Buddy Clark Alexander, 83, of Punta Gorda, will tell you about how when he was born his mom had to go to Arcadia for the birth because "my parents lived in downtown Punta Gorda, but there was no hospital at the time."
Fran Campbell, 88, and originally from Michigan, will tell you how "very luckily" she came from a very large family. "There were 10 of us children. I happen to be the youngest, so I guess I got the best of the deal."
David Crafts, 87, will explain how his father came to Punta Gorda when Crafts was just one or two years old "in the Depression to get away from the Depression."
These stories, along with more than three dozen others are now part of Charlotte County Libraries and History collection of oral histories that are digitally accessible through the library catalog, located at https://charlottefl.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/libraries.
To access the collection, click on the “Oral History” tile or select the “Archives” box below the main search bar.
Composed of approximately 50 interviews completed from August 2017 through March 2020, the oral histories offer unique perspectives of long-term residents of Charlotte County, including politicians, judges, businessmen and women, and members of the general public.
These personal narratives provide important insight into the history and development of Charlotte County since its creation in 1921, making them a key resource to understanding the community we live in today.
The oral audio histories were carried out by Joe Guerzo at Charlotte County Libraries & History. Guerzo graduated with a B.A. in History from SUNY at Buffalo, volunteered to work on the Georgia-based Witness to War project, collecting war stories from aging WWII veterans, and also honed his interview skills as host of the television show This Week in Southern Hockey before joining the library team.
The recordings (also available as transcripts) are full of interesting stories:
There's Victor Desguin, born in 1927, who talks about his parents buying and operating the movie theater in Punta Gorda in 1936. "My uncle Fred had a chain of theaters here in Florida and dad had at one time said if you ever find a family operated theater let me know, I might be interested in buying it and moving to Florida. So, in 1936, my uncle called and said I’ve got just the place for you, a little town called Punta Gorda. Dad said, “where in the heck is Punta Gorda?”
Jo Ann Helphenstine, born in 1939, talks about her dad's Chevrolet dealership in a small Georgia town and how she was the very youngest of three: I came along later in life, and I was pretty lucky to be the baby." She and her husband had automobiles in the blood and helped start Palm Chevrolet dealership in Punta Gorda after moving there in 1955. "I think we sold, two or three cars a month."
The stories are a nice look back at how this Southwest Florida area developed and how it used to look and feel.
For information, contact Dr. Jennifer Zoebelein at 941-629-7278 or Jennifer.Zoebelein@charlottecountyfl.gov.
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