Hawkins, Paula b. January 24, 1927 d. December 3, 2009 US Senator. A Republican elected in the Reagan landslide of 1980, she represented Florida for one term. Raised in Salt Lake City, she attended Utah State University, and worked as a model, prior to her 1955 marriage to engineer Gene Hawkins. Relocating to Florida, she was elected to the state Public Service Commission in 1972, and again in 1976, becoming a strong consumer advocate. Mrs. Hawkins ran for the United States Senate in 1980 describing herself as "feminine, not feminist", and became...[Read More] (Bio by: Bob Hufford) Palm Cemetery, Winter Park, Orange County, Florida, USA
Polasek, Albin b. February 14, 1879 d. May 19, 1965 20th Century American Sculptor. Born in 1879 in Frenstat, Moravia. He emigrated to the United States at the age of 22. Polasek began his formal art training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia at the age of 25. His work includes Man Carving His Own Destiny (1907) and Eternal Moment (1909). In 1910, Polasek won the Prix de Rome competition. In 1913 his Sower was awarded an Honorable Mention at the Paris Spring Salon. In early 1927, Albin Polasek was elected an Associate...[Read More] (Bio by: William R. Cavins) Palm Cemetery, Winter Park, Orange County, Florida, USA
Skelton, Betty b. June 28, 1926 d. August 31, 2011 Pioneer Aviator and Auto Racer. Once known as the "fastest woman on Earth" , she established precedents for women in aviation, auto racing and advertising. She made her first solo flight at the age of 12, held a commercial pilot's license by age 16 and became a certified flight instructor at age 18. Eventually, she got into stunt flying, which evolved her into a full-out aerobatic pilot, performing in aviation shows across the country. Her most impressive stunt was cutting a ribbon tied...[Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith) Winter Park Cemetery, Winter Park, Orange County, Florida, USA
b. April 7, 1912 d. January 9, 2003
