A Late In Life Burst Of Creativity Part VII

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By Seth H. Bramson

You may remember that, in our last column, we noted the fact that there are five more books in various stages of development and/or production, and we named two. We will name the other three for you but it looks like there is another one coming, as it appears that our friends at Arcadia want me to do a book to be titled “The Railroads of Florida” in their Postcard History Series, so I will keep you posted. But what of the other three? And, of course, I’m glad you asked!

We are also working on “Jewels in the Sunshine: The Flagler System Hotels;” “Sunshine State Trolleys: The Street and Electric Railways of Florida” and “Florida East Coast Railway Passenger Trains and Stations” so that means that we will be in progress with six books simultaneously. “Nice trick if you can do it” some of you might be tempted to opine and the answer is, “thank you, and, yes, I can do it,” so that will be, with the projected Florida railroad postcards book, numbers 32 through 37.

Before we get started on our columns on and about local history, though, we must note and mention how important to local history all of you are. Seriously. So please pay rapt attention here and know that I am, indeed, serious about including and getting you more interested in our incredible and unendingly fascinating South Florida historical background and an overview of it.

As some of you know I am now the President of both the Miami Memorabilia Collectors Club (founded 1990) and the Miami Pioneer/Natives of Dade, the oldest historical organization in Dade County, founded in 1936. Part of the reason that the latter group decided that it/they wanted me to take the presidency was because they were aware of how well the Memorabilia Collectors Club was doing and that there were membership issues with the Pioneers/NoD that needed to be resolved. We are certainly working on it (and them) and have already begun to take steps to bring the two groups closer, hence we will have our first joint meeting in November and our first joint holiday party in December. So what does that mean to and how does it affect YOU? The answer, my friends, is not “blowing in the wind,” but, rather, it is very simple: I am reaching out to and want all of you who are interested to begin to participate and “how” follows in the next paragraph.

Simply put, we want any and all of you who have any kind of a historic interest regarding “our town” to not only join (best deals, lowest dues in all get-out!) but, indeed, to participate. “And how,” you ask, “do I do that?” And the answer is so simple: come to the meetings and be willing to, sometime in the future, speak to the groups (we will shortly begin meeting jointly) about anything you like regarding South Florida history, from growing up and going to school here to your business(es) and business interests. Speakers have included such luminaries as our former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice, Gerald Kogan; the late, great tennis star, Gardner Mulloy; FIU Dean of Libraries Ann Prestamo; Dade Heritage Trust Director Christine Rupp; Mr. Guava, Jorge Zaldivar, restaurant owners and operators; hoteliers; business people and “just plain folks” who grew up here and simply have an interesting story to tell—as you all do.

I promise you that you will love it and, best of all, and like the various groups which we are almost all on, there is no politics and no religion discussed at the meetings and there is a great feeling and spirit of friendship and camaraderie. I will post the information as we move along and really hope and trust that we will have the pleasure of your company.

What’s coming hereon next is what I also know you want to know! Well, dear friends, I am pleased to state that, starting next column we begin “the history,” that with the fact that, contrary to what those from “up nawth” like to say, that “there’s no history here—the place is too new” we actually go back probably further than any other place in North America, with evidence—that’s evidence, not traces—of human habitation going back ten thousand years. We will race through time with the names of the original tribes, the Seminole Indian Wars, how this county got its name and on from there. And, again, UNlike Miami’s walking fountain of MISinformation, we don’t “make up stuff” as we go and everything written or stated is and has been documented. So, and as we say in the South, “y’all come now, heah” and then sit back, relax and read about how it all happened and how we got here, and with no fables, fairy tales, myths, falsehoods or, as we would say in French, bubbemissehs. Till then, be good to each other, stay well, hasta la bye-bye and see you shortness.

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