Students Page


	Typical Girls Room	Typical Boys Room

	Jeff Katz & Ricky Cope (Class of 1976)	Mary Lee Wiley (Class of 1976)

"Be Proud of Florida Central. Take good Care of it. As a school citizen, you are expected to act like a high school student and conduct yourself properly. You will learn necessary and useful skills for the future.

Throughout your life you will be looking toward the future, but you will also find yourself thinking of the fun you had while a student at our school."

-L.E. Allen, President (from the Student Handbook)


Gary Yarousso '75 Greg Krajnyak '75	Zeta Morrison '76 Ralph Baker '76	Debra Chafin '77

Ces Lawton '69	Trinidad '76	Kim Hurd '75

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	Michael Morris (class of 1966) sends greetings, information about him and his sister, Wendy (Class of 1974), and a memorial for a couple of his FCA alumni friends that were killed in the war in VietNam: I do have one small suggestion for your page: You might include an In Memorial section and include two of my former buddies who were later killed in VietNam. These were Robert Joske, Class of '66 and Dave Freed, who was a sophomore the year I graduated, so would have been in the class of '68 if he did, in fact, graduate. They were both great guys - easy to get along with and fun to be around; the sacrifice they both made deserves a mention." Thanks Michael, and does anyone else know of any other FCA alumni who gave their lives in service for their country? Please let us know. Dene Francis (class of 1966) writes: "I was serving with Navy Special Warfare in a delta base/village by the name of Can Tho when a medivac chopper came in... there in the doorway was an old classmate I knew well named Ted ??? Big Guy, big grin... played a hell of a guitar. At any rate, I bit the big one about two weeks later in the same area. If I can see or find my annual, I'll pass along his whole name. I distinctly remember he lived in the very first room in what became known as "Bldg 300" (The room closest to the camera in most shots). Best wishes to all, and feel free to pass along my e-mail address!" Dene Francis, Class of '66, denefrancis@vrdom.com

