Highlands History - Sunday News-Sun, June 21, 1987

Woman offers glimpse at old country paper by Audrey Vickers

The announcement that The Sebring News will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a special edition on Wednesday, June 24, brought a flood of memories for at least one local woman.

"Those memories are older than The Sebring News," she said and laughed. Vera Hendershot recalled the year she came to the city.

Now retired and widowed twice, the still active Hendershot recalled her brother, J. Alvin Keen, raving about the "Florida Boom" after he arrived in Sebring in the early twenties.

Fresh from her college graduation in Wilmington, Delaware, where she was born and raised, Vera was lonely since Keen went to Florida and sister was just entering college and leaving home.

When the call was issued that the Twin Cities Herald needed a society editor, advertising salesman, Keen thought he had found the right post for Vera.

And curious as she was about what was happening in the land of sunshine, she and her parents arrived in the city in 1925. Her parents purchased a home immediately on Lakeview Dr. and Vera went to work.

"It was more fun than work," she said and laughed when recalling the many activities taking place that year. "I went to everything."

And she wrote columns about oranges, sunshine and her college days, which she sent back to Delaware to her envious friends.

But after that year's working as society editor, Vera began to feel was not really qualified for the post and looked for something else to do.

Meanwhile, she and her brother, both accomplished musicians, had come into great demand. Her brother had taught voice at Ohio University and was also a violinist, while Vera played the piano.

Between their performances at local group functions, Vera became interested in operating a "tearoom."

"Tearooms were very popular in those days all over the country," she said. When a bungalow-still standing across from the present police department- became available, she got serious.

"We had enjoyed tearooms while I was in college as an off campus activity, so I was not unfamiliar with the operations, thought I was certainly not experienced.

So after refurbishing and decorating the bungalow, it was ready to open. Friends voted on a name. The Red Alligator won out.

Sight unseen, Vera hired a woman from Pennsylvania, who she heard was a good cook, and wanted to come to Florida after being widowed.

"She was an excellent cook, and the operation was a great success in the downtown," she said.

But while operating the tearoom, she became the object of the attentions of C.C. Cobb, who then owned and operated a men's store downtown.

"I can still remember the first time he walked me home from a musical program we gave the night the Sebring Hotel was dedicated, Oct 28, 1926," she said.

It wasn't long after that she sold the tearoom, married Mr. Cobb and the pair had two daughters. One, Dorothy Jean, and her husband are missionaries in India and have four children: the second daughter, Edith Marilyn is a medical technician in St. Petersburg, who comes home to Sebring every weekend.

Mrs. Hendershot still lives in what was a model house-a multi story redwood home (Photo before renovations) on the "hill" on Lakewood Terrace, east of the Snob Hollow Lakeview Dr. area. (Bought in 1994 by Paul & Marilyn Giroux. Street renamed Lakeview Terrace (House after renovations). http://www.snobhollow.com)

She had been trained as a kindergarten teacher in college and over the years used that knowledge in raising her children. Cobb sold his store and entered the citrus business. He died after 30 years of marriage.

Those early days, when Vera and her brother performed, are still fresh in her memory as activities take place in the city recalling those hotels that were the setting for such social events.

The Sebring Hotel (Vintage postcard. See disclaimer and copyright information below) was demolished when the new Palms Retirement Complex was constructed, but the Nancesowee (Vintage postcard photo. See disclaimer and copyright information below) and Harder Hall are still much as she remembers them.

"There was a large dining or banquet room next to the Nancesowee in those days," and dinner music was played every Sunday during the dining hours.

"We loved helping supply the entertainment over those years," she said.

After being widowed eight years, she met and married a fellow retiree, George Hendershot, who had been with General Motors in Flint, Michigan.

Now widowed* a second time, she lives quietly in her hilltop home and enjoys playing the organ and her lush patio, which her daughter keeps maintained on weekends.

Photo caption at left - Early Angler The early angler catches the bass and George Hendershot, of Lakeview Terrace, landed this 11 lb. 6 oz. large mouth last Monday at 5 a.m. while casting in Lake Jackson. George used a purple worm to attract this 23.5 inch prize. Newsphoto by Chapel. Photo is undated and may not be part of this article.

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