Dr. Walter Kennedy
Kennedy, an optometrist, purchased the house at 1876 Oak Street in 1936 from the title holder, John Buckbee. Kennedy resided in Sarasota from 1924 until his death in 1978 during which time he was active and recognized for his participation in civic affairs in Sarasota. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Kennedy attended the Needles Institute of Optometry in Kansas City, Mo.
He was a member of the First United Methodist Church. Commonly referred to as “Mr. Rotary,” Kennedy was a charter member as well as President, Secretary, and District Governor of District 696 of the Sarasota Rotary Club. He was also an honorary life member of the Chamber of Commerce. As chairman of the publicity committee of the Sarasota Livestock Association, Dr. Kennedy was also a progressive cattleman and owned ranch land east of Sarasota. He also held honorary life memberships in local and statewide optometric associations, served as a City Commissioner from 1942 through 1945, and was active in many charitable organizations in Sarasota. He continued to reside in the home until 1946.
As chairman of the publicity committee of the Sarasota Livestock Association, Dr. Kennedy was also a progressive cattleman. The pride of his ranch land east of Sarasota near the Ringling Brothers Circus winter quarters was Hercules 102, the prize Charbraise bull, which is believed to be represented in the medallion affected on the chimney at 1876 Oak Street.
INTERVIEW WITH DR. KENNEDY
In 1976, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune interviewed Dr. Kennedy for his perspective on the growth of Sarasota….
QUESTION: You settled in Sarasota as a young man just out of optometry school. That was more than 50 years ago. What brought you to this area?
ANSWER: Well. I had come down here looking for prospective locations for setting up my practice In fact, there were about 20 cities on my list, and I was going to look at all of them before making a decision. I remember my father and I rode the Seaboard Railroad all night from Jacksonville, getting into Sarasota about 7 o’clock on the morning of June 11th in 1924. And from the time we stepped off that train, everybody we met was as enthusiastic and as friendly as they could be. The result was that we didn’t look at another town.
QUESTION: And you immediately set up practice here?
ANSWER:. First I went from here up to Sanford. where I took my state board examination I then learned within a couple of weeks that I had passed and would get my license. This was at the time that the Cummer Arcade was under construction. Of course, it was destroyed some time ago, but it was located on part of the ground where the United First Federal building now stands and back south toward the Methodist Church. It was there that I set up my office and. being the only optometrist in town, I was able to do a little better than make my actual expenses the very first month I was open. Fortunately. through some direction, I stayed out of real estate.
QUESTION: Oh yes. Florida’s and sales boom was peaking at about that time, wasn’t it?
ANSWER:. Yes. and I can’t tell you how many people were speculating in real estate They would buy a piece of property, putting down a small deposit, and before the abstract was completed they had said it for a substantial profit and had made small deposits on other pines of property. It was lust an endless chain Why, on several occasions I saw land on Main Street sold two and three times a day.
QUESTION: Bet then things went sour, right? And I suppose Sarasota didn’t fare and better than the rest of the state.
ANSWER: That’s right. Sarasota, in fact, was pretty badly hit by the slump. It was a time when a great many people had come here with the idea of getting rich quickly. They put everything they had. their life savings, into real estate. And many of them left here absolutely broke
QUESTION: Were there any notable exceptions?
ANSWER: Yes, there was one couple whom I recall very well and that was Mr and Mrs. Elmer Whittle. They owned and operated the old Belle Haven Inn down on Main Street where the Orange Bloeeom Hotel is. It was a three-story frame building that the Whittle s operated as a tourist hotel, a very nice place. Well, they sold it to the Adair Center Realty Co., out of Atlanta. for $500,000 and were smart enough to take the money and put it into government bonds. The Adair Company. however. tore down the inn and built what is now the Orange Blossom. They also built the Sarasota Terrace Hotel. But even though they were an old, established company, I think they also went broke as a result of the bust.
