Jacksonville’s first Publix opens at Gateway Shopping Center
Have you ever wondered what it was like in Jacksonville 50 years ago? It may have been 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 similarities may be, so are the differences. These are some of the top stories from the week of Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 1959. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• Gateway Shopping Center opened giving the Northside its first major retail center. Tenants included the first Publix Super Market in Jacksonville (the 49th in Florida). Officials of the firm said at least two more Publix stores would open in Jacksonville by the end of the year. It was noted the grocery store incorporated “the very latest ideas in food merchandising” including air-conditioning, fluorescent lighting and self-service meat and produce departments.
• Donald K. Brown, the new special agent in charge of the Jacksonville District of the FBI, arrived at his desk and was greeted on his first day at work with the news that his territory had the fourth-highest crime rate in the nation. He had just left Los Angeles, which was identified in the latest report as having the highest rate of crime in America.
Brown came to the defense of both cities.
“In these bulletins compiled by the FBI from statistics voluntarily furnished to us by the cities, somebody has to be first and somebody has to be last in the number of crimes per 100,000 population. But the bulletins usually caution that the crime rate index should not be used as an index of the city’s moral character,” he said.
Brown went on to explain many factors had to be considered before it could be stated that one city was “more vicious” than another, that law enforcement or prosecution was more lax in some cities or any other conclusion drawn from the statistics.
He said other factors had to be taken into account such as the ratio of law enforcement officers to population and the density of population which could increase or decrease the effectiveness of a policeman, the number of square miles of territory officers had to protect, the character of the population by race or nationality and whether the city attracted a large transient population such as tourists or migrant workers.
• As for the data contained in the FBI report it indicated major crimes reported to police in Jacksonville in 1958 increased 16 percent over 1957.
Murders, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, petty larcenies and auto theft showed increases. However, the number of larcenies of more than $50 decreased from 1,699 such crimes in 1957 to 1,069 in 1958.
Jacksonville Police Chief Luther A. Reynolds said he did not wish to comment on the reports. He said he turned the FBI national report on major crimes over to Inspector R.F. Hobbs, who had charge of the department’s criminal records, for study.
Asked if he thought the fourth-place ranking reflected badly on the city and county Reynolds said, “You know I wouldn’t say that. I will say this – there are people shooting and killing themselves every day and we put them in jail every day. These reports are something new they started last year for us to study.”
The FBI listed 9,702 major crimes in the metropolitan Jacksonville area in 1958 compared to 8,374 in 1957. Crimes listed as reported to police in Duval County including Jacksonville included murder (53), forcible rape (23), robbery (562), aggravated assault (459), burglary (4,238), larceny of more than $50 (1,910) and auto theft (1,096).
• A house-to-house mother’s march was held by the local chapter of the National Foundation to raise funds for what was described as “desperately needed funds” for polio research. The nation was in the grips of three polio epidemics that were the worst seen since the introduction of the Salk vaccine.
A fundraising drive had been launched Aug. 17 with the goal to raise $41,000, but so far only $4,000 had been donated. It was noted that if more money was not forthcoming the local chapter, which was already $21,000 in debt, might have to discontinue providing medical payment assistance for the 110 local polio patients.
Mrs. William Hall, chair of the march, said the chapter hoped to raise $30,000 in the one-day effort and added donations could also be sent in care of the local postmaster.
• Free shuttle bus service for Downtown shoppers would begin in two weeks through an agreement between the Downtown Council and the Jacksonville Coach Company. The route would put the entire Downtown shopping area within two blocks of the service, said Walter T. Lane, chair of the council’s Parking, Traffic and Public Transportation Committee.
The announcement came on the eve of the Downtown Council’s first anniversary. The group was composed of Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce members especially interested in the development of Downtown.
Lane said no tickets or passes would be needed to board the bus and added, “This service will be here to stay. This is not a temporary measure.” A committee headed by R. Frank Gay was charged with working out the final route details and the bus would go into service Sept. 14.
The bus would be called “The Downtowner” and would be painted blue so shoppers could distinguish it easily from other buses in the urban core. It would run every day except Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and was expected to pass by each stop every 15 minutes.
“Someone is certainly playing Santa Claus to a lot of people,” commented Chamber member Brady Johnson after Lane explained the plan.
The service was expected to make available a large number of parking lots that weren’t previously convenient for shoppers, encourage a greater use of mass transit and reduce the number of vehicles in the center of the city.
• Downtown Council also crowned Glenda Adams (a “sparkling 5-foot-2 eyes-of-blue beauty”) “Miss Downtown Council” at the Roosevelt Hotel ballroom.
The 19-year-old daughter of Mr. And Mrs. G.C. Adams was selected over 11 other contestants by a panel of judges who listened to the contestants describe why they liked to shop Downtown and watched them parade in bathing suits and street dresses.
Adams would be a “promotional representative” for the council for a year and received a prize package worth $500 including a complete fall wardrobe and luggage.
George Preston Marshall, president of the Washington Redskins football team, crowned the winner.
• A tightened policy on sick leave for County Highway Department workers was adopted by the County Commission to bar abuses of the privilege.
The commission ruled that credit for sick leave would be given only if the employee was actually sick. Any other time off would be deducted from vacation time or deducted from the employee’s pay. Prior to the ruling employees had been using sick-leave time to attend funerals or to care for family members who were sick.
• The County Commission also ruled that signs such as the one placed on the County Courthouse lawn by County Judge McKenney J. Davis would be prohibited. The sign was placed by Davis’s office to direct motorists to his office to renew their driver’s licenses. In 1959, all driver’s licenses were renewed in September. In addition to the courthouse, license renewal was also available at Sears, Roebuck & Company, 10 Winn-Dixie stores and at Jacksonville and Cecil Field naval air stations. Licenses could also be obtained by mail by sending the 1959 license along with the fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope to Davis’s office.
• Jacksonville University Dean of Faculty Dr. William E. Highsmith announced two additions to the teaching staff.
Donald Hutton, PH.D. came to JU as associate professor of chemistry. He earned his doctorate at the University of Chicago and for several years had been an industrial research chemist in Delaware.
Dr. Paul Hoebstin was appointed associate professor of sociology. He was awarded his doctorate by New York University and taught at Hunter College in New York City.
The two appointments brought the full-time teaching staff at JU to 60. In addition 20 part-time faculty members would be on hand when classes were to begin Sept. 14 for the 1959-60 academic year.
• Redril Hartley, 25, of 715 W. Duval St., walked into the police station and surrendered to Patrolman B.H. Quisenberry. Hartley said he had stolen $97.50 from a piggy bank belonging to his mother, Addie Hartley, 49, of the same address. He was held for investigation even though no complaint had been filed when he surrendered.
“My mother told me to give up or they would get me, so I did,” commented.