Coral Gables Historical Archive
The Times
Thursday, January 12, 1961, page 10 (of 24)
The page
The text of this pageRead by computer from the scan, so some words may be wrong. The page picture is the original.
The Times
the local community newspaper for all South Dade John T. Watters, President & Publisher William von Maurer. Editor Robert M Slane, Advertising Manager Subscription: $3.00 year by mail anywhere
The Gables-A Museum?
There never was a time when the City of Coral Gables needed new ideas and new blood more than it does now. A city at the crossroads, Coral Gables needs wise guidance as it has never needed it before. The issue is simply whether or not there is going to be a Coral Gables. Here are some of the issues that need immediate attention. Zoning policies followed by the city have lead to continual hassles between Coral Gables and embittered homeowners. The past few years have been a history of one law suit after another, each one leaving some particular group discontented and angry. Recreational facilities and the administration of the available facilities do not meet the needs of the community. The Chamber of Commerce, after a brief show of energy, languishes in apathy and is disorganized and leaderless. The identity of Coral Gables is slipping away as Metro and shopping centers continue to bring about changes, not necessarily good, in the city's government and business picture. The street and paving program calls for a good, hard look with an eye to some reforms. A sore need is an honest study of the tax structure aimed at meeting the requirements of the city, instead of a policy of piddling tax cuts that are pointed to as an example of good government. These are just a few of the areas where Coral Gables calls for imagination. For too long the city has coasted along on its reputation of being among the best governed, most beautiful, etc. This praise, while it makes us proud, has tended to lead to complacency and to stagnated government. We hope these urgent civic problems will inspire men with new, fresh ideas to start thinking now about running for the city elections coming up in April. No greater service can be rendered your community than to take part in its political life as a candidate for office. There is a reserve of leadership in Coral Gables that has never been tapped. We hope it will be this spring. Coral Gables needs imaginative leadership now. It will be too late tomorow. Coral Gables cannot afford the luxury of becoming an attractive museum.
It's Nice, But Look At The Big Picture
THE CITY BEAUTIFUL COMPLACENCY THE NEED FOR STRONG LEADERSHIP
Remember The Times
25 Years Ago The great baritone, John Charles Thomas, was coming to Coral Gables to appear in a musical at the Miami Biltmore Country Club . . . Adequate parking space was a problem in Coral Gables, Workmen, to make more parking space, removed a section of trolley from in front of the Colonnade Building . . . Some lucky amateur performer in the Gables learned he or she would win an all-expense trip to appear on the popular Major Bowes amateur hour in New York. The Gables Kiwanis Club would sponsor the trip for the performer who proved to have the most ability in a talent show. 10 Years Ago An international crisis - called the Korean War - drew 132 Gables' students from the classrooms to the battle fields as the youths signed up for military duty . . . The South Miami District Chamber of Commerce lashed out at rumors it was supporting a political party in the upcoming city election . . . St. Philip's Episcopal Church elected four new vestrymen. They were Dr. E. H. Williams, Louis Hax Smith, Phillip J. Mank and H. D. Kerr, Jr. . . . The Rev. Nevin H. Schaaf resigned as pastor of the Coral Gables First Presbyterian Church, a position he had held for 17 years.
South Miami Roundup
By EDWIN KNIGHT HARRY DEES is the type of fellow who serves as an ideal fishing companion. He laughs often, knows the beer spots to drop a line in the Florida Keys and is more able than me to recognize fish types when they are hauled into a boat. HARRY AND I often have discussed taking a day-long fishing trip to the Keys. We agreed on renting a boat, preferably at Jewish Creek, and being out fishing when the sun comes out. "The fish strike better at dawn than at any other time," Harry emphasized. LAST MONDAY was the day chosen for the trip. The weather reports indicated the day might include a little rain. We hoped for the best. Harry picked me up at 5 a.m. and we headed south on U.S. 1. Like most Keys fishermen, we pulled into a Homestead restaurant for breakfast. THE MORNING AIR called for sweaters. A few drops of rain appeared on the windshield. We accomplished phase one of our mission: to be fishing at dawn. Phase two called for us to begin hauling in the fish. I pulled in the first one, a grunt by Harry's description. I WRESTLED IT on the bottom of the boat while Harry rendered encouragement amid laughter. Harry was next. The bobber on his line at the water's surface went completely under. Harry's spinning outfit was nearly jerked from his hand. He pulled and reeled in. THE FISH APPEARED at the boat. It was a trout, a big one by anyone's measuring stick, nd Harry tried to boat him. The line broke. Harry was disappointed and it was my turn to offer encouragement. But Harry, like the fisherman he is, grabbed another live shrimp and promptly threw his line back in the water. HARRY WAS RIGHT. Dawn is the best time to fish. It was light now. But the sun was hidden behind heavy clouds. The morning wore on and the fishing continued. We caught perch, porgies, grunts and snappers. And Harry had gotten his trout. We were drift fishing from one end of Blackwater Sound to the other. THE WATER WAS smooth, so smooth it was difficult to drift. While waiting for the bites, we talked. And dark clouds were gathering in the east. We lost track of time. Neither of us had a watch. When the shrimp were gone we went back to fishing camp for more bait. WE HAD THE MOTOR adjusted because it had konked out in the morning. We were again on our way and now the sky was filled with rain clouds. We wanted to fish. It was drizzling in parts of the area and we decided to try another location. WE