed by Hosford.

Hosford’s involvement was documented on April 17, 1909 in a story by the Tampa Morning Tribune.

Spearheaded by Pasco County Commissioner Sylvia Young, a four-year restoration totaling $2.3 million included the demolition of five additions to the historic courthouse. (Courtesy of Fivay.org)

In that account, the newspaper reported the Pasco County Commission had approved the architectural plans submitted by Hosford, and commissioners agreed to erect “a courthouse that will be a credit to any county.”

The board also adopted a resolution to build the new courthouse for less than $35,000. A contract was awarded that May to Mutual Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky, in the amount of $34,860. Hosford also received $871.50 for his plans and specifications.

The confusion over Roberts’ role on the courthouse may be partially due to the fact that he did design other buildings in downtown Dade City, and was the construction superintendent on the courthouse project, Tribune reports said.

While the courthouse, with its neoclassical dome and clock tower, is impressive — the design was not exactly unique.

Hosford used a similar design for three courthouses in Georgia and two in Texas.

The courthouse in Mason, Texas, was built for $39,786. It featured front porticos and Doric columns, and was built the same year as the courthouse in Dade City.

Stanley Burnside checks the time inside the clock tower. His father, Archie Burnside, made the first payment for the new courthouse in the amount of $6,360 in 1910. Both father and son served as the Pasco County Clerk of the Circuit Court for a combined total of 17 terms. (Courtesy of Fivay.org)

Hosford designed seven courthouses in Florida and usually worked with the Mutual Construction Company to build them.

The courthouse in Polk County, which opened in 1909, also is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

With completion of the new courthouse in Dade City, the county board sold the former two-story wooden courthouse structure at public auction for $500.

Part of the deal called for removing the building from courthouse grounds within 60 days, said Scott Black, a local historian who also sits on the Dade City Commission.

A bandstand was built at the northeast corner of the courthouse yard in 1925, after famed composer and conductor John Philip Sousa visited Dade City.

Sousa never returned, and the bandstand was repurposed as a World War II Memorial. The dedication for that memorial was held on Flag Day, on June 14, 1948.

The courthouse in downtown Dade City played a central role in Pasco County government for 70 years. Five additions were added to accommodate the county’s growth.

When a new courthouse opened in 1979, activities shifted, and over time, the 1909 structure fell into disrepair.

But, Pasco County Commissioner Sylvia Young championed a $2.3 million renovation, which used $1.3 million in taxpayer money and $1 million in state grants, according to Tribune reports.

The project took four years to complete, and included knocking down the additions to restore the building to its original look.

Sidewalks leading to the county’s courthouse contain the names of pioneer families of Pasco County. (Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

The project was not without its controversy.

Some thought it was too extravagant, particularly when Young pushed for money to purchase period pieces to furnish the renovated building.

But, that idea prevailed. Commissioners approved a $50,000 budget, and Young searched far and wide, to accomplish the job.

The building, once again, has become a center for county activities.

Except for during this time of COVID-19, the full Pasco County Commission typically gathers twice a month on the second floor.

They meet in the same room where trials were once held and hearings conducted.

Now restored to its original grandeur, the building is a symbol of pride for the Dade City community.

Its image is part of the logo for The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, and it is used as a setting for community events.

The building was rededicated in 1998, when Young was chairwoman of the county board.

And, when she stepped away from her 20-year stint on the board in 2000, she described the courthouse restoration as her “crowning glory.”

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Parade celebrates Stanley Burnside’s ‘Big 100’

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There was a big drive-by parade on May 23 in Dade City, to honor Stanley Burnside on his 100th birthday.

Stanley Burnside took it all in, as he turned 100 — and the community turned out to celebrate with him — from a social distance. COVID-19 did not stop them from letting Burnside know they appreciate him. (Doug Sanders)

Those gathered were there to celebrate the century-mark of a man who served as the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller. Both he and his father held that post. They served a combined 68 years — for a total of 17 consecutive terms.

