Naylor, Robert C. "Bob"

 

Robert C. "Bob" Naylor Jr. was born on September 9, 1944, in New York, but spent much of his adult life residing in and dedicated to Punta Gorda.

Bob began his career as a member of the United States Marine Corps. Following his military service, he devoted over 35 years to Punta Gorda, initially serving as a volunteer firefighter. His commitment led to roles as a full-time firefighter, fire marshal, and ultimately fire chief. Additionally, he demonstrated his dedication to civic engagement through longstanding participation with the Punta Gorda Kiwanis Club—holding positions such as Treasurer and President—and through his leadership in organizing Punta Gorda's annual fireworks events for many years.

Bob was admired and loved by those who knew him for his kindness and spirit of adventure evidenced by his passion for travel especially riding on his Harley.

Bob and Christine Naylor were married for over ten years before he passed away last year.  He was father to Amy (Kim) Runkle, Tracy and Lois Naylor; grandfather to Casey, Mikal, Danielle, Ryan, and Becky; and great-grandfather to Bradleigh, Kyal and Malachi   He also had a stepdaughter, Lori. 

 

 

Goulding, Harry (Pete)

The City council first passed an ordinance proclaiming Punta Gorda as “The City of Hibiscus”.  In conjunction with the proclamation, 2,200 red hibiscuses were ordered and planted throughout the city, which apparently made quite an impression on native son Harry Goulding, known as “Pete” to everyone in town.

Pete’s dad, Joseph, had moved to Punta Gorda from North Carolina in 1895, intent on harvesting egret plumes in the Everglades.  At the time a sought after complement to ladies’ hats, they were literally “worth their weight in gold”.  Soon after his arrival though, the market dissolved when their use became illegal.  Joseph however, fortunately for us, decided to stay, becoming a fisherman.  Not too long afterward, in 1908, Harry was born. 

Brought up in the business, Pete began as a “footer”, whose job was moving a large gill net’s loose end (“foot”) to shore once fish were driven into the open net.  The net’s other end already being anchored to shore.  Soon he began keeping the records for Captain Joe’s fishing operation, going on to become a bookkeeper, and eventually vice-president and secretary of the Punta Gorda Fish Company, one of five located on the railroad dock at the foot of King Street (U. S. 41 north) in the 1920’s.  Pete loved the fishing industry, but his passion became hibiscus hybridization.

 He and his wife Reba, who grew up in Charlotte Harbor, resided in a small “board and batten” cottage, still standing albeit with subsequent additions, on West Retta Esplanade.  The story goes that in the early 1930’s, Pete travelled throughout the state, gathering samples of the 12 hibiscus varieties growing in Florida.  From that stock, in his backyard, he developed many of those seen today, with almost 500 registered varieties to his credit. 

Pete was also what some might call a “character” and a great storyteller with sharp wit, evidenced by some of the names bestowed on his creations; Hokey Pokee, Peeping Tom, Mini Skirt, Sleeping Single, and Honey Do.  He especially enjoyed messing with “out-of-towners” visiting him when they would inquire about his name, Harry or Pete?  He’d respond, “My full name is Pedro Pathiro Patholo Guatemala Gouchinhimier Diaz Goulding”, and then grin mischievously as they tried to write it down.

Known internationally as “Mr. Hibiscus” and “King Harry”, Pete was visited by hibiscus aficionados from around the world hoping to learn his techniques.  His “hobby” garnered him hundreds of awards at flower shows and the American Hibiscus Society proclaimed his blooms “Best in the World” five times.  The Society’s local entity, the Harry Goulding Chapter, is named in his honor.  On July 6, 1988, the city council, recognizing the accomplishments of Punta Gorda’s native son, proclaimed Harry Goulding Day and in 2000, the council reaffirmed Punta Gorda’s status as “The City of Hibiscus”.

Pete passed away in 1993 leaving the city, state, and world a more beautiful place. 

(From column by Frank Desguin)

 

Lazzell, Rufus C.

