Lifelong resident of Cross Creek, 79 year old Berney Lee Bass died on January 23rd at his home after a long illness. He was the son of the late Charles Berney and Theresa Bass of Cross Creek.
Berney Lee worked as an electrician, working for many years for All Florida Electric, before his semi-retirement in 2004. He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Geraldine Bass, who died in 2004. He is survived by one daugher, Lee Ann (Rickey)Benton of Cross Creek; two sons, Robert (Marlene) Bass of Lochloosa and Michael (Alisha) of Cross Creek; one sister, Bernice (Billy) Dyson of Hawthorne; and one brother, Roy (Wanda) Bass of Waldo, seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Bass was an active member of the New Cross Creek Baptist Church and was a member of the Hawthorne Masonic Lodge, #103. Bass was an avid duck hunter and fisherman. Cross Creek area fishermen say the bass in Orange and Lochloosa Lakes are breathing a little easier now. The video below is a special tribute to Berney Lee.
Peyton Manning when he was quarterback for theTennessee Vols in 1997
Many sports writers across the country are describing Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVIII between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks as one of the best NFL matchups in history as it will pit the league’s best offense against the best defense.
Sunday’s matchup takes place in the outdoor MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and is expected to be a classic matchup of strength vs. strength.
Seattle’s quarterback Russell Wilson, in just his second season out of the University of Wisconsin, has taken the Seahawks to their second Super Bowl berth in franchise history.
Denver’s quarterback, Peyton Manning, will be playing in his third Super Bowl. Manning, who is in his 16th season in the pros, has a chance to become the first starting quarterback in the NFL to win the Super Bowl with multiple franchises. He won Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts.
This may be his third Super Bowl, but there are those in “Gator Country” who won’t let the legendary quarterback forget that there are some accomplishments that eluded him, namely that Manning never beat Florida, never won a College Football National Championship and he never won the coveted Heisman Trophy, even after choosing to stay in college and forego the 1997 NFL draft even though he was considered to be a first round draft choice. To his credit Manning did lead the Volunteers to an SEC Championship his Senior year, though that was the same year (1997) he lost in the Swamp to the Gators 33 to 20.
Former Gator QB Danny Wuerffel
From my audio archives, here’s the 1997 feature produced just before Peyton Manning and the Tennessee Vols played the Florida Gators hoping for retribution in the Swamp.
Former Gator QB Doug Johnson
Another Gator signal-caller who DID win an SEC Crown, a College Football National Championship AND a Heisman Trophy was none other than Tim Tebow. Ironically, the Denver Broncos let Tebow go and signed free-agent Peyton Manning despite Tebow’s exciting comeback wins which took the Broncos to the NFL playoffs in 2012.
Tebow continues to be vocal about his desire to continue playing in the NFL. But after leaving the Broncos Tebow saw little playing time after he was traded to the New York Jets. On April 29, 2013, the Jets released Tebow who then signed a two-year, non-guaranteed contract with New England which lasted only a little more than two months. In late December Tebow was hired by ESPN as a college football analyst.
Tebow may not be on the field during the Super Bowl, but he’s already making headlines for a humorous television ad he will appear in during the game in which he points out how busy he is despite not having an NFL contract. Tebow talked about the ad during a guest appearance this past week on ABC’s Good Morning America program.
Singer Songwriter Pete Seeger, a good friend of Will McLean
One of the most enduring and loved folk singers in the U.S. has died. Pete Seeger, who had America singing such iconic tunes as, “If I Had a Hammer” died January 27th, 2014 at the age of 94 at a hospital in New York. President Barack Obama issued a statement saying, “Pete Seeger believed deeply in the power of song, but more importantly, he believed in the power of community …to stand up for what’s right, speak out against what’s wrong, and move this country closer to the America he knew we could be. Over the years, Pete used his voice, and his hammer, to strike blows for worker’s rights and civil rights; world peace and environmental conservation. And he always invited us to sing along. For reminding us where we come from and showing us where we need to go, we will always be grateful to Pete Seeger.”
In March, 2014 Singer Songwriter from Delray Beach, Rod MacDonald, asked several other musicians and the audience at the Will McLean Folk Festival to join him in a tribute to the late Pete Seeger:
Florida’s Black Hat Troubadour
While most people will be recalling the dozens of classics he helped make famous, like Turn, Turn, Turn, Where Have All The Flowers Gone, and Woodie Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land, among others, there are many in the Sunshine State who will remember how Seeger reached out to the “Black Hat Troubadour” in Florida, the late Will McLean. The two songwriters shared a deep respect for one another.
