All posts by Donna Green-Townsend

Florida cleans up after Hurricane Matthew and experts say remember past history

November 18, 2016News1900 Galveston Texas Hurricane, 1928 storm, Florida tropical storms, Hold Back The Waters, Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Andrew destruction, Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Jeanne, Hurricane Katrina, hurricane season, Lake Okeechobee, mass graves, Tropical Storm Frances, Tropical Storm Hermine, Will McLeanDonna Green-Townsend

Update November, 2016: Florida’s East coast experienced serious beach erosion from Hurricane Matthew and many businesses and homes suffered severe damage from the huge tidal wave associated with the hurricane. In particular, Florida Highway A1A in Flagler County was washed out and many homes along North A1A from Vilano Beach northward have been declared uninhabitable because the sand dunes were washed away underneath the homes. Many streets in St. Augustine are filled with debris piles waiting to be removed. Several businesses along the waterfront in downtown St. Augustine have not yet reopened as they are still under rennovation from the water that pushed through during high tide during the storm. Below are pictures of just some of the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew just north of St. Augustine on North A1A as well as on South A1A. See also pictures of the hired road crew working feverishly to fix the highway on Flagler Beach that gave way during the hurricane. Not only is the highway up and running, but dump trucks and shovels are putting down large rocks alongside the highway to help hold the sand and roadway in place.

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Additional footage and information about the overal impact of Hurricane Matthew can be viewed on this Weather channel link.
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Original story: Friday, October 7th, 2016

214531w5_nl_sm At 5 p.m. the National Hurricane Center reports extremely dangerous Hurricane Matthew is causing devastation on Florida’s northeast coast. Matthew is located at 30.2 N, 80.7 W. Winds are 110 (175 km). Jacksonville reports indicated wind gusts up to 82 mph at times. The storm is 948 mb (28.0). Hurricane Matthew is expected to turn toward the N/NE and then NE on Saturday. Matthew should begin to weaken in the the next 48 hours. Meanwhile Matthew is continuing to bring high winds inland and serious storm surge to beaches on Florida’s northeast coastline.

The National Hurricane Center reports Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward to 185 miles (295 km). The minimum central pressure recently reported by reconnaissance aircraft was 947mb (27.97 in). Matthew is expected to remain a hurricane until it begins to move away from the U.S.

huir Floridians and visitors can go to FloridaEvacuates.com or download the Florida-Evacuates app to enter their location and see shelters available in their area.

Damage from Hurricane Hermine (Photo Credit CNN)

Following the most recent update from the National Hurricane Center on

Hurricane Matthew, Governor Scott has activated an additional 1,000 National Guard members. 3,500 members have now been activated. This is over half of the available troops that may be activated. Governor Scott has continued to activate more members to help with important life-saving operations, including evacuations and preparing for search and rescue missions. Governor Scott is requesting President Obama to send additional federal resources to Florida, including generators and pumps, that the state can preposition to help impacted areas.

The Florida Department of Health will be updating hospital evacuation information at FLHealth.gov

TOLLS

Governor Scott directed DOT to suspend all tolls in the affected areas of the state, which includes the entire Florida Turnpike, Alligator Alley, Central Florida Expressway Authority and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority.

Many beach communities are being evacuated because of expected storm surge. Governor Scott says people need to have a plan, know where evacuation centers will be located and have food and supplies to last at least 3 days including water, medicine and batteries. Scott says gather together important documents such as insurance papers. Make plans for how to deal with your pet in an emergency evacuation. A complete list of disaster planning suggestions are located on the Florida Division of Emergency Management Website.

Boats washed ashore from Hurricane Hermine (photo credit AP)

Even though Hurricane Hermine hit on Labor Day Weekend this year, it’s been 12 years since Florida experienced a major tropical system. That’s when Hurricane Wilma struck South Florida. Just a year before Wilma, 2004 became one for the history books as Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan wreaked their havoc on the Sunshine State.

It was 11 years ago on August 29th when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast near Buras, Louisiana and took its toll on New Orleans and the Mississippi coastline, becoming one of the most costly storms in U.S. history. According to NOAA, the damage estimates from Katrina reached $108 billion dollars. The official death toll from Katrina is 1,200 making it the 3rd deadliest storm in history behind the 1900 hurricane which hit Galveston, TX leaving 8,000 dead. The 2nd deadliest storm was the Lake Okeechobee storm in Florida in 1928 killing approximately 3,000 people.

galveston — Scene from the aftermath of the 1900 hurricane that struck Galveston, TX

For Floridians who lived in South Florida during Hurricane Andrew, the thought of any tropical system possibly heading toward the Sunshine State brings back painful memories.

It was on August 24th, 1992 when the catastrophic storm struck Homestead and South Florida with winds of 150 miles an hour with gusts up to 175 miles an hour. Andrew is listed as the 4th worst hurricane to hit the United States with a damage total of more than 25-billion dollars. Nearly four dozen people were killed.

In 2011 Homestead resident (and former mayor) Steve Bateman, talked with Donna Green-Townsend about living through Hurricane Andrew and how Homestead has worked toward economic recovery. At the time of the interview, Hurricane Irene was churning in the Atlantic. (from Donna’s audio archives).

Florida has experienced many devastating hurricanes through the years. Some of the worst storms didn’t even have names. The 1928 Category 4 storm that pushed Lake Okeechobee over its banks offically killed 3,000 people, but is believed by many to have drowned 4,000 souls. Many were migrant workers who ended up in mass graves following the storm….some marked and some unmarked. There are many accounts from people recalling the storm describing how they were tied to trees by their families so they wouldn’t be swept away.

