Honoring the Savior of the Everglades
Historical marker in Bartow honors 'favorite son' Spessard Holland
Historical marker in Bartow honors ‘favorite son’ Spessard Holland
(The Ledger) - Just down the road from the home in which Spessard Holland took his final breath, an assembly offered proof that Bartow’s “favorite son” remains a revered presence.
The Bartow Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution held a ceremony Feb. 27 to dedicate a historical marker for Holland at Veterans Memorial Walk. The audience included at least four relatives of Holland, a Bartow native who served as Florida’s governor and a U.S. Senator.
Bruce Gallemore, whose grandmother was Holland’s sister, Virginia, spoke on behalf of family members. Gallemore, a retired Navy officer now living in Vero Beach, shared childhood memories of the man he always addressed as “Uncle Brother.”
“If you don’t count France” — where Holland served in World War I — “he only had two workplaces in his life, Tallahassee and Washington, D.C.,” Gallemore said. “But he always came back to Bartow.”
Gallemore was joined by his daughter…