Newest Citrus Fellow!

Hello Citrus Fans,

My name is Emma Morton and I’ll be taking over for Selys Rivera. I am a BFA Theatre Performance major with a minor in English here at Florida Southern College. I hope to eventually work on Broadway. I lived in a suburb of Chicago for most of my life, but recently my family moved to Dallas, Texas. Living out of state is hard since I do not get to spend as much time with my family and off campus friends as the in-state students get to, but it’s a really great experience that is completely worth it.

As far as extracurricular activities, I am a member of the Campus Cat Feeding Club and the Vagabonds. I am also a sister and officer of Alpha Omicron Pi’s Kappa Gamma Chapter. I am the newest, and youngest, Citrus Fellow here at the McKay Archives and I’m so excited to be taking over this blog.

Since I’ve been employed here, I’ve helped work on a number of projects. I have helped digitize files, organize photos, and photocopy priceless documents. Although, my favorite part about the job is posting photos to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. I really enjoy looking at the citrus labels that we have dedicated our Instagram account too. I’m also looking forward to researching different topics for posts on this blog.

I sincerely hope that after my good friend Selys leaves, I will be able to continue this blog with the same amount of creativity and elegance that she did. I hope to post regularly and to find unique topics such as citrus pests, today’s citrus industry, and interesting people who work with citrus (both of the past and present).

With all of the holidays coming up, I sincerely wish you all the best and hope you enjoy your time off.

Happy Holidays!

Written by Emma Morton

Student Fellow at the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame

In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center

See You Later, Citrus

            A year and a half have passed since I first started with the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame here at the Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center. Though I can hardly believe it, with graduation arriving soon, my time here is coming to an end. Thankfully, I will be leaving with many experiences to look back on, as well as newly acquired skills on which I can now rely.

            Looking back, I’m amazed at the many projects and collections I have worked on since starting here. I have researched and written articles and blog posts on several topics, such as the inductees, special events, and crate labels. I have also scanned, inventoried, and archived many historical photographs and documents on the Florida Citrus Industry from different collections, like the Jerry Chicone Crate Label Collection and Anthony Whiting Crate Label Collection. In addition, I had the opportunity to present my paper on the Florida Citrus Queens/Miss Florida Citrus at the Florida Conference of Historians. Oh, and I can’t forget the chance I got every day to share on social media the many interesting facts, articles, and photographs I found related to the citrus industry for others to see and be informed.

            As a plus, I had the chance to attend quite a few exciting events too, such as the Florida Citrus Queen/Miss Florida Citrus reunion at Bok Tower Gardens and the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Inductee Ceremony here at Florida Southern College, both of which gave me the opportunity to meet many interesting people in the Florida Citrus Industry. 

            Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to research, work with, and create digital and physical exhibits for the archives on varying topics with my fellow citrus coworkers. These topics include citrus workers, citrus memorabilia, the Orange Bird, the Florida Citrus Queens/Miss Florida Citrus, citrus crate labels, citrus postcards, the Waverly collection, packinghouses, and the Thomas B. Mack Citrus Archives Collection. These exhibits will hopefully be up in time for next semester. 

            My time here has been one long learning experience. I will never forget the history I have become so fond of, the people I have met, and the memories I have made during my time here. I am so grateful to all of the people who have been involved with my job as well. The friendships I have made here and the research, communication, organizational, and writing skills I have acquired here will stay with me as I continue on to whatever career path is in store for me. 

            However, though I am saying goodbye to my job, I am not saying goodbye to citrus. Like I said in my very first blog post when I started working here, each time I even drink my orange juice, “I’ll be thinking about the history behind it and all of the people involved.”

So see you later, citrus. I will never see you the same way again.

Written by Selys Rivera

Student Fellow at the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame

In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center

New Digital Exhibit – Remembering the Citrus Workers

            Last summer, I did a missionary internship on the Yakama Reservation in the state of Washington. Even though it wasn’t the main reason for going, I saw the faces of the people involved with producing the food I eat each and every day. I even got to do some of the work myself – shoveling, digging, planting, watering, weeding, picking – I experienced and learned what it takes to bring the food I take for granted to the supermarket shelves.  As a result, my eyes were opened to the very real world that exists behind the scenes in the food industry.