The late singer songwriter Will McLean wrote his most famous song about that tragedy. “Hold Back The Waters” has become somewhat of a Florida anthem in folk circles. McLean was the first folk artist inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. See a video of the late singer-songwriter singing his famous song below:

The 1928 storm was before television and the weather channel so there was no real advance knowledge about the hurricane. It’s been written that the Seminoles living in Florida may have warned the storm was coming but people didn’t pay attention. This storm is the reason there is now a dike all around Lake Okeechobee in South Florida. As the category 4 hurricane moved inland, the strong winds piled the water up at the south end of the lake. Ultimately the weaker earthen levee gave way flooding an area 6 miles wide and 75 miles long.

2004_frances_satillitenearhispanilacat4_noaa — Hurricane Frances as a Category 4 storm off the coast of Hispaniola. Source: NOAA

Closer to North Central Florida residents who are watching the current track for Tropical Storm Hermine can’t help but remember the chaos wreaked on the area from Tropical Storm Frances and Jeanne in 2004. Many residents and businesses lost power for days causing grocery stores to lose fresh and frozen food products. ATMs were down. Traffic lights were out. Trees fell across many streets and homes and houses were flooded in low lying areas.

From her audio archives here’s a snippet of what the community was experiencing just after Frances moved through North Central Florida in September of 2004.

An early report on flooding in Northwest Gainesville after the rain from Tropical Storm Frances in 2004.

A few weeks before Tropical Storms Frances and Jeanne came through North Central Florida, Hurricane Charley wreaked havoc on Southwest, FL, especially Charlotte County. Many firefighters, law enforcement officers and medical personnel travelled to the area to give relief and assistance. Here’s another audio archive story from 2004.

Remembering Janet Reno

November 7, 2016NewsFirst woman U.S. Attorney General, Janet RenoDonna Green-Townsend

janet-reno-photo-credit-barry-thumma-associated-press — Janet Reno (photo credit Barry Thumma/Associated Press)

Janet Reno, the first female U.S. Attorney General, has died at the age of 78. Reno suffered from Parkinson’s Disease which had been diagnosed in November 1995. Reno died at her home in Miami, Florida. Reno, a native of the Sunshine State, spent eight years as the attorney general of the United States during the Clinton Administration. During that time Reno made controversial decisions including the botched federal raid of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas in 1993. The long siege involved hundreds of military and law-enforcement officers and left the compound in flames. The Branch Davidian’s leader, David Koresh, and 75 others died, one-third of which were children.

Reno also made the key decision in 2000 in the emotional return of Elián González, the 6-year-old Cuban boy who was found floating on an inner tube off Florida’s coast. González’s mother and 10 others drowned while trying to reach the United States from Cuba by small boat. The decision about what to do with the young boy sparked major controversy with the Cuban exiles in South Florida. They wanted González to stay in the U.S. because of their opposition to Cuba’s leader, Fidel Castro.

Reno took full responsibility for both controversial actions.

Early in 2001, after her term ended as Attorney General, Reno returned to Florida. In 2002 she made an unsuccessful run for governor. She was trying to unseat Governor Jeb Bush. She decided to name her campaign after a red pickup truck she had purchased. She traveled across Florida with her “Red Truck Campaign.”

One of her campaign stops was in Gainesville. After touring an after-school program for young African American girls she gave a campaign speech downtown at what is now known as the “Bo Diddley Plaza.” The late Bo Diddley even performed and changed up his famous guitar riff to include lyrics about Reno.

In 2002 Alachua County Commissioner Dave Newport introduced Janet Reno to the crowd.

janet-reno-photo-credit-robert-giroux-agence-france-presse-getty-images — Janet Reno (photo credit Robert Giroux/Agence France Presse Getty Images)

After the rally at the downtown plaza in Gainesville Reno talked briefly with Donna Green-Townsend about whether her eight-year tie to the Clinton Administration would help or hurt her campaign given Bill Clinton’s sex scandal with White House Intern Monica Lewinsky.

Reno also gave another short press conference during her campaign stop in Gainesville where she outlined her priorities if elected as Florida’s governor and also addressed the issue of whether it would help her campaign if Bill Clinton would give his support to her campaign.

According to the New York Times, under Reno the Justice Department initiated prosecutions in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and in the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, helping to lay the groundwork for the pursuit of terrorists in the 21st century.

Under Reno the agency also prosecuted spies like the C.I.A. mole Aldrich H. Ames; it filed an antitrust suit against Microsoft, a milestone in the new-technology era; and it sued the tobacco industry to reclaim federal health care dollars spent on treating illnesses caused by smoking.

Before accepting the position of U.S. Attorney General, Janet Reno held positions in Florida as general counsel to the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives and prosecuting attorney for the state attorney’s office in Dade County. In 1978 she was named by then governor Reuben Askew as an interim state attorney, the first woman to hold the position in Florida.

History Revealed: Profile of an Historic Waldo Home and its Inhabitants, Part I

October 31, 2016BlogDonna Green-Townsend

History Revealed: Profile of an Historic Waldo Home and its Inhabitants, Part I

A special guest blog from Ellie Floyd, Waldo, FL

seigler-kinzer-house — The Seigler-Kinzer house in Waldo, FL

It sits high on Cracker Hill, an imposing edifice beckoning the visitor to discover its secrets… at least, that’s how I felt upon seeing our home, the Seigler-Kinzer house, for the first time. It is only a block from State Road 24, but is shielded by the old Seay bungalow and its massive, sprawling oak across a limerock road. Just beyond our backyard, the old Granger house and its tree canopy provide a picturesque borrowed landscape.

The frame vernacular-style dwelling began as a simple gable-front shape, two rooms deep. A western addition transformed it into a gable-front-and-wing, though it has an irregular plan due to later additions on the south side. Much of the original cypress drop-siding remains on the exterior of this traditionally white house, while decorative corbels under the eaves of the old shingle and tin roof give it a Folk-Victorian feel. The wraparound front porch has undergone several alterations, and as the ceiling paint begins to shed its most recent layer, the “haint blue” underneath is being revealed. In the southern tradition, that shade was thought to ward off spirits.

