The Archival collection of Dr. Charles N. Millican from the collection of Norman Van Meter, 1900-2004 contains photographs, news clippings, and personal letters about Charles Millican. The photographs range from social events to private family photos. This collection provides insight into the life and career of Dr. Charles Millican. Charles Norman Millican was born October 9, 1916 in Wilson, Arkansas. He earned a B.S. in Business and Religion from Union University in 1941. In 1946, he received his M.A. in Economics from George Peabody College and became Acting Head of the Commerce Department at Union University. The Millicans moved to Florida in 1948 where Millican studied for his Ph.D. in Business Finance and Economics. When Dr. Millican was appointed President of the new university in 1965, the university had no name, no buildings, no faculty and no students; he had to create the university over which he would preside. After Millican's appointment, he hired staff, found premises, and began the slow process of creating his university. He established the twin tenets of "Accent on the Individual" and "Accent on Excellence," which continue to guide the University, and the motto, "Reach for the Stars". Although he retired as President in 1978, Millican returned to teaching finance as a professor in the College of Business at the University of Central Florida, as it was now known, and earned the title President Emeritus. He chaired the Orange County Community Referendum Committee, which passed the resort tax that built the Orange County Convention Center. He has received Distinguished Alumnus awards from both the University of Florida and Union University, and he received honorary LL.D. degrees from Rollins College and UCF.
Ben White Raceway located on a 120- acre tract in Fairview Park, near downtown Orlando, Florida, was the largest training facility and winter home for champion racehorses. The track was named in honor of one of the nation's most famous trainers, Ben White, who won numerous titles and chose Orlando as a training site in 1920. The track lost popularity as the expense to ship horses to Orlando became too great. In July 2001, the name was changed to Trotters Park. In January 10, 2002, the City of Orlando decided to close the struggling facility to convert the property into a city park.
The Bob Kealing Tupperware Collection contains interviews, news clippings, letters, legal documents, photographs, audio tapes, and research notes related to Kealing's book Tupperware, Unsealed: Brownie Wise, Earl Tupper, and the Home Party Pioneers. The book may be found in the Online Catalog.
Compiled by attorney Robert P. Foster, the collection consists of a variety of documents, clippings, maps, and photographs, all of which pertain to the process of purchasing and developing land in Central Florida for the purpose of creating the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), where Walt Disney World would be constructed.
The Florida Ephemera Collection is a collection of brochures, advertisements and news clippings documenting the history of Florida. Although the collection includes information about Florida as a whole, it focuses on the Central Florida area, and Orlando in particular. The collection contains information about most aspects of life in Florida including business and industry, real estate and development, tourism and wildlife.
George Millay founded both Sea World and Wet 'n Wild for which he was named Father of the Waterpark Industry. This collection of correspondence, photographs, memorabilia, news clippings, reports and audio visual materials documents the complicated and not always successful process of building a new waterpark. In addition to materials concerning Sea World and Wet 'n Wild, the collection contains information on George Millay's other projects and his personal achievements.
Robert "Bob" Lewis Glasser worked as a Contract Administrator and a Senior Environmental Analyst for the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. During his employment with Disney, he collected various reports, promotional materials, publications and memorabilia mainly related to the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) Center. Bob also worked for the Office of Florida's Secretary of State between 1962 to 1970 as a Director for Buildings & Grounds Division and gathered a few campaign and election materials which can be found within the collection.
The University of Central Florida Memorabilia collection, 1965-2020 documents University of Central Florida (UCF) events and activities, such as such as homecoming, various sporting events, building dedications, and university anniversaries. It chiefly contains a variety of memorabilia, including t-shirts, cups, glassware, buttons, pins, programs, plaques, and other commemorative objects related to UCF students, alumni, faculty, staff, and university presidents. It also includes memorabilia from UCF's early days as Florida Technological University. The Pegasus Seal, the university's emblem, is featured on many objects, including those created when the university was named Florida Technological University. This artificial collection was brought together by UCF Special Collections & University Archives staff over time from various known and unknown sources. Items continue to be added as they are collected. Originally named Florida Technological University, the University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public multi-campus, metropolitan research university. Florida Technological University (FTU) was founded in 1963 by the State of Florida to provide educated professionals to work in the growing space program. Building began in 1967 and classes started in 1968. Charles N. Millican served as the founding president. His successor, H. Trevor Colbourn, started the university's football program. In 1978, FTU's name was officially changed to UCF. Steven Altman presided over the university from 1989-1991. John C. Hitt served as president from 1992 until 2018. Dale Whittaker was UCF's fifth president from 2018 to 2019. Alexander Cartwright became the university's president in 2020.
University of Central Florida. Office of the President
Abstract Or Scope
The John C. Hitt collection, 1963-2018 (bulk 1992-2018), is made up of materials collected during John C. Hitt's 26 years as president of the University of Central Florida, as well as memorabilia he owned from before his time at the University. These items pertain to his presidency and contain correspondence with other university presidents and notes sent within the Office of the President, as well as various awards and memorabilia collected throughout his presidency. These include magazines, VHS tapes, books, shirts, photos, and a signed basketball. John C. Hitt was born on December 1, 1940 in Houston, Texas. On March 1, 1992, Hitt was appointed as the fourth president of the University of Central Florida (UCF). As president, he awarded over 260,000 degrees and opened several buildings across campus, including the Bright House Networks Stadium, Student Union, and Burnett Honors College. Enrollment at UCF more than tripled during his tenure, graduation and retention rates rose, minority enrollment increased from 17% to 46%, and the average SAT score for incoming freshmen increased by over 300. On June 30, 2018, after 26 years of service, Hitt retired. He died on February 20, 2023 at the age of 82 and is survived by his wife Martha Hitt as well as their two children, Charles and Sharon.
The Vertical File contains a variety of collected materials on University of Central Florida, local history, typography and book arts, and the West Indies, subjects relating to the collections held by the Special Collections. Files are may contain a variety of materials including newsletters, clippings, brochures, pamphlets, documents, photographs, and other items.
