Harlan Gregory, a retired schoolteacher and political figure, died Sunday (May 9, 1993) at home. He was 82.
He died of complications associated with Parkinson's disease, his son, Thomas H. Gregory of St. Petersburg, said Monday.
Mr. Gregory taught school for 22 years. After his first tour in the classroom, a decade at Mirror Lake Junior High School, he left to pursue business and political interests.
He returned to teaching in 1957, first at Mirror Lake Junior High and later at Riviera Middle School.
A longtime member of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee, Mr. Gregory ran unsuccessfully for the Pinellas County Commission in 1952 and 1956.
Running for a commission seat drew his interest after two terms on the original Pinellas Budget Board, the commission's predecessor. Appointed in 1949 by then-Gov. Fuller Warren, he resigned in 1952 when the courts ruled the board unconstitutional.
Born in Webster Springs, W.Va., Mr. Gregory came here at six months with his family in 1910. His arrival two years before the birth of Pinellas County led the Historical Society to name him a Gold Star Pioneer in 1962, the county's golden anniversary.
After graduating from St. Petersburg High School, he studied at St. Petersburg Junior College and Florida Southern College.
At both colleges, Mr. Gregory, "a sturdy man with a barrel chest," played football as a lineman, his son said.
After graduating from Florida Southern with a degree in business administration, Mr. Gregory found jobs hard to come by in Depression-gripped St. Petersburg. Offered $50 a month to be a cadet teacher at Mirror Lake Junior High, he snapped it up.
For a decade there, he taught civics and physical education before resigning to manage the St. Petersburg branch of the R.
S. Evans Used Car Agency, said to be the South's largest used car operation.
"He was known for his knowledge of cars," his son said, "and people trusted him."
He later went into construction and real estate. In 1953, he bought the 18-unit Wilmarth Apartments on Fourth Street N between 24th and 25th avenues. Renamed the Holiday Motel, it was sold when he returned to teaching.
A life filled with promoting the city's welfare included membership at Christ United Methodist Church. He was secretary and chairman of the church's board of trustees, and, since 1981, trustee emeritus.
Being a trustee, his son said, "was the biggest thing in his life."
An avid fisherman, Mr. Gregory was chairman in 1947 of the Tarpon Roundup Rules Committee. He also belonged to Nitram Lodge 188 F&AM, St. Petersburg, Scottish Rite, and St. Petersburg Selama Grotto. He was a past president of the St. Petersburg Lions Club and SPJC Alumni Association and a past director of the Pinellas County Teachers Credit Union and the Visiting Nurse Association.
Survivors besides his son include his wife of 58 years, Margaret; a daughter, Susan G. Coggins, Tallahassee; five grandchildren, Melissa and Martha E. Coggins, Kathy C. Boyer and Beth G. Brenneis, all of Tallahassee, and Thomas Gregory, Fort Myers.
Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. M.
L. King (Ninth) St. N. A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Christ United Methodist Church with Dr. Bert Blomquist and Dr. Riley P. Short officiating. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery.
The family suggested memorial contributions to the Christian Education Fund of the church, 467 First Ave. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, or the Harlan Gregory Scholarship Fund at St. Petersburg Junior College, P.O. Box 13489, St. Petersburg, FL 33737.
He died of complications associated with Parkinson's disease, his son, Thomas H. Gregory of St. Petersburg, said Monday.
Mr. Gregory taught school for 22 years. After his first tour in the classroom, a decade at Mirror Lake Junior High School, he left to pursue business and political interests.
He returned to teaching in 1957, first at Mirror Lake Junior High and later at Riviera Middle School.
A longtime member of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee, Mr. Gregory ran unsuccessfully for the Pinellas County Commission in 1952 and 1956.
Running for a commission seat drew his interest after two terms on the original Pinellas Budget Board, the commission's predecessor. Appointed in 1949 by then-Gov. Fuller Warren, he resigned in 1952 when the courts ruled the board unconstitutional.
Born in Webster Springs, W.Va., Mr. Gregory came here at six months with his family in 1910. His arrival two years before the birth of Pinellas County led the Historical Society to name him a Gold Star Pioneer in 1962, the county's golden anniversary.
After graduating from St. Petersburg High School, he studied at St. Petersburg Junior College and Florida Southern College.