Andrew and I may be only the third family group to own this house in Sparkman’s Addition during its 120+-year history, having purchased the nearly half-acre lot from the Womeldurf family two years ago. We are undertaking a part renovation/part restoration of the old house, which is recorded in the Florida Master Site File as an architecturally significant structure for the town of Waldo. This project has been a humbling and eye-opening experience; discovering the lives of those who dwelt in this house while revealing its physical layers gives every board and nail meaning.

The exact date of construction and builder of the house is uncertain. The land the house sits upon was first owned by the Florida Railroad Company before it was transferred, by trustees Soutter and McRae, to the Blakes in 1867. Peter William Washington Sparkman became the landholder in 1871, and owned a grist mill and packing plant near his home in this area. Over the next ten years, the land subsequently passed through the hands of Robert Weeks, Abraham Crosby, and James Sparkman. In 1881, P.W.W. Sparkman reacquired the land; he divided the uniquely-shaped parcel, lying between the Transit and Peninsular Railroads, into multiple lots.

plan-of-sparkmans-addition From 1881 to 1884, a section of lots R, S, T, and U in Sparkman’s Addition was owned by Mary Weeks, then Julia Blackstock, and later James Weeks. Our house is on lot U, which was not sold individually until James Weeks deeded it to Lula Seigler for $500 in 1894. He’d sold lots R, S, and T combined for the same price in 1890, which seems to suggest that a structure was already in existence on Lot U when Seigler purchased it. Conversely, her family would own the property for 47 years, a much longer period during which to create a home. Charles Womeldorf, who most recently owned the house, remembers a conversation he had with Lula Seigler’s daughter, Isla: she said she was a young girl when her father, William David Seigler, built the house. At the same time, he recollects seeing an old window on the second floor etched with the year “1870.” This raises the question of whether the house was constructed with materials taken from an older home, or whether the Seiglers simply added onto an existing building. At the very least, we are certain that the rear kitchen addition was built under their ownership, as old boards we exposed in the ceiling there were inscribed: “Mrs. L.D. Seagler, Waldo, Fla.”

Lula A. Deupree and William David Seigler were married in 1885 at the First Baptist Church of Gainesville, having children Isla in 1889 and Harry David in 1891. The family unit lived in the town of Waldo from at least 1891 on, and at some point before moving to the house in Sparkman’s Addition, William had lived in the “J.B. Schuman” house, likely while it was under the ownership of C.K. Dutton. The design of that house, now owned by Mary Baxla, bears similarities to ours.

Lula was born in Ladonia, Texas in 1860 to Elijah Deupree, a dry goods merchant, and his wife, Harriet. The Deuprees lived for a time in Mississippi before moving to Gainesville in 1878. After Elijah’s death in 1896, Harriet joined her daughter Lula’s new family in their Cracker Hill home; she lived here with them until her death in 1920.

the-eden-of-the-south-seigler-phifer-ad-1 William, or W.D., was born in 1857 in Florida, his family being settled in Putnam County by 1860. His parents, Marshal Seigler and Permelia Ellen Johnson, hailed from South Carolina. Marshal, who would later become a co-founder of the Etoniah Canal and Drainage Company, began his career as a general merchant in Waldo. His business was called Seigler & Johnson, his partner likely his brother-in-law. He notably employed William Baxter Phifer, who later opened his own store in Waldo with Marshal’s son, W.D. In 1882, the young merchants sold that business and opened Seigler & Phifer in Gainesville. Their ad appeared in the 1883 publication, The Eden of the South. At the end of that year, they closed their Gainesville store and began a new venture in Rochelle. How long they remained partners is unclear. Phifer eventually went into business with his brothers, and together they opened the Phifer State Bank.

W.D. ultimately became a general merchant in his own right. His Waldo store purveyed, among other goods; boots, fashions, paints, fertilizer, and groceries like Ballard’s Obelisk flour. The Gainesville Daily Sun of 1905 called him “one of the oldest established and most successful merchants of Waldo.” He was a Mason, as well as an early member of the Odd Fellows, Union Lodge, No. 2.

The Seiglers were much involved in the social events taking place in Waldo just after the turn of the century. For the crystal wedding of the Langs in March 1907, Lula Seigler assisted in receiving the guests, and at the twentieth anniversary of the Grangers on May 4th, her daughter Isla Seigler helped serve the luncheon. A gem of an article appeared in the February 3rd, 1907 issue of the Sun about an “Old Ladies’ Tea Party” given in the home of Mrs. Seigler. The party was comprised of “eleven ladies whose united ages amounted to 760 years.”

The family would be forever changed by what took place on May 14th, 1907. A headline in the Sun read “W.D. Seigler Suddenly Expired,” and the Live Oak Daily Democrat’s front page announced, “Seigler Dropped Dead.” He had experienced heart failure as he was walking along a street in Waldo. The Sun stated: “[His] demise will cause general regret, as deceased was well-known and popular in Waldo.” His funeral was held at the Seigler residence, with ceremonies befitting his status as a Mason. Many attendees paid their respects, including his old business associate, W.B. Phifer.

ellen-seigler-headstone — Headstone of Ellen Seigler

W.D. Seigler’s death was not the only tragedy Lula Seigler experienced in that decade; they’d had a third child in 1899, Ellen, who died less than a year later, in 1900. Challenging times followed her husband’s passing. After becoming administratrix of his estate, Lula held an auction for the entire stock of Seigler merchandise, though she did end up buying out a good deal of it. On July 25th, 1907, the Sun remarked, “It is not known whether Mrs. Seigler will continue the business or close the same out. The business has always proved a prosperous one, and friends are suggesting that she continue it.” She did continue as a merchant – for how long it is unclear, though the store was in operation through at least 1910.

