Ernest Ward High School Class of 1967 Holds Reunion
June 22, 2008
The Ernest Ward High School class of 1967 held their 41st reunion Saturday at the old Davisville School.
When the class was in seventh grade, 19 students from Davisville joined the class of 35 students. In tenth grade, another 26 students were transferred into the class from Bratt School for a total of 80 students. By the time the class reached its senior year at Ernest Ward, only 44 students remained in the graduating class.
Twenty of those were present at the Saturday reunion, some from places like Colorado, South Dakota, the Carolinas and Michigan. Members of the class include a Pensacola pastor, a Miami area judge, firefighters, homemakers and more.
Pictured below, front row (L-R): Sylvia Barlow Elkins, Katie Norris Darby, Kay Beasley Mooney, June Dortch Valenzuela, Brenda Priest Ekstrom, Suzanne Milstead Rigby, Melba Hollingsworth Cook, Gloria Beasley Gilman, Betty Smith Singleton and Marjorie Gillman Criswell. Back row (L-R): Roy Ward, Terry Harris, Floyd Mooney, John Stacey, Duane Dortch, Leroy Smith, Harold McGhee, Robert Stewart, Thomas A Gibbs and Tony Andress. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Pictured bottom of page: Class member Robert Stewart (right) and his wife Diann enjoy the reunion. Pictured above: Members of the Ernest Ward Class of 67 reminisce while looking at old yearbook photos. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
End Of Era At Cooper’s Store In Bratt As Gas Pumps Are Removed
June 20, 2008
It was the end of an era Thursday at Cooper’s Store in Bratt as the store’s gas pumps and tanks were removed.
When Lawrence Cooper purchased the store 52 years ago, gas was selling for 10 cents per gallon, his son Marion Cooper told NorthEscambia.com Thursday. Now, even though gas in selling for around $4 a gallon, the profit per gallon for the store was still only about 10 cents per gallon.
He said the state mandated that the aging underground storage tanks had to be dug up. He said replacing the tanks would have cost about $30,000 to $40,000…more than the store would profit by selling gas.
Cooper said the store was recently averaging about 500 to 600 gallons of gas sold per week. “We just don’t sell enough to justify replacing the tanks,” he said.
He predicted that more and more small stores like Cooper’s would be getting out of the gas business in the coming years due to the expense of meeting strict state regulations. He said that regulations are tough and expensive on small stores, pointing out that a state inspector was outside the store supervising the tank removal.
“The independents will be gone in a few years, and the big companies will control the gas market,” Cooper said.
Pictured above: The gas tanks and pumps have been removed at Cooper’s Store in Bratt. Pictured below: A state inspector outside the store tracks the progress of the tank removal project Thursday afternoon on his laptop. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
A Short History of Nearly Everything
June 18, 2008
The Pensacola Little Theatre presented “A Short History of Nearly Everything” Tuesday at the Century Branch Library.
In the play, characters Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin presented a short history of (like the title says)…nearly everything.
The program was the second installement in the library’s summer reading program.
Next Tuesday at noon, magician Sammy Smith will amaze at the Century Branch Library’s Summer Reading Program. The program is free for children of all ages.
For more information on the Summer Reading Program at the Century Branch Library, call 256-6217.
For more photos from the event, click here.
Pictured above: Characters Isaac Newton, Marie Curie and Charles Darwin from “A Short History of Nearly Everything” at the Century Branch Library. Pictured below: Children enjoy the program. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
One Room Log Walnut Hill School House Wins Major Historic Preservation Award
June 16, 2008
The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation recently honored the restoration project of the old Walnut Hill School House.
During the Trust’s 2008 Preservation Awards ceremony, the Walnut Hill School House project was awarded Outstanding Achievement in the Restoration/Rehabilitation Awards category. The award was accepted by Escambia County and the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club.
The log school, believed to have been built sometime around or just before 1880, was flattened by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. It was restored under the leadership of Quina Grundhoefer Architects in Pensacola with funding from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The restoration used mostly the original logs, reassembling them like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
Each year, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation recognizes significant contributions to the preservation of Florida’s historic resources through the annual Preservation Awards.