At both colleges, Mr. Gregory, "a sturdy man with a barrel chest," played football as a lineman, his son said.
After graduating from Florida Southern with a degree in business administration, Mr. Gregory found jobs hard to come by in Depression-gripped St. Petersburg. Offered $50 a month to be a cadet teacher at Mirror Lake Junior High, he snapped it up.
For a decade there, he taught civics and physical education before resigning to manage the St. Petersburg branch of the R.
S. Evans Used Car Agency, said to be the South's largest used car operation.
"He was known for his knowledge of cars," his son said, "and people trusted him."
He later went into construction and real estate. In 1953, he bought the 18-unit Wilmarth Apartments on Fourth Street N between 24th and 25th avenues. Renamed the Holiday Motel, it was sold when he returned to teaching.
A life filled with promoting the city's welfare included membership at Christ United Methodist Church. He was secretary and chairman of the church's board of trustees, and, since 1981, trustee emeritus.
Being a trustee, his son said, "was the biggest thing in his life."
An avid fisherman, Mr. Gregory was chairman in 1947 of the Tarpon Roundup Rules Committee. He also belonged to Nitram Lodge 188 F&AM, St. Petersburg, Scottish Rite, and St. Petersburg Selama Grotto. He was a past president of the St. Petersburg Lions Club and SPJC Alumni Association and a past director of the Pinellas County Teachers Credit Union and the Visiting Nurse Association.
Survivors besides his son include his wife of 58 years, Margaret; a daughter, Susan G. Coggins, Tallahassee; five grandchildren, Melissa and Martha E. Coggins, Kathy C. Boyer and Beth G. Brenneis, all of Tallahassee, and Thomas Gregory, Fort Myers.
Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. M.
L. King (Ninth) St. N. A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Christ United Methodist Church with Dr. Bert Blomquist and Dr. Riley P. Short officiating. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery.
The family suggested memorial contributions to the Christian Education Fund of the church, 467 First Ave. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, or the Harlan Gregory Scholarship Fund at St. Petersburg Junior College, P.O. Box 13489, St. Petersburg, FL 33737.
Harlan Gregory, a retired schoolteacher and political figure, died Sunday (May 9, 1993) at home. He was 82.
He died of complications associated with Parkinson's disease, his son, Thomas H. Gregory of St. Petersburg, said Monday.
Mr. Gregory taught school for 22 years. After his first tour in the classroom, a decade at Mirror Lake Junior High School, he left to pursue business and political interests.
He returned to teaching in 1957, first at Mirror Lake Junior High and later at Riviera Middle School.
A longtime member of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee, Mr. Gregory ran unsuccessfully for the Pinellas County Commission in 1952 and 1956.
Running for a commission seat drew his interest after two terms on the original Pinellas Budget Board, the commission's predecessor. Appointed in 1949 by then-Gov. Fuller Warren, he resigned in 1952 when the courts ruled the board unconstitutional.
Born in Webster Springs, W.Va., Mr. Gregory came here at six months with his family in 1910. His arrival two years before the birth of Pinellas County led the Historical Society to name him a Gold Star Pioneer in 1962, the county's golden anniversary.
After graduating from St. Petersburg High School, he studied at St. Petersburg Junior College and Florida Southern College.
At both colleges, Mr. Gregory, "a sturdy man with a barrel chest," played football as a lineman, his son said.
After graduating from Florida Southern with a degree in business administration, Mr. Gregory found jobs hard to come by in Depression-gripped St. Petersburg. Offered $50 a month to be a cadet teacher at Mirror Lake Junior High, he snapped it up.
For a decade there, he taught civics and physical education before resigning to manage the St. Petersburg branch of the R.
S. Evans Used Car Agency, said to be the South's largest used car operation.
"He was known for his knowledge of cars," his son said, "and people trusted him."
He later went into construction and real estate. In 1953, he bought the 18-unit Wilmarth Apartments on Fourth Street N between 24th and 25th avenues. Renamed the Holiday Motel, it was sold when he returned to teaching.
A life filled with promoting the city's welfare included membership at Christ United Methodist Church. He was secretary and chairman of the church's board of trustees, and, since 1981, trustee emeritus.
Being a trustee, his son said, "was the biggest thing in his life."