Isla Seigler was described by the Sun as “an attractive young lady of Waldo.” She was also tall – at 5’10”, she equaled her husband, Lewin Dennis Kinzer, in height. The couple married in 1910 in Duval County. L.D. Kinzer came from Blacksburg, Virginia; he was an engineer on the Seaboard railway, as well as secretary for the Florida division of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. The Kinzers lived for a time in Tampa before moving back to Waldo in 1920. That year, Isla joined Waldo Chapter No. 120 of the Order of the Eastern Star as a charter member. In 1922, Lula Seigler deeded her home over to Isla, though she herself continued to live there. The registry of Waldo voters in 1921 lists Lula as the proprietor of a hotel, the name and location of which have remained elusive to me; I wonder if it could have been this very house.

Tragically, Isla became a widow at an even younger age than her mother had, when L.D. Kinzer passed away in 1930. He died at home following a heart attack, the same as had befallen W.D. Seigler. The widowed mother and daughter continued on together. Later owner of the house, Charles Womeldorf, grew up directly next door. He recalls that the two women did not socialize much at that time, and remembers, in good humor, being chastised by them to behave quietly while he and his siblings would play ball in the road. Isla did her part for the community during the Depression; she was a special aid worker for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and later became the County Sewing Room Supervisor for the WPA.

Property records show that the household was keeping up with the times, as they owned a Dodge sedan by 1929, and according to the 1930 federal census, a radio set. As Andrew and I worked late one night plying rows of nails out of the newly exposed wide-plank pine floors downstairs, we, too, listened to a radio set – only this one was contained within a small cube. The program was discussing FDR’s fireside chats. I imagined that the original owners of those floors might have listened to the real thing on their radio set in that very same room.

Harry Seigler, W.D. and Lula’s second child, became a conductor for the Seaboard railway after attending school for a time in Meridian, MS. After he married Bobbie Myers, they moved into the house on the corner of the next block, at the intersection of what were once called Place Street and old Gainesville Road. That house was, until just recently, owned by the Williams family. Harry was a member of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen. He moved with his wife and two surviving children to Tampa in 1931, and died there in 1960. I believe the children of his son, Charles William Seigler, would be the only descendants of W.D. and Lula Seigler alive today.

In 1941, Isla Kinzer entered into an agreement with the Womeldurf family by which they would rent the home and eventually become the property’s new owners. In 1948, Mrs. James F. (Lillian) Womeldurf was granted the deed to lots U and T (lot T became a part of the Seigler/Kinzer land in 1905).

w-d-and-lula-seigler-headstone Isla and Lula moved to Gainesville following the Agreement in 1941, and lived in a house on University Avenue across from the Kirby Smith building. Just as her husband’s death made headlines in 1907, news of Lula Seigler’s passing in 1955 appeared on the front page of the Gainesville Sun: “Mrs. Seigler, 94, Taken by Death.” Isla Kinzer moved to Tampa a few years after her mother’s death, and passed away there in 1975. All of the Seiglers and Kinzers, with the exception of Harry and his descendants, are buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Gainesville; Harry and his first wife are interred at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Waldo.

To be continued…

Author’s note: Information was attained from a variety of sources, including but not limited to: personal interviews, deeds, newspaper articles, and records held by the Waldo Historical Society. For details, or if you have additional information, please contact:

akemfloyd@gmail.com.

Jody’s Story—- Surviving 9/11

September 12, 2016News9/11, Bill Beckett, Donna Green-Townsend, Jody Blanchard, Joy's Story, Raquel GarciaDonna Green-Townsend

World-Trade-Center-Attack September 11th, 2001 changed the life of Jody Blanchard forever. After escaping from the World Trade Center complex after the first plane hit, Jody packed her belongings and escaped NYC and moved for a short period of time to Gainesville, FL. She was hoping to put the horrific images she saw behind her. That proved to be a difficult task. Jody shared her story with WUFT reporter Raquel Garcia not long after she moved to Gainesville. This is her story…. “Jody’s Story.”

Short version (8:52)

Full documentary (58:09)

“Jody’s Story” was edited and produced by Donna Green-Townsend with production assistance from Bill Beckett

Music for the documentary provided by Rod MacDonald

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The 9/11 Museum and September 11th, 2001—A Personal Reflection

September 11, 2016Blog, News9/11 Museum, Cameron Taylor, Dave Dugan, Donna Green-Townsend, Freedom Tower, Ground Zero, Katiana Krawchenko, Miles Doran, New York, September 11th, Susie Losco, Twin Towers, World Trade Center, World Trade Center Memorial PlazaDonna Green-Townsend

2013-10-14_13-42-21_546 — Sign in front of 9/11 Memorial Museum in October, 2013

(My personal reflection follows this story)

September 11th, 2016 marks 15 years since the terrorist attacks which took the lives of nearly 3,000 people in New York City, Washington and Pennsylvania. On May 21st, 2014 the 9/11 Memorial Museum opened to the public for the first time. Those in charge of its design have had to be sensitive to exhibiting artifacts which capture the historical moments of that day in 2001 with the emotions of the families who continue to grieve for their lost loved ones.

The museum sits 70 feet deep beneath what was formerly called “Ground Zero” after the attacks. Among the 10,000 artifacts are audio and video recordings made that tragic day, including sounds of emergency radio calls and cellphone messages from workers in the Twin Towers calling loved ones.

2013-10-14_13-43-41_519 — View looking into the museum in October before construction was complete

The museum features 23,000 still photos, mangled rescue vehicles and plane parts as well as the last steel column removed during the cleanup. Various personal artifacts found in the rubble are also on display. The goal of the privately funded museum is to tell the story of the nearly 3,000 people killed in not only the 2001 attacks but also the 1993 trade center bombing. President Barack Obama along with families and others officially dedicated the museum on Thursday, May 15th, 2014.

2013-10-14_13-46-35_866 — One of the special fountains built on one of the footprints of the former Twin Towers

The museum is adjacent to the Memorial Plaza where the footprints of the twin towers now feature unique water fountains surrounded by the engraved names of those who died on September 11th when terrorists commandeered United Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11 and crashed into the Twin Towers.

