HISTORY OF THE SOUTHSIDE BUSINESS MEN’S CLUB
Welcome to the Southside Business Men’s Club. We are very proud of our
substantial history.
Following the merger of Jacksonville and South Jacksonville, in early
1932, the Southside Business Men’s Club was founded by a few civic minded men
who wanted to improve the working environment of the Southside of Jacksonville.
At that time, the Southside’s link with Jacksonville was by one bridge and an
old ferryboat. Only one telephone existed on the Southside and records show that
it was number 367 belonging to a Mrs. H.P. Phillips.
Early leaders of the Southside Business Men’s Club recognized the need for
banks, major businesses and adequate schools to be built and they set about the
task of accomplishing the goals of making this side of the river a safe and
prosperous part of Jacksonville.
Evidence of one of the Clubs earliest accomplishments is the Southside
Branch Library. The library is the result of the Club obtaining an appropriation
for its construction. The cornerstone of the library reads - “Through united
community effort, this building stands as a constant reminder of the initiative,
energy, and devoted service of the Southside Business Men’s Club.” Another
example of their diligence for improvement is Baptist Hospital. The hospital
solicited and received the Club’s assistance in obtaining its’ charter.
Meeting first in the back of the Lane Drug Store at 2011 San Marco
Boulevard, where the Bank of America branch now stands, they decided to meet
weekly in order to stay abreast of the issues of the day. They next met aboard
the old “City of Jacksonville,” a retired stern-paddle wheeler tied up where
Baptist Medical Center is today. American Legion Post 88 leased the old boat and
the ladies Auxiliary charged our members 50 cents for their hot lunch, 10 cents
of which went for the payment of dues. They later met at a restaurant at the
intersection then known as “Times Square”, now overshadowed by part of the
Southside’s expressway system. During World War II, the Club met in the
employees’ dining room at Gibbs Shipyards and later at the old Lobster House
Restaurant.
While dining each week on Southside’s dilapidated, debris-strewn
waterfront, the Club set about plans to convert that shoreline into a waterfront
park. Legal work and resolutions were used to acquire the land between the
bridges and our members served on the Citizens Advisory Committee during all
preplanning phases of Friendship Park. In 1965, the park was dedicated and
public officials gave our Club the lion’s share of the credit.
Streets, roads and traffic planning have long been a priority of the Club.
The old East Coast Railway right-of-way from Southside to the beaches was
secured by the Club for the construction of Beach Boulevard. The Club also
secured U.S. 1 south of Jacksonville as it is today. We had the honor of naming
it Philips Highway after Judge Philips and we were in charge of its dedication
when Governor Sholtz cut the ribbon to open it on July 12, 1934.
The Club did an outstanding job of fighting for the Main Street Bridge. We
were again in charge of the ceremonies in 1940 when governor Holland cut the
ribbon to open it. In 1966, the Club dedicated another road we fought for -
Interstate 95 - from Atlantic Boulevard to Bowden Road. Governor Hayden Burns
made the dedication remarks.
In mid 1982, recognizing the years of work to secure an overpass at
University and Philips highway, the Department of Transportation invited the
Club to the site at the onset of construction. There, each member present
signed his name on the first piling driven into place by Mayor Jake Godbold, who
operated the pile driver. At its completion in March of 1983, we met for lunch
on top of the overpass for the dedication ceremonies where the Mayor, local and
state dignitaries and officers of the Club cut the ribbon opening the overpass
to vehicular traffic. Immediately after the ceremony, the decorations and
ribbons were hastily pushed aside as the first vehicle to cross the new overpass
was an ambulance on an emergency run.
The youth of Jacksonville has also long been of interest to the Southside
Business Men’s Club. The early days of Landon High School saw the Club help buy
band instruments and uniforms for the school band and the Landon Lionettes, a
girl’s marching unit that became known nationwide. Over the years our members
have built many parks, soccer fields and furnished playground equipment
throughout Southside.
Many new schools served Southside’s growth in the 1950’s and 60’s and in
1969 our focus shifted to Pop Warner League projects. At that time, the “Little
Gator Bowl” game (a name sanctioned by the Gator Bowl Association and given
exclusively to us) was established. Each year, we sponsored the top teams
participating in the Pop Warner League as they competed in the mighty Gator Bowl
facility for the Championship. Game proceeds were used to sponsor our
scholarship fund for deserving Pop Warner boys and girls and to help perpetuate
Pop Warner activities in Jacksonville. We felt their programs fostered
principles of honesty, self-sacrifice and fair play in our youth.
