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Still a town unlike any other

Jimmy Brown's adopted home has changed some, but it hasn't lost its identity.

By MICHAEL KRUSE
Published October 15, 2006

	[Times photo: Edmund D. Fountain]
	From left, Emily Nixon, 9, her sister Alyssa Nixon, 6, Hannah Jimmerson, 13, and Jimmerson's mother Vickie Jimmerson wait at Hernando High School on Saturday before the start of the Founder's Day Parade. The four were walking in the parade, handing out Confederate battle flags and telling people about a Civil War re-enactment at Tom Varn Park later in the afternoon. The parade is part of Brooksville's Founders Week events.

I'll be 54 in January. I have lived almost all my life in what would be considered small towns and small cities with the exception of nine years I spent in Maryland when we lived in the suburbs of Washington, where I went to junior high school, high school and undergraduate school up there.

But as a kid, I lived in Oxford, Miss., where my dad was teaching at Ole Miss. I lived in a small town in Illinois for seven years, and for one year, I lived in Connecticut when my dad was teaching at Yale. I've got eight years above the Mason-Dixon Line.

I always wanted to be a lawyer. My dad's dream had been to be a lawyer, and he was in law school when World War II started. Then his father died, and he had to go back to take over the family business. So I was 8 when he went back to law school in Gainesville. I was always around the law, and when I was 9 years old, I made up my mind that I wanted to be a lawyer. When it came time for me to go to law school, I wanted to go to UF because my dad had graduated from there, and I always loved Gainesville when I was a kid, and always wanted to go back.

I did an internship in the Public Defender's Office in Jacksonville in 1975 and graduated in 1976. I started looking for work and interviewed with the State Attorney's Office. I interviewed with several different offices and got offers in Lake City and Gainesville and here. And I came down here, met Jackson Brownlee, who's remained a very close friend and who had been in law school with my dad, and I liked this area immediately. It reminded me of Gainesville, but of the old Gainesville. At that time, it wasn't crowded with cars and development. But the topography and the people reminded me a lot of Gainesville.

I remember my dad saying that when he drove into Gainesville, it felt like home. The first time I drove into Brooksville, I had the same feeling. This was the last place I interviewed, and the lowest paying of the three, but I took it anyway. I liked the people. The men were gentlemen and the women were ladies in the best old, Southern tradition.

Despite the fact that I had no real ties to Brooksville - and the county was much smaller then, I think maybe 42,000 people in the whole county, and family history meant a lot - but despite that fact I was treated with respect and kindness and friendship here.

I felt like I had been adopted. That's how I felt. And still do.

When I bought my house, that was done with a handshake between me and Jimmy Kimbrough at a restaurant, and he sent somebody over with the keys and I had physical possession of the house for a month before we ever signed the papers.

I came here as an outsider and was immediately made to feel welcome. I decided right away this is where I wanted to be. The city has a nice feel to it. There is Southern hospitality to it. People in Brooksville were and by and large are still that way. That has an effect on people.

You'd walk down the street in the morning and see somebody and say hello or good morning, and you could tell the newcomers because they'd look away or look down or look through you. But over time, you'd see the same people, and they'd start to acknowledge that. Eventually, most people decide, hey, I like that. And they'll start nodding, saying hello, saying good morning, and when they start doing that, that has a ripple effect.

So I stayed with the State Attorney's Office from '76 to the end of '84 and then went into private practice here and have been in private practice since then.

Since World War II, there's been quite a homogenization process all over the country. Brooksville has not been immune to that. But the effect is different in Brooksville than it has been in, say, Tampa, or Orlando. Instead of just being affected by development, Brooksville seems to affect new things. We are changed by the new ideas and new people coming. But they are also changed by us, which is not necessarily the way it is in other places or towns that don't have the character and the history Brooksville does.

Brooksville exerts an effect back on whatever the new thing is.

We exert a force back. We're not just a passive target.

Brooksville has the energy of history behind it.

We have a Wal-Mart. We finally got a Wal-Mart. But the Wal-Mart is not obtrusive. Our Wal-Mart is set off the road. It doesn't immediately set off crowds and chaos. It's not standing out there and shouting at you. If this were Ocala or Tampa, it would be sitting up there like a strutting rooster. Brooksville's Wal-Mart is essentially the same as any other Wal-Mart if you want into it. But it kind of sits back in the trees and says, "Hey, I'm here if you'd like to come in and shop."

It doesn't intimidate. It doesn't threaten. It just fits in.

The Southern Hills development has the little railway car out front. You don't drive down 41 and see houses everywhere. The airport has a nice ring of trees around it.

The impact of development is softened by the environment. Things fit in as opposed to destroying and dominating. They meld in.

To the extent cities have personalities, I like Brooksville's feel. The city has a personality. It has personality traits like kindness, consideration, gentility, capability.

Whenever I retire, I intend to spend a lot of time up in the mountains - just because I love the mountains - but I'm never going to totally retire, and I'm never going to leave Brooksville. I hope that my daughter will wind up coming into the practice. And my partner's son if he decides to become a lawyer, he can move in behind her, so when I'm 70, I don't ever completely have to be away from the practice and don't ever completely leave Brooksville.

Michael Kruse can be reached at mkruse@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1434.

TODAY's schedule:

9 a.m.-11 p.m. Hernando County Rodeo & Barbecue Festival, Hernando County Airport.

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tour of Historic Homes, Heritage Museum. $12.

4-8 p.m. "Swing Time at the Station," an open house at the Russell Street train station with music by Charlie Vegas and the New Blues Combo. Food is available. Admission is free.

