The Way We Were: John Curington
Former San Marco Re-developer Finds New Passions in Croquet, Founding of Ponte Vedra Croquet Club John Curington is a tall, athletic Southern gentleman whose intellect and CEO energy make it easy to imagine the drive he applied to his goals – first in San Marco, then in Ponte Vedra. From 1973 to 1993, his quiet […]
The Way We Were: Dr. and Mrs. David Pirrung
David Pirrung and Margaret Tyler Pirrung are Virginia natives – him from Roanoke, her from a small town called Hopewell. It’s an area steeped in Civil War history. “[Ulysses S.] Grant had his headquarters at Epps Manor, on a bluff over the James River. His troops lived out on the waterfront, and they were the […]
The Way We Were: Joan Dismore
Joan Dismore has lived a life abundant in love and experience. “It’s a lot of life to cover since I’m the big 9-0,” she said. “When I look back, I never probably could have imagined all the things that I was able to do,” Dismore said. “I had a lot of different experiences.” Dismore’s mother […]
The Way We Were: Agnes Anderson Ellis Danciger
Agnes Ellis (Danciger) was the first female to walk across the Mathews Bridge. Living just one door south of the bridge that was being built to connect downtown with Arlington, Agnes remembers the noise of construction and the excitement of making the bridge a one-of-a-kind playground. “My sister, Sarah, and I would roller skate, ride […]
The Way We Were: Margaret Day Julian & Hazel Harby Donahoo
Margaret Day Julian has pleasant memories of running down McGirts Boulevard to play with her cousins – eleven of them living on the same block! She and her brothers, along with cousin Hazel Harby Donahoo and her siblings, were fortunate to have 21 first cousins and 55 relatives within a five-mile radius in old Ortega. […]
The Way We Were: Sylvie Smith
After 37 years with Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), Sylvie Smith is retiring. She signed her retirement paperwork in mid-October and will work her last day Dec. 21. “Your career in the school system is something to remember,” Smith said. And this career all started because of a question and a phone call. In 1986, […]
100 Years Young
Geary Irwin was born on Oct. 12, 1923, in San Francisco, where there is a street named after her great-grandfather John W. Geary, who was the first mayor of San Francisco, a governor of the Kansas Territory and the 16th governor of Pennsylvania. Irwin attended Berkeley where she met her soon-to-be husband, William. She took […]
The Way We Were: John and Davalu “Davy” Parrish
Dr. John Parrish, who is now retired after more than five decades as one of the most popular dentists in San Marco, still retains the friendly demeanor and sense of humor that always attracted patients to his chair. John’s wife, Davy, recalls a close family friend, Jeff, commenting on John’s popularity, especially with the ladies. “What […]