Rufus C. Lazzell was a decorated U.S. Army Brigadier General who, after retirement, became one of Punta Gorda’s most influential civic leaders, serving as Mayor and a driving force behind numerous community projects. Bon on March 29, 1929, in Huntington, West Virginia, he lived a life defined by service, leadership, and community dedication. For thirty years he served in the U.S. Army Infantry, with tours in Korea and Vietnam, earning numerous honors including the Purple Heart, three Bronze Stars, three Legion of Merit awards, two Silver Stars, and the Army Distinguished Service Medal

After retiring from the Army, Lazzell moved to Punta Gorda, Florida, where he embarked on a second career as a civic leader and volunteer. He served on the Punta Gorda City Council and was elected Mayor, remembered for his strong leadership and vision for the city. He organized “Rufus’s Raiders,” a volunteer group that bricked streets in downtown Punta Gorda, leaving a lasting mark on the city’s historic character. His influence extended into cultural life as Commodore of the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club, President of the Cultural Center of Charlotte County, and as the first inductee into the Military Heritage Museum’s Wall of Warriors.

Rufus Lazzell’s role in Punta Gorda was defined by his commitment to civic improvement and cultural enrichment. He transformed his military discipline into civic leadership, helping shape the city’s identity as a vibrant, historic, and community-driven place.  He left behind a legacy of both military valor and civic dedication that continues to inspire Punta Gorda residents today.

Rountree, Edgar Wesley

 Edgar Wesley Rountree was born on January 12, 1879, in Greenwood, Jackson County, Florida, to J.R. and Lula Rountree. In 1904, he married Lillian Alabama “Bama” Ward in Pinkard, Alabama. Together they had three sons: Edwin Wesley, William Erwin, and Richard Elvin.

Edgar began his career with the Florida Southern Railway as a depot agent in Gordon, Alabama. When the railway was acquired by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, he was transferred to Punta Gorda, Florida, in 1908. There, he worked as the freight agent and became the first station manager at the Punta Gorda Depot, performing duties as ticket agent, baggage handler, and telegraph operator.

Beyond his railroad work, Edgar invested in Punta Gorda’s growth. He purchased multiple properties in town.  He also establish a Coca-Cola bottling franchise in Punta Gorda, building a plant at Elizabeth and Allen Streets. His sons ran the business: Erwin managed the machinery, while Ebby oversaw distribution and customer relations.

Edgar was very active in civic organizations including being a charter member of the Punta Gorda Kiwanis, a Worthy Master Mason, President of the Chamber, School Board Member and city commissioner reflecting his leadership and community involvement.

Moss, Calvin

 Calvin P. Moss was a lifelong member of the Punta Gorda, Florida community whose passion for music shaped generations of students and enriched the cultural life of his hometown. Born on June 12, 1926, in Richmond, Virginia, he moved with his family to Punta Gorda in 1928—a place he grew to love and never left.

He graduated from Charlotte High School before serving his country in the Pacific Theater with the United States Navy during World War II. After his military service, he pursued advanced musical training at the prestigious Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland, deepening the talent and dedication that would become the hallmark of his life’s work.

Calvin returned to Punta Gorda to begin a distinguished 30-year career teaching vocal music in the Charlotte County Public School System. Through his instruction, encouragement, and enthusiasm, he influenced three generations of students, many of whom carried an enduring love of music into their own lives. Beyond the classroom, he was a devoted piano teacher, choir director, and frequent performer at community events, touching countless lives with his artistry and mentorship.

A man devoted not only to his craft but also to his family, Calvin shared 57 years of marriage with his wife, Arlina. Together, they raised two daughters, Elizabeth and Laura, and celebrated the joy of their granddaughter, Sarah.

Calvin Moss passed away on September 28, 2012, at the age of 86, after a short illness. His legacy lives on in the voices he trained, the music he shared, and the community he served for more than eight decades.