WENT AWAY from Blackwater Sound this time, east into a long, winding waterway and another sound. This one is called Barnes Sound. You can't see across it, but the fish are there. The wind began rising as we left waterway. We veered to the right and out past a channel light. THE WATER WAS getting choppy and the boat rose and fell as we cut through the water. We headed for a point in the lee of the wind. This location was mapped out as good for bottom fishing. Harry threw out the concrete block anchor and we dropped our lines over the side. THE WIND WAS RISING. We had no fishing luck here. We moved nearer the mangrove swamps and shielded ourselves from the rain. The wind kept rising. But we were laughing and telling jokes. The wind and rain made us cold. We knew we had better start back if we were going to make it at all. WE STARTED THE engine and headed for the channel light we had passed on the way out. The waves had whitecaps and it was raining harder. We couldn't see the opening to the waterway. But I headed the boat in that direction and guided on the light. The waves were four feet high. WE HAD TO TRAVEL cross-wind to the waves, causing the waves to slap hard at the side of the boat. The motor would sputter as the waves lifted the little boat and engine out of the water. If the five-horse motor stopped now we were through. IT HAD STOPPED this morning. We hoped the adjustments, made during lunch, were sufficient. The rain was coming hard in the boat. We were soaking wet and cold. The light was getting closer and the waves were getting bigger. The motor was working well. HARRY, IN THE BOW, was holding on with both hands. I had one hand on the motor and the other on the side of the boat. Each wave seemed to be bigger than the previous one. I began thinking of what I would do if the boat capsized. We were getting closer to the waterway, but the rain made it difficult to see the light. AFTER A LONG TIME - it seemed like hours - we made it to the waterway. It was calmer, but still rough. The wind was behind us now and the waves were carrying us along. Through the waterway we traveled, on into Blackwater Sound, and around to the fishing camp. We had made it. Storm warnings had been put up. THE WARMTH OF THE CAR felt good. We were soaked. We could go back to Miami or farther down on the Keys. Harry wanted to show me a location where he had had previous fishing luck. This one was on land. He started the car and we headed south on the highway, past upper and lower Key Largo and into Tavernier. THE HURRICANE DAMAGE was at once apparent. We hadn't even thought about this when we had headed south. It grew worse as we traveled through key after key to reach our destination. Debris still littered the highway. Houses were blown into trees and telephone poles. Several boats were where they had been left after the hurricane.
Letters To The Editor Favors Conflict Of Interest Law
Editor, The Times, Many of us in the community regret, as does the TIMES, that the majority bloc in the Coral Gables City Commission has seen fit to reject Commissioner Murphy's proposed Conflict-of-Interest law. We cannot understand why the majority bloc would oppose and reject a needed piece of remedial law. A conflict-of-interest law is an expression of fundamental and intensely pragmatic concept of the role of public servants and of Government itself in a democratic society. It spells out for public officials what the law of trusts and agency spells out for private persons. Without such laws, the good men would lack guidance and the bad would lack restraint. Inadequate, Unreasonable The present conflict-of-interest law sought to be relied upon by the majority bloc as satisfactory, is inadequate, and unreasonable. However, the cure for inadequate and unreasonable laws is not to ignore or evade them, but to reform them. If, as the majority bloc alleges, the present law covers the same matters and safeguards so aptly spelled out in the proposed new law, then what is the harm in enacting the new law? The new law more clearly spells out the standards and the role of a public official. The enactment of such a law may do much to restore confidence and faith in the integrity and honesty of the elected public official. Favors Strong Law I am wholeheartedly in favor of a strong conflict-of-interest law. Public office is not only a high trust - it is also a high honor and a privilege, not just another job. We trust and hope that commissioner Murphy's proposed law will eventually be approved and we commend your editorial stand in support of the proposal. Bernard B. Weksler 435 Luenca Ave.
PROFILE of the week
Harold J. Cram sells real estate five days a week, but on weekends you wouldn't know it was the same man. From selling property, Cram switches over to fishing in the Keys and singing in the choir at the First Methodist Church of Coral Gables. The former Bostonian, who now lives at 808 Obispo Ave., has been in the real estate business since coming to Miami in 1950. In Massachusetts, he operated a restaurant in Melrose, Beverly and Salem. When 1950 rolled around, he decided to move to the Gables to open a restaurant. After moving here, he decided not to open a restaurant at 376 Alhambra Cir., but turned the space into a real estate office, where he is today. "Down deep, one reason I'm in real estate is that it allows me to help people," Cram explained frankly. "... You fit people into surroundings where they belong - if you analyze their situation. And you ask 'what have they been accustomed to?' and then fit them according to their needs." Cram received most of his formal education in Boston and after moving here took up real estate at the University of Miami. One of his sons, Richard, 17, is a junior at Coral Gables High School and plans to go to pharmacy school. Another son, Kenneth, 21, is studying to be an architect at the University of Florida. Cram is a member of the Coral Gables Board of Realtors and Toastmasters of America. In the early 50's, he was the first president of the Associate Division of the Board of Realtors and state president of the organization. Bn. Boston, Mass.; May 14, 1915 M. Ida Ch. Richard, 17; Kenneth, 21 Bus. Real Estate Ed. University of Miami