Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

35 years ago…

November 30, 1971 – Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson, a Democratic senator from Washington state, kicks off his Florida campaign for the presidency in front of 600 at the Ramada Inn in Tampa. Jackson made it clear that he was staking his claim at the center of the Democratic Party, saying that it was the responsibility of those in the center to lead the battle for social and criminal justice. He drew his loudest reaction of the event, however, when he targeted President Nixon directly by saying, “It’s time to get into Phase III, and out of Phase II, the phasing out of Richard Nixon … and then to Phase IV, which will be the inauguration of a Democrat as president!”

Courtesy of the Tampa Bay History Center.

Today marks the end of the 2006 hurricane season. Hurrah!

Alberto and Ernesto gave everyone some tense moments, but this was largely a calm season. Now most of us have been left with a great amount of good fortune; those that prepared for far worse also have pantry full of hurricane supplies.

As it turns out most people don’t need that much good fortune or canned corn, so why not pass it along to those in dire need of both? Tampa Bay Harvest and Metropolitan Ministries are two local charities that will be thrilled to distribute your surplus food to people in need.

If anyone knows of any other organizations in the area looking for food donations (particularly for the holidays), please leave some details in the comments.

Have you driven by the building that caught fire in Ybor? Of course you haven’t. The roads are still closed to traffic.

The building burned down on Sunday night, and more than 50 firefighters turned out to battle the blaze.

They were supposed to start tearing it down Monday, then demolition was slated to begin Tuesday. Today, the parts that did not burn down still stand.

The Florida Department of Transportation considers the building a hazard to traffic, and wants it torn down. Mayor Pam and the Police Department want the thing gone as well - gotta keep that economy chuggin’ along.

But the fire department, the building’s owner, and a bunch of history preservationists are stalling. Councilwomen Mary Alvarez and Linda Saul-Sena wants to save the building, or at least a couple of the walls, and building owner Andre Callen has given them 72 hours to see what they can do.

It will cost about $17,000 each day the roads are closed.

Meanwhile, the fire investigators have sifted through the debris and have determined the fire was caused by arson.

5 years ago…

November 29, 2001 – Tampa Mayor Dick Greco officially re-opens the five-block Franklin Street mall to cars for the first time since he closed it to traffic in 1974. City leaders, however, decided to preserve one tradition by keeping Franklin Street, between Kennedy Boulevard and Twiggs Street, closed to vehicles between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on weekday so pedestrians can stroll at lunchtime. Greco ushered in the change by driving his car through a ribbon stretched across Franklin Street.

Courtesy of the Tampa Bay History Center.

More crazy conversations from the classroom…

One of my all-time best students, we’ll call him Kenny, and I started at Superior High School at the same time. I had him his freshman and sophomore year, missed his junior year because I tried out two other local high schools, and returned this year to see him graduate.

Kenny, my favorite little redneck, is a delight.

“Ms. Robinson, the principal took my confederate flag off my truck!”

“Did he?”

“Yeah, how’s that for unfair? Says it offended people. Did you complain Ms. Robinson? Was it you?”

“It was not me,” I said, laughing. “You and I have talked about this. I’ve tried to tell you the confederate flag is a racist symbol that made its comeback a hundred years after the Civil War ended in response to civil rights legislation of the 1960s. It was a message to black Southerners that they would not be considered legitimate members of society. It’s a disgrace. But no, Kenny, I didn’t complain about your flag.”

“Southern pride, Ms. Robinson. It’s all about southern pride.”

“Let me ask you a question, Kenny.”

“Anything.”

“Do you like the Dixie Chicks?”

“No way!”

“Why not?”

“They’re traitors! They trashed our country and don’t care about our soldiers. They are on Saddam’s side!”

“The Dixie Chicks said twelve words, Kenny. ‘We are ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas.’ And for that, they are traitors. For that, they deserve to have their albums burned and for that, they deserve no career of any kind. I see. Then explain something to me, please.

“Explain how you can proudly wave the emblem of a movement that sought to remove the South from the United States altogether and Form. Another. Country.

“A movement that sought to enslave human beings.

“A movement that took up arms against an American President and his soldiers.

“Cause if that ain’t traitorous, jeez, Kenny, I don’t know what is.”

(Long pause.)

“C’mon Kenny, explain it to me.”

“I don’t know, Ms. Robinson. The Dixie Chicks are just retarded.”

Don’t kid yourself. Kenny is still thinking about what I said.