“Will McLean’s songs will be sung as long as there is a Florida.” That’s how Pete Seeger described his friend. That quote was shared at the 1990 memorial service for McLean who was the first folk artist inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. President Emerita of the Will McLean Foundation, Margaret Longhill, says, Seeger and McLean were both genuine people with a great songwriting connection. They both liked to write songs about everyday people and they both liked to have their audiences sing along. “Pete Seeger’s songs will live forever in the hearts of those who seek truth, justice and love,” says Longhill.
The late Will McLean considered to be the “Father of Florida folk”
Longhill remembers attending a Pete Seeger concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater with McLean in the mid 1980s. Prior to the concert Seeger and McLean chatted as friends backstage. During the concert Seeger said to the audience, “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to know in this audience tonight is America’s greatest living songwriter, Will McLean. Will McLean stand up,” recalls Longhill.
Longhill says the story that’s been passed down is that McLean and Seeger became acquainted after McLean wrote a letter to Seeger saying, “I’m a Florida folk singer and I don’t have a guitar.” Soon after Seeger sent him a 12-string guitar. During McLean’s memorial service in 1990 many of his musician friends recalled with humor how that guitar was pawned as were many other guitars that followed.
While Pete Seeger will always be remembered for his part in the folk music revival in the 1960s, many in Florida will also think of him for providing McLean and the late Gamble Rogersthe opportunity to perform at a folk music concert in Carnegie Hall in New York City. Seeger loved Mclean’s earthy songs about unique characters and places in Florida such as Wild Hog, Tate’s Hell and Osceola’s Last Words.
Though Seeger travelled and wrote songs all around the country, McLean wasn’t interested in seeking fame and fortune and preferred to remain in Florida and write about his beloved “Florida Sand.” But the two songwriters continued to have great respect for one another. Seeger even performed one of McLean’s best known Florida songs about Chief Osceola during the nationally televised “Johnny Cash Show” in 1970.
Here’s a segment from a November 1985 interview with Donna Green-Townsend where McLean shares the story of performing at Carnegie Hall in NYC with Pete Seeger
Here’s more about that special trip to Carnegie Hall in NYC from the November, 1985 interview with Donna Green-Townsend
The Will McLean Foundation continues to hold a festival each year in honor of the state’s “Black Hat Troubadour.” The festival is held each March at the Sertoma Youth Ranch near Dade City. The festival features three stages along with various music workshops and the winners of an annual songwriting contest.
Newly appointed Union County Sheriff, Brad Whitehead
Governor Rick Scott has appointed Brad Whitehead to take over for his father, Jerry, who died last month of a heart attack.
Whitehead, 37, of Lake Butler, will be the third member of the Whitehead family to serve as sheriff of Union County. Whitehead has served as the assistant warden of programs for the Florida Department of Corrections since 2012. Past positions include serving as the assistant warden of operations and as the senior prison inspector within the Office of the Inspector General. He has also served as a law enforcement detective for the Division of State Fire Marshal, Bureau of Fire & Arson Investigations from 1998 through 2003.
Governor Scott said, “I am confident that Brad Whitehead will be a great sheriff. His experience in law enforcement has prepared him to serve the families of Union County.”
Original Story: Jerry Whitehead, The Late Union County Sheriff Describes The Community’s Strength During Tragedies
The late Jerry Whitehead who served as Union County Sheriff since 1985.
Despite a tragic school bus accident that killed seven children in Union County in 2006 and the August shooting spree when a former employee of Pritchett Trucking killed the company’s owner, 80 year old Marvin Pritchett and two of Pritchett’s employees, Union County Sheriff Jerry Whitehead says the community has learned how to cope and reach out to each other. Now the community will have to learn how to deal with the death of their long-time top law enforcement chief. Sheriff Whitehead, the longest serving sheriff in Florida, passed away on Wednesday, December 18th from an apparent heart attack. He was 60 years old. Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church of Lake Butler. Burial will be in Whitehead Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches Inc.; P.O. Box 2000, Boys Ranch, Florida 32064.
In this video recorded the week after the Pritchett Trucking shooting spree, Whitehead describes how Union County residents have learned how to deal with tragedy.
Video of law enforcement escorting Jerry Whitehead’s hearse the day of his funeral service.(posted by James Parker)
Cabbage pickers quickly work to bring in the crop before the expected hard freeze on Monday.
With record-breaking temperatures expected in Florida, cabbage pickers between Hastings and Palatka were busy today trying to harvest the latest crop.
Today’s scene was very similar to 2011 when cabbage growers also faced the risk of losing their winter crop to a hard freeze. Click on my archive story below to watch the process of cutting the cabbage and packaging it up for transport across the country.
