Saturday, September 21, 2013

 


It happens all too often …..
A loved one passes away and you are left to clean out their home.
Perhaps it was your childhood home, filled with warm, happy memories.
You always knew this day might come, and now, it’s here …. the task you always dreaded. Heavy-hearted, you begin the inevitable task.

What do you find?
In the back of the closet are many small boxes filled with old photos, memorabilia and/or newspaper clippings.  As you start to look through the photos, you realize some of them you have seen many times before.  However, others are unfamiliar.  You have no idea who the people are, where the pictures were taken, when they were taken or why they had been saved all these years.

Your first instinct is to keep the photos and items which are familiar to you and to discard the rest.  But, before you throw anything away, why not look for clues or information to identify those once-treasured items before you “toss” them!

The Tamarac Historical Society has been researching our history for the past four years.  We are always hoping to find an interesting new item or piece of information.  Recently, we got very lucky!

We knew of Edward Grant who had served as Secretary/Treasurer to Ken Behring, the developer of Tamarac. We felt sure he’d have interesting stories to tell.  We tried to contact him but, after several failed attempts, we moved on to other leads.

To celebrate Tamarac’s 50th Anniversary of incorporation, Ken Behring, himself, attended our  “kick-off” reception-party, in December, 2012.  Then,

They contacted us and offered a treasure-trove of articles, documents, photos (including a picture of Commercial Boulevard when it ended at State Road 7) and many other never-before-seen articles, about the inception of Tamarac, which had belonged to his late father.  The value of this material is priceless.  We were lucky this time, but, many times we are not.

Had the young Grants “tossed” away this precious material it would never have found its way to the archives of the Tamarac Historical Society.  We are grateful to them.

The lesson to be learned here is simple: before you toss away any pictures, clippings or memorabilia about Tamarac, please contact us.  The Tamarac Historical Society’s mission is to research, collect, preserve and exhibit the history of Tamarac with goals of enlightening the community about our heritage while passing on an enduring legacy for future generations.
   
on July 19th, we had our formal Anniversary Ceremony which touched the hearts of many Tamarac residents.  The sealing of the Time Capsule, the local dignitaries, the band and the barbeque awoke the civic pride in our people.  Among them were Edward Grant, Jr. and his wife, PJ.  They had been cleaning out the closets of his father, the late Edward Grant, Sr., who, unbeknownst to us, had recently passed away.

Tamarac Historical Society Time Capsule commemorates the 50th Anniversary

The Tamarac Historical Society compiled a Time Capsule to commemorate the city of Tamarac’s 50th anniversary. On July 19, 2013, the exact day of the city’s incorporation back in 1963, members and residents gathered with the City’s Mayor and Commissioners to dedicate the time capsule.

While many time capsules are buried in the ground the Tamarac Historical Society wanted the time capsule above ground and in plain view so it would never be lost, destroyed by the elements or just forgotten. The Public Art Committee commissioned Christopher Reisert, a glass artist and Angelo Maybin, a furniture designer to create and build an enclosure for the capsule and a one of a kind glass sculpture to capture the 50thanniversary logo. The time capsule is located a the Tamarac Community Center entryway for all to see.

The dedication ceremony consisted of comments by the Mayor Talabisco, Vice Mayor Harry Dressler, and Commissioners, Sheriff Scott Isreal, George Gadson, President of the Public Art Committee and Barbara  Tarnove, President of the Tamarac Historical Society. The program included essays written and resented by the school children who participate in the historical society’s essay contest of “What is fun about Tamarac”  and “What will Tamarac be like in 2038” 25 years after the dedication when the time capsule will be opened. It is the wish of the historical society that the tradition started on this day will continue to be honored, every 25 years with time capsule being opened and then resealed.

A barbeque and a band added to the festivities as we marked this historic occasion.