***cross-posted at Out in Left Field***

Back in October, we told you about the possible changes to Perry Harvey Sr. Park. Since we here in the Sticks love the history, we are usually all gung-ho about saving the past.  And when we think of the past, we think of a hundred years ago past.

Freed slaves settled here in 1865 and opened drugstores and restaurants. Ray Charles made his first recording here after hooking up with a local band. Men and women shared cocktails at the Cotton Club and watched Cab Calloway perform at the Apollo Ballroom. The city’s biggest race riot happened on this land in 1967.  

But that past is a hundred years old. For every one-hundred year old relic, there is also a thirty year old past.  And really, thirty years is old enough to be claimed as “history.”

Perry Harvey Sr. Park has such a double-historic past as well.  I mentioned it in passing when the news came up, but didn’t give it much depth:

Tampa is wondering what to do with Perry Harvey Sr. Park. The park is located right next to Central Park Village on the edge of downtown. Skateboarders used to use the park quite a bit, and there has been talk of building an amphitheater on the property to recognize The Scrub’s musical past, but nothing has been determined yet. 

It’s known as the Bro Bowl.  Apparently, the Bro Bowl is significant enough to be featured in a Tony Hawk video game, and Tony Hawk’s foundation will likely put up some grant money to keep the public skatepark alive.  Local sk8trs have been discussing the park on the SkateParkofTampa forums, and one of them even created a “save the bro bowl” website.

Times reporter Emily Nipps wrote a great piece on the persepective of the sk8trs who want to save the bro bowl vs. your traditional historian. 

Ten days later, the Tribune got to the bowl full of memories story.  The New York Times picked up the story, and says the city will likely include a skatepark in the new plans.

25 years ago…

November 28, 1981 – A five-alarm fire at the Tampa Federal Savings and Loan Annex, located on the corner of Madison Avenue and Marion Street, destroys its customer service division, computer terminals and mailroom. The fire, which burned out of control for several hours, caused an estimated $300,000 in damage to the annex and another $150,000 to its contents. The adjoining five-story colonial-style Tampa Federal office building was not damaged. This was the first major fire in downtown Tampa since October 1973, when flames destroyed the upper floors of the 14-story Citizens Bank Building on Franklin and Zack streets.

Courtesy of the Tampa Bay History Center.

Common wisdom is that you should always follow your first instinct. My own wisdom, apparently, is not terribly common.

Earlier this year I predicted the USF Bulls football team would finish 6-6. In the comments to that post however, I left myself an out:

It also wouldn’t be out of the question for USF to go 8-4, possibly more.

That’s hardly reason to pat myself on the back. I also said the Bulls offense was in trouble, particularly at quarterback.  Instead, freshman Matt Grothe finished the regular season with 12 less passing yards than Heisman favorite Troy Smith (don’t go crazy, I’m not making that comparison - yet) on his way to a very possible Freshman All-America ranking.

I also said the last two games for the Bulls could be very ugly.  The Louisville game was that and more, but the Bulls finished the season with a win on the road against West Virginia, easily the biggest win in the team’s short history.

Fortunately there’s plenty of backs to be patted on the Bulls team. What could have been an ugly rebuilding year became an exciting and well-timed season - that 8-4 finish puts USF ahead of both Miami and FSU in the state. 

Laugh all you want at the idea that USF is better than either of those teams; I’m not necessarily making that statement, but that’s hardly the point.

Jim Leavitt has done an amazing job recruiting some good talent, but he’s mostly been working with Big 3 leftovers (good thing everyone thought Matt Grothe was too small). But consider what the deep pool of Florida high school recruits is now seeing after UF:

• The Miami Helmet-Swingers, who finished a lousy season (6-6) by firing their head coach. 
• The Seminoles, equally disappointing (6-6) with a coach that sometimes makes Joe Paterno seem spry.

There is still plenty of name recognition and mystique working for those schools, but don’t think for a second that upward momentum isn’t appealing to a player that wants to make a name for themselves.

But that’s down the road. The season isn’t over yet - the Bulls are bowl-bound, likely to the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Sure, there’s little glamor in a December 23 bowl game sponsored by a pizza’s online ordering service, but it’s just another step to this team making a name for itself.

And if you want further proof that USF is going places, look no further than another incorrect prediction I made:

Yahoo! doesn’t change the [Bulls’] logo this year despite my two e-mails of protest.

Way to go, Yahoo! - the team page is now current.