	"300" Building The above photo of the 300 Building is from a mid 60s ad brochure on the school. The text under the photo reads: "Opened in the Fall of 1966, this building is the ultimate in school living, as it is all brick and mahogany paneled. Each room is individually heated and air-conditioned and houses two students. The total capacity being forty boys." When FCA started admitting girls in 1971, they were housed in the 300 building. Presumably the returning male students who had enjoyed the remote living of the 300 building had to return to the main building. But the female population had become large enough by 1973 to necessitate their move to the South Wing. The 300 Building was once again boys only. Because of its location (a few hundred yards up the road from the main building), it enjoyed a 'loose' environment, despite the efforts of the unfortunate faculty member who had to occupy the rooms of the 'short wing' (seen in the background).
	The FCA Country Club The below article is taken from the Daily Bull in the 1961 yearbook. Thanks to Clayton S. Scott (class of '61) who sent the yearbook to Mary Lynn Jordan. Mary Lynn writes: "Clayton Scott sent me a copy of his yearbook and list of all the men who were at FCA when he was there. John Stevens was there as a student. Dr. Crow was there from the beginning. Mrs. Heline was there from the beginning. The phone numbers have letters in them! The Col. was even called Mr. Allen." The students referred to below are boys only as FCA was an all boys school from 1959 to 1970. It is a tongue-in-cheek tour of the FCA 'Country Club': "FCA's first point of interest is the lobby where the student body enjoys the many social affairs put on. Besides the many, many dances, assemblies are also held in this room. You are permitted to talk all you want, and it is really a wonderful place to just let yourself go with all the rest of your friends. Moving on upstairs, you will notice the fine carpet on the hall and the numerous water fountains and the coke machines. Bellhops are always available and room service a specialty. Glancing at one of the spacious rooms we see TV, Hi-Fi, Rotisserie, and wall-to-wall carpeting, all adding to the comfort and enjoyment of the rugged student. A typical daily schedule is as follows: Wake up-------------------------10:30 AM Breakfast in bed ----------------11:00 AM Lounging hour -----------------11:00 - 1:00 PM Classes - 5 periods -------------1:00 - 2:00 (It is noticed that instruction is very fast and if you blow your nose or sneeze, you will miss three days work.) Social affairs --------------------2:01 - 12:00 AM (Dinner is served immediately after classes, so that the boys may take in the night spots in Orlando, so vital to a boy's well-rounded education. Lights out at 12:00 AM ends the day for the busy little fellows.) Send your boy to FCA. The rigorous training and hard discipline will make a fine man. Robert W Jackson Jr. (class of 1968) writes..."I attended FCA from 1965 to 1968 when it was still an all boys' school and was there during its growth phase. I watched as the new classrooms across the street from the main building were constructed. I watched the construction of the new dorms away from the main building, if you were in your senior or junior year you had first choice to move into them. The construction of the gymnasium took place the year before I graduated. Before the gymnasium, the Varsity and Junior Varsity basketball teams practiced on the old asphalt courts. Many of the players had scabs on their knees from taking a fall on that asphalt." Thanks Robert. Its hard to believe there was a time when the classrooms weren't there. Were all the classes held in the main building then? Gordon Case, (class of 1963) writes, "I was in the third class to graduate. I was President of the Lettermans Club, and a head proctor. I was from Batavia, NY. Nice to see the old place. It was sad to see the school go out of business, as I always wanted my son to attend FCA, but had to settle for St. Johns Academy. L.E. Allen was LeRoy E. Allen (Col.) and president. Gen. Alexander was our real leader, and Col. Robert Johnson was headmaster (Marine Corp. Ret.). Col. L E Allen's mother was Ellie Allen. Also, I noticed the Watkins hall photo. Lee Watkins was a friend of mine and a Junior when he was going home with another FCA Student for Christmas 62, when the other student veered off the road and crashed. Lee was killed and the other student was charged with involuntary manslater." Joe Gato (class of 1977) found a reference to the FCA main building, once the Mount Plymouth Hotel, on television in the fall of 1999. Joe writes, "I was watching the Sopranos on HBO. It was an episode where Tony Soprano gets invited to play golf by his neighbor the doc whom he calls "Cous". During the game, Cous' friends, who've never met a mobster before, grill Tony on silly things like whether the Godfather was accurate and stuff like that. Out of the blue, one of them asks Tony if he travels down to Orlando, to the Mount Plymouth Hotel, where Al Capone used to golf." Proctors: Each hall is run by a proctor along with a faculty advisor. The proctor makes inspections, issues passes, and maintains control of the halls. In the proctor's absence, one of two assistant proctors on the hall takes charge. -from the 1973 Student Handbook

		Hair Styles- Boys: The hair will be kept well groomed and clean at all times. It shall not be longer than collar length in the back. It must not be below the eyebrow. Positively no wigs will be allowed to be worn by boys. Hair Styles- Girls: Girls' hair must be neat and well groomed at all times. Girls will not be allowed to leave their dormitory area with hair in rollers or pin curls. - from the Student Handbook, revised 1973
	In the early years of the school's history, a lake was situated just south of and down the hill from the main building. It was called Rainey's Lake. It eventually dried up during the 1970s, but in the 60's, a few students were allowed to fish in the lake. Click on the image to the right to read the story sent in by E. Sears Young about Rainey's Lake.

Above is a 'Then and Now' photo set of Lynda Wyatt (class of '77). The photo on the left is taken from the 1975 yearbook when Lynda was a sophmore. The photo on the right is current. Lynda kindly gave us permission to post these. We are hoping to bring you more 'Then and Now' photo sets in the near future.

Check out a web site by FCA alumni Wendy Morris (Class of 1974).
It is at: www.weebbirds.com

Ces Lawton (Class of 1969) of Lawton Printers has a site at:
Lawton Printers: http://lawtonpr.com
email: ces@lawtonpr.com

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We're trying hard to be as correct as possible with dates and the spelling of people's names. If you see any mistakes, please let us know!

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