The Times

Thursday, March 30, 1961, page 10 (of 24)

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THE TIMES

Attn. Mark Hopkins

We were a mite upset when Joyce Woodney, the Coral Gables high math teacher, got all that publicity the other day pertaining to her dress that was or wasn't where it should have been. Frankly, we were pulling for Miss Woodney and were happy to note her acquittal on the charges pertaining to dressmaking. What disturbed us was that it's the students who're supposed to make news, not teachers. Then along came Mike Zinner and that machine of his that took first place in the Science Fair. Now this is what school is all about ... the student con- of knowledge. This just isn't the City Beautiful, it's the city smart, too.

Ignorance Is No Excuse

There are many qualities to search for in a man suitable to represent you and me on the City Commission of Coral Gables. One of the most notable qualities is a demonstrated knowledge about the business at hand. In this instance, the business is the city's — How to run this municipality day to day, how to forecast the Gables' needs and then budget to take care of them, how to resolve conflicts among the city's residents over zoning and ther problems. We don't presume today to tell you who among the 11 commission candidates demonstrates the proper qualities. How- ever, we do post a flag of caution. In several cases, the lack of preparation by the man is so blatant that a mere handshake and a minute or two of conver- sation will forewarn you. Reporter Maurice Labelle noted in a story last week about a "lack of home work" being done by many of the candidates. This was pitifully obvious before the merchants meeting on Wednesday of last week and again before the Citizens Com- mittee Tuesday morning of this week. The men who have taken the pains to acquire facts stand out among the field. Democracy has its foibles but one of its strengths is that the political pretender soon is scraped by a discerning electorate.

Remember The Times

25 Years Ago Gables attorney Hollis Rinehart Jr. was named president of the All-Florida Caldwell for Governor clubs in Dade Coun- ty ... Mrs. J. A. Bliss and Mrs. Ralph Wilkins were named chairmen for Coral Gables in the Backyard Playground Con- test sponsored by the Dade County council of the P.T.A. ... Gableite Otis Skinner was a prize winner in the winter tourna- ment of the Rod and Reel Club. He landed a kingfish and grouper, both weighing 22 pounds, 49-pound amberjack and 56-pound sailfish ... Mrs. Royce M. Powell represented Coral Gables as the Queen of Culture and Education at the Dade County Centennial. 10 Years Ago Eric Hillman of Coral Gables won a superior rating for the third straight year in piano solos at the University of Mi- ami's annual Junior Music Festival ... Cadet Gordon N. Ger- won, son of Gableites Dr. and Mrs. George J. Gerson, was pro- moted to sergeant at Culver Military Academy ... The eight candidates for the Coral Gables City Commission were Tom Blake, Dave Hendrick, Steve Hessen, Thomas D. Horkan Jr., Jack Junkin, Lucille Neher, W. Keith Phillips and Shaker Shik- any ... Mrs. John H. Lipscomb was elected president of the Coral Gables Junior Woman's Club. One Year Ago George James was elected president of the Biltmore Men's Golf Association ... Heather Woodard and Bill Johnstone were chosen to head the cast of "Kind Sir," the 68th produc- tion on tap by the Coral Gables Country Club Theatre Group ... Airman third class Sheldon Haffner, son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis H. Haffner of 6906 Pallazzo, completed six months of active duty in the U. S. Air Force reserve.

Robbers To Barons, Our State History Has Them All

(Newcomers, and perhaps some oldtimers, will be inter- ested, we believe, in a series on the history of Florida. This is the first in a series of articles by a professor of his- tory at the University of Flor- ida at Gainesville. The series will continue weekly.) * * * By SAMUEL PROCTOR Part I Florida's history, older than that of any other American state, is filled with excitement, intrigue and romance. Almost stranger than fiction, the history of Florida is rich and varied enough to provide plots and background for countless numbers of thrilling novels and exciting adventure stories. Conquistadors, soldiers of fortune, Indians. Pirates, military and politi- cal leaders. Robbers barons, gangsters, deposited dictators. Sportsmen, gamblers, indus- trialists, land promoters—all have left their imprint on Florida. Almost from the moment in 1513, when the white-sailed caravels of Ponce de Leon reached Florida's green shores, until now, when we stand as the gateway to Latin America, Florida has played an important role on the na- tional and world scene. The early explorers—Ponce de Leon, de Narvaez, de Soto, de Luna—came seeking gold, glory, converts to the Church, and perhaps, even a spring whose waters could make the old young again. Plunging into the maze of Florida jungle and swamp, they risked their reputations and fortunes and sacrificed their lives in their greedy quest for treasure. Gold and silver were never found, but eventually it was realized that timber, naval stores and agricultural prod- uce were treasures of greater value. Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who founded St. Augustine in 1565, dreamed great dreams for Florida, and he thought that the area could be so de- veloped that it would indeed become but a suburb of Spain. The value of Florida was not lost on the French and British, and, many efforts were made to seize these lands from Spain. Once, the French planted a small colony, Fort Caroline, at the mouth of the St. Johns River, but it was captured, and most of the settlers, in- cluding Jean Ribaut, were killed. The English were more successful, and eventually they forced the Spanish to retreat south of the St. Marys and even threatened to seize their great coquina- rock fort, the Castillo de San Marcos, at St. Augus- tine. Then, when the French and Indian War ended, the British claimed all of Florida. Florida was the name once given to all the lands from Key West north to New- foundland and west to Mexi- co, but eventually the St. Marys became the northern boundary. Under the British, Florida was divided at the Apalachi- cola River into two colonies, both of which remained loyal to the mother country during the American Revolution. While England remained in the area for two decades only, many traditions and customs (See FLA. HAD, Page 21)

