Living Legends of Lake County

09/13/2019

Many of the veterans showing up on our banners in downtown Eustis are unofficial Living Legends of Lake County.

The Hometown Heroes Banner program is starting to show up on the poles in downtown Eustis! The first batch, 35 of them, should all be up shortly. We have another batch on order and when they arrive, they will also go up. After they are all in place, we will have a map available in select downtown locations so you can walk around and see what some of our Lake County citizens looked like during their military days. Partial proceeds benefit Vet Fest Lake County. See more photos on our Artisan Laser Guild page. (All banners for 2019 have been sold. This will be an annual event. Banners stay up until mid-November.) Sheriff Peyton Grinnell is shown below his banner. (Thanks to Nan Cobb for the photo.)

10/19/2018

We had originally scheduled a Living Legends of Lake County event for next week but it needs to be postponed because our host, Timothy Totten, has a personal conflict that can't be avoided.
Later next week, look for an announcement for a January date where we will interview and honor Lake County Women's Hall of Fame Inductee and local philanthropist, Ann Hufstetler Rou, for her outstanding work in our community.

09/30/2018

Two new Living Legends of Lake County events coming up in October! Stay tuned!

06/11/2018

Our interview with law enforcement pioneer Jo Tucker is finally online. Check out this fascinating hourlong talk with a "first" in Lake County.

Host Timothy Totten interviews Living Legend of Lake County, Jo Tucker. Widely considered the first female police officer in Lake County, Florida, Mrs. Tuck...

03/24/2018

This lovely, inspirational lady has passed away. Our condolences to her family and the folks at Bay Street Players.

Living Legends of Lake County honors Deborah Carpenter, one of the founders of the Bay Street Players in Eustis, Florida and founding director of the Young P...

11/16/2017

Our latest uploaded interview is from March 2016, with one of the founders of the Bay Street Players Theatre in Eustis, Mrs. Deborah Carpenter.

Living Legends of Lake County honors Deborah Carpenter, one of the founders of the Bay Street Players in Eustis, Florida and founding director of the Young P...

06/05/2017

In a week where Wonder Woman rules the box office, we give you Lady Lake's own version, Gloria Austin. Founder of the Carriage Museum and dynamic North Lake County figure, Austin spends her life leading the way for women in traditionally male-dominated fields. Watch the fascinating and energetic interview with this Living Legend of Lake County here.

A noted figure in the international carriage driving world, Gloria Austin shares here journey as a mother, advocate for the developmentally disabled, entrepr...

02/11/2017

Timothy Brian Totten interviewing our Living Legend Gloria Austin on February 9, 2017 at the Grand Oaks in Weirsdale among her lovely carriages. There was a sold out crowd of 150 people.

11/06/2016

South Lake County fixture, Ann Dupee, sat down with our interviewer, Timothy Totten, for a wide-ranging hourlong discussion about her early life, her experience promoting the Icecapades, her own adventure as publisher and chief bottle washer of the South Lake Press and her time on the Clermont city commission. Dupee, who passed away in November 2016, shared her personal journey and detailed her influence on a growing and changing Clermont and South Lake County. An inductee into four halls of fame, Dupee shows her zeal and impact in this insightful interview.

08/24/2016

EUSTIS MAYOR DONATES LOCAL HISTORICAL DVD SERIES TO LAKE COUNTY LIBRARIES, HIGH SCHOOLS

EUSTIS, Fla. (August 24, 2016) - As the third generation of his family to call Lake County home, Eustis Mayor Michael Holland knows a little about local history. It's a subject he hopes to share with area high school students and library patrons across the county.

A longtime member and supporter of the Eustis Historical Museum, Holland is the season sponsor of the group's popular "Living Legends of Lake County" interview series and has personally paid to have copies of the first six volumes of interviews distributed to each Lake County public library and high school.

The series, which features live interviews with influential Lake County residents, includes talks with luminaries such as longtime Supervisor of Elections Emogene Stegall, former �Sheriff Evvie Griffin and South Lake Press publisher and Clermont fixture Ann Dupee. For Holland, the series is an opportunity to share our history with our children and new residents.

�"Growing up in Lake County, I got to learn at the knee of some very smart and influential people," says Holland, whose family operated a furniture store in Eustis for more than seventy years. "I'm happy that this series continues and that I can share some of those great people with future generations by donating copies to our libraries and schools."

While the series currently features interviews with fourteen Legends, there are plans for at least ten more, says former museum president Timothy Totten, who hosts the interviews on behalf of the Eustis Historical Museum.

"We expect to keep doing one interview a month," says Totten, who personally selects each Legend based upon simple criteria. "As long as we can find people who are retired or almost retired and who have made a huge difference in the county, we'll continue to capture their stories for future generations."

The interviews, which are free and open to the public, are typically hosted once per month. Future interviews are set to include the current Florida Principal of the Year, Rhonda Hunt, longtime Groveland Police Chief Tommy Merrill, and the founder of the Carriage Museum, Gloria Austin. DVD sets can be purchased from the Eustis Historical Museum by calling 352-483-0046. Additionally, select interviews are available on the series YouTube channel by searching the popular video site for "Living Legends of Lake County."
For more information, please call Timothy Totten at 352-242-8111

08/15/2016

Pictures with Living Legends of Lake County: Jo Tucker hosted at W.T. Bland Public Library. Please Like, Tag, and Share