            This is why, when my supervisor gave me the opportunity to create a digital exhibit for the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame at Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center, I knew exactly what my topic would be – Remembering the Citrus Workers. I wanted to bring a very intentional spotlight to the many citrus workers that were never recognized for their dedication to the citrus industry. Whether they were men or women, African-American, Hispanic or Caucasian, young or old, they are part of the unique history involved in producing one of the most cherished products on the market. They deserve to be thanked for their contribution because, as I now know, I’m sure it was not easy.

            So, at last, please join me in Remembering the Citrus Workers. 

Written by Selys Rivera

Student Fellow at the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame

In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center

New Collection at the Archives!

            It is so exciting to have a new collection donated here at the archives: the Anthony Whiting Collection of Florida Fruit Labels. There are forty-seven labels from all parts of Florida included and while most are duplicates of items we already have, these are in better condition. In addition, there are a few labels that are unique to this collection. Several of these new labels have already been scanned for inclusion in the digital Fruit and Vegetable Crate Label Collection. An example would be this Prairie Flower label:

            Overall, I have enjoyed processing the collection and going through the diligent artwork that went into making these crate labels. It’s a part of the Florida Citrus Industry history that should never be forgotten.

Written by Selys Rivera

Student Fellow at the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame

In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center

The Search for New Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Inductees

How exciting! The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame is on the lookout for potential inductee nominations, with a scheduled inductee ceremony already in place for Friday, March 11, 2016 at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, cosponsored by Florida Citrus Mutual and the Florida Department of Citrus.

In case you are wondering who is eligible, the Hall of Fame looks for nominees who have made an impact to the Florida Citrus Industry in fields such as harvesting, packing, processing, marketing, scientific and/or educational areas. To see an example, you can visit the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame website to find information and videos on past inductees, such as last year’s inductees, Nicholas “Nick” D. Faryna, Sherwood J. “Buddy” Johnson, and John C. Updike, Sr.

If you have someone you think should be nominated, here is what you need to do:

Nomination forms can be found at the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame website and must be sent in no later than November 1^st, 2015. Any later submissions will be considered for the following year. All nominations need to include the following: a full summary of the nominee’s accomplishments, letters of support from industry members, and a photograph. Completed applications can either be emailed to Executive Director, Brenda Eubanks Burnette at bburne1003@aol.com or sent as hard copies to Florida Citrus Hall of Fame, 411 East Orange Street, Lakeland, FL 33801.

For more information, please contact either John Jackson at jackson71344@yahoo.com or Brenda Eubanks Burnette at (561) 351-4314 or bburne1003@aol.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Written by Selys Rivera

Student Fellow at the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame

In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center

Florida’s Citrus Around the World

                A child sits down at the table, eager to eat breakfast before heading to school. Waiting for him, alongside a bowl of cereal and some fruit, is a glistening glass of Florida’s orange juice. One might assume that this means the child lives in Florida, maybe even somewhere else in America, but he could actually be in another nation thanks to the business relationship that Florida’s citrus industry has with other countries.

                Florida’s citrus has always been an integral part of the United States, but it has been important around the world too. People from other countries also enjoy having a glass of Florida orange juice for breakfast or a Florida grapefruit for a snack. The March, 1958 issue of Florida Southern College’s newspaper, The Southern, had an article titled, “Germany Vital to Florida,” which explains how important the business relationship between Florida’s citrus industry and other countries has always been.

                At the time, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland were the most important European countries to Florida’s citrus industry. Europe was in a time of recovery from the destruction of World War II, with several countries recuperating their agricultural centers. As a result, the long lasting commercial relationship that budded between America and Europe was beneficial for both ends. Germany gave Florida about “$60,000,000 worth of chemicals, structural steel, glass, cement and automobiles.” Austria gave “bicycles, nails and glassware.” Finally, Switzerland gave “watch movements, special chemicals and pharmaceuticals.” Consequently, these countries were able to receive Florida’s citrus in return.

                The commerce comradeship between Florida and these European countries was a crucial one for Florida’s citrus industry. Martin E. Hearn, a former Mutual’s export coordinator, explained that, “This matter of trade is strictly a two-way proposition…If Germany and Austria and Switzerland could not sell their wares to us we could not sell them our Florida orange and grapefruit juice.”

                Thanks to these kinds of business relationships, people can enjoy Florida’s citrus all over the world, no matter how far they are from Florida. It’s something to keep in mind if I ever travel to Europe and feel a little homesick at breakfast time!

Written by Selys Rivera

Student Fellow at the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame

In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center

Sources:

“Germany Vital to Florida.” The Southern, March 1958.