Coral Gables Historical Archive
The Coral Gables Times
Thursday, June 22, 1961, page 2 (of 20)
The page
The text of this pageRead by computer from the scan, so some words may be wrong. The page picture is the original.
Tax Roll's Up $8.9 Million
About 40% Of Budget Realty Tax The gross tax roll for Coral Gables has reached $166,189,230 — an increase of $8.9 million over last year. According to tentative figures released by Tax Assessor T. C. Blount, the total represents a jump of 21⁄2 times over a period of 15 years since he took over as assessor for the city in 1946. The record roll is expected to bring in an estimated $2,114,442 in revenue if the proposed 19-mill levy is approved. The proposed budget is for $5.39 million. Final figures on the tax roll will not be available uuntil after city commissioners sit as a board of equalization July 10-12. The total gross roll 15 years ago was only $47,667,743, Blount said. Comprising this total were 3,273 buildings, of which 2,017 dwellings were homesteaded. Today, Blount said, there are 9,553 buildings and 7,100 of these receive homestead benefits. Fifteen years ago in 1946 209 persons claimed veteran's widow's and disability exemptions. Today there are 1,130 persons claiming these exemptions. The $166,189,230 total gross roll estimated for this year breaks down into $147,704,400 for real estate and $18,484,830 on personal property. The breakdown for 1946 was $42,733,363 from real estate and $4,934,380 personal property.
Next to Ponce de Leon Big Recreational Center Proposed for South Gables
A $71,800 plan to develop recreational facilities on city-owned property east of Ponce de Leon Junior High School has been presented to the Recreation Advisory Board and City Commission. The plan, submitted by Mrs. Jeannette Hunt, director of the Coral Gables Youth Center, entails: The construction of a main recreational center building, costing $40,000; four tennis courts, $8,000; fence, $5,000; 10 shuffleboard alleys, $5,000; two handball courts, $3,000; tot lot, $1,000; parking lot, $1,500; lighting, $4,000; and landscaping, $4,300. The area, located next to the school baseball fields, basketball courts and gym, would be designed to serve as a community center serving the southern part of Coral Gables. An alternative plan would include an 82 by 75-foot pool, costing $150,000 to build and $18,000 a year to maintain. [TEXT LOST] board. Use of the property for recreation, once designated to be the site of a fire station, was approved in principle on a move by secretary Bernard B. Weksler. The vote was 4-1, with Weksler, Mrs. Stanley Fosgate, Willem Kerdyk and Charles Rogers [TEXT LOST] for the principle [TEXT LOST] Charlton against. [TEXT LOST] ted possible zoning [TEXT LOST] his vote.
Cook At Salvadore Park Gables' New Tennis Pro Learned Game From Dad
JACK COOK When Jack Cook was 13, he faced a big decision. Which should he join, the Boy Scouts or a tennis club? Cook chose the latter. Today, he's the tennis pro at Salvadore Park, 1120 Andalusaia Ave. "What probably led up to it," said Cook, "is that I used to go to the park with my dad and chase tennis balls for him when I was about 6. "I used to get quite a big bang out of it. "Later, when I was 11, we lived in an apartment house with a tennis court out back. "It was in the summertime and my father was on vacation and had nothing to do. So he taught me how to play tennis." Cook recalled he thought at first tennis was "sissy-like." "But when I found out I could hit the ball," Cook said, "it gave me a lot of encouragement. "I saw I was going to like it a lot. And deep down in my heart I was in love with athletics." So Cook stuck with the sport and was offered tennis scholarships to St. Johns College (New York City) and the University of North Carolina. But 1942 rolled around and with it came World War II, putting an end to Cook's college hopes. Cook led a gun crew on a Merchant Marine ship and saw action in the Normandy invasion. "When the war was over," said Cook, "my first job was with the Ford Motor Company, where I was parts manager for 10 years. "In '56, I became a tennis pro at the River Club, an exclusive club in New York City. In '57, I went over to the Town Tennis Club." But there's no work for a tennis pro during the winter in the north, Cook said, so he worked the winter months at Pompano's Bath and Tennis Club in '59 and '60. "I was looking for a year-round job," Cook explained, "and when I learned about the opening at Salvadore Park, I applied." He took over April 1. But Cook wanted to get settled here, he said, before bringing his family down from Pompano. He's bought a home at 416 Sarto Ave. and in June he'll be calling for his wife, Edna, and children, Bob, 15, and Barbara, 14.
