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Headlines through the years
By Times staff writer Jan. 18, 1950: Attorney has particular interest in polio drive CLEARWATER -- Clearwater attorney Ray E. Ulmer is taking particular interest in the March of Dimes campaign to raise funds for research and treatment of polio. Stricken with polio Aug. 13, 1948, Ulmer spent many months in Tampa Municipal Hospital and at the Warm Springs Foundation in Georgia. He regained some of his strength and was able to return to his home in Clearwater in May 1949. During his convalescence, Ulmer made use of his inventive mind to contrive an apparatus to lift him into and from bed, by operating a small lever. The same device lifts him in and out of his car, making it possible for him to go to his law office each morning in his car. Realizing fully he has been knocking at death's door, Ulmer is cheerful and gives thanks for being alive. His strength is gaining steadily and he looks forward to the future with high hopes. He lives with his wife and children at their home in Clearwater. Note: Ray E. Ulmer Jr. said last week that he and his father walked into a game of the world champion Clearwater Bombers in 1948. "He never walked again," said Ray Ulmer Jr., a Pinellas-Pasco circuit court judge. "People were so afraid of the polio virus back then, that it was hard to get any nursing care." And mobility was difficult in the days before the Americans with Disabilities Act. Wheelchairs were heavier, and the courthouses had no elevators, though the county built a ramp at the courthouse for Ulmer, probably the county's first. "They had to take the window out of the train to transport him to Warm Springs," Ray Ulmer Jr. said. His father was later elected justice of the peace, he said, and became a county judge in 1959, handling probate and guardianship, before retiring to part-time private practice about 1970. He died in 1981. Feb. 6, 1928: Engineer rescues woman from surf CLEARWATER -- Paul Atwood, an engineer who has been employed on projects in this section, proved himself a hero when he rescued an elderly woman from drowning in the surf off Clearwater Key Friday afternoon. The woman pitched in the water after stepping on a loose piece of decking on the pier running out into the Gulf from Mandalay. She was struggling in the water as fisherman on the pier tried to drag her to safety with fishing poles, when Atwood jumped in and brought her ashore. She was taken home in an automobile by friends who accompanied her, leaving without giving name or address. Jan. 20, 1928: Vending machines called legal CLEARWATER -- Cranking of vending machines is still heard throughout Clearwater. The devices appear to be extremely popular in cigar and newsstands and other establishments. The city attorney was asked by the City Commission at its latest meeting to render an opinion concerning the legality of vending machines. The matter came up through complaints made to the mayor that some of these devices took the money but refused to give anything in exchange. The city attorney has decided that vending machines are legal, as far as the city ordinances are concerned, and the city can only prosecute owners when the devices do not contain the mints or other merchandise that are supposed to be dispensed when a coin is placed in the slot. Jan. 18, 1950: New York cameras focus on Tarpon TARPON SPRINGS -- Tarpon Springs is due for some nationwide publicity in the near future, according to Joe Costa and Dick Thory of the New York Sunday Mirror, who have spent the past two days photographing interesting scenes and people. Accompanying them on the tour of the city is Frank Johnston of the Florida State News Bureau. Local girls have been used for many scenes at the Sponge Exchange and on board sponge boats. The girls, who have been attractively dressed in native Greek peasant costumes, are Miss Lula Panagis, Miss Mary Houllis, Miss Lula Cardullias, Miss Irene Klonaris and Miss Nickie Orfanides. Underwater scenes of a sponge diver were photographed at Weeki Wachee Spring. The group plans to remain in Tarpon Springs throughout the week. -- Theresa Blackwell compiles the history column. She can be reached at (727) 445-4229 or blackwell@sptimes.com.
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From the Times North Pinellas desks |
