Feature Story and Photos By Larry H. Oskin
The exciting new Clermont book was recently launched at a special standing room only presentation at Cooper Memorial Library. The very successful launch event was orchestrated with book sales, editorial book signing autographs, a historic film presentation. It proved there is such a big interest in our Clermont’s history and that it has a uniting effect for our community. This comprehensive book celebrates the growth, people, events and his history of Clermont with beautiful photographs. Many notable Clermont government and community workers came to support this kickoff.
Clermont – The Book! This project got started about four years ago when the Cooper Memorial Library Association realized that an earlier history of the city by Miriam Johnson, titled, “Clermont, Gem of the Hills,” was running out. The publisher noted that it was out of print and that the original plates had been destroyed. The library board voted to pursue writing an updated version. The book editor Doris Bloodsworth noted, “This was no easy feat. It required retyping the entire manuscript and locating more than 275 photographs as a starting point.” They realized the earlier book was already very outdated and required considerable updating. They also found that there were significant details that needed to be included. They conducted additional research to expand the historical background of our community as well as to share new research on the years covered by the first book.
Clermont Book Editorial Team: Doris Bloodsworth became the primary writer and editor of this self-published book. Born in Huntington, West Virginia, her family moved here to the South Lake area in 1959. She graduated from Groveland High School. She and her husband John moved from Winter Park to Clermont in 2010. Bloodsworth is a Pulitzer-nominated journalist who reported for “The Wall Street Journal,” “Bloomberg” and “Orlando Sentinel.” She is the president and founder of Crosswords Communications and is the former Director of Communications for the City of Clermont and South Lake Chamber of Commerce. Lisa Graham is one of the co-authors. She is from Groveland and a fifth-generation Lake County resident. She worked at Lockheed Martin until retirement and now sells her photographic art online. Graham spent 45 hours over three months retyping the entire earlier book manuscript as a starting point for the new book.
Caryl Harris is president of the Cooper Memorial Library Association and is a retired librarian from Cooper Memorial Library. Harris helped locate hundreds of images for the new book. Toni Bell-Rescoe was a beloved high school teacher until her retirement. Clermont resident. Bell-Rescoe researched history of some of the Clermont schools. She and her husband Larry Rescoe live here in Clermont and are very active in supporting our community. Michelle Delaney worked in the school office featured in the historic film showed at the launch. She is a long-time business owner with her husband Bill. She has served as a South Lake Chamber Board member and loves Disney. She ran Clermont’s Christmas Parade many years ago. Delaney is the editor of the “South Lake Tablet” and researched Clermont’s 125th-anniversary celebration. She and Bill Delaney own Buena Vista Publishing. Miriam Johnson and Rosemary Young were the co-authors of the earlier book. They are credited since they used a significant part of the earlier book for this new book.
Clermont Book Sales: You can buy this new Clermont book at the Cooper Memorial Library at 2525 Oakley Seaver Drive in Clermont on North Hancock Drive, Mondays to Thursdays, from 8 AM to 6 PM. The regular list price is $35. The special launch cost is now only $25 at the library. The book is also available at the Citrus Tower at the list price. They will host a new book signing and showing of the 1920s Clermont film this Saturday, Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to noon. The film will be shown at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. as well as at noon. These books can now be ordered online at www.ClermontBookClub.com and it can be picked up at the library or mailed to you.
Next Clermont Book Events: During January, the library will be promoting a community-wide read of “CLERMONT: From Gem Of The Hills to Choice Of Champions.” As part of that initiative, the library is hosting a two-part series on the history of Clermont led by the book’s editor and co-author, Doris Bloodsworth. The series will cover additional material and allow for the showing of additional film, images, guest speakers and anecdotal material. There is a daytime session on consecutive Fridays and an evening session on consecutive Wednesdays.
The special Clermont Reads History! Part 1 presentation will be held on Wednesday, January 15 – 6:30 to 7:30 pm and Friday, January 17 from noon to 1 pm. The second special Clermont Reads History! Part 2 will be held on Wednesday, January 22 – 6:30 to 7:30 pm and Friday, January 24 from noon to 1 pm. Online registrations for both events are now available at: ClermontBookClub.com
They will be selling this new book at the December South Lake Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Program starting at 7:15 am on December 20, and they will present the program for the January 17, Chamber Breakfast at which time they will show the 1920s Clermont film. To further help support our Clermont community and tourism, they will promote this book at a number of events in 2020, such as the Pastfinders Annual Mid-Winter Genealogy Conference on February 15, 2020, and they hope to share the book and film at the Clermont High School Alumni’s annual reunion. The Clermont Historical Society may soon be offering this book at the Clermont Historic Village.
Clermont Book Extras: The first Clermont history book mostly covered the history of the city from the founding through 1974. The new book goes back to the city’s formation during the Ice Age and includes more details about the Timucua tribe that lived here. All new are details about the history from 1974 to the present, including the triple freezes during the 1980s that wiped out the local citrus industry, the notable rise of the triathlons in Clermont and the new branding of Clermont recognizing the city as a destination for elite athlete training. The book is very current and includes details as recent as this year. They have included details about Clermont during major national events; including Y2K and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. It includes other major local milestones, such as the merger of Clermont and Groveland High Schools, the new schools and neighborhoods, such as Kings Ridge, Summit Green and Legends, that rose in the aftermath of the freezes. They did additional research to highlight the achievements of the black community, among other new highlights.
Clermont – The Book serves several purposes! it is a must-have for people who enjoy local history and it will be a great new reference guide. It will be a wonderful gift that will last for many years. For more information, visit: www.ClermontBook.com and the Cooper Memorial Association on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Cooper-Memorial-Library-Association-113140806802903/
EDITORIAL NOTE: Larry Oskin is a writer and photographer for the South Lake Tablet. He is the owner of Marketing Solutions / Art Beautique, offering creative marketing, media relations and professional fine art photography services. He is a Board Member of the Clermont Downtown Partnership, the Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra and the Clermont Historic Society. For more information, contact Oskin at 703-508-6800 or at LOskin@MktgSols.com.
