Street won't go back to old name

No part of Commerce Boulevard will be called Gim Gong Road. But the mayor wants to consider naming a park after the talented horticulturist.

By ED QUIOCO

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 12, 2001

OLDSMAR -- It appears the city is stuck with Commerce Boulevard.

Mayor Jerry Beverland has been pushing to change a block of the street, which extends north from Tampa Road, back to its original name. Until 1994, a portion of the street was called Gim Gong Road, after a turn-of-the-century Chinese-American named Lue Gim Gong.

In a recent memo to City Council members, City Manager Bruce Haddock points out that Oldsmar officials entered into an agreement that included changing Gim Gong Road to Commerce Boulevard -- and keeping it that way.

"I don't want to go against the agreement," Beverland said. "The agreement is legitimate and I understand that."

Beverland, however, isn't giving up on honoring Gim Gong, a citrus pioneer who was hired by Oldsmar founder Ransom Eli Olds to help set up a farming community for the city in the early 1900s. Beverland said he will support naming a planned 10-acre city park on Forest Lakes Boulevard after Gim Gong.

"I would rather have a park named after him," Beverland said. "I think that carries more credence and more people will hear about it."

Council members are scheduled to discuss the proposal next Tuesday, Beverland said.

Council member Don Bohr said he has no problem with honoring Gim Gong by naming a park after him. He said he was never really "too keen" on changing a portion of Commerce Boulevard.

"Having been a traveling salesman for many years, when you run into a street with different names, it gets confusing," Bohr said.

The city changed Gim Gong Road to Commerce Boulevard in 1994 because of a developer's request. The two sides signed an agreement that is still binding and "the city is obligated to have Commerce Boulevard remain the name of the street," according to Haddock's memo.

Known as the "Citrus Wizard," Gim Gong developed a more cold-resistant orange and is honored in his hometown DeLand with a bronze, life-size bust. Gim Gong crossed two types of oranges to create a hybrid that matured in the fall and could stay on the tree for about three years.

Gim Gong moved to DeLand to follow his mentor and friend, a New England spinster named Fannie Burlingame, whom he called "Mother Fannie." It was Mother Fannie who converted Gim Gong to Christianity and watched over his finances.

The decision to get rid of Gim Gong Road always has irked Beverland, who has promised not to give up on finding a way for the city to honor the talented horticulturist.

"Heck, we may even name something after Mother Fannie," Beverland said.

- Staff writer Ed Quioco can be reached at (727) 445-4183 or at quioco@sptimes.com.

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