Back in the 1930s, the roster of the Club was limited to a maximum of 30
members, but as South Jacksonville grew, so did our membership. In 1977, under
the direction of C. Lee Daniel, club membership grew to an all time high of 400
members. A motion was presented to the board to limit membership, however, it
failed.
In 1993, City Council Resolution 93-132-37 outlined the Club’s history and
proclaimed to the city of Jacksonville that proper recognition was given to the
Club for its years of service to the community. A framed copy of the resolution
was presented to a large contingent of past Presidents who gathered in Council
Chambers to accept the Resolution on behalf of the Club’s entire membership. It
was a prestigious honor indeed.
1994 saw the emergence of our Club-created Youth Achievement Program (YAP)
masterminded by past presidents Fred Harford and Gene Bushor. This program,
together with the schools, recognizes youths who are contributing to their
school and its neighborhood, notably through involvement with the school’s
safety patrol. Once a school is chosen, and after fund-raising by Club members
and school faculty and parents, forty percent of the money raised is immediately
given directly to the school for use toward an event or activity of their
choice. The other sixty percent of the money raised during these events goes
into the Club’s Charity account for use in providing college scholarships to
those same children when they enter college. On May 26, 1998, the City Council
honored our Club with reference to our Youth Achievers Program with a Resolution
(98-422-A).
In 1995 the Club elected its African-American president, Tyrone Townsend.
Tyrone is also credited with creating the “Kids Shopping Spree” in the mid
1980’s. Christmas charity work for disadvantaged Southside children has been
underway for almost three decades. Scores of children and their families are
happier by the actions of this Club during the holiday season. For the first
several years K-Mart opened its doors to the Club and the kids. In 2003 the Club
initiated a formal relationship with the Target Company’s Mandarin store to
assist in fulfilling the Christmas dreams of many of Jacksonville area’s
underprivileged children.
Also In 1995, at the City’s request, the Club adopted Treaty Oak Park near
the river and planted a splendid rose garden.
In 1996 the membership voted to admit women for the first time. Fittingly,
Pauline W. Smith, the Executive Secretary of the Club since 1959, was voted as
the Club’s first female member as well as the first female lifetime honorary
member. She was also elected to a three year term on Board of Governors, making
her the first female Board member. Pauline retired in 2000 after 41 years of
faithful service. Each year we now recognize a local college student in
Pauline’s honor with the Pauline W. Smith Scholarship Award.
That same year also saw the birth of the Clubs first Annual Charity Golf
Classic, which netted $5,000 for our scholarship program in its’ inaugural year.
The tireless efforts of past president Crump Kirby and member Jay Cann are
directly responsible for many thousands of dollars donated to the Club’s
charities account from this annual event.
In 1999, the Club established a building fund that will one day allow our
Club to have a permanent meeting place.
In 2004, for the first time in the history of the SBMC a woman
vice-president presided over a weekly meeting. Belinda Mitchell, then Vice
President and Branch Manager for CenterBank of Jacksonville went on to become
the first woman to be elected president for the year 2006. One of her favorite
accomplishments included the first Club parade float entry in the Veterans Day
Parade, resulting in a well deserved recognition from the Office of the Mayor.
One of the Club’s greatest accomplishments was exceeding $100,000.00 in
the SBMC Charities Fund, which is used to provide scholarships to eligible
students from Jacksonville’s Southside. This occurred in 2005 and while that
milestone was taking place, we also built a playground for the Children’s Home
Society. 2005 President, Steve Johnston, established a new award to be given
annually, the “Volunteer of the Year” award. The first ever Volunteer of the
Year award was given to Art Fields for his willingness to support our Club by
volunteering at every Club event.
In 2007 the Southside Business Men’s Club, under the leadership of
President Tom Harris, proudly celebrated its 75th Anniversary. The year was
highlighted by a 75th Anniversary Gala which not only celebrated the club’s past
but also honored the many achievements of the club’s past presidents. That same
year began the Clubs efforts to assist the St. John’s River Alliance in
its’ efforts to obtain funding for a State of Florida specialty license plate,
and long time club member Charles McBurney was elected to the Florida House of
Representatives.
In 2008 the club had another first. Angelo Volpe, after many years of
dedicated work on all programs and activities of the club, became the first
Canadian citizen to be president of the Southside Business Men’s Club. He
initiated work on a much needed, more businesslike look for the new SBMC web
site.
The history of this great Club was attained by individuals actively
engaged in a vision of the future. We do not intend to rest on their laurels;
rather, we seek active involvement from energetic leaders of our Southside
business community to add their mark to these hallowed pages. The message is
clear – Get Involved!