Have you ever wondered what life was like in Jacksonville half a century ago? It was a different era of history, culture and politics but there are often parallels between the kind of stories that made headlines then and today. As interesting as the differences may be, so are the similarities. These are some of the top stories from this week in 1962. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library's periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• The 20th anniversary of Mayport Naval Station was observed with the dedication of a new $10 million housing project at the base.
The 540-unit installation for officers and enlisted men would be named "Bennett Shores" in honor of U.S. Rep. Charles E. Bennett, who cut the ribbon to open the new residential development.
Military use of the site was initiated in 1939 when the Navy Department began planning its developments in North Florida. The first phase included installation of Jacksonville Naval Air Station and the purchase of land around Ribault Bay at Mayport for an aircraft carrier berthing basin.
Construction of the carrier facility was postponed, however, and the site was used for crash boat and patrol boat training.
Mayport Naval Station was commissioned Dec. 7, 1942, exactly one year after the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Eighteen months later, a landing field and taxiway were constructed and Mayport became a sea frontier base for antisubmarine patrolling.
Other activities during World War II included refueling submarines and serving as headquarters for a minesweeping group.
Designation was changed in 1944 to a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. In 1946, the base was decommissioned and put on caretaker status. Two years later, it was reopened as a crash boat base and for simulated carrier landing practice for aircraft pilots.
In 1949, Congress appropriated $5 million for dredging work and construction of the carrier basin.
The USS Tarawa had the distinction of being the first warship stationed at Mayport when it arrived Oct. 29, 1952. The following Feb. 17, the USS Lake Champlain was assigned as the first aircraft carrier to be based at the station.
In November 1952, 34 ships were assigned to Mayport, including three aircraft carriers and 22 destroyers. A complement of 909 officers and 15,624 enlisted personnel called it home port.
• Damage along the shoreline in Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach caused by a severe storm the week before was inspected by federal and state officials as the first step to obtaining disaster aid.
Four days of high surf had damaged or destroyed thousands of feet of the seawall. While only one building was damaged to any extent, the loss was estimated at more than $1 million.
Twenty-four gaping openings in the seawall – ranging from 30 feet to more than 500 feet – were visible, along with at least 10 smaller breaches. Sandbags, shoring and other measures had prevented collapse of the walls.
"The two cities definitely need help," said State Office of Civil Defense Director Col. H.W. Tarkington.
"We've been spending money like it's going out of style," said Jacksonville Beach Mayor William S. Wilson of the local recovery effort.
More than 100,000 sand bags had been filled and stacked by government employees, prisoners and volunteers. Car bodies and other debris were placed in the washouts in an effort to prevent further damage.
After conferring with Tarkington, Gov. Farris Bryant asked President John F. Kennedy to declare the storm-damaged oceanfront in Duval, Flagler and St. Johns counties a disaster area and to allocate $300,000 for emergency repairs.
Bryant said in his telegram to the White House that designating Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach as a primary area for aid should be considered because of the extensive damage in those areas.
It was noted that a stranger visiting the beaches without knowledge of the storm would likely wonder why there were so many swimming pools at Jacksonville Beach, had they viewed the area at high tide.
By the end of the week, it was determined that 5,685 lineal feet of the seawall had been destroyed and another 3,383 feet of the barrier had been damaged. The cost for making emergency repairs was estimated to be $832,900 and $1,657,300 for permanent restoration of the oceanfront.
• Carl Edward Davis, whose bond was forfeited when he failed to appear in federal court to be arraigned on a bank embezzlement charge, was readmitted to bail three days later when he showed he had not been properly notified of the court hearing.
U.S. District Judge William A. McRae Jr. ordered Davis' $250 bond forfeited and a warrant issued for his arrest when an assistant U.S. district attorney advised the court that Davis had been notified by mail to appear for the arraignment.
Davis was charged with having embezzled $250 from the First National Bank of Lake City. After he failed to appear, he was arrested in Lake City and held without bail in the Duval County jail.
When he appeared before McRae, Davis said he had received two notices of arraignment, one calling for him to be in court the day his bond was revoked and another setting Dec. 7 as his arraignment date.
Davis told McRae he had informed his bondsman of the conflicting dates and was advised to respond to the Dec. 7 order.
McRae rescinded the forfeiture of Davis' bond and ordered him released from custody.
Davis pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared in court Dec. 7.
According to Robert Cook, the FBI agent who investigated the case, Davis was a messenger at the bank in Lake City and was assigned to deliver a bag containing $1,000 to the Columbia County Bank. He testified Davis told him he had been heavily gambling before the embezzlement and took the money to pay debts he had incurred.
Cook said Davis removed $250 from the bag and delivered the rest to the destination bank, where the shortage was discovered.
Cook said Davis confessed to the crime when he was arrested and cooperated with the investigation.
McRae deferred sentencing until Dec. 21 to permit evaluation of the case by probation officers.
• The crew of a search plane from Patrol Squadron 18 at Jacksonville Naval Air Station was not looking forward to the $1,000 reward for locating the sailing ship Nina II.
The ship, a replica of one of Christopher Columbus' vessels used in his discovery of the New World, was spotted by the aircraft crew off the coast about 300 miles south of its planned course.
A widespread search had been launched for the vessel and a California-based manufacturer offered the reward.
"I haven't heard any official word about winning the reward, but I do know that neither I nor my crew could accept money for something we did while on duty. The only way we could accept the award would be to turn it over to charity," said Cmdr. Frank Anderson, pilot of the search plane.