Stanley Burnside’s life spanned a century in history ranging from Model-T Fords to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was just 7 when he saw men lay down the bricks on 12th Street to the Dade City Grammar School, now known as Rodney B. Cox Elementary School.

In 1937, he marched with the graduates of Pasco High School.

He was in the Army Air Forces during World War II — serving in the jungles of New Guinea and in the Philippines, on the Island of Corregidor.

People lined up to wish Stanley Burnside, the former Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller, a happy 100th birthday.

He was a family man. He had three children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

He worked as an accountant for James Emmitt Evans, giving him a front-row view into the makings of one of the largest bulk orange juice concentrate distributors in Florida’s history.

He coached Little League, too.

Over the span of 100 years, he left a huge imprint, evidenced through 200 tributes to him, posted on Facebook.

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published June 03, 2020

When Alice saw Earl, ‘It was love at first sight’

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Alice and Earl Angel were only teenagers when they met, but Alice knew instantly that he was the one for her.

The couple — celebrating their 77th anniversary on Feb. 20 — recalled that first meeting.

“In our little town, we had what you call a square,” Earl said.

People would come to people watch there, or meet up with friends.

Earl Angel and his wife, Alice, hold hands as they sit on the couch in the living room of their Zephyrhills home. The couple will be celebrating their 77th anniversary on Feb. 20. (Christine Holtzman)

“I come around the corner one evening, and I see this car sitting there, and I knew the driver and the girl he was with, so I went over to talk with them,” Earl said.

Alice and her blind date were in the back seat.

Earl said he and the couple he knew “got to talkin’ and talkin’,’ and when he left, they went on their way.

The next day, Alice’s girlfriend asked if she had liked her blind date.

Earl said Alice told her friend: “I didn’t think much of it, but what about that fellow that came up to the car?”

Alice recalls the moment she first saw Earl: “It was love at first sight because I can still see him coming around the corner of the building, his overcoat flopping out, and I thought: ‘He is the cutest thing I ever saw.’”

Alice’s friend offered to try to set up Earl with Alice, and Alice agreed.

When her friend asked Earl, he replied: “I don’t know. I don’t even know her.”

But, he agreed anyway.

“We went out — and that was it,” Earl said, noting about a year later, they married.

Five days later, Earl left for the U.S. Army.

“Back in 1942 and ’43, everybody got married young because of, you know, the war (World War II),” Alice said.

Earl went to Fort Meade, Maryland, and from there to Camp Mackall, North Carolina.

Alice lived with her parents while Earl was in the Army. She visited him twice at Camp Mackall, and she became pregnant.

“I had a daughter while he was in the service, and she was 18 months old when he came home,” Alice said.

A framed photo of a 19-year-old Earl Angel is displayed among other family photos inside the Angel’s Zephyrhills home. Earl was a U.S. Army paratrooper, who was wounded in World War II. His service earned him a Purple Heart. No photos of the Angels together during their early years are displayed in the home because they have given those pictures to their daughters.

The war years were a time of uncertainty.

“It was terrifying,” Alice said. “I had two brothers in, and Earl, and a brother-in-law. Of course, each one of them, we worried about.”

Earl, one of 11 children, said: “I had six brothers in (the war).”

He served from February of 1943 to November of 1945, and as a paratrooper in the Philippines, he took enemy fire — and was wounded in the head.

“I laid in a foxhole for three days and nights before they got me to a hospital,” Earl said.

But, once he was out of the hospital, he went back to the battlefront.

His service earned him a Purple Heart.

After Earl returned from the war, the couple continued building their family — which over the years has grown to include three daughters, six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

Adventures in travel
Earl, now 96, held a wide assortment of jobs.

At an early age, he worked at area farms for room and board.

Later, he worked at a spinning mill that made fiber for automobile carpets, at a shoe factory, at a paper mill and a service station.

He spent 28 years as a bricklayer.

Mostly, he worked on high-rises, Alice said.

