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10 for 10 – week 5
This is week five of our 10 FOR 10 campaign to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Panama Canal Museum Collection’s (PCMC) arrival at the University of Florida!
Once a week for ten weeks we will post an oral history clip to the blog. We hope you will enjoy them and that at least one or two of the stories inspire some memories.
This week we selected a clip from Lou Womack – she talks about her family building the El Rancho and her early memories there. According to Lou, the El Rancho opened on November 8, 1934 – 88 years ago tomorrow!
We are also currently working with Lou to preserve her extensive writings about growing up in the Canal Zone, and to document the life story of her uncle Marty who worked at the El Rancho and supported the U.S. troops stationed at the Canal during World War II. The photos below were selected from the materials that she has shared with us.
Lou Womack Interview, 2021, http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00087674/00001 The goal is to raise $10,000 during the ten week to support the PCMC oral history program. If you are interested in donating, please visit https://pcmc.uflib.ufl.edu/oralhistory/ or contact John Nemmers, jnemmers@ufl.edu, (352) 273-2766. View our Celebrating Ten Years Booklet. Contact Betsy Bemis, ehbemis@ufl.edu, if you are interested in doing an oral history interview.
The Womack family also owned Agewood Bourbon Whiskey Distillery in Panama. Did anyone ever drink it? Do you still have a bottle?
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10 for 10 – week 4
This is week four of our 10 FOR 10 campaign to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Panama Canal Museum Collection’s (PCMC) arrival at the University of Florida!
Once a week for ten weeks we will post an oral history clip to the blog. We hope you will enjoy them and that at least one or two of the stories inspire some memories.
This week we selected a clip from Skip Rowley – he talks about working at the locks.
I picked his interview for this week because he talks about Halloween and pulling pranks, but the clip about the locks was too great to pass up. For those of you that want to hear Skip’s Halloween story, visit his full interview through the link below. (Plus the great people at the Canal Record beat me to the wonderful Halloween photo they used on the cover of the October issue)
Panama Canal 75th Anniversary: Honoring the Past by Building the Future, 1989, https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00006069/00001/images/25 Interview with Skip Rowley, 2011, http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00013382/00001 The goal is to raise $10,000 during the ten week to support the PCMC oral history program. If you are interested in donating, please visit https://pcmc.uflib.ufl.edu/oralhistory/ or contact John Nemmers, jnemmers@ufl.edu, (352) 273-2766. View our Celebrating Ten Years Booklet. Contact Betsy Bemis, ehbemis@ufl.edu, if you are interested in doing an oral history interview.
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10 for 10 – week 3
This is week three of our 10 FOR 10 campaign to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Panama Canal Museum Collection’s (PCMC) arrival at the University of Florida!
Once a week for ten weeks we will post an oral history clip to the blog. We hope you will enjoy them and that at least one or two of the stories inspire some memories.
This week we selected a clip from Maxine (Conover) MacDonald – she talks about riding horses in Panama and the Canal Zone and the racetrack in Panama City.
Postcard of Racetrack President Remon, II.2018.82.1 Interview with Maxine MacDonald, 2020, http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00082226/00001 The goal is to raise $10,000 during the ten week to support the PCMC oral history program. If you are interested in donating, please visit https://pcmc.uflib.ufl.edu/oralhistory/ or contact John Nemmers, jnemmers@ufl.edu, (352) 273-2766. View our Celebrating Ten Years Booklet. Contact Betsy Bemis, ehbemis@ufl.edu, if you are interested in doing an oral history interview.
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10 for 10 – week 2
This is week two of our 10 FOR 10 campaign to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Panama Canal Museum Collection’s (PCMC) arrival at the University of Florida!
Once a week for ten weeks we will post an oral history clip to the blog. We hope you will enjoy them and that at least one or two of the stories inspire some memories.
This week we selected a clip from David Seitz – he talks about mangos and growing up in Gamboa.
Image taken from The Panama Canal Fiftieth Anniversary: The Story of a Great Conquest, https://ufl-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01FALSC_UFL/175ga98/alma990295630630306597 Interview with Alex Reyes and David Seitz, 2021, http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00087675/00001 The goal is to raise $10,000 during the ten week to support the PCMC oral history program. If you are interested in donating, please visit https://pcmc.uflib.ufl.edu/oralhistory/ or contact John Nemmers, jnemmers@ufl.edu, (352) 273-2766. View our Celebrating Ten Years Booklet. Contact Betsy Bemis, ehbemis@ufl.edu, if you are interested in doing an oral history interview.