Baker, Gussie Peeples

 

Gussie Peeples Baker, always a Punta Gordan, was born on January 2, 1936 in Punta Gorda and lived her early years on Marion Avenue above the IGA Grocery store owned by her parents. Her parents named her Gussie, after her Grandfather Gus Cole, her mother’s father.  It didn’t take long for Gussie, a sixth-generation Floridian, to know her hometown’s main street - Marion Ave.  At the age of two she wandered away from home on her own, where her parents found her at the Church on Harvey Street – she had decided to go to Sunday school on her own.    And it was that determination to set out and accomplish things on her own, that she has demonstrated throughout her years in Punta Gorda.

Gussie graduated from Charlotte High School in 1954, where she was the head majorette and key player on the basketball team.  She attended Florida State University before returning to marry her high school sweetheart, Dale Russell Baker, on June 10, 1956.  They raised three children, and were blessed with eight grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren.

Keenly interested in her town’s history, she was a keeper of many of its memories, compiling scrapbooks, saving photos and other memorabilia, most of which are now at the Punta Gorda History Center.   In addition to educating newcomers, especially new mayors and city managers on Punta Gorda history, she was one of the founding members of the Punta Gorda History Center and an active board member. 

Gussie was also president of the group that organized the first Punta Gorda Block Party, and in the process formed the “Old Timers” Organization, which continued to contribute to charitable efforts over the years.  For twenty-three years she served on the Police Retirement Board, after she helped initiate the retirement plan for the City’s police department. 

Throughout her life, Gussie, was known only by her first name throughout town.  Her energy, enthusiasm, and willingness to give her all for the city she loved was a gift to Punta Gorda.

Written by Theresa Murtha

 

Trabue, Isaac

 

Mrs. Trabue at home.

Isaac Trabue, the founder of the town which became the present Punta Gorda, FL was a lawyer, coal mine operator, Union soldier during the US Civil War, and land developer.  He was born, raised, and died in Kentucky but the 22 years he lived in Florida saw his greatest achievement and his greatest disappointment, both of which were embodied in the town he founded.

Isaac Trabue was born on March 25, 1829 to Chastain and Elizabeth Trabue of Huguenot descent. His grandfather, General John James Trabue served as a patriot during the Revolutionary War.    His siblings included eight children four boys and four girls.  Chastain Trabue operated coal properties in Hawseville, KY, an Ohio River town located near the border with Indiana.  Details of Isaac's early education are lacking but he appears to have attended a military school in Georgetown, KY.  As a young man he apparently showed an aptitude for business as his father entrusted him with the management of at least some of his coal properties.

In the decades leading up to the Civil War Kentucky was a border state with divided loyalties.  Some 35,000 Kentuckians served in the Confederate army, but over 125,000 fought for the Union.  Among these was Isaac Trabue whose primary contribution to the federal war effort was logistical; he helped supply coal to Union transport steamships operating on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.  It is also noteworthy that prior to the war Isaac was a slaveholder but during the war he put his male slaves into the service of the Union commissary (supply) department, while his female slaves worked in Union military hospitals. 

After the war ended Isaac Trabue married Virginia Scarborough Taylor of Savannah, GA and the couple moved to Kentucky where Isaac had inherited his father's coal mines.  Isaac began a successful law career in Kentucky and actively participated in Republican politics.  He ran unsuccessfully for Congress, for state treasurer and for state attorney general and was a presidential elector for the state.  His successful law practice provided the funds for his next business venture:  land development.  He became interested in land investments as his coal mines began  to be less productive. 

In the 1880's Southwest Florida was still sparsely settled.  Transportation was primarily by coastal ships with railroad service limited to the northern part of the state.  The site of the future town of Punta Gorda was still primarily covered with palmettos, saw grass, and bush.    However, the climate (as today) made the region  attractive to settlers looking for cheap land and therefore to developers hoping to profit from expected growth.  Isaac Trabue's participation in this "boom" began with his purchase of a total of 380 acres along the Peace River  in 1883.  

This land was surveyed in 1884 and registered in 1885 in Manatee County as the site of the town of "Trabue", but its owner and namesake did not come to Florida until the next year, January 1886.   Mr. and Mrs. Trabue reportedly traveled from Jacksonville by train to Cedar Key (north of Tampa) then by coastal ship to the town site.  Their first residence was a cabin which they purchased from James and Sarah Lanier, the original settlers along with the land. The cabin was a typical backwoods home and differed significantly from the Trabues' living conditions in Kentucky, but they stuck it out. 

