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 Kerouac Research Collection contains documents and research notes related to Kealing's book Kerouac in Florida: Where the Road Ends, book drafts, legal documents, articles written by Kealing, articles related to the Kerouac House, and other materials regarding the Writer in Residence Program.
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.
Research files for the Cultural Byways grant in Central Florida. Included in these materials are photographic negatives, oral histories, consent forms, building surveys, and grant information for the project.
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.
