I still enjoy singing “We’re the Boys from old Florida“ at Spurrier Field, not because I attended the University of Florida like my Dad, but because I have always been a Florida boy. I was born and raised in the Sunshine State and returned here as my Air Force career was winding down. My roots are firmly planted in Florida sand.
I was born in the Okeechobee region. Actually, I was born in Arcadia, the seat of Desoto County. That was the most accessible hospital to my parent’s home in Moore Haven on the west side of the lake. Remember the old state licensing system before 1972 where the first set of numerals represented the population rank of each county according to the 1940 census? Dade was 1; Duval was 2; Madison was 35 (you can see 35 license plate in the tax collector’s office); and 67 (of 67) was Glades, my first home. If you think Madison is rural, imagine tiny Glades County where the county seat was smaller than Greenville.