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Newtown AliveAuthor: Vickie Oldham, Newtown Alive
Newtown Alive is a podcast dedicated to the lives, memories and stories of the people of Newtown, Florida. Honoring the work that our predecessors did, while acknowledging the work left to do. For more information and all episodes visit our site: http://www.newtownalive.org/ Language: en Genres: History Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Willie Charles Shaw on How Booker High Made Him Into a Community Leader
Friday, 29 July, 2022
The memory of Sarasota Mayor WillieCharles Shaw is razor sharp. He was reared in “BlackBottom,” a swampy land in Newtown near Maple, Palmadelia and Goodrich Avenues.There were no streetlights or curbside mail delivery. Overtown had its ownneighborhood with the same name because of its rich black soil. Shaw canquickly rattle off the locations of community landmarks, dirt paths, swimmingholes, citrus trees and bus routes; and the names of neighbors. Newtown’s dustyroads were paved in 1968, but the first paved streets followed the route of thecity transit bus. His grandmother and family members owned land along OrangeAvenue and 31st Street. When there was a death in the neighborhood, Mrs.Herring, Fannie McDugle, and Mrs. James formed an unofficial neighborhoodassociation with Mrs. Viola Sanders at the helm. The women collected food andflowers for grieving families. Shaw’s mother sewed a heart or a ribbon on theright sleeve of the bereaved. The retired letter carrier attendedthe Booker schools with teachers Barbara Wiggins, Mrs. McGreen, Prevell CarnerBarber, Aravia Bennet Johnson, Foster Paulk, Esther Dailey, Coach Dailey, JaniePoe, and Turner Covington. “I would have to say that the entire learningexperience at Booker groomed me into a leader. We were taught that you alwayshad to be better, do better. You had to.” Shaw was among the African Americanstudents who traveled on a bus across the Skyway Bridge to attend Gibbs JuniorCollege. He served in the U.S. Air Force, then became a letter carrierfollowing in the footsteps of Jerome Stephens, the first African American inSarasota hired by the postal service.
