scientists that have written about change — radical, slow, spontaneous, revolutionary, evolutionary, or planned — lies a common theme. Changing a culture is hard work, but Valencia has done this through planning, involvement, consensus building, and communication. These have been just the first few chapters of a remarkable unfolding story. In the years to come there will be more “Places” constructed and “Programs and Partnerships” forged between the people of Valencia and the communities they serve. The transformational learning-centered change process will continue ... after more than a decade, it has become an integral part of the institutional culture. Valencia Community College is well positioned by its academic culture and philosophy to continue its evolution as an extraordinary learning community. The Valencia Story chronicled here tells of a College populated by people of commitment, talent, energy, and hope. These, and many other strengths, have made and continue to make Valencia a remarkable place to learn and to work. the orlando sentinel story Valencia gratefully acknowledges the support of the Orlando Sentinel as we produce Valencia Community College A HISTORY OF AN EXTRAORDINARY LEARNING COMMUNITY and salutes the Orlando Sentinel for its dynamic presence in the Central Florida community for more than 130 years. shaping the history of central florida For more than 130 years, the Orlando Sentinel has been a dynamic presence in the life of Central Florida. From the publication’s earliest days to the present, Sentinel employees have shared in the triumphs and tragedies of their community. Their collective effort has provided readers with a reflection of the people, places, businesses and events that have helped shape the history of Central Florida. Recognized as the oldest continually operating company in Orange County, the Orlando Sentinel printed its first newspaper on June 6, 1876, under the name Orange County Reporter. The inaugural issue was a small conglomeration of news and patent medicine ads. By 2007, the Orlando Sentinel printed, published and produced local news and information in print and online for more than 1.28 million Central Florida residents. That is quite a contrast, and what transpired in the intervening years is quite a story – the Orlando Sentinel story.
the early years When publisher Rufus Russell printed Vol. 1, No. 1 of the Orange County Reporter, the population of Orlando was 200. It was a momentous time in local history, as the stirrings of civic pride had prompted the residents of the village of Orlando to incorporate into a town less than one year earlier. Times were rough for pioneer journalist Rufus Russell. There were few subscribers to the Reporter with orders usually received the week before publication and the number of papers printed tallied with the demand. The presses and plant equipment, dragged though the unpaved roads by oxcart from Mellonville (east of Sanford), were housed in a wooden building in downtown Orlando. In 1880, Mahlon Gore, a Michigan newspaperman, one of the first newcomers to arrive in Orlando following its incorporation, bought the Reporter. On January 12, 1884, Orlando suffered one of the worst fires in its history. While many local businesses were severely impacted, Gore bore the brunt of the loss with the complete destruction of his uninsured newspaper plant. An old military press was all that was salvaged. Gore went to Cincinnati and made arrangements to have new printing equipment sent to Orlando. Area business leaders came to Gore’s aid by providing $1,200 in cash, $300 in subscriptions, and securing a new downtown Orlando location for the newspaper. After less than a decade of operation, the importance of the Reporter was made clear by that outpouring of financial and infrastructure support. Irene Street was renamed Gore Street in honor of Mahlon Gore in 1910. As Central Florida entered the 20th century, several newspapers in addition to the Reporter sought to serve the growing population. In 1906, the Orange County Reporter and the Orlando Evening Star were combined and became the Orlando Daily Reporter-Star. During the Great Depression, in 1931, Orlando Newspapers, Inc. bought the Orlando Morning Sentinel and contemporaneously acquired the assets of the Reporter-Star. Martin Andersen was sent to Orlando to manage both. from small town to major metropolis Andersen purchased the Morning Sentinel and the ReporterStar in 1945, and the newspapers moved into a new plant on North Orange Avenue in 1951. Both newspapers did extremely well, and the plant more than doubled in size by 1960. Five years later, Andersen sold the newspapers to the Tribune Company of Chicago and he retired in 1966.
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