“I was up 27 stories,” said Earl, who traveled an hour-and-a-half each way for jobs in Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington D.C.

Alice worried about Earl working at such heights, and finally, she put an end to it.

“He came home and he said he was going to have to start a new project on Monday. I said, ‘Is it another high-rise?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Well, then, you’re not going to do it.’

“I just had the feeling.

“He never used a belt or anything. He just walked on girders, or whatever you call them, and I just had the feeling he was going to fall. Several men did, you know, on jobs.

“I told him, ‘You just go down and tell your boss you quit.’

“So, for once, he listened to me,” she said, with a laugh.

Alice was still working at the time, so Earl took over the household chores.

“When I came home from work at night, he had supper ready to put on the table,” she said.

Alice managed a hat shop for 11 years, taking that job after their youngest daughter went to school.

She also worked at a bank for 21 years, first as a teller, then later as a bookkeeper, in the computer room and as a keypuncher, before retiring from the bank, as a bookkeeper.

“When I left the bank, I left at 12 o’clock that day and we took off in our trailer for a 4 ½-month trip around the United States,” Alice said.

“We covered every state, except three: North Dakota, Minnesota and Missouri,” Earl said.

Earl and Alice Angel take great pride in their three daughters, displaying their graduation photos in their living room. The couple’s daughters are Carol Pratt, who lives in Rhode Island; Barbara Heltebridle, who lives in Maryland; and, Patricia Staub, who lives in South Carolina.

They went to Canada and Mexico, too.

Going on road trips was nothing new for this couple.

Earl said: “When our girls were small, I used to come home from work on Friday evenings, and I’d tell her (Alice), ‘Pack up, we’re leaving at 4 o’clock tomorrow morning.’

“We took the girls and went all through New York, went through the Land of Make Believe, Santy Claus land and everything for the kids.

“We’d figure up how much time we had to get back to go to work Monday morning, and we’d turn around and come back.

They stayed in guesthouses. They’d stop at the grocery store for sandwich meat, bread and milk. They’d eat at truck stops, too, because they had good food, Earl said.

Alice said: “We ended up in Montreal one time.”

Earl added: “Niagara Falls.”

Alice continued: “We couldn’t speak their language and they couldn’t speak ours, but the woman at the hotel, she made us all hot chocolate, and she was so nice, and we conversed that way.

“We had wonderful trips,” Alice said.

Earl went on: “My mother used to say, ‘Earl, you better stop that running around and save some of your money. And I’d say, ‘Mom, let me tell you something. I’m not going to work all week and sit on the front porch in a rocking chair and watch everybody else go up and down the highway.’”

Earl and Alice moved to Florida in 1990, settling into the Colony Hills mobile home park, in Zephyrhills.

It’s a good life, they said.

They noted they’re the oldest couple there, and they’re treated like royalty.

Their neighbors trim their shrubs, pull their weeds, give them rides and have even done plumbing and electrical work — for free.

Plus, when there’s a community event at the clubhouse, they get to go first in the buffet line.

As they approach their 77th year of married life, it seems that Earl and Alice know the joys that come from hard work, simple pleasures and resilient love.

Tips for a lasting marriage
Earl and Alice Angel, celebrating their 77th anniversary on Feb. 20, offer this advice.

Tip No. 1:  Don’t go to bed mad.
When Earl and Alice have a spat, they don’t go to bed mad. “We just forget about it,” Earl said.
“Or,” Alice said, “you sit and talk it out, and have a solution for it.”

Tip No. 2: Kiss each other often.
“Kiss each other good night,” Earl said, but in the morning, too.
And, during the day, too, Alice said: “We kiss each other often.”

Tip No. 3: Don’t get jealous.
Earl said Alice doesn’t get mad when the other women at Colony Hills, the mobile home park where they live, come up to give him a kiss.
“The women love him. I don’t care,” Alice said, laughing.

Tip No. 4: Put each other first.
“Always try to treat them (spouse) the way you would want to be treated,” Alice said. “He helps me with everything.”

