Floyd Pyles Collection, Circa 1913-1995
Collection context
Summary
- Extent:
- 7 Hollinger Boxes
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
Floyd Pyles Collection, Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.
Background
- Scope and content:
The Floyd Pyles Collection contains personal papers, photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and awards belonging to Floyd Pyles, who worked for the Sun Sentinel and the Fort Lauderdale Daily News, eventually becoming Vice President of Gore Newspaper Company. Photographs depict the Pyles family, Fort Lauderdale, the 1926 hurricane, and Park Temple Methodist Church. The collection also includes the "Pyles Prattle" newsletter produced by Floyd Pyles.
The collection contains personal papers, photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and awards belonging to Floyd Pyles of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Photographs depict the Pyles family, Fort Lauderdale, 1926 hurricane, and Park Temple Methodist Church. Collection also includes the "Pyles Prattle" newsletter produced by Floyd Pyles and his World War I military uniform.
- Biographical / historical:
Floyd Wayne Pyles (May 27, 1894 – June 27, 1977) was born in Monroe County, Ohio. His parents were Emma Elizabeth Boettner (1848-1900) and John Lewis Pyles (1859-1942), who had seven children together. At age 8 Floyd started his newspaper career working for his father who was at that time a newspaper publisher in Eads, Colorado. His father also was the editor of the Greely Daily Republican newspaper. In 1915, Floyd met and married his wife, Besse Belshe (1898-1986), a native of Missouri who was also living in Eads.
After serving in the Signal Corps during World War I, he returned to the printing business. He worked for the Ordway New Era in the 1920s. Pyles worked as a tramp printer in many locations then moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1924. He began working at the Fort Lauderdale Daily News on October 6, 1924 as the foreman compositor (one of four employees in the mechanical department) under the owner Col. George W. Matthews. He continued under the Galvin brother's ownership, then Tom Stillwell, and then Robert H. Gore.
In 1958, Pyles was honored by an appointment to a 3-year term on the executive board of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association. Eventually he became a Vice President of the Gore Newspapers Company. He retired in May 1969 with a career in Fort Lauderdale newspapers spanning 45 years, and a career in the newspaper business spanning 67 years.
Pyles was an active member of Park Temple Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Lauderdale, serving as an usher, a member of the Board, and a member of the finance committee. He also belonged to the Masons, Shriners, York Rite Masons, Elks, American Legion, Forty and Eight, and the Veterans of World War I. He died in Fort Lauderdale in 1977.
- Acquisition information:
- William G. Miller, Jr. donated the materials to the Broward County Historical Commission on May 28, 1986 (Accession BCHA-1986.1).
- Processing information:
This collection received file level processing. This finding aid may be updated to reflect new descriptions as well as acquisitions to the collection.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
Floyd Pyles Collection is open for research.
- Preferred citation:
Floyd Pyles Collection, Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.
- Location of this collection:
-
Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library100 S. Andrews AvenueFort LauderdaleFL33301USA
