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 1963. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library's periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• Gov. Farris Bryant appointed attorney Hans G. Tanzler Jr. as a judge of the Duval County Criminal Court.
Tanzler, 36, had served as general counsel to the State Board of Health since 1961 and also was an assistant County solicitor, prosecuting in Criminal Court from 1957-61.
Creation of a third Criminal Court judgeship was authorized in 1963 by the Legislature. Tanzler joined the Criminal Court bench, which included Judge William T. Harvey and Judge A. Lloyd Layton.
"To have a man of Mr. Tanzler's quality available is fortunate," Bryant said.
The post carried an annual salary of $17,500.
• City Finance Commissioner Dallas Thomas reported the City's general fund was running "between $900,000 and $1 million in the red" as City officials showed growing concern over spending programs.
Thomas said the budget fixed by the City Council for 1963 overestimated income by about $1 million. He said also the budget did not include the 2-mill tax levy that would be required to pay off the $7.65 million general obligation bond issue approved by voters in 1962 to fund new library facilities, a park on the Southbank Downtown and the Downtown waterfront drive and parking lot extension.
The shortage was expected to cripple the $1.9 million capital improvement account. Some funds already had been spent from the account, but a freeze on all spending from the account was ordered by City Auditor John W. Hollister for projects not already underway.
The biggest item to be affected by the freeze was an $808,000 appropriation for the City Highway Department. Also to be cut were the $194,000 line item for street cleaning, $407,155 for the Recreation Department, $149,771 for the Fire Department and $114,000 for the Police Department.
Another matter involved in the freeze was a report from the Civil Service Board that 187 applicants had passed the test for the position of entry-level firefighter and that physical and psychological examinations of the candidates would cost $5 per man, or more than $900.
Thomas said there might be some relief from the situation if the surplus from Electric Department revenue was more than anticipated and if fuel costs were lower than expected.
• Thomas was attempting to squelch a rumor that the City planned to turn Hemming Park into a parking garage. The City Commission received a letter from the Duval County Democratic Women's Club that stated it was the understanding of the members the City planned to build a five-story parking garage in the Downtown park.
"This is nothing but a political rumor that got started in a political campaign. There never has been any consideration given to such a proposal in the eight years I have been on this commission," Thomas said.
He said the City could not construct a garage in the park for two reasons. First, the grant of the property to the City specified it would be used for park purposes only. Second, the bond indenture dealing with the financing of the City's waterfront parking lot prohibited the City from building any other parking facilities until the debt on the waterfront lot was paid.
• A three-alarm fire, which sent a plume of smoke thousands of feet into the air, destroyed a warehouse near the Acosta Bridge and sent 26 firefighters to hospitals.
The warehouse was leased by the Jacksonville Warehouse Co. and was filled with toilet paper.
David Ross, general manager of the warehouse firm, said the building contained 20 railroad carloads of merchandise valued at more than $50,000.
"The heat was so intense, we had to back our equipment off because it began blistering the paint on the trucks," said Assistant Fire Chief W.B. Webb, one of the first on the scene.
• The Federal Aviation Agency removed from its five-year national airport plan an item calling for a new commercial airport in Jacksonville.
E.E. Bentley, assistant City engineer in charge of airport supervision, said the deletion did not mean the FAA had abandoned previous commitments to provide matching funds for the City's proposed airport to replace Imeson Airport.
On May 6, a citizens' advisory committee recommended to the City Commission that Imeson Airport be abandoned and a new airport built about eight miles northwest of Imeson.
The commission adopted the plan and notified the FAA of the City's intention to move ahead with plans to build a new airport.
Bentley said after the commission approved moving the airport to a new site, the City filed an application for $1.5 million in federal matching funds for the new airport. He said the request was expected to be approved in the FAA 1964 appropriation.
• The Jacksonville Beach City Council authorized the purchase of property at Pablo Avenue and North Second Street at an undisclosed price in connection with a redevelopment program.
Mayor William S. Wilson said the price paid for the property would not be disclosed in keeping with the City's policy. He said public disclosure of the price might affect the price of other property in the area the City planned to acquire. Williams did say the purchase price was within the range set by the City's property appraiser.
A contract was signed by City officials and the property owner, Joe Takami, immediately following a special Council meeting called solely to negotiate the purchase of the tract.
The City planned to acquire all the land in a six-block area from Beach Boulevard to First Avenue North and from the ocean to Third Street for a redevelopment program. The first phase of the program was underway, funded by a $12 million general obligation bond issue.
• Attorney Guy Botts was elected president and CEO of the Barnett National Bank, succeeding William R. Barnett, who became vice chairman of the board of directors.
Botts had been the bank's general counsel and a director since 1955. Senior partner in the firm Botts, Mahoney, Hadlow, Chambers and Adams, he said he would withdraw July 1 from the practice of law.
Botts was a former president of Charter Mortgage and Investment Co. and a director of that company and of Rayonier Inc. and of Nello Chemicals Inc.
He also served as chairman of the board of trustees of Jacksonville University.
• The Board of County Commissioners agreed to consider a proposal that it act as local sponsor for a federal study about protecting all of Duval County's beaches from erosion.
The proposal was made by Col. H.R. Parfitt, district engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He said his office had been assigned to survey beach erosion and recommend a program to prevent erosion.
Parfitt said $5,000 in federal funds were available for the study.