|
Published by former Mayor George Gardner September 19 2012
The Report is an independent publication serving our community.
Contributions are greatly appreciated, by mail or 'Donate' button below.
George Gardner 57 Fullerwood Drive St. Augustine FL 32084
|
|
450 years of protection
Veterans, Guard highlight Military history
| |
 The vision: "Establish St. Augustine as the premier destination for learning about the vital role of the military, as demonstrated by 450 years of continuous protection of our city, our state, our nation."
Says Col. Ron R Radford, USAF (Ret), chairman of the St Augustine 450th Military Commemoration Committee, "We are working to integrate the various military events that normally occur to assure the general message of the military protection of the city is communicated in a systematic and consistent basis."
Symposia, documentaries, restorations and markers are all elements the committee has been developing for more than a year. Annual military events include the First Militia, Memorial Day, Seminole War, and Veterans Day.
New for the commemoration is "To Arms," a presentation 450 years of military history of St. Augustine which has been part of the First America series at Flagler College's Lewis Auditorium.
|
|
|
|
Doubling recycling
Got enough room in your recycling bin for all your recyclables?
The city and its contractor, Advance Disposal, want to double recycling efforts, so all 4,600 residential customers will be receiving a second recycling bin - same size - next week.
Aggressive efforts begun several years ago have created drop-off bins by the waste treatment plant at the south end of Riberia Street as well as recycle bins and dedicated cardboard collection bins downtown.
The city website has details on what's recyclable and what's not. Click here.
|
|
|
|
The logo
|
The 450th Military Commemoration Committee logo incorporates elements of the city coat of arms - the castle a sign of defense and safety and raised arm with sword signifying a military outpost - with modern aircraft and naval insignia to stress continuous protection through 450 years of St. Augustine history.
By the dates
In 2013 the committee plans a British Period event, and for 2014, an enlarged Battle of Fort Mose.
For the city's 450th anniversary in 2015, look for a "1st Guard Muster," major Memorial Day ceremony, redesign of  the "Hamblen House" American Legion Hall on the bayfront as a center for military tourism, and a Veteran's Day Celebration featuring a Grand military parade from Castillo to National Cemetery.
Along the way will be symposia on key military history periods and documentaries and other educational material based on historical research and recorded events.
Legacy projects
Ambitious projects include construction of a 1st Militia Statue, locating, marking, and to the extent possible restoring past military sites such as Fort Picolata, Fort Diego, and Fort Mose.
An exhibit is planned for the Visitor Center/exhibit hall, markers along the sea wall highlighting the city's military history - with cell phone coded audio accounts, and a National Center for Military Heritage.
|
|
|
|
|
Name it Veterans Island?
| |
Vietnam veteran A. J. Sartin of Vilano Beach says of the current debate on naming the island extending from Vilano to Mayport, "This is the last unnamed island in the United States, and I think the barrier island deserves a name that represents the active, retired, those who have served, and those who have made the greatest sacrifice for our country.
"That name is Veterans Island."
Sartin's passion has created a website, www.VeteransIsland.com, to support his effort.
Duval County business and tourism officials have been pushing the name San Pablo Island, hoping a single identity can boost the tourism economy for its numerous beach cities. But two-thirds of the island is in St. Johns County, and County Historic Resources Coordinator Robin Moore says that name is not historically accurate.
The San Pablo advocates will plead their case before the St. Johns Cultural Resources Review Board October 1 at 3:30 pm in the county auditorium. The board's recommendation would go to the County Commission.
|
'Character Actor at Life'
| |
Notice from Holly Mulkey, a fixture with a St. Augustine Record neighborhood column, Limelight Theater, First Friday and Uptown Saturday Night, that he was giving up his Mutton Chops email newsletter made us wonder. But no sign here that he's stopped "doing," in the following, in his own words:
Ask Holly Mulkey what was the most interesting thing he's done in his time and he's likely to say, "Avoiding fame."
 | | Mulkey in Noah role |
Steady as she goes, is his philosophy, having penned the "Lincolnville Neighbors" column for the St. Augustine Record nearly two decades now, since the concept was introduced September 5th, 1995.
Flirting briefly with the silver screen, Mulkey came here in the late 1980s, tried out for and took the lead role of "Professor Harold Hill" in "The Music Man" at the Amphitheatre.
"I probably got the role because my van had Indiana license plates," quips Holly. Multiple roles later, in the last two years, he was in "My Friend Zelma" at Limelight, "Mark Twain...and More," for A Classic Theatre and "The Pardon" by Dr. Ruth Streeter on Crescent Beach.
"I stay busy."
A guitarist for thirty three years, he played "strolling troubadour" in posh supper clubs, singing to rich people who sometimes enjoyed the diversion, and at other times probably wondered "...what this diversion is doing at my table."
Mulkey met most of his ex-wives through the arts, usually the performing arts.
"All of my ex-wives were beautiful...and intelligent," says the thespian/singer/writer/painter. "They just married wrong."
Author of 5 books, his only novel, "Brother," is available at ba10133@bellsouth.com, and is set in The Oldest City.
Holly started in the graphic arts at age 16, doing portraits of tourists on Jackson Square in New Orleans. Today, he makes a living specializing in pet portraits, by order at 904 501 6336.
"A dog doesn't complain if his nose is too big, or you made him a little cross-eyed."
|
|
History's Highlight
|
English measures for monument
2 years, 11 months, 21 days to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary
A discussion by historic preservation consultant Paul L. Weaver III September 18 and a slideshow on the St. Augustine Historical Society website highlight the significance of the constitution monument in the Plaza de la Constitución. This is the second of two excerpts from Weaver's research, reported in the current issue of the Society's El Escribano.
 | Monument plaque
staugustinehistoricalsociety.org |
The historic record and physical evidence tell us much about the construction methods of the time.
The Obelisk was built from local coquina recycled from other projects. It was finished with a lime mortar for weatherproofing and featured classical detailing, including a cornice and the perilla.
Its tapered features and proportions were the work of a skilled designer and builder, familiar with classical architecture.
Ironically, although a monument to the Spanish Constitution of Cadiz, the Obelisk was constructed using English measurements. Lime used in its construction was measured in bushels and nails in pounds. The prescribed height of the Obelisk was 30 feet, although it actually measured only 25 feet when built.
All five of the stone tablets on the Obelisk have English dimensions. The four small tablets on each elevation with the inscription "Plaza de la Constitución" are two feet in width by eight inches in height. The main tablet on the east elevation measures two feet in width by three feet in height.
The best explanation for this fact is that Martin Hernández and many of the artisans in the Province of East Florida were former British subjects, trained in English building traditions. Moreover, the tablets, constructed of white marble, came from outside the province, possibly from Vermont in the United States.
They could have been pre-cut to English dimensions prior to being shipped to St. Augustine. The inscription on three of the small tablets is the English spelling of "Constitution" rather than the Spanish "Constitución." However, based on a physical inspection of the tablets by sculptor Enzo Torcoletti, it appears that the original c's were changed to t's, perhaps as a result of vandalism, in the post-colonial era.
|
|
The St. Augustine Report is published weekly, with additional Reports previewing City Commission meetings as well as Special Reports. The Report is written and distributed by George Gardner, St. Augustine Mayor (2002-2006) and Commissioner (2006-2008) and a former newspaper reporter and editor. Contact the Report at gardner@aug.com |
|
|
|
|
