Speaker Series

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Friday, February 28, 2020
12:00pm Noon -1:00 pm
Winter Park Chamber of Commerce
151 W Lyman Avenue Winter Park, FL  32789

RSVP Neeed. Please call 407-647-2330 or email museum@wphistory.org to reserve your seat.

Randy Noles, CEO and Publisher of Winter Park Magazine will be presenting his new book, Rollins After Dark.

Rollins After Dark is a fascinating exploration of the eclectic programs and larger-than-life personalities who began what would become today's Hamilton Holt School. This lively book also includes little-known biographical information about the legendary Holt -- the college's innovative eighth president who had become a world figure through his activities as a crusading editor and an advocate for world peace. There are also previously untold stories of the drama and conflict surrounding the college's early efforts to engage adult learners. Among the historical highlights: an account of Winter Park's most bizarre crime (the attempted murder of a popular professor) and the turmoil that ensued when two rival administrators similtaneously laid claim to the Rollins presidency. The latter controversy roiled the campus and the community -- and hastened development of the modern continuing education program (which became degree-granting in 1960). By the late 1980s, the reorganized, reinvigorated and renamed Holt School had fully embraced the college's traditional liberal arts mission, and soon thereafter achieved national recognition for academic excellence. Although the college's "night school" operated under many names and philosophies, it unquestionably changed thousands of lives. That's why, in addition to offering historical perspective, Rollins After Dark includes numerous inspiring stories from graduates who span several generations.