Vegetable growers in North Central Florida scramble to get their crops to market during a January, 2011 freeze.
It’s that time of year again when North Central Florida serves as host to migrating sandhill cranes. Floridians are very familiar with the loud, squawking sounds of these tall birds with wing spans as wide as 6 feet as they circle above and fly to favorite feeding grounds around the Gainesville area, especially Payne’s Prairie and the shoreline and marshes of Orange and Lochloosa Lakes in Alachua County. The father of Florida folk, the late Will McLean (1919-1990), was inspired by the “dancing and prancing” of the cranes and penned the song called, “The Courtship Dance of the Florida Sandhill Cranes.” McLean is accompanied in this 1985 live recording by Kate Kennedy on bowed psaltry and David Beede on hammered dulcimer.
Cover photo of CD recorded in 1985 at the historic Thomas Center of Florida’s Black Hat Troubadour Will Mclean
Sandhill cranes flying over Watson Prairie near Cross Creek, FL.
In the news video below produced by Donna Green-Townsend on nesting ecology of Sandhill Cranes in Florida, you will hear the melody of McLean’s song performed by Melrose singer-songwriter David Beede and Kate Bostrum. The nesting ecology research was a cooperative effort between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Wildlife and Range Sciences Department at the University of Florida. (this report originally aired statewide on the IFAS program Florida File in 1990)
For the 4th year in a row, the historic community of Cross Creek has held a Christmas Parade. Here are some of the highlights from this year’s December 7th, 2013 parade:
Aired on NPR’s Morning Edition on December 13th, 1996
(Original Intro) In New York tomorrow (Dec.14th,1996) the Heisman Trophy will be awarded to the nation’s top college football player. One of the top finalists is Danny Wuerffel, the quarterback from the University of Florida who’s helped the Gators win four consecutive Southeastern conference titles and a place in this year’s Sugar Bowl. But in his home state of Florida, Danny Wuerffel is known for being much more than just a great football player. From member station WUFT in Gainesville, Donna Green-Townsend has this profile.
On December 10th, 2013 Danny Wuerffel was named to the 2013 College Football Hall of Fame Induction Class. Voters said he had one of the most impressive records ever compiled. Wuerffel was the only player in college football history to start at quarterback for a conference champion four straight years — plus win a national title and the 1996 Heisman. In addition, Wuerffel, a two-time first-team academic All-American, was awarded the Draddy Trophy (also called the “academic Heisman”) presented annually by the College Football Hall of Fame, to the nation’s top football scholar-athlete.
And then there were his statistics. In Wuerffel’s career at UF he completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 10,875 yards, 114 touchdowns and 42 interceptions in starting 36 of his 46 games.
During Wuerffel’s four seasons, Florida won four-consecutive SEC title games. As a senior, Wuerffel’s 3,625 yards passing yards were an SEC record. He also set a national record for his 39 touchdowns. In his final two games in a Gator uniform, Wuerffel threw for 401 yards and 6 touchdowns to beat Alabama (which at the time was the No. 1-ranked pass defense) for that fourth-straight league crown. In the Sugar Bowl national championship rematch over rival Florida State, Wuerffel threw for more than 300 yards and 3 touchdowns (also rushing for a TD) in a 52-20 victory against the top-ranked defense in the country
Danny Wuerffel on his Christmas CD Project to Benefit Desire Street Ministries
Cover of Danny Wuerffel’s Christmas CD
Aside from football, Danny Wuerffel has dedicated his time to the work of Desire Street Ministries. Danny produced “Heaven & Nature Sings” Christmas CD to help with the goals of the ministry which is transforming impoverished urban neighborhoods into flourishing, healthy communities.
One day navy pilot Bill Goss from Orange Park, Florida says he was flying one of the fastest jets in the world. Just a day later he learned he could be dead from cancer in only six months. What happened over the next few months became the subject of Bill’s popular book, “There’s a Flying Squirrel In My Coffee- Coping With Cancer With The Help of My Pet.”
Bill’s book about surviving cancer
Goss, now medically retired from the navy, sat down with Donna Green-Townsend to talk about how his flying squirrel, “Rocky,” helped him to survive his greatest battle. (Originally broadcast on WUFT on March 14th, 2003. The documentary won a first place Edward R. Murrow Regional Award from the Radio and Television Digital News Association in 2004 as well as a first place award for documentary from the Florida Associated Press Broadcasters in 2004)
Donna Green-Townsend with Bill Goss and the famous “Rocky”
The one-hour documentary is divided up into 5 segments below:
