The Times

Wednesday, May 19, 1976, page 1 (of 35)

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History BA in bag, she aims at law school

Paula Gottlieb dreamed of going to medical school until she found no one under 35 was being accepted. Now her sights are set on law school. Paula, a Coral Gables bachelorette, going on 70, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Miami May 2. With a major in history and a minor in Jewish studies, she finished with a 3.275 grade point average after attending classes since 1964. "I wanted to take even more history, but I got smoked out," said Paula, who is allergic to cigarette smoke. "The dean said he couldn't stop other students from smoking. "You might say my whole education was determined by that... I discovered Jewish studies because I couldn't stand smoke in class and that professor wouldn't allow it." Paula had little opportunity for education when she was young. Born in Poland in 1906 - when Jews weren't allowed to go to school - Paula did not enter a classroom until she emigrated to New York and attended East Side Evening High. During that time the young girl, a foreigner in a huge, intimidating city, learned to speak the language and worked full-time as a stenographer. Paula always hoped to go to college, but in those days the time never came. She moved to New Jersey and became a technical writer for the Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories at Fort Monmouth. She spent years writing descriptions of electronic equipment. Paula never married. She said she thought the right man had come along once, but somehow, things never worked out. Besides, she had work to do and a mother and sister to care for. When she finally retired and moved to Miami, she settled with her small family on San Marco Drive in Coral Gables. As head of the household, Paula could devote only a few hours of the day to herself. For 12 years, she plodded through the university taking two courses at a time. Paula said she's sorry her undergraduate studies are at an end. "Going to school was my only diversion, my only form of enjoyment," she stated. "I like to do things well. Every time I did a paper, I'd have to make an A. I'd sit in the library for hours with my Thesaurus beside me." But again, duty calls. Paula's mother is 87 and unable to get around by herself. And her sister is ill. Paula takes them to New Jersey each summer to get away from the heat. Before taking off this year, though, Paula is selling the house. When she returns in the fall, she'll have to start again. Law school may have to wait. - ELIZABETH OWEN Paula Gottlieb ... smoked out

The Times Guide

Serving the City Beautiful Since 1926 4627 Ponce de Leon Boulevard Coral Gables, Florida 33146 Florida's Best Suburban Newspaper Phone 665-7981 44 Pages Vol. 50 No. 41 Wednesday, May 19, 1976 ** 10 Cents

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Great Camper Debate raging among City Beautiful citizenry

By ERICA MEYER Staff Writer The heavily-pro camper audience at the May 17 Coral Gables Planning Board hearing was silent as board member Charles George stated, "I feel these vehicles have no place in the city. "They simply and absolutely should be avoided." But again, George's motion to keep the city's current restriction against parking recreational vehicles in Coral Gables died for lack of a second, the audience burst into sudden applause. As 11 recreational vehicle proponents, including City Commissioner William Chapman, spoke in favor of updating the restriction, arguments for the campers ranged from "times are changing" to "the family that plays together, stays together." The board's ultimate reaction, however, was to defer a decision until its June meeting and to study recreational vehicle storage ordinances from Dade County and its other municipalities in the interim period. Emphasizing that he was not speaking for the rest of the commission, Chapman said, "I think we all agree there is no way we'd let a vehicle be used for a living area. Now we allow a 25-foot boat in a yard, but not a VW type camper. I suggest we view this as a question of whether there is an inconsistency in our ordinance. "Something is not quite in harmony here." The strongest proponent of the anti-camper law seemed to be George, who said, "Perhaps we should not allow boats in yards either." Board member Bob Mayer, who arrived late, called the camper parking controversy a "damned if we do and damned if we don't situation" and made the motion for further study. Bud Thompson, 3280 See CURRENT, Page 23

Nursery vigilantes plot to pot thieves

By ELIZABETH OWEN Staff Writer If you're thinking of ripping off the local nursery or a homeowner's porch for a trunkload of plants, beware! Joe Shaw, owner of Shaw Nursery and Landscape Company on Red Road, got sick and tired of having his plants carted off after twilight. To fight back, he formed a plant vigilante committee among fellow nurserymen in Dade County. "Fourteen months ago, plant thievery began to mushroom and something had to be done," said Shaw. "I organized a group of nurserymen who could patrol nightly, not only on each other's property, but other nurseries as well." Shaw explained that the nurserymen had two-way radios put in their cars and a base radio installed at his office. Members of the group take turns patrolling area nurseries and homes while one vigilante sleeps over-night at Shaw's office. "If we find a suspicious person floating around in the area, we alert base and he calls one or two other vigilantes who cruise by in their cars and observe. If our fears are justified, base will call the police," said Shaw. By Shaw's estimate, some $10,000 to $20,000 worth of plants are stolen each week in Dade County, from nurseries and private homes. The majority of plant thieves, Shaw said, are men between the ages of 20 and 27, who are stealing for resale. "Apprehensions are easy but convictions are extremely difficult," Shaw complained. "When you take a suspect to court the first thing the defense attorney tries to do is reduce the charge from grand to petty larceny. And in most cases, the plant owner doesn't press charges. "If the suspect doesn't have a previous record, I'll do everything in my power See NURSERY, Page 2 Photo by ELIZABETH OWEN South Miami nurseryman Joe Shaw ... organized plant dealers