The plaza memorial also includes the names of those who died when American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon and those who died on United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in a Shanksville, Pennsylvania field after passengers revolted against the hijackers.

2013-10-14_12-45-15_893 — The new Freedom Tower

The new “Freedom Tower” stands next to the Memorial Plaza. The Freedom Tower, which stands 1,776 feet tall on the site of the former World Trade Center, is the work of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. According to the website, the “Freedom Tower” serves as a beacon of freedom, and demonstrates the resolve of the United States, and the people of New York City.

My Personal Reflection

2013-10-14_18-14-04_935 — Donna Green-Townsend and Cameron Taylor

All of the photos featured above I took in October, 2013 when I travelled to New York City to attend the National Edward R. Murrow Awards Ceremony. I was there to accompany Cameron Taylor, one of my Telecommunication students from the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida, who was being presented a Murrow for a radio feature he had produced on the oyster collapse in Cedar Key, FL.

It had been 29 years since I had last visited NYC and I was anxious to see the 9/11 Memorial site. Even though I was in Florida when the terrorist attacks occurred, the tragedy had definite ramifications all over the country. The day before the attacks I sent one of my feature reporters, Susie Losco, to Jacksonville to cover President George W. Bush’s “Reading” campaign. Susie came back telling me how excited she was about getting the opportunity to shake the president’s hand.

s-BOOKER-ELEMENTARY-BUSH-911-large — (AP Photo/Doug Mills)

As everyone now knows, the reading campaign was the reason President Bush next visited the Emma E. Booker elementary school in Sarasota where the now infamous photo was taken of his Chief of Staff Andy Card informing him that the country was under attack.

Immediately on that day in 2001 I began to see various emails exploding on my computer from various acquaintances who were concerned about why their flights were forced to land at various airports around the country. I was particularly interested in talking to the woman who had a cousin who was a flight attendant on one of the flights which ripped through one of the Twin Towers. Even the mere thought of that was unfathomable.

It was a very emotional day in the newsroom and around the country as we watched in horror as the towers collapsed on live television. The University of Florida and other state facilities closed early for security purposes given our current governor, Jeb Bush, was the president’s brother.

There were no guidebooks on how to go about covering such a tragic event that affected American civilians on our home soil. Most of us just went on autopilot and reached out to talk to not only those who had relatives in NYC, but also to blood centers and others involved in forensic, medical and law enforcement triage.

Donna in front of World Trade Center Twin Towers 1984

Throughout the day, as additional news reports came through about the flight that crashed into the Pentagon and Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania when the passengers took over the hijackers, I couldn’t help but reflect back to the day I first saw the Twin Towers in June of 1984 and literally stood on top of the North Tower. I was visiting with a former colleague who lived in Connecticut, Carmen Bayles and her sister Jane. Carmen had planned a 14-hour walk around Manhattan that began near the Brooklyn Bridge and included a visit to Wall Street.

World Trade Center Observation Deck ticket 1984 — 1984 WTC Observation Deck ticket

I can still remember how large the elevators were that took us up to the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower to a restaurant called “Windows On The World.” But the view from the restaurant didn’t compare to how it looked and felt to go out on the very top of the building on the observation deck. I can still recall how windy it was up there and how spectacular the view of the city was from that vantage point. It’s an eerie feeling knowing that the spot where I stood looking out over the Hudson River and NYC no longer exists.

The events of 9/11 also brought back memories of when I was a young journalist at the University of Missouri in Columbia in the late 1970s. I had a strong desire to follow in the footsteps of many of my student counterparts who were from the Northeast. I remember the semester everyone was applying for internships for the summer while attending the School of Journalism at MU. Many were heading to NYC. I had never been there and thought such an internship would be great for my resume. But a certain phone call changed all that.

Donna and Dave Dugan — Donna with “Mr. CBS” Dave Dugan at MU

My advisor just happened to be Dave Dugan, “Mr. CBS” himself. Dave had worked for more than 25 years for CBS both in radio and television. I learned through longtime CBS network anchor Dan Rather’s book, “The Camera Never Blinks,” that Dave Dugan actually trained Dan on his first day working for CBS, a day when a plane crashed into Jamaica Bay. That’s another story for another day. Needless to say, when Dave Dugan talked, I listened. On this particular morning back in 1978 I received a call from Dave who said I needed to come to his office. I went right away. It was then he told me he had a dream about me the night before in which he says I was assaulted in the bus terminal in NYC and he just couldn’t allow me to go there. My internship desire to go to the “Big Apple” turned into an internship at KWIX-KRES radio in Moberly, MO instead. I say all that because it adds even more to the emotions I felt when I finally made my first visit to NYC in 1984. I recently learned that Dave Dugan passed away earlier this year. Before he died his family told him of my memories of his dream and he still remembered it.

In October of 2013, 29 years after my first visit to NYC, the only thing I wanted to do outside of attending the Murrow Awards was visit the 9/11 Memorial. It’s hard to describe how it felt to touch the names of those engraved around the fountains in the WTC footprints knowing the horror they all must have felt on that day. I wish the museum had been open that October, but having experienced 9/11 as a reporter in 2001 it isn’t really necessary for me to hear the audio or see the video that’s being shown there because I saw it and heard it on the actual day in the newsroom at WUFT.

The tragedy of 9/11 will forever be etched in my memory just as the tragedy of Pearl Harbor was etched in the memory of my parents. My dad, a former marine, had always wanted to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Hawaii when he retired. Sadly, he died at the young age of 52 before he could make that trip. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to go back to NYC before my retirement. It made me think of my dad.

I hope the museum and the September 11th Memorial Site will help future generations to realize that “freedom is not free.”

