This week in West Orange County history

OLD TIMES

75 years ago

“A Husband for Sale” was selected by the Lakeview High School seniors for their annual play. Among those taking part were Hilton Teal, Tommy Russ, Owen Crawford, John Branch, Turner Godwin Jr., Frances Stulck, Trina Stanford, Jean Reddick and Catherine Greer.

55 years ago

More than 3,000 Floridians marched in Tallahassee for the Equal Rights Amendment, sponsored by Florida’s NOW chapter. Among those participating were Kathryn Barley, Betty Barley, Thellie Roper, Jo Arnold and Helen Parramore Twigg and her mother and two daughters, Jennifer and Aimee.

50 years ago

The Winter Garden Inn was robbed Thursday evening by a lone gunman who got away with approximately $330.

45 years ago

Jefferson “Jake” Voss, principal of Mollie Ray Elementary School and resident of Oakland, received the Child’s Friend Award from the Orange County Council of PTAs.

30 years ago

Cliff Dent was featured in the Real People series in The West Orange Times. He was manager of the 7-Eleven at the corner of State Road 50 and State Road 535, in Winter Garden. He listed robberies and drive-offs as occupational hazards and said the worst day of his career was in 1983 when Chevron tripled the rent on his location down the street.

Suzi Karr Realty, in Windermere, was ready for Hollywood East after handling house rentals for Ron Howard during his filming of “Parenthood” and for Roy Scheider while he was working on a film.

Ocoee Middle School Principal Robert Williams honored retiree Marie Wells Davis after 18 years of employment at the school, which also served as Ocoee Junior High and Ocoee High School. Davis started with Orange County Public Schools in 1968 as secretary of the combined Winter Garden/Dillard Street elementaries.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

The Winter Garden Times

April 4, 1974

Easter is coming; do you have your camera ready to take those memorable holiday photos? In the April 4, 1974 issue of The Winter Garden Times, Winter Garden Camera advertised a variety of cameras just in time to commemorate family gatherings. Owned by locally famous photographer B.P. Hannon, the downtown shop offered a range camera styles and prices for all skill levels.

FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION ARCHIVES

Chattanooga Lookouts team members pose for a photo in front of Pounds Motor Company and the Garden Theatre, at the intersection of Plant Street and Lakeview Avenue, around 1954. During the 1930s, the Lookouts, the Southern League farm team for the American League Senators, trained in Winter Garden. Known officially as the Washington Nationals, the Senators, under owner Clark Griffith, also opened a baseball training school in Winter Garden in 1948. Joe W. Engel, far left, was the president and scout for the team and served as director of the school. Local legend tells that local swains experienced a dearth of dates when the Lookouts were in residence at the Edgewater Hotel.