An avid fisherman, Mr. Gregory was chairman in 1947 of the Tarpon Roundup Rules Committee. He also belonged to Nitram Lodge 188 F&AM, St. Petersburg, Scottish Rite, and St. Petersburg Selama Grotto. He was a past president of the St. Petersburg Lions Club and SPJC Alumni Association and a past director of the Pinellas County Teachers Credit Union and the Visiting Nurse Association.
Survivors besides his son include his wife of 58 years, Margaret; a daughter, Susan G. Coggins, Tallahassee; five grandchildren, Melissa and Martha E. Coggins, Kathy C. Boyer and Beth G. Brenneis, all of Tallahassee, and Thomas Gregory, Fort Myers.
Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. M.
L. King (Ninth) St. N. A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Christ United Methodist Church with Dr. Bert Blomquist and Dr. Riley P. Short officiating. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery.
The family suggested memorial contributions to the Christian Education Fund of the church, 467 First Ave. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, or the Harlan Gregory Scholarship Fund at St. Petersburg Junior College, P.O. Box 13489, St. Petersburg, FL 33737.
He died of complications associated with Parkinson's disease, his son, Thomas H. Gregory of St. Petersburg, said Monday.
Mr. Gregory taught school for 22 years. After his first tour in the classroom, a decade at Mirror Lake Junior High School, he left to pursue business and political interests.
He returned to teaching in 1957, first at Mirror Lake Junior High and later at Riviera Middle School.
A longtime member of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee, Mr. Gregory ran unsuccessfully for the Pinellas County Commission in 1952 and 1956.
Running for a commission seat drew his interest after two terms on the original Pinellas Budget Board, the commission's predecessor. Appointed in 1949 by then-Gov. Fuller Warren, he resigned in 1952 when the courts ruled the board unconstitutional.
Born in Webster Springs, W.Va., Mr. Gregory came here at six months with his family in 1910. His arrival two years before the birth of Pinellas County led the Historical Society to name him a Gold Star Pioneer in 1962, the county's golden anniversary.
After graduating from St. Petersburg High School, he studied at St. Petersburg Junior College and Florida Southern College.
At both colleges, Mr. Gregory, "a sturdy man with a barrel chest," played football as a lineman, his son said.
After graduating from Florida Southern with a degree in business administration, Mr. Gregory found jobs hard to come by in Depression-gripped St. Petersburg. Offered $50 a month to be a cadet teacher at Mirror Lake Junior High, he snapped it up.
For a decade there, he taught civics and physical education before resigning to manage the St. Petersburg branch of the R.
S. Evans Used Car Agency, said to be the South's largest used car operation.
"He was known for his knowledge of cars," his son said, "and people trusted him."
He later went into construction and real estate. In 1953, he bought the 18-unit Wilmarth Apartments on Fourth Street N between 24th and 25th avenues. Renamed the Holiday Motel, it was sold when he returned to teaching.
A life filled with promoting the city's welfare included membership at Christ United Methodist Church. He was secretary and chairman of the church's board of trustees, and, since 1981, trustee emeritus.
Being a trustee, his son said, "was the biggest thing in his life."
An avid fisherman, Mr. Gregory was chairman in 1947 of the Tarpon Roundup Rules Committee. He also belonged to Nitram Lodge 188 F&AM, St. Petersburg, Scottish Rite, and St. Petersburg Selama Grotto. He was a past president of the St. Petersburg Lions Club and SPJC Alumni Association and a past director of the Pinellas County Teachers Credit Union and the Visiting Nurse Association.
Survivors besides his son include his wife of 58 years, Margaret; a daughter, Susan G. Coggins, Tallahassee; five grandchildren, Melissa and Martha E. Coggins, Kathy C. Boyer and Beth G. Brenneis, all of Tallahassee, and Thomas Gregory, Fort Myers.
Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. M.
L. King (Ninth) St. N. A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Christ United Methodist Church with Dr. Bert Blomquist and Dr. Riley P. Short officiating. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery.
The family suggested memorial contributions to the Christian Education Fund of the church, 467 First Ave. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, or the Harlan Gregory Scholarship Fund at St. Petersburg Junior College, P.O. Box 13489, St. Petersburg, FL 33737.
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