2013-10-14_11-35-13_27 — (from left to right) Katiana Krawchenko, Donna Green-Townsend, Cameron Taylor and Miles Doran

One more little personal thought…. after sharing the dream of “Mr. CBS” Dave Dugan earlier in the post, I thought it was a bit ironic that on my last trip to NYC I actually visited the CBS network studios. Having won an Edward R. Murrow Award myself in 2000, it was great to be standing next to two other Murrow Award winners, Miles Doran and Cameron Taylor, both UF grads. Miles currently works for CBS as does UF grad Katiana Krawchenko (pictured to the left). On that day it felt as if I had come full-circle. I think that’s a very good thing.

Archival television program features many of Florida’s greatest folk songwriters

July 29, 2016Arts, News, VideoAnn Thomas, Bobby Hicks, Dale Crider, Don Grooms, Frank Thomas, James Billie, Linda Crider, Pines and PalmsDonna Green-Townsend

The late Don Grooms and Jim Billie — The late Don Grooms and James Billie

The 1988 Pines and Palms television program hosted by the late Don Grooms featured several singer songwriters who have since passed on. They may have left this earthly life, but their music lives on. Their songs can still be heard on the stages of many music festivals around the state.

In 1988, Grooms who was working as a telecommunication professor at the University of Florida, gathered together several of his greatest music friends including Bobby Hicks from the Tampa area, Seminole Chief James Billie from South Florida, Frank and Ann Thomas from Lake Wales and Dale and Linda Crider from Windsor.

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The program was recorded in the studios of WUFT-TV in Gainesville. This is a very rare recording as many of the archival tapes from that time period have been destroyed or have been lost. Thanks to Frank Counts who was the producer-director for this program, this copy still exists. Frank was a telecommunication assistant professor at UF and worked for 37 years as the Production Manager for WUFT-TV before his retirement in 2010.

The program ran nearly an hour. To make it easier to watch, the program is broken up into four separate segments below:

Pines and Palms Part 1

Part 1 includes Bobby Hicks singing, “I’m Florida Need I Say More,” Frank and Ann Thomas singing, “Cracker Cowman,” and Don Grooms singing, “Winnebago.”

Pines and Palms Part 2

Part 2 includes James Billie singing his “Big Alligator” song and a song about a bashful star. Also featured are two songs from Dale and Linda Crider: “Under the Southern Bald Eagle” and “Last Live Photo”

Pines and Palms Part 3

Part 3 includes Don Grooms as he sings “Vitachuko.” Bobby Hicks sings his Condo/Hurricane song. Frank and Ann Thomas sing their song “Buttermilk Biscuits” and their song about “Sam Jones.” James Billie sings his song “Back To The Swamp.”

Pines and Palms Part 4

Part 4 includes Bobby Hicks singing a song about “Zachariah Creech,” Dale and Linda Crider perform their “Proof In the Wild Turkey Sign,” and Don Grooms sings, “Walk Proud My Son.”

Disney adds new alligator warning signs and barriers following death of two year old

June 18, 2016Newsalligator attack, alligator warning signs, Disney resort, Lane Graves, Matt Graves, Melissa GravesDonna Green-Townsend

Update:

Disney contracted workers have been roping off areas and placing new warning signs along the beach in front of the man-made lake by the resort hotel where a 2-year-old died after being snatched by an alligator on Tuesday. The body of Lane Graves, the toddler who was dragged into a lagoon Tuesday evening at the Grand Floridian Resort, was located under six feet of water about 15 yards off the beach where he had been wading near the shore. The autopsy results show the little boy died from drowning and traumatic injuries.

Five alligators have since been removed and euthanized, but Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission officials are unclear if any of them were the boy’s killer.

Walt Disney World has announced new signs will warn visitors about the presence of alligators near the parks beaches and waterways.

fence — Photo by Kevin Fasick New York Post

Jacquee Wahler, a vice president of communications with the company, issued a statement Thursday evening: “We have closed all of our beaches and have made a decision to add signage, and we are also conducting a swift and thorough review of all of our processes and protocols.”

Lane Graves (Photo courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office)

The parents of the 2-year-old boy killed by the 4 to 7 foot alligator said they are “devastated” by the attack.

“Words cannot describe the shock and grief our family is experiencing over the loss of our son,” said Matt and Melissa Graves of Elkhorn, Nebraska in a statement on Thursday.

“We are devasted and ask for privacy during this extremely difficult time. To all of the local authorities and staff who worked tirelessly these past 24 hours, we express our deepest Gratitude.”

(Early version of the story on June 15th)

Photo credit: Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel via AP

Florida authorities have found the body they believe to be the 2-year-old boy who was dragged into the water by an alligator near Disney’s upscale Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Tuesday night.

Orange County Sheriff’s Deputies along with members of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission announced they had located the body at approximately 1:45 this afternoon.

r-disney-gator-1 — Florida Fish and Wildlife and an Orange County Sheriffs helicopter search for a toddler early Wednesday (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

The search for the toddler began last night in the water and in the air involving about 50 law enforcement personnel including divers, marine specialists, helicopter units and the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.

The family members, who were visiting Florida from Nebraska, were wading in the water of the Seven Seas Lagoon on Tuesday night when the 4 to 7 foot long alligator came out of the water and grabbed the boy.

Orange County Press Conference — Photo Credit (Christal Hayes/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings held a news conference today (Wednesday) and says the father of the 2- year-old tried to save the child but was unsuccessful. Demings told the press he didn’t expect to find the child alive after so many hours underwater, but wanted to make sure they located the body to give the family closure. According to NBC News, the parents are identified as Matt and Melissa Graves from Elkhorn, Nebraska. The young child’s name was Lane.

Although the beach area where the family was wading had warning signs about swimming, it did not include any signs regarding potential threats from alligators. Disney personnel quickly closed other beach areas around its resorts to allow rescue operations to continue without other boat traffic which could have impeded search efforts.

