The Way We Were – Hayes and Norma Basford
On a Sunday afternoon in the early 1940s, Hayes Basford, Jr., his father and maybe a couple of friends would saddle up their horses at the Basford home on five acres between Prunty Avenue and Tunis Street in Murray Hill for a 10- or 15-mile jaunt. “We would cut through the woods, cross Cassat and […]
The Way We Were: Robin Music Ashourian
Children riding bicycles down San Jose Boulevard to Peterson’s 5 and Dime for penny candy is a thing of the past. There is no stopping for a roast beef sandwich at Stand and Snack; no shopping at Geisenhof’s Gift Shop or the Pic and Save; no accompanying your mother to the Silk Shop. Robin Music […]
The Way We Were: Elizabeth (Betsy) Towers
Real estate, construction and Avondale are the common thread throughout my life, said Avondale native Betsy Towers. Towers is member of a longtime Avondale family perhaps best known for its connections with the law firm Rogers Towers, P.A., which was co-founded by her grandfather, Charles Daughtry Towers in 1926. However, the Towers family has also […]
The Way We Were: Clark and Rosalee Bryan Connor with Natalie Bryan
On the ninth day of every month, Clark and Rosalee Connor of Ortega hurry to be the first to wish the other a “Happy Anniversary.” The Connors will celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary on June 9, 2017, remaining very much in love since they day they met in 1963. Described as “unfailingly loving and affectionate […]
The Way We Were: Laurina “Sister” Holmes McIver Utsey
Even though most of her years have been spent living on Timuquana Road in Venetia, deep family roots cause Laurina “Sister” Holmes McIver Utsey to regard the Palmer Terrace neighborhood in St. Nicholas as home. A direct descendent of Francis Bagley’s widow, Donna Anna Hogan, who inherited his Spanish land grant of riverfront property extending […]
The Way We Were: Accidental Innkeepers
Thanks to the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, a Riverside establishment, fondly called The Woodshed, was home to a significant number of tenants during a 35-year period. However, as three local descendants of “accidental innkeepers” Guy and Elma Wood recall, the roots of the imposing three-story Colonial Revival mansion at 1035 Riverside Ave. began in […]
The Way We Were: Mary Georgia Roman
Mary Georgia Roman, 90, delights in describing her life in St. Nicholas, growing up as a first-generation American child born to Greek immigrants who proudly became U.S. citizens. Her joyful recall of her South Shores neighborhood, events within the Greek families and their close ties to St. John The Divine Greek Orthodox Church is astonishing. She […]
The Way We Were: John and Patsy Gaillard
The Northeast Florida roots of Jack Gaillard’s family are deep, extending from Springfield to Riverside to Ortega, where the most recent three of eight Gaillard generations make their home. Sixth-generation Northeast Florida native John “Jack” Gaillard, was born in Riverside in 1934, but his family home was on Princeton Avenue in Ortega. Both his parents, […]