Becky Doyle-Quinn Joins Times Staff for Summer
That vivacious feminine reporter you may have encountered around town these last few days is a summertime addition to the Times staff. She's Becky Doyle-Quinn, 17-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Quinn, 2390 S. Miami Ave. Becky will enter the University of Florida at Gainesville this fall where she plans to major in history or journalism. At Coral Gables High School, from which she graduated earlier this month, Becky was editor of the paper her fall semester. Under her direction, the High Lights won its first major scholastic press award in 11 years. We're delighted to have Becky around. She's enthusiastic, a willing worker, already showing real promise as a newshen and just generally an office brightener. For her first Times' story, read the following:
Shoplifting Downtown Costs Thousands Yearly
(Continued from Page 1) of how serious the problem has become. "They work our store over but good," said Don Mullen. He said that a recent inventory showed $2,800 in clothing missing in one month from the store. Said Jack Ayres, of Jackson's, "The names would shock you." Most of the merchants agreed that they had been too lenient and one was critical of the Municipal Court's position in one case last year. Said Judge Charles Spooner of shoplifting: "I take a dim view of it. I'm opposed to the idea that anyone can get away with anything in Coral Gables." Spooner said he had only one policy on shoplifters: Prosecute. Spooner said in his opinion the potential thief has not shown final intention to steal until he has gotten by the check out counter. Once they have done that and gotten caught, Spooner said, he's prepared to throw the book at them. "We're doing the best we can," said Police Chief William Kimbrough. "We've had quite a bit of trouble with juveniles." The chief said shoplifting cases are the most difficult to handle because of the reluctance of witnesses to testify, and sometimes of merchants to prosecute. Kimbrough pointed out that the lack of detention room has caused juvenile authorities to take a softer stand on young offenders than they might otherwise take. For his part, Kimbrough said, he would like to see the names of each convicted juvenile appear in the press and be given wide publicity. This would serve as a great deterrent, he said. Officer Sarah Knight, Coral Gables woman policeman, supported the view that shoplifters are hard to catch, harder to get convicted. Miss Knight, whose primary job is shoplifting detail, agreed that juveniles, many of them from good families, are a major headache. Organized shoplifters are also a problem, but less serious than they were some time ago. "They don't like to come down and spend the time in court," said Miss Knight of merchants. She can't testify unless she is a witness to the crime, she said. While the juveniles constitute the biggest problem, merchants pointed out that coupled with the pros, the kleptomaniacs, thrill seekers, housewives adding luxuries and those stealing for necessity, the problem is a million dollar one that cuts into profits and even threatens the stability of some stores. They sought to blame no one, accepted part of the responsibility, but indicated that the home, church, school, other institutions and law enforcement share the blame.
E. N. Sutta's Bar Mitzvah Due
Elliott Neal Sutta, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Sutta, 1335 Sorolla Ave., will be Bar Mitzvah in ceremonies Saturday, 10 a.m. at Temple Judea. Sutta is a graduate of Coral Gables Elementary School, where he was spelling champion for two consecutive. He is an honor student at Ponce deLeon Junior High School.
But He's Still Watching 'Have to Let Younger Men Work'
By BECKY DOYLE-QUINN Times Staffer When a visitor calls on John Park he is likely to learn a lot. Park, a tall and dignified man with clear blue eyes and a shock of white hair not unlike that of Carl Sandburg's, pioneered color production in newspapers. He has been with the Chicago Tribune for 42 years. For 30 of those years he served as production manager. Now retired and living in Coral Gables, at 875 South Alhambra Cir., he is still called back to Chicago several times a year for consultation. But Park will take the climate and community life of Coral Gables over that of Chicago any day. He has been vacationing throughout the State of Florida for the last 30 years. And, "after fighting the cold up North this is wonderful." He and his wife have been married for 41 years and, he adds with a chuckle, "We're still livin' together!" They have one daughter, Nancy who "admits to being 23." Golf and active membership in several newspapermen's associations now occupy most of his time. It's not a habit but he does occasionally putt a few balls over the lovely thick living room carpet. He usually plays in the low 90's. Park's pride is the Chicago Tribune. He will tell you of the problems of color in newsprint and of his research to develop a better ink. He displays copies of the Tribune the way some men would display trophies. He's full of enthusiasm, this man Park. He doesn't have quite as much to do with the paper anymore, "Have to let the younger men do the work now," but he still watches to be sure they're doing it right. JOHN PARK