Wildlife experts say more than one million alligators currently live in Florida’s waterways. Two of the most dangerous times of the year regarding encounters with alligators are during the breeding season and nesting season.

Alligator by Payne's Prairie — Alligator on La Chua Trail in Payne’s Prairie (photo by Jessie Townsend)

According to statistics maintained by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, out of 383 alligator attacks recorded since 1948, 23 were fatal. The statistics did not include any attacks recorded since April of 2016.

alligator-photo-by-Donna-Green-Townsend — Alligator on a small wooden dock on the Rainbow River (Photo by Donna Green-Townsend)

In June of 2012 a Gainesville man was attacked by a 9-foot alligator near a homeless campsite in the woods east of South Main Street. Following that attack Donna Green-Townsend talked with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Karen Parker about ways to avoid such encounters.

alligator2-photo-credit-Donna-Green-Townsend — Small alligator in Lochloosa Lake in Alachua County (Photo by Donna Green-Townsend)

During the summer months many visitors to waterways and state parks find themselves in close encounters with gators, often times ending in tragic results. Harry Dutton is the Alligator Management Coordinator for the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. Click here to listen to an archive interview Donna Green-Townsend conducted with Dutton about the Do’s and Don’ts when around alligators.

In 2002 the former founder and director of Kanapaha Botantical Gardens in Gainesville, Don Goodman, had his arm taken off just below his elbow by an 11-foot alligator while working by a waterlily garden at the outdoor park. Goodman has since written a book about the experience entitled, “Summer of the Dragon.”

Remembering the Hippodrome’s Rusty Salling

June 15, 2016Arts, NewsA Christmas Carol, Donna Green-Townsend, Hippodrome State Theatre, Marilyn Wall, Rusty SallingDonna Green-Townsend

The halls of the Hippodrome State Theatre in Gainesville feel a little darker this week with the passing of one of its most beloved actors.

Rusty Salling died on Sunday, June 12th at the age of 67 after battling cancer for more than a year.

Salling, who is best known for his role as Ebenezer Scrooge in the annual production of “A Christmas Carol,” graced the stage of the Hippodrome State Theatre over the past four decades. It was one of the many roles he had at the Hipp, but there were several Salling handled the general public never even realized.

In November of 2010 Salling came in to the studios of WUFT to talk with Donna Green-Townsend about his longtime role as “Scrooge.”

Over the weekend this Hippodrome Facebook post appeared:

We are heartbroken to share that early this morning we lost our dear Rusty Salling after a courageous 14 month battle with cancer. Today the Hipp’s halls are dark… and hearts are heavy all over the world. The Hippodrome was Rusty’s home for over 40 years. Beloved by all who knew him, we know you join us in forever holding Rusty close in your heart. Farewell, Sweet Scrooge. You will live forever in the memories of thousands.

“When he shall die take him and cut him out into stars and he shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun.” (William Shakespeare)

Here’s a beautiful tribute to Rusty Salling posted on Facebook by his friend and colleague Marilyn Wall:

Marilyn A. Wall

Rusty my dear dear friend, did you think it was final dress rehearsal? You have left us to soon. We still have ten more years of stories to tell…..here is what I will carry in my heart forever…….we have been close friends since we were eighteen. We met at freshmen orientation . We used to meet after rehearsals and share our dreams and study our lines. Rusty played a Hand (really!). And Lenny in of Mice and Men..the theatre department took notice of him. I earned a lead in my senior year and Rusty was on in front row center to cheer me on. It was a glorious year for us. Rusty went to New York and I gathered with five other wild and passionate friends and rented an empty connivence store. We named it the Hippodrome Theatre. We traveled to New York a number of times in a beat up van with no air conditioner. We always invited Rusty to join us and star in The Caretaker. He was so good and Gainesville began their 40 year love affair with Rusty Warren Salling, a stunningly brilliant theatre talent. With insight beyond his comprehension, Rusty played young men with a cause, old men, princes and kings, children and wicked clowns, gay and straight couples, killers and Angels and Spirts, my husband twice, Nell’s husband three times, and caused us to all wet our pants laughing at his one man pig puppet show, while his wife ( me) dropped her Christmas roast on the floor and dumped the gravy all over them both! Oh God we had fun! Sara Morsey played a few of Rusty’s wives too, along with funny funny Dana Moser. Men, women,young and old, he just understood all of their souls, their tragedy, their redemption. His heart was steel and velvet. Rusty will truly be a legend……….. Once upon a time a golden prince walked among us. He carried hundreds of stories and in the wake of a million stars and a hundred voices, he promised to return and build another tower in the sky. May your flight be full of light and memories and more memories……….thank you Jessica Hereof and Dan Jesse and Lauren Warhol for holding him, and knowing when it was time to let go………….Marilyn

Here’s a link to his obituary:

SALLING, RUSTY
Rusty Salling, one of Gainesville’s greatest and best loved talents, took his final bow early Sunday morning, June 12, after bravely and fiercely battling cancer for more than a year. Rusty graced the stage of the Hippodrome Theatre from …

Salling appeared in nearly 100 productions at the Hippodrome over the years. The Hippodrome will host a celebration of Salling’s life in the summer.

Jessie and Lee Townsend’s Florida Folk Festival 2016 Highlights

June 2, 2016Arts, NewsAndy Garfield, David McBrady, Donna Green-Townsend, Dumbarton's Drums, Florida Folk Festival, Jeanie Fitchen, Jessie Townsend, Jim Ballew, Lee Townsend, Mark Smith, When I DieDonna Green-Townsend

(from l to r) Lee Townsend, Jeanie Fitchen and Jessie Townsend (photo by Donna Green-Townsend)

What a memorable Florida Folk Festival for Jessie and Lee Townsend. Thanks to Jeanie Fitchen and Mark Smith for giving special stage time to them this year. There were some magic moments as this brother-sister duo performed “Dumbarton’s Drums” on the historic Old Marble Stage with Jeanie on her 50th year performing at the Florida Folk Festival. Of special note is the fact Jeanie received the first ever “Legacy Award” from the Florida Folk Festival organizers this year.

