We Don't Like Change

...I'll stand here, not budging!  I can and I will, If it makes you and me and the whole world stand still.

Of course the world didn't stand still.  The world grew.  In a couple of  years the new highway came through, And they built it right over those two stubborn Zax.  And left them there, standing un-budged in their tracks.    - Dr Seuss

Ted Geisel (a.k.a) Dr Seuss, has always been one of my favorite poets.  The quote above is from a poem called "The Zax" and is full of lessons about growth and change.  

Saturday, for the first time in almost a year I went to downtown Winter Park, something I've been doing for several decades.  With me was my friend Christie, who knows downtown Winter Park better than anyone (including me.)  She also knows the backstory on downtown development,  The following is one of those stories.  

Over the decades every single one of the homes in this corridor was torn down - except  one. The Kummer-Kilbourne house was built in 1915.  The owner's daughter, Christine Kummer, lived in the house her entire life until she died, at age 94 in 2011.  She and her husband, David Kilbourne  had successfully fended off buyers, mostly developers, for more than 50 years.  She was a member of my church during that time and that's why I began to take an interest in the house. 

But, much like the Zax in Dr. Seuss's poem, downtown Winter Park did not stand still.  I remember when Jacobson's Department Store was the house's neighbor to the North.  Now that block is full of fancy, upscale shops on the first flour and offices on the second floor.  

As the years went by and the Kilborne's aged, the house began to be in need of a facelift and some people (developers mostly) complained.  But to no avail. 

So, there it stood in the best location in the most desirable and expensive neighborhood in Central Florida.  In 2011 a developer named Allan Keen, negotiated with the family to buy the house.  The two biggest issues were price and the home's preservation.  Mr. Keen bought the green and white two story bungalow for $1,002,000 and an agreement about the home's preservation.  

Here I am on Saturday morning in front of the house.  Mr. McKeen's offices are located inside.  Beautifully landscaped and maintained, the house still has its green and white exterior.  The signage out front is all about the history of the Kummer-Kilbourne house.  

I was happy to see it - because I like beautiful old things and people. 

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The Sad Story of the Singing Cowboy

 Ken Maynard was a huge cowboy star in the 1920s and 30s.  He was the forerunner of the singing cowboy, and was one of the biggest western stars of all time.

He successfully bridged the gap between silent movies and "talkies," and was also a screenwriter and director.  He blazed the trail in Hollywood for Gene Autry and my personal singing cowboy favorite, Roy Rodgers. 

Ken also was a "sort of," a relative to mine on my mother's side of the family.   It used to be fun to brag about this because nobody had the slightest idea who he was.  But, to my surprise, several years ago I saw Ken Maynard posters on my grandsons bedroom walls. 

As I've mentioned before I'm on an email string of  40 plus story telling relatives.  This past week one of Ken Maynards's real relatives shared a bit of history about him.  He grew up in Columbus, Indiana.  He and his brother, Kerm (short for Kermit - forerunner of the famous adorable frog) were notorious for being rowdy bad boys, always into mischief.  One day there was a factory explosion in Columbus and the boys' parents first response was "what in God's name have you done now?"  

Both Ken and Kerm rode horses and were trick riders in circuses, carnivals and rodeos.  Ken eventually went to Hollywood and became a stuntman, Kerm soon followed but was never as successful as his brother.  But he was a good human being and lived a much better life.

Ken Maynard, along with all of his talent and success, was not a good person.  He was personally disliked by most everyone who knew him. He plowed through all of his money and ended up an alcoholic living in a trailer in South Florida.  A sad ending, indeed. 

For those of you who have my book,  New Day, there's a poem about him on page 16.

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