QUESTION: The downtown area you’re talking about was the hub of activity in those days, wasn’t it?
ANSWER: It certainly was, but a lot has changed in these 50 years. They were pitching horseshoes on Main Street in front of when McCrory’s store is, and burning trash on the lot where you now have the Palmer Bank. That was right after they had moved an old building off the Palmer site and they were clearing the lot in preparation for construction of the bank.
QUESTION:How about the rest of the area?
ANSWER: Well. you can take Orange Avenue as an example. it was a nine-foot brick paved street which ran to Bay Road, out near where Altman’s Chevrolet is located. And Harber Acres, it was a cow pasture. In fact, there was a barbed wire fence there along Orange and you could drive past and see rattlesnakes hanging from it, snakes that had been killed its the pasture.
QUESTION:Who were some of the key civic leaders of the time?
ANSWER: E.J. Bacon, who was the mayor, comes to mind, and Realtor E.A. Smith was quite active. But the key man, of course, was John Ringling. He was the one person whom I think was. deserving of the credit for putting Sarasota on the map.
QUESTION: And be was a patient of yours?
ANSWER: Yes, as was all the Ringling family except for Charles. who died just a short time before we came here. And I might add, my relationship with the family was always pleasant. I recall what John Ringling would come to my office – this was after he had has stroke – he would first call and make an appointment for late in the afternoon. Then he’d come in a Rolls Royce touring car. The chauffeur. after driving him around to the alley, would let the top back so Mr Ringting could stand and get his balance – be was a big man – then they’d come in the back door. I guess be was a little self-conscious after the stroke.
But, a lot of people seemed to have it in for him. as they do for many people who have money or are making money. The last work I did for him – when I had finished it – he said, “Now I want you to take the bill over to my office. Don’t mail it. Tell them I said to give you a check.” He said, “You know. there are some people after me.” But to this day I don’t know what be meant. He didn’t elaborate on it at all.
QUESTION: is was so years ago this month that the Sarasota Rotary Club was chartered, a chapter that you helped organize. What were some of the club’s earlier achievements?
ANSWER: The first project we started was the Sarasota Boys Band, which later became the Sarasota High School Band. That was in 1929 The club furnished money for the uniforms for those boys who couldn’t afford them, and one of our members, Voltaire Sturgis, conducted the band for several mouths. I believe it was October of that year that the band gave its first public performance which was at a meeting of our club. And, if you’ve never heard from north to south and east to west as far as music goes, well that was it. But he continued working with those boys and later suggested that the project be made a part of the local high school curriculum, which is what eventually happened.
Oh, and there have been many other projects: helping Happiness House at a time when it was near bankruptcy; rebuilding the operating room and refurbishing the kitchen at the hospital; contributing to the Salvation Army, Boy Scouts. Girl Scouts … It’s things of that nature that we’ve been able to accomplish.
QUESTION: As the only surviving charter member of the club have you bee a pleased with the way the community has developed?
ANSWER:Well, I was in love with Sarasota when I first came here, and I still am. But in my opinion the city has gotten too big. You can’t, however, keep a good thing from the public. So what are you going to do about it?
QUESTION: What concerns you most about the area’s growth?
ANSWER: My principal concern here is water and sewer problem , and the same throughout the whole state for that matter In fact. I personally feel there should be a moratorium on building here until more adequate facilities can be provided to take care of the growth. But I’m pretty well satisfied that it will never happen. You see, back in the Thirties people were saying to me what I’m saying to you now ” Sarasota’s too big. Don’t spend any more money on advertising to bring people in here. It’s just right as it is” Really, that’s the truth. As far back as that.
QUESTION: Looking back like this is apparently becoming an increasingly popular pastime, especially during this Bicentennial year. Do you think it’s healthy?
ANSWER:I think It has been helpful. And, the good Lord knows if something isn’t done to change the thinking and the pattern of growth – as well as the pattern of feeling toward authority– if something isn’t done to change that, God help us.