Tip No. 5: Stay interested in each other.
“I had a boss at the bank, he came up to me one day, and he said, ‘Alice, you and Earl are doing something that is very wrong. I said, ‘Like what?’ He said, ‘You’re always together.’
“He said, ‘If one of you dies, the other one is going to be devastated.”
“I said, “Well, we’re still going to always do things together.”

A roller coaster tested her limits
Alice and Earl Angel used to go to an amusement park on dates.
“She liked to ride the rolley-coaster,” Earl said.
“I loved the rolley-coaster,” Alice said.
“So, I fixed her one day. I had her (ride) 21 times, before I left her off,” Earl said.
“I was angry with him, I’ll tell you,” Alice said. “I thought, ‘Well, if he’s going to act like that, I’m not going with him anymore.’”
But, she said, “He just took care of me until I got back on my feet.”
After nearly 77 years of marriage, they’re still going strong.

Published February 12, 2020

Event honors 78th anniversary of Pearl Harbor

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It was 78 years ago — Dec. 7, 1941 — when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, killing nearly 2,500 Americans and wounding 1,000 others.

The attack precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II and, as years pass, those associated with the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History believe it’s even more critical to share and preserve the stories of the fateful day.

Pearl Harbor veteran survivors Ed Socha, 98, left, and Charles McClelland, 96, made an appearance at the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History’s annual Pearl Harbor Commemoration Day. (Kevin Weiss)

“We can’t let people forget about it,” longtime museum volunteer Dan Evans said. “It’s just too important what happened in our own history, what happened in the world’s history.

“War is a horrible thing — a lot of people die. But, you want people to remember it because you don’t want that to happen anymore.”

To help keep the memory alive, every year since 2012, the museum has organized a Pearl Harbor Commemoration Day, at 39444 South Ave.

The Dec. 7 daylong event featured World War II men and women reenactors, as well as more than a dozen displays of World War II military vehicles and aircraft, including half-tracks and C-47B aircraft, all brought in by dedicated military collectors.

The biggest attraction, however, was the appearance of two Pearl Harbor veteran survivors — 98-year-old Ed Socha and 96-year-old Charles McClelland.

The Dec. 7 event featured World War II men and women reenactors, as well as more than a dozen displays of World War II military vehicles and aircraft, including half-tracks and C-47B aircraft, all brought in by a dedicated group of military collectors.

Socha was on the USS Maryland that was struck by two armor-piercing bombs, and McClelland on the USS Helena when it was hit by torpedo and bomb fragments.

Socha, who lives in Sun City, went on to serve in the military for 30 years, working his way up to Navy commander. McClelland, who lives in Zephyrhills, went on to serve on the USS Houston and the USS Missouri battleship. After the war, he worked 30 years as a draftsman for Michigan Consolidated gas utilities.

The two men, who now live life from a wheelchair, spent hours meeting with and taking pictures with attendees and guests.

Museum president Cliff Moffett said there were as many as 10 Pearl Harbor survivors in the event’s early years, but most of them passed on over the years. In addition to Socha and McClelland, the event drew a few other World War II veterans, and several Korean War and Vietnam War veterans.

Moffett underscored the significance of the commemoration: “These guy’s stories have to be told and have to be remembered. Everybody talks about what these guys did for the United States, but what would this world have been without these guys from World War II? We have no idea what this world would’ve been like.”

It was Zephyrhills resident Cathy Deaton’s first time attending the museum’s Pearl Harbor ceremony.

All kinds of wartime memorabilia and artifacts sit inside the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History, 39444 South Ave.. During the 1940s, the site where the museum sits was an Army barracks.

For her, it was a unique opportunity to show her appreciation and gratitude to those who served — especially back in World War II.

“It’s near and dear to my heart because everybody in my family has served, in some form or fashion,” said Deaton, also a volunteer for East Pasco Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 705.

“Every chance I get, I try to talk to them and personally tell them, ‘Thank you,’” she said.

