The people Bob Dykes met along the way in building Brandon remain his foundation in the community now.
By BOB DYKES
Published June 27, 2003
As a resident of Brandon for the past 40 years, I have met many people through civic endeavors. Those relationships have led to some truly remarkable friendships and amazing accomplishments.
In the early years, while serving on the board of directors of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, we promoted a country-living lifestyle. The population exploded from 10,000 to more than 150,000 and is still growing.
In the mid 1960s, we were in dire need of a hospital. After five or six years of groundbreaking ceremonies, Paul Funderburk achieved our dream of a Brandon hospital. We no longer had to wait for the trains to clear the tracks on State Road 60 to get emergency medical help.
It took years to win the struggle to have a college in our community. The perseverance of Lee Elam, Spud Clements, Sandy Rodriguez, Earl Emmons, Sybil Patterson and many more eventually paid off, and today, we have the fast-growing Brandon campus of Hillsborough Community College. The vision and desire of these very close friends never faltered, even when told that a campus would never happen.
A local funeral home, slated for demolition, was relocated across the lake on John Moore Road with the help of many civic organizations and dedicated individuals, such as Alan Feldman, Marion Funderburk, Ralph Stoddard, Hilda Hampton, Julian Craft. That building became the Brandon Cultural Center, which later was renamed Center Place. It's truly a great location for gatherings and the arts.
Hours of unselfish negotiations and committee work by Brandon's finest brought us two beautiful golf courses, one private, one public.
Tom Lee, Paul Funderburk, Rodriguez and I, while serving on the Hillsborough County Planning Commission, tried to bring a viable plan to the Brandon community, but the agendas of many were too self-serving to lock down a quality comprehensive plan. Today, government and planners are working feverishly to deal with the phenomenal growth occurring in our area.
The people of our community also joined together to bring us the Crosstown Expressway, Bloomingdale High School, the completion of Interstate 75, the expansion of the S.R. 60 business district to Oakfield Drive and a camp for kids with cancer.
But far more important were the new acquaintances we made.
As the drama played out on these endeavors, a wonderful and exciting feeling of respect and admiration for these talented individuals came into my life.
It is an experience I wish everyone could have within his or her lifetime.