The next 22 years were marked by frequent conflicts, controversies, and disappointments for Isaac Trabue.  These often involved litigation, which he appears to have enjoyed.  The quarrels included disagreements with the broker who sold the land, the surveyor who laid out the town, and a relative who was Trabue's local representative until he moved to Florida.  As with many people of strong personality he appears at times to have been his own worst enemy, exacerbating quarrels rather than seeking to calm them.  His refusal to pay the surveyor's (Kelly B. Harvey) fee, for example, would lead to Trabue's greatest personal disappointment. 

The plan for the development of the town of Trabue of course depended on the sale of commercial and residential lots.  In the late 1800's the viability of a town very often depended on its access to railroad service.  Until  Isaac Trabue moved to Florida the sale of lots in the town had been slow, due primarily to the lack of railroad access.  In 1885, Trabue concluded an agreement with the Boston-based Florida Southern Railway to build a line to the town and at its terminus construct an upper-end hotel and depot for commercial and personal travelers.  The town's development began to accelerate following the completion of the track in late 1886. The town's growth included extensive dock facilities which followed completion of the railroad. 

Unfortunately for Isaac Trabue his refusal to pay the fee of Kelly B. Harvey, the town's original surveyor, now came back to haunt him.  As the town grew its population, not untypically for a "frontier" center, included a rough element and experienced a high (for the time) level of violent crime.  The unincorporated town had no taxing authority and as a result the public infrastructure was primitive at best, with one description reporting no streets or sidewalks and much of the area still covered in sawgrass and palmettos.  A group of citizens began to support the idea of incorporating the town as the basis for solving the law and order and infrastructure problems.   A prime mover in this group was Kelly B. Harvey, who was an active and well-liked member of the community with several businesses. 

In December 1887 a meeting was held in the second floor pool hall in a commercial building owned by Thomas Hector, another of the key members of the group supporting incorporation. 

A total of 34 qualified voters attended the meeting.  Incorporation of the town was approved but with the additional step of changing its name from "Trabue" to Punta Gorda, the original Spanish name for the area which appeared on early maps.  The support for the change was almost unanimous among the voters.  The reason appeared to include a personal dislike for Trabue (certainly on the part of Harvey),  perhaps compounded by his history as a Union supporter in an area which considered itself part of the Deep South.  Florida was one of the original seceding states and its population had contributed strongly to the South's war effort. 

In any case the name change affected Isaac Trabue deeply.  He and his wife had no children, and in a day when continuation of the family name was emotionally important he had seen the town as his legacy. Insult was added to injury for Trabue when in 1888 he was charged and convicted with obstructing a public park by enclosing his home's plot with a fence (since the home was located on park land).   In 1889 he sued to have the town dissolved on the basis of legal irregularities but his suit was ultimately rejected by the Florida Supreme Court. 

Isaac Trabue also struck back at the town when, in 1890, he was instrumental in having a black man, Robert Meacham, appointed a postmaster in Punta Gorda.  The sentiment of the times was against such a step, and perhaps for that reason Trabue enjoyed it all the more.  Meacham was only in office for two and a half years and was succeeded by Kelly B. Harvey, who in turn only occupied the post for a year. 

After his "victory" in the Meacham appointment Trabue remained in the town which once bore his name until a month before his death in 1907.  He devoted himself to his business interests and to the promotion of chess, his passion, as a pastime in the area.  He died in Dawson Springs, Kentucky and is buried in Frankfort, the state's capital.  He was survived by his wife for 17 years and left a considerable estate involving properties and other assets in Florida.  Perhaps not surprisingly his will was the subject of litigation for many years.

Isaac Trabue, the founder of Punta Gorda, was what at one time was called "a man of parts".  Service to his country, success in business, failure in politics, and a difficult (to his opponents) personality which ultimately became self-defeating all were part of the man whose vision led to the formation of the town of Punta Gorda.  (M. Surruco)