Adams, Hugh

 

While much of Hugh Adams achievement in life occurred away from Punta Gorda - a true small town boy success story - perhaps his greatest accomplishment happened right here in Punta Gorda, his work with the community in the mid-1960s to voluntarily integrate Charlotte County Schools, making Charlotte the first county in Florida to successfully do so. 

Hugh Adams was born in Punta Gorda in 1928. After the death of his father, when Hugh was nine-years old, he worked in a grocery store alongside his mother and sister to support the family.  Hard work was what he believed in, and what drove him his entire life.

Adams grew up in Punta Gorda and graduated from Charlotte High School, going on to attend Florida State University and ultimately attain a doctorate.   He taught school and advanced to assistant professor and Dean of Men at Florida State, leaving there to become the first appointed superintendent of Charlotte County schools in 1963.  It was during those four years here that Adams worked to provide an equal education for all Charlotte County students - persuading the community to "do the right thing."

After four years as superintendent of schools for Charlotte County, the then Governor Kirk appointed him as Vice-Chair of his education commission which led to a career as President of Broward Community College from which he retired as well as to numerous appointments to local, state and national level committees, boards and commissions.  He was also President of his local United Way, Kiwanis Club, Opera Guild, and the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities and Director of Sun Banks and the Southeastern Florida Holocaust Museum and involved in a plethora of other organizations. 

Adams was also a stellar athlete, captain of the football team at Florida State and later a high school football coach.  He served in the United States Navy and attained the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Recognized for distinguished service by many awards, he has been included in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in American Education, the Phi Theta Kappa Hall of Honor and the Sports Hall of Fame of Florida State University. While much of Hugh Adams achievement in life occurred away from Punta Gorda - a true small town boy success story - perhaps his greatest accomplishment happened right here in Punta Gorda, his work with the community in the mid-1960s  to voluntarily integrate Charlotte County Schools,  making Charlotte the first county in Florida to successfully do so. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A mentor to many in the generation of Punta Gorda’s woman leaders that followed her, Helen Wrobbel left an enormous imprint on the city she loved. 

After arriving in Punta Gorda in 1958 from Ohio, as a single parent with four children, Helen worked in the restaurant business including running a truck stop, a catering business and then later with her second husband, Frank, a full-service restaurant.  After a personal battle with cancer, she gave up that career and went on to serve the community for over a quarter of a century as a leader in numerous local organizations. 

First, among her many achievements was driving the consolidation of the volunteer fire stations to form the Charlotte County Fire Department in the early 1980s.  Her other service roles included stints as president of the local American Cancer Society, the Democratic Woman’s Club, the GFWC Punta Gorda Woman’s Club, and the Punta Gorda Historical Society.  While President of the Historical Society, she executed a plan to help ensure the ongoing preservation of the History Park, Historic Train Depot and Woman’s Club Building.

She continued to be an active member of both the Historical Society and Woman’s Club until her death in 2014.  You could find her almost daily at the historic building on Sullivan Street that she promised her own mentor, Lois Peeples, that she would care for.  Helen was also a committed member of the Charlotte Symphony and was a founding board member of the Punta Gorda History Center. She was instrumental in saving and preserving many of the town’s historic buildings and passionate about preserving the documents integral to Punta Gorda’s history. (1918 - 2014)