One or our goals in writing the weekly ‘Countdown to Centennial,’ is to collect more historical information about our school and the impact that it has had on our community over time. We are so delighted that we have received information, corrections and additions from alumni and friends. We hope to gather more anecdotes and reaction as we approach the 2010 centennial!
Recently, 1968 ZHS graduate, Wayne Bodiford emailed us with some fascinating tidbits! Wayne is a great example of a ZHS grad that has gone on to make us proud by the way! Wayne is currently the Director of Financial Aid and Veteran’s Affairs at St. John’s River Community College. We shared Wayne’s historical anecdote at a recent gathering of our ZHS 100th year committee, and his former teacher, Caroline Marlette, beamed with pride to discover that he had become an educator. We think you will enjoy the information which relates to the school annual, The Zephilsco.
Some background on the school annual—in research, we discovered that ZHS School Annuals (now more commonly known as yearbooks) date back to 1946. The Zephyrhills Depot has quite a collection if you would care to gaze through them and walk down memory lane. ZHS alumni, Margaret Seppanen has painstakingly collected and displayed them at the Depot. Interestingly enough our research also located a 1935 ZHS Annual (similar to a newsletter but called an annual) which was known as the ‘Spotlight,’ which featured an interesting assortment of stories and a profile of each school senior. The first modern Annual, however, was in 1946.
The Zephilsco was officially named by ZHS student Betty Jo Turner Hyder in the year 1948. Betty Jo is the former owner of Marion Smith Florist and was a teacher and guidance counselor at ZHS as well. Betty Jo said there was a contest at ZHS and she won a prize of five dollars (a handsome sum in those days) for coming up with the name. Betty Jo related that in the 1940’s students were allowed to go home for lunch at noon and often went to local homes as guests. The brainstorming for the annual’s name occurred during one of these lunch times and was actually dreamed up by her friend, Jane Kerr. When they returned to school her friend was a bit too shy to submit the name so Betty Jo submitted it and won the prize.
Wayne Bodiford gave us “the rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey might have said! Wayne said, “From 1966 to 1969 I had an after school job at Kerr’s Cold Storage in Zephyrhills and my boss was Mr. James W. “Jimmy” Kerr. I began working in the afternoons and on Saturdays during high school, but worked there until the business, which had opened on October 1, 1944, closed on October 1, 1969. One day at work, probably during my senior year in 1968, I was showing my annual to Mrs. (Geraldine) Kerr, and she told me about the annual-naming contest. She said that her daughter, Jane Kerr, gave the name Zephilsco for the contest (apparently to her friend, Betty Jo), but it was actually Mrs. Kerr who originated the name. She merged the names of the city, Zephyrhills and the County, Pasco—hence the name Zephilsco. I’ve just always thought it to be an interesting piece of ZHS trivia I learned from working in the “butcher shop” for Mr. and Mrs. Kerr. Incidentally, the location of the business was beside (practically UNDER) the original water tower, downtown, and it had wooden butcher blocks, sawdust floors, and a wood-fired Smokehouse.”
The class of 1948 included: Jayne Kerr, Joan Steve, Jane Smith, Norma Gregory, Connie Palmer, ELlen Massey, June Lashley, Betty Jo Turner, Dick King, Bill Eiland, Richard Rosenvold, James Burgess, Fred Gore, Jack Green, Fred LeHeup, George Smith and Pauline Anderson.
Photo of water tower provided courtesy of Jeff Miller from the West Pasco Historical Society,
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Countdown to Centennial All rights reserved. Photos © Madonna Jervis Wise |