Have you ever wondered what life was like in Jacksonville half a century 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 differences may be, so are the similarities. These are some of the top stories from this week in 1960. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• In a speech at the weekly meeting of the Meninak Club at the Mayflower Hotel, City Commissioner Louis H. Ritter said that “gradual, piecemeal annexation” was “probably the best way of providing municipal services to Jacksonville suburbs.”
He also said the “problem of charting suburban growth” was the most important issue the city would face in the coming decade.
Ritter said there were several ways to solve the social and economic issues created for both urban Jacksonville and the fringe areas by the recent exodus of population to the suburbs.
Among the solutions were annexation, consolidation, a transfer of functions to County officials, administrative agreements between City and County governments and the creation of special taxing districts.
Of all the possible solutions, Ritter said, annexation, voted on by the affected areas, would be the most feasible.
Ritter recalled that an annexation proposal had failed in the 1959 Florida Legislature, perhaps because the City had not provided the County’s delegation with comprehensive figures on both the cost of governmental services that annexed areas would require or on the potential tax revenues from the areas.
“We hope to remedy that before the 1961 legislative session begins – in fact, to remedy it before the delegation begins its hearings on proposed legislation here,” said Ritter.
A fact-finding committee, composed of City department heads and with Walter G. Daniel, former City engineer, had been working for some time, Ritter said.
The group, he reported, had already made accurate counts of houses and business structures in several “pilot areas” to the north and west of the city limits and determined the taxable value of the properties, including potential revenues from business licenses and cigarette taxes.
The committee had also estimated the cost of extending such services as street maintenance and cleaning, garbage collection and police and fire protection.
“We haven’t yet estimated the cost of capital improvements these areas undoubtedly will want, such as sewers and street paving. I’m afraid that figure will be astronomical, but it will be available before the next Legislature,” said Ritter.
“With all these facts available, an informed public can debate the question of annexation before our legislators during the public hearing and a satisfactory answer to the annexation question can be found,” he said.
• The Duval County Commission voted to ask the City’s help in eliminating duplicate inspections of new electrical work in areas outside the city limits. The board contended that dual monitoring was unnecessary and delayed construction.
• Mark Hulsey Jr. was named president-elect of The Jacksonville Bar Association at its annual meeting at the San Jose Country Club.
Moving up to president was H.P. Osborne Jr. George Young was retiring president.
• It was announced that Gov. LeRoy Collins would appoint attorney Tyrie A. Boyer as judge of the Duval County Civil Court of Record. The appointment would take effect at midnight Dec. 31, when the resignation of Civil Judge Roger J. Waybright would also become effective.
Boyer was elected to the Civil bench in the May primary election. The post was appointive but the practice was for the governor to appoint the successful candidate in the Democratic primary.
The 36-year-old Boyer moved to Jacksonville from Williston at age 17 and graduated from Lee High School. He was a Navy flight engineer in the Pacific during World War II and returned to Jacksonville when discharged in 1945.
He worked for a Jacksonville motor company until he entered the University of Florida in 1949, where he received his law degree with honors. Boyer received the Order of the Coif, the highest scholastic honor for a law student and was in private practice at the time of his election.
• Plans for an oceanfront recreational development and construction of parking lots was presented to the Jacksonville Beach City Council.
The recreational facility was proposed by Council member T.N. Abood, who was chair of a special redevelopment committee. The plans for metered municipal parking lots was brought forth by Mayor I.D. Sams.
Abood displayed a sketch showing an auditorium, an indoor recreation center, a bathhouse, concession stands, a park and a parking lot. The development would cover about two blocks and be financed by a $2 million bond issue.
Abood suggested that all of the facilities except the park, parking lot and auditorium should be leased to private operators.
“Let me say that it is high time for us to get out of the talking stage and get into more positive action. God has placed before us the world’s finest beach and instead of responding to God’s generosity and contributing to its beauty, we are content to let unsightly and blighted areas dot our magnificent shore,” said Abood.
“This, to me, Mr. Mayor and gentlemen, can mean only one thing – that we have a sick city and a sick government and our only cure is to muster our every effort to immediately begin a program to enhance our position,” he said.
• Representatives from airlines serving Jacksonville met with city commissioners and said that Imeson Airport was capable of handling the industry’s new jet aircraft but needed an expanded terminal building.
The conversation revolved around whether the City should build a new airport, which would cost an estimated $22 million, or continue to use Imeson.
Principal spokesman for the airlines was C.J. Schott, assistant to the vice president of Eastern Air Lines in charge of properties and facilities.
Pointing out that Imeson’s three runways were each 7,000 feet long, he said EAL had ordered 10 Boeing 720 medium-range jets which required only 6,400 feet of runway for takeoff at maximum gross weight and needed 5,790 feet to land at maximum weight.
“It’s reasonable that this type of aircraft will be operating before the new airport could be built. These new planes are designed to operate on existing runways around the country,” said Schott.
At the end of the two-hour discussion, David Kelley, district airport engineer for the Federal Aviation Agency, said it might be wise to go with a program of interim improvements at Imeson until jet operations were stabilized.
• The Rt. Rev. James W. Henley, bishop of the Florida Methodist Conference, came to Jacksonville to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Snyder Memorial Methodist Church.
He was welcomed by Rev. Robert John Gisler, who had been the church’s pastor since 1951.
Since its establishment as Trinity Methodist Church in 1870, when the town’s population totaled 6,000 souls, Snyder had grown to serve a metropolitan area of almost 500,000 people.