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Some Stuff I Wrote (2001) H. Morris Williams

native to Florida and no other school had it as a mascot. Later, the shorter name Gator started
appearing on university pennants and banners. As a school symbol, the alligator was shown in

various poses: lying down, full view, standing in an angry or fighting stance (thus, Fighting Gators),
or illustrations of only the head.
Going back to FSU’s second opponent, Cumberland College. Cumberland is best known in

football history for being on the short end of a 220-0 loss to Georgia Tech - the worst slaughter in

the history of college football.
The First Junior High Awards Day ... Lake City Middle School (formerly Lake City
Junior High School) will have its thirty-second annual Awards Day on May 18. Ever wonder who

started the Awards Day programs at LCJHS? It was Ottis Houston, who retired two years ago as

Director of Operations for the school system. Otis was a junior high science teacher at the time when
he came up with the idea. He designed his Awards Day to honor students who had excelled
academically and in good citizenship. For example, Martha Dykes, Sparkle Kapes, Gordon

Summers, and Mae Nettles won subject-area awards that first year. Special school-wide awards
went to Nelson Blocker (DAR); Sam Cauthen (American Legion); and Susan Darby (Essay Winner),

among others. The prestigious Good Citizenship awards went to Eddie Davis and Carol Cox.
LCJHS Awards Day - it all started on May 25,1961, with a great idea and lots of hard work by Ottis

Houston. Thirty-two years later it’s still going strong.
The First Junior High Principal... It’s hard to write about Lake City Junior High School

without mentioning the remarkable influence of its first principal, P. A. Browning, who led the
school from 1959-76. Just how much influence did he have? You be the judge from these few

examples. P. A. drove a red and white vehicle; the students chose red and white for their school
colors. He had a Ford Falcon truck; the students chose Falcons as their school mascot. The school’s

honor group voted to name itself The P. A. Browning National Junior Honor Society. And there are
those who say that the school’s public address system was called the P. A. system because of his
commanding use of it.

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