Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 12-13-16 Online Edition

Feature
Families Gather For Unveiling Of Busts
Members of the family of Edward Daniel Davis who attended the bust unveiling included: LaRone Taylor Davis, Cynthia Davis Villaire, Samuel Davis, Chadwick Davis and Courtney Davis.
Mrs. Beatrice Rodriguez stands beside the bust of her husband.
The families of Edward Daniel Davis (1904-1989) and Francisco Aristides Rodriguez, Jr. (1915-1988) gathered along the Riverwalk Thursday morning, Decem- ber 8th, for the unveiling of 6 new busts, the 4th group pre- sented.
Mayor Bob Buckhorn was joined by Steve Ander- son, Chair of the Historical Monument Trail and Rod- ney Kite-Powell, Chair of the Selection Committee, as speakers. Jack Harris was the master of ceremonies.
The unveiling was hosted by The Friends of the River- walk. The Historical Monu- ment Trail was created in 2012 and serves as an educa- tional tool to residents and visitors to represent signifi- cant events and noteworthy people that have shaped the history of Tampa and Hills- borough County. More than 30 busts have been unveiled.
Mr. Davis was heralded “a hero of the Florida civil rights movement, especially fighting for equality for black students and teachers... .Tampa’s first Black educator with a graduate degree, he be- came a school principal in Tampa and then in Ocala. He
was elected president of the all-black Florida State Teach- ers Association...In Tampa, he joined Central Life Insur- ance Company, a statewide firm that offered insurance to African-Americans at a time when traditional companies would not sell to them.”
Atty. Rodriguez was de- scribed as a “courageous civil rights attorney during racial segregation. He grew up in Tampa, but his great-grand- mother had been a slave in Cuba, and he grew up speak- ing Spanish. His parents were mixed-race, but identified as Black. Francisco graduated from Florida A&M University with a degree in Language..and spoke several languages...He earned his law degree at Howard University and passed the Florida Bar in 1951.
“As a Tampa-based lawyer for the NAACP, he success- fully defended unfairly ac- cused Black people. Most white people wrongly consid- ered Rodriguez to be a dan- gerous radical and his life was threatened more than once. After years of social justice lit- igation, he became a minister in the AME Church.” (Pho- tos by BRUNSON)
Members of the Rodriguez family at the bust unveiling were: Alia Coleman, Deborah Rodriguez, Mrs. Beatrice Rodriguez (his widow), Satchel Puhr (in front), Kiersten Jensen, Dr. Cheryl Rodriguez, and Joy Watkins.
Hillsborough County To Break Ground For New Library In University Area Community
The University Area Community has seen many improvements in recent years, including new and remodeled public facilities, more services, and safety measures for pedestrians and bicyclists.
On Friday, Dec. 16, community representatives and school chil- dren will help Hillsborough County get started on its newest in- vestment: the $9.2 million University Area Community Library, located at 13619 22nd St.
The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 10 a. m. The public is invited to attend.
The new library will be just north of Fletcher Avenue and east of 22nd Street, on a parcel immediately west of Muller Elementary Magnet School. In addition to a public library for area residents, the 15,000-square-foot facility also will serve as the school’s media center and will be operated in partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools.
The new facility will include community meeting space. When completed in fall 2017, the library will be the 27th in the Tampa- Hillsborough County Public Library system.
Public officials will be on hand for the groundbreaking cere- mony, which will include music performed by Muller’s 5th Grade Orchestra.
More information about the library may be found on the County Projects page at HCFLGov.net.
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