World War II was won, in part, thanks to the B-17 bomber. Known as “the
Flying Fortress,” this multi-engine aircraft was legendary for its ability
to take a brutal beating and keep flying. Although more than 12,000 were produced
during the war years, only fourteen are still flying today in the U.S. So,
when the Wings of Freedom tour made it possible for New Florida to
hop a flight on one of the few remaining B-17s, we jumped at the chance.
They may call it a “softball” but in the hands of Joan Joyce, it’s
a whirling, high-speed missile cloaked in cow hide. Who is Joan
Joyce? Simply put, she’s one of the greatest female athletes of all
times – not just in softball, but in volleyball, basketball and golf as
well. So, when New Florida learned that
she’s now the Head Coach of the Lady Owls softball
team at Florida Atlantic University, we couldn’t wait
to meet her.
Working as a 911 operator brings on its share of stress, but in the moments between
emergency calls, the women and men of the Palm
Beach County Fire & Rescue team have an unusual way of relaxing: they
crochet hats and blankets for charity. New Florida spends the afternoon
with this unique group of civic-minded workers.
Not content with the styles of the past, a master builder and his young protégé set
out to redefine Florida architecture in the mid-20th Century. In part two of
our “Florida Home” series, New Florida takes a look at
how Ralph
Twitchell and Paul
Rudolph adopted modernistic ideas about architecture and grafted them into
experimental homes in the Gulf Coast city of Sarasota.
Ron Marlowe and his wife were a happy couple, but they wanted to become a happy
family. So they tried to adopt. But after an exhaustive – and unsuccessful – attempt
to adopt foster children here in Florida, they turned instead to Russia.
There, they found three orphan children eager to become part of a family,
too. New Florida visits this remarkable
new family at their bustling home in Plantation, Florida.
