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In 1887, the city of Sanford was a bustling hub of commerce. Founded just 10 years prior, Sanford had become the gateway for goods and materials coming into Central Florida and Tampa. The city was also the main distribution point that allowed nearly all of Central Florida’s citrus and produce to reach Northern markets.

But on the morning of Sept. 22, the city’s saloon owners, most likely drunk from an all-night binge  of whiskey and rum, burned the town to the ground. It became known as the Great Fire of 1887.

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If you’re a sports fan, You probably no that Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees broke Roger Maris‘s home run milestone by hitting 62 home runs in a season.  I like to brag that just about anything that happens in the world has some sort of connection to Sanford. 

In the case of Aaron Judge it really does. Roger Maris set the Record for home runs in a season on Oct. 1, 1961. And it was Sanford‘s very own Red Barber who made the historic call as the Yankees play by play announcer.  

Here’s a link to a YouTube video of Red Barber calling Maris’s 61st home run. And if you want to know more about Red Barber here’s a link to episode 8 of Celery City Stories titled “A good wife and a strong martini helped change history.”

The Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives has a brief 38-second clip of George Starke Jr.'s first day at the University of Florida law school. There is NO sound, but it gives a glimpse of his first day. You can find it here.

Sept. 15, 1958 is significant for the state of Florida, the University of Florida, AND for the city of Sanford. It was on that date that George Starke Jr. became the first Black student admitted to the University of Florida. George Starke Jr. is the son of Dr. George Starke, the first Black doctor in the city of Sanford. 

Interestingly enough, Sept. 15th is an important date for both father and son. On Sept. 15, 1927, Dr.Starke opened his first office in Sanford. 31 years later, his son integrated the UF on Sept. 15.

The University of Florida was the first university in the deep South to admit black students. It would another 3 to 6 years before the state universities in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana would integrate.

George Jr. had earned his undergraduate degree at Morehouse University in Atlanta, and he served 4 years in the Air Force before he was admitted to the University of Florida law school.

in previous Celery City Stories, it’s just been me telling the stories. For today’s episode, I was honored to interview Mr. Starke, so I’m going to let the man himself do most of the talking.

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At the end of this episode I mention that I'll include an interview with Katie Whelchel Stewart in an upcoming show. If you missed the episode about her grandfather, Hugh Whelchel, you can check it out here: "Sanford man is hero in classic 1920 Alabama-Georgia game"

If you like Celery City Stories and want to continue to hear them, Buy Me a Coffee. Your support ensures I can continue to produce these shows.

Lynyrd Skynyrd got its start in Jacksonville, but did you know the band has a connection to the city of Sanford? And a pretty significant one at that.

I mentioned a previous Celery City Stories I published recently. Follow the link to hear “A good wife and a stron martini helped change history”. It’s about a small event that happened as Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

I first learned that Bill Powell lived in Sanford after coming across the website Lynyrd Skynyrd History created by Judy Van Zant, widow of Ronnie Van Zant, founder of the band.

If you want to contact me, send an email to Dan@CeleryCityStories.com