The Way We Were: Harry & Phyllis Geiger
A Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics, Dr. Harry Lawrence (“H.L.”) Geiger has earned his wings as one of the nation’s top orthodontists, having served as president of the Northeast District Dental Association and chairman of several Councils for the Florida Dental Association. During his nearly five decades of fashioning straight teeth and bright smiles, Dr. […]
The Way We Were: Clayton Ford Riley
“Youth is not a career,” declared 93-year-old Clayton Riley. “I’ve found that out.” But oh, what a career Riley has had! At the 100th World Conference of Kirby Vacuum Cleaners in 2015, where he was honored for his 50-plus years as a distributor, Riley was referred to “as a legend in his own right.” Riley, […]
The Way We Were: Barbara “Bobbi” Margol
Born to George and Shirley Hirshfield in Newark, New Jersey, Barbara “Bobbi” Margol lost her natural mother to polio when she was just four years old. When she was five, her father married a woman named Eva, who had a daughter named Elaine. “Elaine and I became lifelong sisters immediately,” recalled Bobbi, “and a few […]
The Way We Were: The Ulmer Girls
As Dorothy Ulmer Marsh, Elizabeth Ulmer Jolley and Frances Ulmer Howey wend their way through Riverside, Avondale, Ortega and Venetia on their daily activities, the three women embark on a journey through time that goes back many generations. The Ulmer “girls” – three of four sisters – pass Stockton Street, Stockton School, Stockton Park, all […]
The Way We Were: Elizabeth “Lizann” Bradshaw
Her name is Elizabeth Bradshaw, but close friends call her “Lizann,” and by the time you’ve read this write-up about the interesting (and often surprising) life of this retired English teacher, you will yearn for the opportunity to address her as “Lizann.” The oldest of four children born to William P. Ratchford, Ph.D., and his […]
The Way We Were: Roxie Horne Merrill
Somewhere in Ortega there is an old tree that may still have the initials “R.H. + R. H.” carved into its trunk. “We were just 12 years old,” recalled Roxie Horne Merrill, “when Rogers “Tiger” Holmes and I had a crush on each other.” Today, both Roxie Merrill and Tiger Holmes are well-known, highly respected […]
Way We Were: Tom Howe
There is a plaque on the wall in Tom Howe’s spacious Lakewood living room that says, “If You’re Lucky Enough to Live on the Water, You’re Lucky Enough.” That saying reveals a great deal about the man, who, today, enjoys a panoramic view of the St. Johns River and has spent a lifetime traveling the […]
Way We Were: John & Sheila Hamilton
Sheila and John Hamilton describe the Venetia neighborhood in which they lived for 57 years as a “compound.” Its residents live there a long time, so long, in fact, many have owned two homes there – a starter home and then a family home. “They don’t move out, and now their children are moving back […]