4:30-5:30 p.m. Spring Hill Bible 10th anniversary celebration, 5449 Spring Hill Drive. Gymnastics, dance and karate team demonstrations. Admission is free.

BROOKSVILLE FOUNDERS WEEK

Monday

10, 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Bus tours of historic Brooksville. One-hour tours depart from the Heritage Museum. 799-0129.

1-4 p.m. Victorian tea, Brooksville Woman's Club, 131 S Main St. $5. 848-7988 or 584-0479.

2 p.m. Great Brooksvillian ceremony, Brooksville City Hall. 544-5407.

2:45 p.m. Founding fathers dedication and time capsule, Brooksville City Hall. 544-5407.

3:15 p.m. The lecture "Looking Back in Time," Hernando County Library main branch, 238 Howell Ave. Roger Landers and Imani Asuskile.

Tuesday

9, 10 and 11 a.m. Walking tours of Brooksville Cemetery. Tours start on the hour. 544-5495.

10, 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. One-hour bus tours of historic Brooksville depart from the Heritage Museum. 799-0129.

1-4 p.m. Victorian tea, Brooksville Woman's Club, 131 S. Main St. $5. 848-7988 or 584-0479.

7-11 p.m. Southern Heritage Costume Ball, Victoria's Steakhouse and Lounge, 11738 N Broad St. Music by the Longhorn Band. Free. 799-8985.

Wednesday

10, 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. One-hour bus tours of historic Brooksville depart from the Heritage Museum. 799-0129.

1-4 p.m. Victorian tea, Brooksville Woman's Club, 131 S Main St. $5. 848-7988 or 584-0479.

2:30 p.m. "A Moment in Time - Hernando's Heritage," Brooksville City Hall. Historical narrative film. 540-6780.

4:30 p.m. Browning Insurance building rededication, 1 N Main St.

5-7 p.m. City Hall Art Gallery reception, Brooksville City Hall. 544-5407.

6 p.m. Grace World Outreach Church, 20366 Cortez Blvd. 540-6780.

Thursday

9, 10 and 11 a.m. Walking tours of Brooksville Cemetery. Tours start on the hour. 544-5495.

10, 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. One-hour bus tours of historic Brooksville depart from the Heritage Museum. 799-0129.

11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Lunchtime Concert in the Park, Hernando Park band shell. Music by Nova Era. 754-4788 or 796-3734.

1-4 p.m. Victorian tea, Brooksville Woman's Club, 131 S Main St. $5. 848-7988 or 584-0479.

5-10 p.m. 14th annual Ethnic Festival, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 13485 Spring Hill Drive. Free admission and parking. 688-0663.

6:30 p.m. Sunset tour of Brooksville Cemetery. Bring your own flashlight. 799-3147 or 544-5497.

Friday

10, 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Bus tours of historic Brooksville. One-hour tours depart from the Heritage Museum. 799-0129.

Noon. Chamber of Commerce period costume contest, Brooksville City Hall. 796-0697.

1-2 p.m. "Highwaymen" painting demonstration by artist R. L. Lewis, Brooksville City Hall. 544-5407.

1-4 p.m. Victorian tea, Brooksville Woman's Club, 131 S Main St. $5. 848-7988 or 584-0479.

5-10 p.m. 14th annual Ethnic Festival, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 13485 Spring Hill Drive; rides, games, crafts, raffles, ethnic food booths. Free admission and parking. 688-0663.

6-9 p.m. Fifties and Sixties Sock Hop, Jerome Brown Community Center, Tom Varn Park. Live music and refreshments. Free. 754-4405.

6-9 p.m. Founders Week Carnival, Tom Varn Park.

Saturday

9 a.m.-2 p.m. Pumpkin festival and arts and crafts, Tom Varn Park.

799-0129.

9 a.m.-2 p.m. Market on Main Street, between Broad and Liberty streets in downtown Brooksville. 797-9330.

9 a.m.-6 p.m. Brooksville Blazin' Butts-n-Brisket Professional Barbecue Contest, Tom Varn Park. Live entertainment between noon and 6 p.m. Awards at 5 p.m. 544-5435.

10 a.m.-10 p.m. 14th annual Ethnic Festival, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 13485 Spring Hill Drive; rides, games, crafts, raffles, ethnic food booths. Free admission and parking. 688-0663.

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Genealogy and lineage workshop, Jerome Brown Community Center, Tom Varn Park. Speaker Linda Soloski presents "Our Ancestors, We're Glad They Were Here!" from 10 to 11 a.m., followed by personal help at computer stations to assist with genealogy searches. People attending are asked to bring documents (birth, death and marriage certificates; land records; wills; etc.) to help with the search. Punch and cookies will be served. Bring your own lunch. 592-9856 or 796-7996.

Noon-3 p.m. Preservation Vintage Clothing and Accessories Fashion Show and Luncheon, Brooksville Woman's Club, 131 S Main St. $18. 848-7988 or 584-0479.

Noon-11 p.m. Founders Week Carnival, Tom Varn Park. Free.

2:30 p.m. "A Moment in Time - Hernando's Heritage," Jerome Brown Community Center, Tom Varn Park. 540-6780.

Weeklong events

City Hall Art Gallery - 201 Howell Ave. Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Viewing of historical murals - Throughout downtown Brooksville.

Victorian flower arrangements by the Brooksville Garden Club - City Hall Art Gallery, 201 Howell Ave. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday though Friday.

"A Moment in Time - Hernando's Heritage" - On Hernando County Government Broadcasting, Bright House Channel 19, at various times during Founders Week.

Editor's note: These are the words of Brooksville lawyer Jimmy Brown as told to Times Staff Writer Michael Kruse.

[Last modified October 15, 2006, 07:23:58]