Letters To The Editor

EDITOR: This letter was sent to the Coral Gables Commission with a copy to The Times for publication. Gentlemen: My stand on a strong "conflict of interest" provision is known to most of you. There exists, however, a conflict of interest clause in our city Charter that militates against the best interests of our city. I have reference to the clauses which prohibits any member of a county commit- tee from being a member of the city Commission. There are presently 13 citi- zen boards and committees functioning under Metro and most of them are purely ad- visory and by the strongest stretch of imagination could not be interpreted as conflict- ing with the best interests o our fair city. Each of these committees contain the names of one or more residents of Coral Ga- bles, capable civic minded peo- ple who feel a duty and sense of loyalty to both Metro and Coral Gables. These people are lost to our city. Many would make excel- lent commissioners but may not qualify because they are offering their time and special talents to Metro. I respectfully propose that this matter be studied and that steps to remedy the situation be taken at the early conveni- ence of this commission. Charles H. Finkelstein.

Everybody's Business

By Rolfe Neill Some impressions of a Coral Gables newcomer: It is one of the few towns which actually live up to an ambitious slogan, "The City Beautiful." It is a lovely commun- ity; is there any place where people take more interest in their homes and yards? The municipal bus drivers are an accommodating lot, let you off anywhere that's convenient. And it's unusual for a public building's clock to be accur- ate. The city hall's is. Does every new resident express surprise over the fact you can't buy all the orange juice you want to drink for a dime and that grocers aren't practically giving fresh vegetables away? Miracle Mile is handsome but the miracle isn't yet finish- ed. Check a number of the lower caliber shops riding on the name and consider what they can do ultimately to the whole Mile unless tenants are constantly upgraded. It was surprising to find a town that advertises, par- ticularly to its, own people. The campaign appears meri- torious. Has the Chamber of Com- merce thought about coaxing a story out of the Wall Street Journal on the city that ad- vertises itself? It's a natural for the feature-minded Journal and would be a publicity bo- nanza for the Gables. * * * And it's rumored that Dutch Willard has people taking sav- ings out of fruit jars and from under mattresses. How else could you explain those mil- lions' increase in deposits since January at City Nation- al? The Citizens Committee is thanking Florida National for the early morning use of the parking lot to avoid tickets while they breakfast at Coral Way. Warner Daniels, following an old merchandising maxim of always trade up, has in- creased the price range in hi department store fashions thi year and from that pleased look on his face there's no doubt about the result. * * * Names Make News Roal's Albert Friedman only lives a few blocks (Malaga Avenue) from the shop, likes to walk to work. But he has difficulty doing it because so many people stop to offer him lifts. When the Hans Wedemey- ers build their new shop out on Ponce de Leon, the same contractor who built their building in 1946 will do the work: Lyle Roberts. Sign in manager J. B. Al- len's office at Belk's in Red Bird shopping center: "More sustomers are lost to neglect than competition." People are talking about the pep Arthur Lundeen is putting into First National Bank. * * * Time To Eat Mrs. Rolfe Langhorst of 1020 Placetas Ave. is a fastid- ious housekeeper. Or at least always considered herself a until recently. Nowadays she leaves the kitchen door open trying to get flies to come in. Seems the kids have a pet chameleon that stays inside the door and flies are his favorite food. * * * Life In CG Saturday Evening Post mis- sed a good cover scene Mon- day at dusk. Four little boys were puttering around on a green at the Biltmore course with the seriousness of Sam Snead but having the fun of Red Skelton.

CITY SIDE

—By Maurice Labelle— City publicity director Bert Burris came up with a start- ling observation during discussion by the City Commission of the new bomb or fallout shelter ordinance. Weighing the possibility of an H-bomb ever falling on Coral Gables, Bert became absorbed in the ramifications. Suddenly his eyebrows raised and a sardonic smile crossed his face. Said Burris: "You know what? It would ruin our zoning." * * * Unhappy Ex-Mayor A former mayor and man- behind-the-scenes in local poli- tics walked out of Tyler's Restaurant less than happy rec- ently. He had been invited by a group of local men interested in high rise buildings to give his views on the controversy that has become a campaign issue. Despite their divergent views on the subject, the discussion went along fairly smoothly until the former mayor reportedly slipped a syllable and indicated to the group that zoning laws were just a talking point. The feathers that hit the fan are still tossing about and prob- ably won't settle until after the election—if then. * * * Publicity Shy? The way a couple of the candidates for the April 11 election are conducting their campaign leads one to wonder if they are contending seriously or just publicity shy. On the other hand, one of the candidates has used every ave- nue to make himself known and his policies understood. * * * Civil War News A gentleman by the name of Lee Lincoln appeared beft the City Commission recently. Parents couldn't make up their minds whose side they were on? * * * School Days The problem of getting the Dade County School Board to pay for badly needed sidewalk repairs is proving a ticklish one for the city. Coral Gables E mentary's sidewalks are a liti- gation-minded person's paradise. But the school board figures this to be the city's tough situ- ation. Said Commissioner Joe Murphy, tongue in cheek: Why don't we do a real slop- py job..." The Commission decided write a letter asking the board's co-operation. So what else is new?