MAH06029.MP4.Still020 — (from l to r) Andy Garfield, Lee Townsend, Jessie Townsend and David McBrady (photo by Donna Green-Townsend)

Another magic moment was having the opportunity to perform the late Jim Ballew’s beautiful song, “When I Die,” on the Ann Thomas River Gazebo Stage. Though Jim Ballew is best known for his incredible guitar picking, it’s been said that the last time he played on the Gazebo Stage he played “When I Die” on a banjo in honor of his music buddy and great banjo player, the late Paul Champion. It was especially memorable to Lee and the band to learn about that memory since Lee just happened to play banjo on the song that day. As they performed you could hear the audience singing along. It was a goosebump moment for sure. Jessie and Lee were joined by Andy Garfield on guitar and David McBrady on bass.

Jessie and Lee’s performance set at the River Gazebo Stage included a variety of songs that will soon be added to their latest CD project which they’re calling, “Tribute.” In all there will be 12 songs which pay tribute to some of Florida’s best songwriters past and present and more. Six songs have already been mastered and are available on their CD Sampler. In addition to “When I Die,” (the song above) the upcoming CD will feature a song originally written by environmental troubadour Dale Crider from Windsor, FL. Here are Jessie, Lee, Andy Garfield and David McBrady performing, “Oh Kissimmee River” which points out the environmental boondoggle of the government for trying to straighten Florida’s Kissimmee River.

(from l to r) Lee Townsend, Jessie Townsend and Mark Smith (photo by Donna Green-Townsend)

Gainesville Singer-Songwriter Mark Smith asked Jessie and Lee to join him on the River Gazebo Stage on the last day of the Florida Folk Festival to sing one of his songs, “Florida Lullabye.”

It’s a tradition to end the final set on the Gazebo Stage at the Florida Folk Festival with the performers and audience singing together on “Old Folks At Home.”

Chris Thile, MacArthur Fellow, and mandolin virtuoso to host Prairie Home Companion

April 18, 2016Arts, NewsBach Sonatas and Partitas, Chris Thile, Donna Green-Townsend, Johann Sebastian Bach, MacArthur Fellow, mandolin, Nickel Creek, Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, progressive bluegrass, Punch Brothers, University AuditoriumDonna Green-Townsend

(Here is the feature which aired on WUFT on October 31st, 2013, the day before Chris Thile performed on the UF campus)

Mandolinist and MacArthur Fellow Chris Thile (photo courtesy of Brantley Gutierrez)

Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile, who has served as guest host several times on the popular radio variety program, “A Prairie Home Companion,” will replace Garrison Keillor as host of the show after Keillor retires this summer. Thile starts hosting a 13-episode run of the show in October.

MacArthur Fellow Thile has performed in North Central Florida at least three times. In March of 2013 his band, The Punch Brothers, headlined at the Suwannee Springfest near Live Oak.

On November 1st, 2013 Thile performed solo in University Auditorium on the University of Florida campus and received three standing ovations.

Thile, who is known for his influence on progressive bluegrass, performed Johann Sebastian Bach’s classical compositions as well as several of his own unique compositions taking the audience on a serious and fun musical journey.

punch At age 8, Chris Thile began performing with the groundbreaking trio, Nickel Creek, taking traditional bluegrass to new levels. He toured with the group for 15 years, released three albums, sold two million records and won a Grammy Award. After leaving Nickel Creek, he founded the progressive bluegrass band, The Punch Brothers, for which he is lead singer.

Thile said he loves all music, from bluegrass and rock to jazz and classical. He fell in love with Bach after two of his grandparents independently gave him Bach recordings when he was a teenager. He eventually studied music at Murray State University. On Friday night (November 1st), Thile performed “Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1″ and other non-classical selections in University Auditorium.

Thile has been on quite a musical run in the past few years. In 2012, he was named a MacArthur Fellow. His selection also provided him with $500,000 in support for five years. He said the phone call was a complete surprise.

“Completely out of the blue,” he said. “You have no idea that you’ve even been submitted for consideration. You can’t apply for it or anything.”

He said at first he didn’t even pick up the phone when the call came in. He thought his friends were playing a prank on him. He finally realized it was the “real deal.”

The prize was based on Thile’s creativity, originality and potential to make important musical contributions in the future as a mandolinist and composer. The fellowship comes without stipulations or reporting requirements.

Thile said he has remained inspired.

“It serves to kind of stoke the fire that I’ve lit under myself,” he said. “I live to work, and I love to work. I absolutely adore music.”

Thile said he takes the responsibility very seriously and is humbled and honored to be chosen.

Chris thile performing with his band, The Punch Brothers, at the 2013 Suwannee Springfest (photo by Donna Green-Townsend)

Music critics have praised Thile for his ability to cross over genres, from Bill Monroe tunes on the mandolin to performing classical with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, guitarist Michael Daves and double bassist/composer Edgar Meyer. Thile said he doesn’t really think of music in terms of genres, but appreciates all music performed well.

“When you talk about genres, to me there’s like two genres of music and those are No. 1 good music and No. 2 bad music,” he said. “The best instances of music sort of rise to the top of their respective genres and enter the good music club. You know I consider JS Bach to sort of be the president of that club.”

Thile said he loves hearing that he’s inspiring other young musicians to “step out of the box” and try new things.

“It almost feels like, you know, a camera just switched on and it gives me a whole new perspective again on what it means to be alive, so if anything I ever do does that for anyone, I’m just delighted,” he said.

Click below to hear the full interview recorded by Donna Green-Townsend before his arrival in Gainesville:

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Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers in the WUFT Studios

On March 25th, 2009 Thile and the entire Punch Brothers band were in town for a performance at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. While in town the band stopped by the WUFT Studios and gave a short performance: