1935-1945
AMY QUESINBERRY PRICE COMMUNITY EDITOR
In its first decade, the city of Ocoee was seeing change and growth in both the residential and business areas.
And then the Great Depression cast a dark shadow across the country, causing businesses to fold and many citizens to lose their jobs and their savings.
In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established several government programs to help recover from the Great Depression, one of which was the Works Progress Administration.
The trustees of Ocoee requested and received funding from this program, allowing the city to embark on multiple beneficial projects. Several allowed for employment for women, including the planting of beds of flowers, a housekeeping aid project and a sewing room.
Two of Ocoee’s largest projects at the time were built with WPA funds.
One was the construction of one of the first gymnasiums in Orange County at Ocoee High School. It was attached to the old dressing rooms, and housed underneath the bleachers was the band room. All of the activity in the gymnasium created an interesting percussion section in the band room throughout the day. The band room area was later known as Red Bird Alley.
Along the east side of the gym was the Agriculture Department.
The other WPA project was the building of the Woman’s Club of Ocoee clubhouse.
The Woman’s Club of Ocoee was incorporated 12 years prior, in 1924, by a group of 36 women who desired to create a society of fellowship and improving the social, civic, educational and moral welfare of the community.
The club’s earliest service projects were beautifying the grounds, donating library books, providing clothing and lunches for needy children at the local school, and planting palm trees and hibiscuses along the city’s roadways.
for one year for a $5 fee. In 1937, a letter was sent to all residents who had not installed flush toilets, requiring them to meet with the State Board of Health at the school auditorium.
After the Bank of Ocoee failed, the city voted in 1937 to turn the downtown bank building into the new City Hall. It remained in that capacity until 1976 when a new one was built along the shores of Starke Lake.
In 1938, all restaurants and lunch stands were required to have hot and cold running water and sanitary toilets and had to keep their place of business sanitary at all times. That same year, Dr. Sam Scott was appointed the city physician to “care for cases where otherwise the city would be looked upon to pay.” In 1939, the city approved a franchise for Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph for 30 years.
CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL
The one-story clubhouse, built at 4 N. Lakewood Ave. with WPA funds, was completed and dedicated in February 1938. It originally was deeded — for the purposes of the WPA grant — to the city of Ocoee until its completion but was turned over to the woman’s club that year.
Through the years, members have held fundraisers, such as a musical tea, barn dance and bazaar.
They have planned benefit brunches and card parties, election luncheons, yearly May Day teas and the annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner tradition of serving corned beef and cabbage.
During wartime, members sold $2,650 worth of war bonds and $81.75 in the special “Avenge Pearl Harbor” stamps. Club members spent hours gathered at the local school’s lunchroom to can vegetables and fruit to give to families in need. During World War II, they folded bandages for the American Red Cross and other causes to help with the war effort. They sewed garments for Orange General Hospital.
In 2010, the club added General
Federation to its name after many years of being an active club member.
A year later, the clubhouse was recognized for its historical significance and added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Members meet regularly still today, and their clubhouse on Lakewood Street has been in continuous use since its dedication in 1938. Members always have placed a special value on upholding the club’s mission of service to the community.
During the decade of 1935-45, the City Council continued keeping its eye on the municipality and making decisions to improve the city.
In 1936, Jimmy Milligan was allowed to sell cold drinks at the political rally and Mr. Allen had permission to operate a slot machine
In 1939, a trade school opened at Ocoee High School — built near the Ocoee High Ag Department with WPA funds — after the Orange County School Board determined less than 10% of the graduating students were enrolling in college although 95% of the school budget was used to equip students for college.
Day and night classes were offered — they were free for day students and $2 for night students. The school grew to teach trades such as auto mechanics, welding, airplane mechanics, carpentry, painting and the machinist trade.
Three months after the school opened, 92 students had enrolled, verifying the need for the program. By 1940, the school was training more than 140 students and was being used by defense agencies.
The first of many holiday traditions was started at Christmas 1939 when a community Christmas tree was placed on the vacant lot on the northeast corner of Bluford Avenue and McKey Street. Each year, Santa arrived to give gifts to underprivileged children. When the city obtained a fire truck, the children climbed aboard for their present and a visit with Santa.
Florida Public Service Company was granted a franchise in 1939 to construct and operate an electric light and power plant and generating system in the city.
The City Council voted in 1942 to impose a $10 fine on all persons not complying with the trial blackouts in case of emergency. In March of that year, all liquor, beer and wine dealers were to close at midnight Saturdays and not open until Monday morning.
Three months later, the City Council voted that no wine, beer or liquor could be sold in Ocoee for the duration of the war.
2025 marks a major milestone for the city of Ocoee as it celebrates its 100th anniversary of incorporation, which took place May 13, 1925. Over the past century, Ocoee has grown from a small agricultural town into a vibrant community.
The city is hosting several centennial events this year, including two key events:
n Centennial Celebration 5 to 10 p.m. May 9 — Join city officials for a day of live entertainment, food, vendors and familyfriendly activities on Bluford Avenue in downtown Ocoee, honoring Ocoee’s past and celebrating its future.
n Time Capsule Ceremony 6:30 p.m. May 13 — On the 100th anniversary of Ocoee’s incorporation, city officials will hold a special ceremony at the Withers-Maguire House to preserve a snapshot of the city for future generations.
For more information about the centennial, visit 100yearsocoee.com/ historical-timeline. Residents taking photos during the centennial events are being encouraged to use the hashtag #100YearsOcoee when posting on social media.
n In partnership with the city of Ocoee, the Observer is publishing a 10-week series examining each decade of the city’s history.
Ocoee High School cheerleaders, in 1945, practiced near the WPA-built gymnasium: Joan Conway, Jean Grafton, Doris Sharp, Bobbie Jernigan and Kathy Hamm.
Photos are courtesy of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, city of Ocoee and Nancy Maguire’s book, “A History of Ocoee & its Pioneers.”
The earliest members of the Woman’s Club of Ocoee held a club tea and open house of their new facility in 1938: Lucy Eckles, Mrs. Thomas Camp, Grace Pounds, Ida West, Dorothy Minor, Elizabeth Shaffer, Bess Scott, Mrs. Allen, Lucy Hawthorne, Emma Pounds, Stella Flewelling, Edna Ingold, Washie Hudson and Annie Clark.
This is what the city of Ocoee looked like in its early years.
Celebrating Ocoee’s Centennial
1965-1975
AMY QUESINBERRY PRICE COMMUNITY EDITOR
Walt Disney World was coming to Central Florida, and residents didn’t know the extent of the massive growth boom that was around the corner.
Among those who were prepared were hoteliers, including the men behind the Ramada Inn chain of hotels. An article on the front page of the June 8, 1967, issue of The Winter Garden Times announced the business principals entered a long-term lease on a seven-acre tract of land full of citrus trees owned by Clifford Freeman, an Ocoee businessman and Orange County commissioner, and W.E. Deacon.
The new 150-unit Ramada Inn was to be built at the southwest intersection of Highway 50 (now West Colonial Drive) and Maguire Road. Plans called for a seven-story building with penthouse apartments, swimming pools and an elevated sundeck. The owners had future plans for additions, which would give it a capacity of 550 units upon completion.
The hotel also boasted a restaurant, lounge, tennis courts and meeting rooms, and it was the first hotel in Orange County to receive a license to serve liquor with meals on Sunday.
Walt Disney World leased the hotel, and “everybody who was anybody” in the state was present to hear the story of what Disney was planning.
Through the years, the hotel hosted hundreds of thousands of overnight guests, its restaurants offered buffet meals to the community and its lounge invited locals to enjoy the most popular live music and drinks of the day.
The West Orange YMCA (now the Roper YMCA Family Center) took up space at the hotel as well. Prior to the Y pool’s construction in 1979, its swim instructors provided parentand-child lessons at several area hotels, including the Ramada Inn.
The YMCA offices were housed in rooms donated by the Ramada before the Y had a home of its own.
At some point, the name was changed to Colony Plaza and the hotel was painted pink.
In May 2009, it was the end of an era for the 41-year-old hotel-turnedtimeshare. Hundreds of people gathered across Maguire Road to watch crews implode the building. More than a dozen workers had been on site for two months gutting the two towers and removing asbestos. The city had condemned the derelict hotel and used money from its Community Redevelopment Agency to pay for the demolition.
CARDINALS AND KNIGHTS
The Ocoee High School Class of 1967 broke records and made headlines for both its size and its antics.
Graduation saw the largest class in history with 75 seniors. Lynn Badger was the class valedictorian, and Rick Nolle was salutatorian. Graduation services were held in the school
n In partnership with the city of Ocoee, the
is publishing a 10-week series examining each decade of the city’s history.
library with Russel Bellow, assistant superintendent of the Orange County School System, as the main speaker.
The Ocoee History Messenger, in 2002, shared the story of a “donation” made by the Class of 1967. The story originally appeared in the OHS newspaper “Campus Tribune” and was written by senior Barry Poteat.
His article began: “Thursday morning was a day of recognition as the Ocoee student body witnessed the erection of a beautiful woodgrain-finish addition to the Ocoee campus.”
The rest of the story was told in the 2002 Messenger:
Seniors Ray Wood and Skip Foote were in the cafeteria trying to come up with a way for their class to be remembered without getting into too much trouble. Their brainstorming resulted in the idea to “donate” an abandoned outhouse they had discovered in the Gotha area. They recruited Jim Breland to help, and Jim
Pyle was brought in because he was the only senior with a flatbed pickup. After school, while they waited for Mr. Lily to clean and secure the campus, the boys visited Mr. Rochelle’s White’s Auto Store to buy 99-cent cans of white spray paint. At 10 p.m., they went to Gotha to pick up the outhouse and arrived on the Ocoee campus with their “gift” to the school. They decided the most appropriate location was, of course, next to the Administration Building. Breland acted as lookout while Foote, Wood and Pyle added a coat of white paint.
The next morning, all four went to school early to see everyone’s reaction. The outhouse was a hit with everyone, and even the administration thought it was a great prank. For several years, the outhouse occupied a spot on the school patio behind the admin building with a sign that read, “Donated by the Class of ’67.”
The original Ocoee High School was closed in 1975 with the opening of West Orange High School in Winter Garden. It served as a junior high school until it was demolished in 2000 to make way for Ocoee Middle School, which was built as a demonstration school focusing on technology under Florida’s SMART Schools Act of 1997.
In 2005, a new high school rose from the ground in north Ocoee. Out of four choices presented to the Orange County School Board for naming of the new West Orange/ Apopka Relief High School, members chose the name Ocoee High by a unanimous vote. The other three names submitted to the board were Crown Point High,
Platinum High and Unity High.
“We will carry forward, with pride, the name Ocoee, but for a new generation,” said Michael Armbruster, principal of the new school.
“Instead of the Cardinals, we will be the Knights, and instead of red and white, we will be black, gold and white. We will be connected to a proud and distinguished past through our name, but we will also make our journey into the future, tying the two together into a new and exciting history for the generations yet to come.”
The new Ocoee High’s mascot, the Knight, wears a gold tunic that bears the image of a rising cardinal, a nod to the original Ocoee High.
TOP PRIZE AT THE FAIR
For the third consecutive year, the city of Ocoee won the President’s Trophy for its community exhibit at the 1966 Central Florida Fair.
Ocoee received the greatest number of points to win the trophy, earning seven first-place ribbons, six second place, two third, one fourth and one fifth.
The first-place ribbons were earned in categories for Best Decorated Booth, Citrus Plants, Ferns, Pasture Grass, Living Palms, Landscape Plants and Flowering Plants. A second-place ribbon was earned for the bicentennial display, as the booth was decorated in red, white and blue paneling. Jack Spivey, Paul Smallwood and Ed Watkins served as co-chairmen for the Ocoee Lions Club-sponsored project. More than 2,000 manhours of work were spent preparing the booth.
CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL
2025 marks a major milestone for the city of Ocoee as it celebrates its 100th anniversary of incorporation, which took place May 13, 1925. The city is hosting several centennial events this year, including two key events:
n Centennial Celebration 5 to 10 p.m. May 9 — Join city officials for live entertainment, food, vendors and activities at Bill Breeze Park.
n Time Capsule Ceremony 6:30 p.m. May 13 — City officials will hold a special ceremony at the Withers-Maguire House to preserve a snapshot of the city for future generations.
For information about the centennial, visit 100yearsocoee.com/ historical-timeline. Residents taking photos during the centennial events are being encouraged to use the hashtag #100YearsOcoee when posting on social media.
Observer
Some photos and information are courtesy of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and Nancy Maguire’s book, “A History of Ocoee & its Pioneers.”
The Ramada Inn was built in Ocoee in 1968 and, at some point, became the Colony Plaza. Locals called it the pink hotel because of its exterior color.
The Ocoee High Class of 1967 included, l-r: front, Shirley Armstrong, Gail Grider, Sue Main, Mike Johnson, Helen Cole, Linda McPherson, Amelia Scott, Phyllis Hall; second row, Jerry Gaby, H.A. Nobles, Randy Chisolm, Charlotte Byram, Nancy Maguire, Dorothy Hunter, Ellen Bremer, Mary Ann Eddy; third row, Wayne Catrett, Joe Stinnett, John Drake, Roger Wright, Billy Walberg, Sam Aldrich; back, Jerry Owens, James Hopper and Gordon Taylor.
The city of Ocoee won three first-place ribbons at the 1966 Central Florida Fair. The classifications considered best were Living Plants, Citrus Fruit, and Irish and Sweet Potatoes. The city also was awarded five second-place ribbons, three third place and one fourth place. It also took second place in the Best Community Story awards group.
Celebrating Ocoee’s Centennial
1985-1995
CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL
2025 marks a major milestone for the city of Ocoee as it celebrates its 100th anniversary of incorporation, which took place May 13, 1925.
The city is hosting several centennial events this year, including two key events:
n Centennial Celebration 5 to 10 p.m. May 9 — Join city officials for live entertainment, food, vendors and activities at Bill Breeze Park.
n Time Capsule Ceremony 6:30 p.m. May 13 — City officials will hold a special ceremony at the Withers-Maguire House to preserve a snapshot of the city for future generations.
For information about the centennial, visit 100yearsocoee.com/ historical-timeline.
Residents taking photos during the centennial events are being encouraged to use the hashtag #100YearsOcoee when posting on social media.
AMY QUESINBERRY PRICE COMMUNITY EDITOR
The city of Ocoee celebrated its 65th anniversary in 1990 and was in the middle of a decade that brought advanced health care to the city, as well as multiple large-scale forms of entertainment for residents, including the annual Founders’ Day Festival.
HEALTH CENTRAL HOSPITAL
Advances in health care were on the rise in the late 1980s, and by 1990, the area had outgrown West Orange Memorial Hospital, which opened in 1952 in Winter Garden with 40 beds to serve the then-rural community’s surgical, maternity and general health care needs.
In 1993, the Winter Garden facility closed and reemerged as Health Central at 10000 W. Colonial Drive, Ocoee, the site of former orange groves. The total cost was $56.5 million. The hospital was both lauded and criticized for its ultramodern and futuristic architectural design featuring a bright red angular focal point out at the main entrance. The centerpiece of the 260,000-squarefoot hospital is a 9,000-square-foot, four-story atrium that connects the various elements of Health Central. The new hospital — described as a medical mall because of its design — employed close to 400 professionals and support staff, and physicians’ offices were located near their patients in each department. The facility had 216 acute-care beds and a wide range of services under one roof in a comprehensive medical center. It boasted a 24-hour emergency center, the Special Deliveries maternity center, Kid Central pediatrics unit, outpatient capabilities and a helipad. Aside from being an acute care hospital, it also served as a retail pharmacy, vision center, catering service and physical therapy provider.
Health Central was a great community partner, too, offering programs to residents, including Senior Central, for the 55-and-older crowd; and the West Orange Walkers, who meet at the West Oaks Mall in the mornings to exercise indoors in comfort. A big program that expanded annually for many years was the School Nurse Program, which provided nurses in many of the area’s elementary schools. A multi-million-dollar expansion was completed in 2003, adding 30 inpatient beds, an observation unit, a large recovery unit, spa-like women’s center, advanced cardiac care unit, and expanded emergency room and ambulance bay.
The city of Ocoee held its first Founders’ Day in 1994 after taking it over from the Ocoee Lions Club and the Woman’s Club of Ocoee.
n In partnership with the city of Ocoee, the Observer is publishing a 10-week series examining each decade of the city’s history.
In 2012, the hospital became Orlando Health — Health Central Hospital when it was purchased by Orlando Health. This allowed for more facility upgrades and expansions. Four years later, the hospital embarked on a major expansion of the emergency department and opened a new patient tower.
In recent years, the hospital has opened a Heart & Vascular Institute, Digestive Health Institute, Cancer Institute and Primary Stroke Center; and offered programs relating to total joint replacement, spine surgery and bariatric surgery. There also are inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services as well as an outpatient center for laboratory services, radiology and diagnostic imaging.
Last year, the hospital was nationally recognized as a Top Teaching Hospital by The Leapfrog Group and a High-Performing Hospital in five areas by U.S. News & World Report; and Leapfrog gave it a safety grade of straight A’s from 2022 to 2024.
OCOEE FOUNDERS’ DAY
Founders’ Day originally started with a “history focus” and was hosted by the Woman’s Club of Ocoee and the Ocoee Lions Club.
The city of Ocoee took over the event in 1993. On May 14, 1994, the city produced a program announcing the “First Annual Founders Day Celebration.”
It included a welcome and brief history of Ocoee by Ben Griffin, invocation by Pastor Lester Weldon, presentation of colors and pledge of allegiance by Boy Scout Troop 217 and Scoutmaster Kathryn Boyer, national anthem by Jean Grafton, and acknowledgements and appreciation by Betty Salisbury Hager.
The opening ceremonies took place at the gazebo, which once stood southeast of the WithersMaguire House. The event included walking and bus tours, old-fashioned games, a chicken pilau lunch fixed by the Ocoee Lions Club and antique bicycle performers. Music was provided by Judie Lewis’ Moonlight Express, The Orange County Band, My Father’s House, Clarcona Elementary School and Gospel Jubilee Singers.
The walking tour stopped at points of interest, including the Withers-Maguire House, Ocoee Hotel, Bank of Ocoee, Marshall Block, Pounds-Salisbury House, Ocoee Christian Church, the site of Ocoee Inn, the first firehouse and a Confederate campsite.
Organizers hosted the first Founders’ Day 5K, which started and ended at West Oaks Mall, in 1998. By 2011, the city partnered with Chick-fil-A to put on the Chick-fil-A 5K and Kids Fun Run.
The event grew in size over the years, adding more concerts and a variety of activities — including carnival rides, games, a classic car show, fishing tournament, poker run, a marketplace with arts and crafts vendors, and a finale of fireworks — and eventually turned into a two- and three-day music festival.
The annual event has hosted big country names such as Tracy Lawrence, Sawyer Brown, Charlie Daniels, Clint Black, Aaron Tippin, Blake Shelton, Ronnie Milsap and Travis Tritt.
In 2020, the city changed the event name to Ocoee Fall Music Festival.
In recent years, the city broadened its musical genres and now offers rock and rap music on Friday night and country music on Saturday. Audiences have been entertained by Tone Loc, Vanilla Ice and Bret Michaels.
The event temporarily was switched to a spring festival, but this year it returns to the fall. It will be held at Bill Breeze Park near the Ocoee Lakeshore Center.
NOTABLE NEWS
1986: In January, Tiger Minor Park was dedicated to honor John “Tiger” Minor. He was Ocoee’s mayor, city commissioner, Lions Club district governor, a professional baseball pitcher, school bus driver and dedicated community volunteer.
1990: Near the end of the year, the connection between Ocoee and Orlando was further secured when the western extension of State Road 408 was completed. The tollway, also known as the East-West Expressway, connected the Florida’s Turnpike south of State Road 50, through downtown Orlando and to the University of Central Florida in the east. The final piece of the Ocoee connectivity story would arrive in 2000 when State Road 429, also known as the Western Expressway, connected U.S. 441 in the north and Interstate 4 just south of Walt Disney World.
1991: The bingo scene from the movie “My Girl” was filmed in Ocoee at the Ocoee Christian Church on the corner of Bluford Avenue just south of McKey Street.
1993: The Sons of Confederate Veterans was founded with 11 charter members. They were interactive with reenactor groups and other community events. They hold fundraisers to support gravesite crosses for the veterans of the Confederate Army and to go toward the restoration of the Florida Confederate flags in Tallahassee.
1994: The 18-hole Forest Lake Golf Club opened on the north side of Ocoee.
Some photos and information are courtesy of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and Nancy Maguire’s book, “A History of Ocoee & its Pioneers.”
Staff members celebrated the opening of Health Central in 1993 by forming a large hospital symbol on the lawn.
A colorful image of Health Central was featured on many magazine covers, including Texas Architect.
Celebrating Ocoee’s Centennial
1995-2005
AMY QUESINBERRY PRICE
COMMUNITY EDITOR
Huge construction projects took place in Ocoee from 1995 to 2005, including a retail shopping mall and movie theater and a new Ocoee High School — allowing more residents and students to stay, shop and study within the city limits of Ocoee.
WEST OAKS MALL
Prior to the opening of West Orange County’s first mall in 1996, local residents wanting to engage in retail therapy had to travel to Fashion Square Mall or Colonial Plaza, in Orlando, or Altamonte Mall.
The city of Ocoee approved a mall at the northeast intersection of West Colonial Drive and Clarke Road, one that would bring 950,000 square feet of shopping with anchor stores Dillard’s, Gayfers, JCPenney and Sears; about 125 specialty stores; and a multi-screen movie theater.
The mall was designed with the interior highlighting the flavor of 19th-century Victorian architecture. The length of the structure was lined with skylights and dotted with oasis-like clusters of trees. An oval glass atrium graced the center court, and the centerpiece of the food court was a full-size carousel.
Originally named the Lake Lotta Mall Project, the shopping center was renamed West Oaks Mall before it opened in October 1996. Among the tenants were 5-7-9, a shop called MANGO, Baby Gap, Barnie’s Coffee and Tea, Carlton Cards, Claire’s Boutique, Easy Spirit, Express, Gordon’s Jewelers, Gymboree, Kirklands, Pacific Sunwear,
NOTABLE NEWS
1998: Several fire stations were opened in January to keep pace with the growth in Ocoee. Fire Station No. 3 opened at the Plantation Grove Shopping Center on Maguire Road, and Fire Station No. 4 opened on Clarke Road just north of the A.D. Mims intersection. Station No. 4, to serve north Ocoee, replaced Station No. 2 on Adair Street, which was converted to a recreational facility. Station No. 3 was built to serve the south part of Ocoee and all of Windermere.
1999: A new recreation center opened on A.D. Mims Road and was named for Jim Beech, the city’s former 20-year director of recreation. The Jim Beech Recreation Center lined up athletic and leisure activities, as well as a variety of toddler, painting and other classes.
to the movie theater, food court and carousel.
Left: It seemed like all of West Orange County attended the grand opening of the West Oaks Mall in October 1996. The crowd of mostly mothers, babies in strollers, retirees and those who called in sick to work descended upon the mall for a glimpse of the new shopping destination.
Ritz Camera, Spencer Gifts, Things Remembered, Victoria’s Secret, Waldenbooks and Zales. Not only did the mall give residents a local place to shop, but it also created many jobs in Ocoee. The mall hosted many activities, including the West Orange Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business & Wellness Expo and other chamber events. The West Orange Walkers also took advantage of the quiet hours before the stores opened, and the group — which started out as a bunch of senior citizens looking to get some exercise — walked laps around the indoor perimeter. The walkers still are part of the mall’s morning routine.
REBIRTH OF OCOEE HIGH
Several of the buildings at the original Ocoee High School already had been torn down by 2000, but that year, the remaining buildings of the old school were razed so Orange County Public Schools could build the new Ocoee Middle School. Ocoee’s high school students had
A CENTENNIAL
2025 marks a major milestone for the city of Ocoee as it celebrates its 100th anniversary of incorporation, which took place May 13, 1925. The city is hosting several centennial events this year, including two key events:
n Centennial Celebration 5 to 10 p.m. May 9 — Join city officials for live entertainment, food, vendors and activities at Bill Breeze Park.
n Time Capsule Ceremony 6:30 p.m. May 13 — City officials will hold a special ceremony at the Withers-Maguire House to preserve a snapshot of the city for future generations.
For information about the centennial, visit 100yearsocoee.com/ historical-timeline. Residents taking photos during the centennial events are being encouraged to use the hashtag #100YearsOcoee when posting on social media.
been attending West Orange High School, in Winter Garden, since 1976.
OCPS built the new Ocoee High School on the north side of the city, at 1925 Ocoee Crown Point Parkway.
During construction, OCPS provided several naming options, but in the end, Ocoee Mayor Scott Vandergrift got his wish — following a yearlong campaign — and the new school was named for the original school.
The Ocoee mascot is a Knight wearing a gold tunic that bears the image of a rising cardinal, a nod to the original Ocoee High Cardinals.
The first principal was Dr. Michael Armbruster, who was proud of the Smaller Learning Communities model that placed students in one of four sub-schools, called Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Yale, for their core classes.
The idea was students were less likely to get “lost in the crowd” of 3,000 students if they are grouped in smaller “schools” with about 750 students. Each sub-school had a team of core academic teachers, two guidance counselors, a dean, a reading specialist and an assistant principal.
1999: The Ocoee Little League Big League team won the Southern Region Tournament in South Carolina and was headed for Tucson, Arizona, to play in the Big League World Series. On the team were Darrin Anderson, Danny Cameron, Scott McCoy, Justin McWilliams, Josh Muse, Mike Reese and Aaron Spears, all of Ocoee; Matt Gilly and Mike Gurney, of Winter Garden; and Michael Cunningham, Tim Gray, Jimmy Joe Martin, Chris Nickerson, Gabe Powell and Kevin Ward, of Apopka. Zack Prettyman and Derrick Anderson were coaches, and Gary Hood was manager.
2000: Willie Fields was named Ocoee’s Citizen of the Year, and the city recognized the 99-yearold, as well as her three sisters — Estelle Johnson, Lillian “Bato” Reese and Mozelle Pitzer — all Ocoee residents and also in their 90s.
2001: Ocoee’s new water plant was named in honor of the late Sam Oliver for his 27 years of service to the city, as well as his many years as consultant after retirement because he knew where all the water lines were. He first served part time as chief of police and water commissioner, and he eventually led the Water Department.
2002: The city opened the Family Aquatic Center adjacent to the Jim Beech Recreation Center. It included a zero-depth entry pool and three distinct play features.
2003: The Ocoee Historical Commission Inc., in conjunction with the city of Ocoee, worked to establish a historic district in “old downtown Ocoee.” The boundaries had not yet been determined, but the historic group and the city held a meeting for owners of historic properties to gauge interest.
2003: City officials broke ground on a new $3 million main fire station on South Bluford Avenue.
n In partnership with the city of Ocoee, the Observer is publishing a 10-week series examining each decade of the city’s history.
Some photos and information are courtesy of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and Nancy Maguire’s book, “A History of Ocoee & its Pioneers.”
A rendering of the West Oaks Mall, in Ocoee, depicted the east entrance, which led
The first Ocoee High School yearbook showed images of the school under construction.
Left: Principal Michael Armbruster, left, and Assistant Principal George Morse checked out the work progress.
Celebrating Ocoee’s Centennial
2005-2015
n In partnership with the city of Ocoee, the Observer is publishing a 10-week series examining each decade of the city’s history.
AMY QUESINBERRY PRICE
COMMUNITY EDITOR
2005-2015 was a period of growth for the city of Ocoee. Two community centers were built, including one for seniors and veterans, and the city cut the ribbon on a new downtown Ocoee project.
CENTER FOR SENIORS,
VETERANS
The Tom Ison Seniors and Veterans Center held its grand opening in August 2006, two years after breaking ground for the facility at 1701 Adair St. The purpose of the building was to give veterans and senior citizens a community center that is fun but also serves as an important place to get key information about benefits.
U.S. Rep. Ric Keller was the keynote speaker at the ribbon-cutting celebration. He said after Ocoee representatives asked for his assistance in 2002 to make the center a reality, he helped come up with $800,000.
Rusty Johnson, a city commissioner at the time, also is a Vietnam veteran. He closed the program with a tribute to former Mayor Tom Ison, who gave years of dedicated service to all Ocoee citizens and in whose honor the center is named.
One of Ison’s sayings was “Let’s make people a priority,” and that was the idea behind the center.
The reconstructed church property provides a large meeting room, office space, kitchen and smaller meeting room. American Legion Post 109 immediately arranged assistance for veterans needing to file for benefits. A Veterans Services Office also was set up, and veterans could file new claims; reopen denied claims; review old claims and appeals; and apply for increases, widow benefits, burial benefits and pensions.
Ocoee’s Parks and Leisure Services Department partners with the
social group West Orange Seniors, which started in 1978, to bring senior programs and other recreational activities to the Ison Center. Weekly programs include bingo, chair exercise, line dancing and crafts, as well as monthly luncheons.
BILL BREEZE PARK In 2008, the city embarked on a $960,000 project that brought new roads, a new drainage system and other major improvements to Bill Breeze Park on the shore of Starke Lake. The brick pavers near the old City Hall were recovered from the old brick road around Lakeshore Drive. The Starke Lake Boat Ramp was
substantially improved, making it easier to access the ramp and put boats in the water. New picnic tables, pavilions, benches and trees were installed along the lakeshore. The one-acre lawn is the perfect setting for Ocoee’s annual music festivals, other city activities and many West Orange Chamber of Commerce events.
OCOEE LAKESHORE CENTER
CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL
2025 marks a major milestone for the city of Ocoee as it celebrates its 100th anniversary of incorporation, which took place May 13, 1925. The city is hosting several centennial events this year, including two key events:
n Centennial Celebration 5 to 10
p.m. May 9 — Join city officials for live entertainment, food, vendors and activities at Bill Breeze Park.
n Time Capsule Ceremony
6:30 p.m. May 13 — City officials will hold a special ceremony at the Withers-Maguire House to preserve a snapshot of the city for future generations.
For information about the centennial, visit 100yearsocoee.com/ historical-timeline. Residents taking photos during the centennial events are being encouraged to use the hashtag #100YearsOcoee when posting on social media.
The former Ocoee Community Center facing Starke Lake was torn down to make way for a more modern facility that could accommodate more people and gave businesses and residents a place to rent for meetings, parties and other gatherings. The Ocoee Lakeshore Center was built in 2014 and expanded five years later. The lovely setting features several banquet rooms of varying sizes, audiovisual equipment, a commercial kitchen, bride’s and groom’s preparation room, and a dance floor. An outdoor plaza can accommodate guests on the building’s lake side.
NOTABLE NEWS
2005: The city cut the ribbon on the Downtown Streetscape Project at the intersection of McKey Street and Cumberland Avenue. The project was to include a complete renovation of McKey from Kissimmee Avenue to Bluford Avenue. Electric, telephone and cable lines were put underground, new streetlights were installed, decorative pavers replaced concrete sidewalks, and landscaping was added.
2009: The Colony Plaza Hotel, built at the southwest intersection of West Colonial Drive and Maguire Road in 1968 as the Ramada Inn, had fallen into disrepair after years of neglect and changes in ownership. After years of legal dealings, city officials condemned the property for code violations. By 7:15 a.m. May 9, the pink eyesore was imploded and turned to dust. Folks gathered on the facing streets to witness the grand spectacle.
2010: Producer Jerry Eisinger’s movie “The Whisper Home” was filmed in Ocoee. This movie went on to be featured in three different movie festivals and was nominated Best Screenplay at the Phoenix International Christian Film Festival.
2011: The 30-foot American flag that flew near Ground Zero was in Ocoee in February, and citizens helped sew it back together. Among the Ocoee residents was Elsie Rosado, whose daughter, Maria Isabel Ramirez, was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City. People lined up to add a stitch to the National 9/11 Flag, which became a symbol of healing as it was slowly stitched back together by local heroes and citizens in its journey through large cities and small towns in each of the 50 states. Florida’s flag patch was made up of several donated flags, including one from Ocoee that flew over the Tom Ison Seniors and Veterans Center, as well as the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
2013: The city of Ocoee was one of many municipalities to request a piece of steel from the wreckage of the fallen World Trade Center buildings in New York City. The city held a ribboncutting ceremony to officially dedicate a small but important piece at its fire station on West Road. The square section is part of a 9/11 memorial designed and built by FX Design Group in Ocoee. The memorial includes a proclamation the city issued calling Sept. 11 “a day of prayer, remembrance and rededication to patriotism and love for our country that will be recognized forever.” The memorial is on display in the lobby of the administrative offices of Fire Station 25, 563 S. Bluford Ave.
2015: J. Lester Dabbs, 82, died after a long battle with lung cancer. He was known in West Orange County for his service in both education and politics. He taught at the original Ocoee High School and was the last principal at Lakeview High School and the first principal at West Orange High School when it opened in 1976. He also served the city of Ocoee as a commissioner from 1986-89 and mayor from 1989-92.
The Lakeshore Center in Ocoee was built in 2014 and was in need of expansion by 2019.
File photos
Hundreds of West Orange County residents waited for their turn to add a stitch to the tattered 30-foot American flag that survived the 9/11 terrorist attack at New York City’s World Trade Center. Elsie Rosado, whose daughter was killed in the attack, was among the residents healing through stitching.
Helping to cut the ribbon on the Tom Ison Veteran and Senior Center in Ocoee in 2006 were, City Commissioner Rusty Johnson, left, West Orange Seniors president Fran Watts, Commissioner Gary Hood, Mayor Scott Vandergrift, U.S. Rep. Ric Keller, Tommy Ison, Pat Ison Breeze and Commissioner Scott Anderson.