Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 9-15-17

Features
The Great Charlie Owens Has Died
Students Relocated After Fire Destroys Historic Elementary School
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Shortly after power was re- stored at an elementary school Tuesday evening, a fire erupted. The three-alarm blaze devastated the Robert E. Lee Elementary School, 305 E. Columbus Drive.
According to Jason Penny, spokesman for the Tampa Fire Department, the frie was reported at 6:45 p.m. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they were met with heavy smoke and flames com- ing from the northeast portion of the roof.
As the firemen battled the blaze, at some point, the roof began to show signs of collapse and the firefighters were pulled from inside the building.
It took firefighters 8 hours to bring the blaze under con- trol. The fire remains under in- vestigation, but officials do not believe it is suspicious.
According to the Hillsbo- rough County Property Ap- praiser’s Office, the building was valued at $2,700,000 and its contents were valued at $2,275,000. The damage to the school was estimated at $4,975,000.
The building was vacant at the time and no injuries were reported.
Ms. Tamara Sham- burger, Hillsborough County School Board District 5 repre- sentative said, “We are devas-
A fire caused major damage at the historic Lee Elementary School earlier this week. (photograph by Julia Jackson).
“Life had been a struggle before that,'' he said. "Play- ing golf was a walk in the park for me. A piece of choco- late cake. I still love golf. I don't like when the sun goes down and I can't wait for the sun to rise, because I get to come back out to the golf course.”'
Quote from Tampa Bay Times, in 2009 by Charile Owens.
Known to be very polite, a sharp dresser, and a people per- son, former longtime golf pro at Rogers Park, Mr. Charlie Owens, has died.
Mr. Owens stood out not just because of his unique swing, he stood out because he played in an era when it was nearly un- heard of for a Black man to play golf.
Mr. Owens died last Thurs- day night in Winter Haven. He was 85.
Born Feb. 22, 1932, in Winter Haven, he grew up in the days of segregation and racism. He grad- uated from Jewett High School before going on to Florida A & M where he played football.
Mr. Owens developed a pas- sion for golf after helping his dad around the Willowbrook Golf Course. Mr. Owens’s father,
Mr. Fred Owens Sr., was the groundskeeper, and Mr. Owens spent many hours helping and working as a caddy.
It was there, his daughter says, that Owens taught himself his unique swing.
During his service in the U. S. Army during the Korean War, he sustained injuries to both knees and his left ankle during a para- chute jump at Fort Braggin 1952. The injuries left him with a limp.
After turning pro as a golfer in 1967, Mr. Owens eventually joined the PGA Tour in 1970 and spent seven years on the tour. He later joined the Senior PGA Tour, now the Champions Tour.
He won four tournaments as a professional: the Kemper Asheville Open, a PGA Tour satellite event, in 1971, and the Florida Open in 1974. On the Senior Tour, he won the Treasure Coast Classic and the Del E. Webb Senior PGA Tour Roundup, both in 1986.
Because of his disability, Mr. Owens was allowed to use a cart while competing with the PGA. However, he fought the U. S. Golf Association, which banned the use of carts, staging a protest at the 1987 U. S. Senior Open.
Mr. Owens is the father of 5 children.
He wrote his autobiography, “I Hate to Lose,” and had a con- tract with Wilson Sports Goods during his career.
“He did a lot for Black golfers,” Charlie Lentz, who worked Wilson Sports Goods, said.
Lentz said Mr. Owens would encourage young African Americans to play golf and would hold free clinics.
Mr. Owens continued to play golf well into his 70s. In 1987, he won the Ben Hogan Award and was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. He entered the African American Golfers Hall of Fame in 2007.
tated and very saddened by the fire. However, the school, meaning the students and the staff, are intact and strong. It is our priority to restore the staff and the students to some sem- blance of normalcy as soon as possible.
“As for the building, we will assess the potential of sal- vaging it once all investigations are complete. The plans to ex- plore a name change for the school remain unchanged.”
In wake of the fire, Super- intendent Jeff Eakins has au- thorized an emergency supplement for every staff member at Lee Elementary. All full time employees will receive $1,000 emergency supplement
in their bank accounts on Fri- day.
The supplement will allow teachers and staff to replenish the items used in their classes.
New Location
On Monday, when stu- dents return to school, the 49 staff members and 329 stu- dents will have class at Lock- hart Elementary School, 3719 N. 17th Street, in East Tampa.
Lockhart has space for nearly 300 more students. The older children will attend class at Young Middle Magnet School, which is adjacent to Lockhart Elementary, until portable classroom are estab- lished. This is expected to take 2 to 3 weeks.
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