The commemoration likewise had special meaning to Zephyrhills resident Rod Rehrig, of Marine Corps League Sgt. Maj Michael S. Curtin Detachment #1124.

Rehrig said he met and chatted with fellow marines from Lakeland, Hudson and Mulberry at the event. He also was in awe of the hundreds of people and families who showed up throughout the day. “It’s heartwarming seeing all these people. I think it’s just great, they came from all over for this thing,” he said.

The building that now houses the Zephyrhills military museum originally was an Army barracks in the 1940s. It’s the site of where hundreds of Army fighter pilots came to Zephyrhills to hone their skills at the Zephyrhills Army Airfield before going to war. The now city-owned museum holds artifacts that convey treasured memories of World War II veterans who lived and trained in Zephyrhills, and others who served in other wars.

Published December 11, 2019

Wesley Chapel color guards receive national acclaim

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While the Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron is affiliated with aviation, its their performance on ground that has granted them national accolades.

The squadron’s color guard team, known as The Wesley Chapel Knights, has won two consecutive national championships in 2018 and 2019.

1st Lt. Cesar Alayon is one of the commanding officers who helps oversee the local cadets.

“We’re the only team in the history of Civil Air Patrol (CAP), under the new competition program or new format, that has won two times in a row, back to back,” Alayon said.

In precision, Cassie Ramer, left, and Francisco Pulgarin, of the Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron, stood before the pole where the American flag would be raised. This was a part of the 2016 inaugural flagpole raising at The Shops at Wiregrass. (File)

The 2019 championship comes at the same time the Wesley Chapel squadron is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The Wesley Chapel squadron, which has more than 30 members, belongs to the United States Air Force Auxiliary’s Civil Air Patrol.

The Civil Air Patrol was established over 70 years ago during World War II, helping to prevent enemy advancement, with equipped planes.

Its cadet program was implemented not long after, for youth who may want to pursue a military career.

The program teaches cadets how to operate aircrafts, and helps to respond to disaster relief – such as the aftermath of a hurricane.

While the Wesley Chapel cadets have participated in these endeavors, its six-member color guard team offers another physical component.

Lt. Col. Cassie Ramer is the commander of the Knights team, having led them to their multiple championships.

“There’s a lot of different aspects of color guard that we all focus on,” the 18-year-old said. “Being the ones that represent the squadron colors and the national flag, those cadets need to be at the top of their game.”

Consisting of riflemen and flag-bearers, the Knights have to undergo different requirements.

This includes proper handling of their rifles and flags, precision, and working in unison.

They also must take exams to test their knowledge of squadron rules and must be physically fit.

On occasion, they’re asked to take part in public events. For instance, they provided the color guard for the inauguration of the flagpole at The Shops at Wiregrass mall.

Ramer said: “When we meet up anytime throughout the week, whenever we can, we’re practicing and acting as though we’re actually at the competition.”

The distinction they recently won began as a tournament at the state level, which attracts color guard teams from across Florida. A similar competition is held in each state.

The top two finalists at the state level move on to the regional competition – which also recognizes the first and second place winners.

At the national level, the top 16 teams from across the country challenge each other during a three-day contest in Dayton, Ohio.

The Wesley Chapel Knights have won the national competition twice in a row.

Those victories came after the team was unable to make it past the regionals in 2017.

“It really hurt knowing that we couldn’t go to nationals that year, because that was a team promise that we made,” Ramer said.

She recalled that cadets who were set to join the Air Force, put it aside temporarily to help the team reach the national level.

Lt. Col. Andrew Alayon is Cesar’s brother and a former color guard for the local chapter.

Before being promoted to his current rank, the 19-year-old filled in for a color guard member, helping to take the team to the nationals this year.

“I’ve always said ‘It’s not about the trophies, it’s always about the experience and what led to those trophies,’” he noted. He said the accolades displayed in the squadron’s clubhouse are a “visual representation” of the team’s hard work.

He is a member of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of South Florida, and is planning a military career.

