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Some Stuff I Wrote (2001) H. Morris Williams

was David Criswell of Palatka High School, who was recognized as one of Florida’s most
outstanding assistant coaches in all sports. David attended Lake City schools and his father, “Wink”

Criswell (CHS 1947) was head coach at CHS in 1961-63.
The Little Store ... Mrs. Lula Mae Presley (1905-1990) operated the “The Little Store”

across from CHS on West Duval Street from the 1930s to the 1950s. Both “Miss Lula Mae” and her
store were community institutions to hundreds of CHS students, mainly boys. Miss Lula Mae was

a dignified, soft-voiced, firm woman, who incredibly extended credit (no signature, no collateral!)
to high school students — and the students always paid their debts. To get the real feel for the
marvelous tradition of The Little Store, you will have to talk to locals like Ed Montgomery, Billy

McDuffie, Jim Pittman, Buck North, Earl Giebeig and Jeff Goss. At the heart of the tradition, there
was a mutual love and respect between the students and Miss Lula Mae. At her funeral, Minister

Roy Whitworth said, “To know her was to love her - and nobody loved her more than the hundreds
of CHS students that she always thought of as her own children.”

Recalling Some Names

August 10,1993

School museum ... Thanks to the wisdom and foresight of School Superintendent Dianne

Lane and our School Board, the renovated administrative building on West Duval Street will include
space for a museum of memorabilia from the history of our school system. It will be located upstairs

near the old study hall. So, hold on to anything you might have that you could contribute.
When Lake City was smaller... Lake City Pharmacy owner Reedy Ogden once told this

story: “A dentist named Dr. Reviere once had his office over my drug store. One day he got a letter
addressed simply to “The old tooth carpenter upstairs from the drug store across from the park’ - and

the post office delivered it!”
A lieutenant governor slept here... Samuel T. Day was Florida’s lieutenant governor from

1871-1873. He once lived in Lake City and his residence was the home on North Hernando Street
where County Commissioner Ludie Ship now lives. Day also served as presiding officer of the

Florida Senate.

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www.LakeCityHistory.com LCH-UUID: CD05D759-5273-4705-A6D7-381FCF749098