College of Arts and Sciences
Department of History
DeLand, Florida 32720-3756
(904) 822-7535
November 24, 1996
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Dear Former Student,
Stetson seems to be in a building mode. I hope that this is not an "edifice complex," but
much of it is to be commended. The library has finished the first phase of its renovation and now
looks somewhat less like Alcatraz and more like the learning center that it is. It has a new
appearance of openness created by moving the shelves back and replacing them with new
furniture. The new front doors add to the spirit of openness, although immediately behind them
are checkpoint magnets that remind one of a casino. I've not, however, seen gambling going on
on campus.
The new Mandy StoII Tennis Center has now been constructed on the north side of
Hollis Field, and while some of the neighbors in our University Terrace neighborhood have
complained about the lights and possible noise from tennis matches, the overall appearance of the
area has been improved. The Skinner Nursery of Jacksonville provided mature trees and shrubs
that have been blessed by the elements and by the watering system that the university installed.
The small cottage that the university purchased at the eastern end of the courts is being renovated
so that there will be plenty of washrooms for the players. Adjacent to the courts, the water
retention lot has been further scooped out by the city so that for a time I thought we had a replica of
the Crater where Grant and Lee fought it out at Petersburg, Virginia. The landscaping is now in,
however, and the area no longer has a desert-like appearance, but is a grassy basin. Work has not
yet begun on the Hollis Center for recreation and wellness behind the Carlton Union Building,
but the old wooden gymnasium is no more. In my view there is no loss as I did not think the
building was of great architectural significance. If you differ with me, you may be able to buy a
part of it from Mark Shuttleworth at Florida Victorian Architectural Antiques. The Wilson
Center, an annex to Hollis which will furnish additional classrooms for physical education and
sports medicine, is another project still on the drawing board. At St. Petersburg, the College of
Law will break ground for their new library on December 1.
Stover Theater continues in its grand tradition. September's play, Beau Jest, with a large
cast student directed by Julie Schmitt was highly successful. Every member of the cast was
quite good, and, in my view, Carlos Montenegro, the lead actor, has talent that could take him
to Broadway or Hollywood. Stover's sets now show the technical expertise of Howard
Schumsky, now in his second year with us.
Mainstreet DeLand looks quite nice and some of that is attributable to the movement of that
name. A mural, which graces the wall of a popular watering place at the corner of Rich and
Woodland Boulevard, depicts the coming of the train in early DeLand. Some of the faces in the
crowd meeting the train, however, are of prominent DeLandites of today, who have paid a few
shekels for the honor. After all, El Greco followed the same practice in the sixteenth century.
Kevin J. O'Keefe, our military and diplomatic specialist via NYU, is now chairman and
manages the department smoothly from the northeast comer office of Elizabeth Hall, an office once
occupied by numerous Stetson greats. Paul D. Steeves, our J. Ollie Edmunds Professor of