Ramer, who intends to pursue a health care career as a civilian, said the team’s victories have deeper meaning than the recognition that comes with trophies.

“It’s about the concept of family and the concept of friends,” she said. “A family works by helping each other, not just because we want to get a trophy.”

Published November 13, 2019

Veteran’s gratitude for new face, new friend

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When Veteran Don Clough looks in the mirror, he says he’s now satisfied by what he sees.

That’s after undergoing multiple surgeries over the course of the last seven decades.

The surgeries were required after he suffered serious facial wounds while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War.

War Veteran Don Clough now resides in Wesley Chapel with his wife, Sandy. After being injured in the line of duty during the Korean War, Clough underwent numerous surgeries to reconstruct his face. He’s an active member of a local Marine Corps League. (Courtesy of Don Clough)

Born on the Fourth of July, the Missouri native felt an obligation to serve his country from a young age.

“When I was 10 years old, right after World War II, I saw a movie about the Marines,” Clough recalled. “I decided right then: I wanted to be a Marine.”

And so he did.

A call to duty
Before joining the U.S. Marine Corps at 17, he first got his training a year prior in the Reserve.

“I was very little to be a Marine,” Clough chuckled. “I only weighed 114 pounds.”

His eyes welled with tears as he reminisced the pride he felt while marching at his graduation ceremony, on a breezy day.

When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the young man had served for almost two years – landing aircrafts in the Fleet Marine Force.

At the start of the conflict, he was deployed to California, then Japan, and finally landed on the shores of South Korea.

Ten days after landing, Clough was on a mission when he got separated from his platoon and was met by enemy gunfire.

He found refuge in a foxhole, but the attack had taken out six of his teeth and tore away his upper gum, upper lip, his nose, and the left side of his face.

Only a dozen members of his platoon survived.

After he was rescued, he underwent treatment for months in Japan before being transferred to California.

After that, he had more than 40 surgeries.

He underwent operations at numerous U.S. Veteran Affairs hospitals — in Illinois, Missouri and Florida.

During plastic surgeries, physicians placed skin grafts on his face taken from his body.

Efforts were made to reconstruct his face, but he felt dismayed by his appearance.

“I looked terrible when I got out,” Clough said. “I had holes in my nose. I was ashamed to even go out to restaurants.”

However, he did not allow this to deter him from seeking higher education and a career for himself.

Returning to civilian life
Using help from the G.I. bill and disability benefits, the former Marine went on to major in accounting at Missouri State University, then received a law degree at University of Missouri.

Clough obtained his law degree in 1959 and began working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, then as a contract negotiator at the U.S. Department of Defense.

A young Don Clough poses in his uniform, as a U.S. Marine. He would soon put his life on the line fighting in the Korean War.

After a decade in government, he transitioned into his own law practice — following his grandfather’s footsteps, who also had been a lawyer.

“I always figured I’d be a tax lawyer,” Clough said, “but I ended up being a criminal lawyer – which I enjoyed.”

Back in Missouri, he served not only as a prosecuting attorney, but as a judge as well.

In 1994, he retired to Florida, where he continued to undergo plastic surgery.

It wasn’t until 2018, though, that his spirits would be lifted by two procedures under the hand of Dr. William Carter.

A new face of gratitude
At the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Dr. Carter performed what Clough said was exemplary work – even giving him a new chin.

The veteran even implored U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida to honor the doctor for his craft.

In a letter of gratitude to the Tampa VA hospital, Clough stated: “Dr. Carter is a modest man, and will tell you he is only doing the job he is paid to do. But, I tell you this, after undergoing 43 plastic surgery operations by different surgeons, in the last 66 years, Dr. Carter is one in a million. A man to be proud of. A man proud to serve those who served.”

The Wesley Chapel man, who spends time with Sandy, his wife of 47 years, said he often hears expressions of gratitude for his service to the country.

Clough has the same sense of appreciation for the doctor — who through the use of his surgical skills — gave him part of his life back.

Published August 28, 2019