According to information posted inside the one room schoolhouse, the exact construction date of the building is unknown because school district records prior to 1880 could not be located. Financial records for the Escambia County School District indicate that William “Uncle Bud” Williams received $40 in April 1880 for “building a new school” and the school received a new heater at the cost of $10 in 1881.
A small shed had been constructed along the railroad about 10 miles north in Alabama several years prior for Williams. The settlement was named Williams Station in honor of Williams in 1866. That community was later renamed Atmore.
The school was originally located near the corner of the present day intersection of Arthur Brown Road and Highway 97. It was moved to its current location on Highway 97 after the construction of the Walnut Hill Community Center, also known as the Walnut Hill Ruritan Building, in the late 1990’s.
When the building was restored, a wheelchair ramp was added in accordance with law. A glassed in area just inside the door will allow visiting school children to view the interior of the building.
The Ruritan Club has placed a period wood burning heater in the building and a single student desk. The club plans to fully restore the interior of the building as a history museum, complete with a teacher’s desk and students desks. There is currently one student desk in the building. The Ruritan Club is in search of more desks like the one pictured at the bottom of the page to complete their collection. If you know where to locate desks like these, email us here at news@northescambia.com and we will put you in touch with the right people.
Pictured above: The exterior of the restored Walnut Hill School House. Pictured below: The interior of the log school house and a period desk. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Aztec Dancer Visits Library
June 11, 2008
Aztec dancer John Jaramillo kicked off the Century Branch Library’s summer reading program Tuesday afternoon. He performed traditional Aztec dances from Mexico.
Jaramillo has performed regionally, nationally and internationally since 1983. His Pueblo Indian Native American heritage inspired his concept for Old Man Kokopeli – a masked theatre and puppetry production that was featured as part of the famed NYC International Fringe Festival in 1997.
Jaramillo has performed at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in New York City, Popejoy Center for the Arts at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, The Circle (theatre) at the American Indian Community House in New York City, Historic Christ Church in Philadelphia, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque and the Institute of American Indian Art Museum in Santa Fe.
For a complete photo gallery, click here.
Nursing Home Throws Birthday Party
June 4, 2008
Century Care Center recently held a birthday party for all their residents recently.
Residents enjoyed a birthday party complete with cake, gifts and songs from the Gospel Lighthouse Academy. Several residents and volunteers were also recognized for their contributions at Century Care Center.
The “Sew ‘N So” club (pictured below) was honored for its contributions to the residents. They hand make activity pillows for the the residents to encourage tactile stimulation. They also make bags for the wheelchairs and walkers.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward Middle School Names New Cheerleading Squad
May 28, 2008
Ernest Ward Middle School has named their 2008-2009 cheerleading squad.
The cheerleaders for the next school year are, pictured above:
Front Row, left to right: Raven Weaver, Ariel Holland, Madison Arrington, Mariah Albritton, Regan Bell, Katelyn Calloway, Jessica Lowery and Cheyenne Godwin.
Back Row, left to Right: Angel Mitchell, Ali Martin, Morgan Ward, Hannah Gibson, Lana Clayton, Paeton Hadley and Ashley Mooney.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NWE Crowns Brianna Parker Queen
May 27, 2008
Brianna Parker was crowned the 2008 Baseball Queen at Bradberry Park Monday afternooon. The girls sold votes for a penny each, with a portion of the proceeds to sponsor the park and a portion to the Drew’s Field project.
First place went to Erica Wiggins.
The girls worked very hard to raise money, and the event was quite a success. The girls range in age from five to 11.
Participating were (pictured below, L-R): Erica Wiggins, Memory Peebles, Liberty Peebles Gabrielle Peebles, Queen Brianna Parker, McKenzie Moorer, Ansleigh Maholovich and Jalyn Bodiford.
For more photos from the event, click here.
Photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wall Of Honor Pays Tribute To Those That Served
May 26, 2008
On this Memorial Day, many will stop by the Veteran’s Honor Wall in Walnut Hill as they remember those that have fought for our freedom.
The largest such memorial in the North Escambia area, the Veteran’s Honor Wall has stood in front of the Walnut Hill Community Center since its dedication in 2003. There are currently 274 names on the wall, including 13 names of soldiers killed in action. The wall honors those from the Walnut Hill area that have served in the nation’s military.
The Walnut Hill Ruritan Club began planning the wall in late 2001, and they decided that it would be a community project at no cost to the veterans listed.
“If you a veteran, you deserve to be there,” Walnut Hill Ruritan Club President Billy R. Ward said. “You’ve already paid you debt; we wanted this wall to honor the veterans.”
The idea originated with Leroy Wiggins back in late 2001, Ward said, after he saw a picture of a similar Ruritan wall in Virginia in a national magazine.
The club formed two committees, headed up by Billy G. Ward and Wiggins to research construction of the wall and the list of name to be included.
Billy R. Ward began to engrave the names with an antique machine the club purchased off the internet, and there were 220 names on the wall when it was dedicated in 2003. He spent a lot of time on the project, even visiting the Wall South Memorial in Pensacola to get an idea what size the letters on the plaques should be.
On the Walnut Hill Veteran’s Honor Wall, everyone is equal. It was decided that no service rank would be include on the name plaques, just the branch and years of service.
Ward estimates that as of this Memorial Day, about one fourth of those listed on the wall are now deceased.
The Walnut Hill Veteran’s Wall is located in front of the community center at 7850 Highway 97.
For photographs that include every name on the wall as of this Memorial Day, click here.
If you know a veteran from the Walnut Hill area (including Bratt, Davisville, Oak Grove and Enon) that should be included on the honor wall, call Billy R. Ward at 256-2907. Or mail the veteran’s name, address, city, state, phone, branch of service, dates of service and your name and phone number to: Walnut Hill Ruritan Club, P.O. Box 35, Walnut Hill, FL 32568.
Pen Wheels Tries Again; Holds Fishing Rodeo For Disabled
May 25, 2008
Call it the 34th and half annual Pen Wheels Fiesta of Five Flags Fishing Rodeo.
When the annual fishing rodeo for the disabled was first help on May 3, it did not just rain; it poured, putting a quick end to the event. It was the only rain out in the history of the event.
So organizers decide to try again Saturday, and they had perfect weather.
“We got rained out last time, and may people were sad about that,” Pen Wheels Vice President Pearline McLendon told NorthEscambia.com. “I’m so glad we are back here today. It is just so beautiful here.”
“It was organized to give disabled people a chance to get out,” said McLendon. “Many of these people have never fished before. This is just one way to get them out of their houses and the nursing homes into the community.”
Over the 34 year history of the fishing rodeo, it has been held at locations ranging from Ft. Pickens to the Three Mile Bridge in Pensacola. Since 2001, it has been held at Jantz’s Catfish Pond on South Highway 99, just off Highway 97.
“Jantz just does us right,” Pauline said. “I can’t say enough nice things about him. We never want to leave!”
Dozens of volunteers stood ready to help the disabled fish. They baited hooks, tossed a line and offered words of friendly encouragement. Many of the volunteers were from the Walnut Hill Mennonite Church.
About 60 disabled people were registered in Saturday’s fishing rodeo. They were from around the area, including Pensacola and Century. Several residents from the Century Care Center participated.Everything, including lunch, in Pen Wheels Fishing Rodeo is provided to the disabled for free as a project of the Pensacola Fiesta of Five Flags organization.
While Jantz Catfish Pond is not open for public fishing, nearby ponds belonging to Steve Hiebert (Mr. Steve’s Sweet Corn) are open for public fishing. For more information, call 327-4020.
For a complete photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured above and below: The Pen Wheel Fishing Rodeo for the disabled Saturday in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