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10 for 10 – week 1
This is week one of our 10 FOR 10 campaign to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Panama Canal Museum Collection’s (PCMC) arrival at the University of Florida!
Once a week for the next ten weeks we will post an oral history excerpt to the blog. We hope you will enjoy them and that at least one or two of the stories inspire some memories.
This week we selected a clip from Reggie Hayden – he talks about selling Panama American papers near the Pedro Miguel Locks.
Pedro Miguel Locks, March 10, 1926, http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI004517/00001 Interview with Reggie Hayden, 2021, http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00087680/00001 The goal is to raise $10,000 during the next ten weeks to support the PCMC oral history program. If you are interested in donating, please visit https://pcmc.uflib.ufl.edu/oralhistory/ or contact John Nemmers, jnemmers@ufl.edu, (352) 273-2766. View our Celebrating Ten Years Booklet. Contact Betsy Bemis, ehbemis@ufl.edu, if you are interested in doing an oral history interview.
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A Real Comic Strip Character
Not many people can say that they had a comic strip character based on them, but Margaret Boonstra was one of those people.
Margaret Beshore, as she was named at the time, served as Vice Consul for the U.S. Department of State in Panama from 1961-1963. Her mother, Ellen Beshore, was a close friend of Dale Messick, the creator of the popular and long-running comic strip, Brenda Starr, Reporter. In 1963, Ellen Beshore and Dale Messick visited Margaret in Panama and toured the Canal Zone. Subsequently, Messick produced several strips over a few months about Brenda Starr’s trip to Panama and her interactions with a Vice Consul named “Maggie Shore”.
In November 2021, Margaret loaned her original copies of the comic strip and her personal photos so that we could scan them for the collection. Sadly, Margaret passed away this month here in Gainesville, Florida, so we are sharing a selection of the images to spotlight her service with the Embassy and her role in the comic strip.
Brenda Starr, Reporter comic strip featuring Brenda Starr arriving at the Panama Canal 
Brenda Starr, Reporter comic strip featuring Maggie Shore (Margaret Beshore). Note the accurate depiction of Front Street in Colón. 
This comic strip includes a caption written by Margaret that identifies the characters based on her mother, Ellen, along with “brother + sister-, + Brenda”. Margaret’s character named Maggie Shore is featured in the panel on the right. 
Margaret Beshore, 1962 
Ellen Beshore (left) and Dale Messick (right), 1963 Margaret joined the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer and started in the position of Vice Consul in Panama in January 1961. She oversaw immigration visas and worked closely with West Indian and Cuban people who were seeking to immigrate to the U.S. Margaret made the most of her time in Panama by exploring the region and even taking part in an amphibious landing exercise and a cross-country trek with the U.S. Army Jungle Warfare Training Center (among the first group of women to do so through the Center). She also met her future husband while in Panama: Clarence Boonstra was political adviser to U.S. Southern Command at the time, and later served as Ambassador to Costa Rica in the late 1960s.
Margaret Beshore participating in a U.S. Army Jungle Warfare Training Center exercise along with other women at Fort Sherman, Canal Zone, circa 1961-1963 
Margaret Beshore and Adelaide Lepingwell participating in Jungle Warfare Training Center exercise, circa 1961-1963 Did you know or work with Margaret during her time in Panama and the Canal Zone? Did you take part in the Jungle Warfare Training Center exercise with her? Did she help you with your immigration process? Did you read about “Maggie Shore” in Brenda Starr, Reporter? Do you know of other comic strips featuring characters based on people from Panama and the Canal Zone? We would love to get your comments.
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Prince Philip at the Panama Canal
In honor of the recent memorial for Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, we wanted to share some objects from the collection that document elements of his trips through the Panama Canal in 1959 and 1964 aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. The 1959 trip was part of a world tour. In 1964 Prince Philip spent two days in Panama and the Canal Zone after visiting the Galapagos Islands.
Panama Canal Review, April 1959 These photos in this slideshow are taken from an album created of Prince Philip’s 1959 visit.
This memo and the photos are from the 1964 visit.
Were you a part of these visits or did you see the Royal Yacht Britannia transit the Canal?
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Capturing the Canal Zone in Time Capsules
We want to highlight a generous donation by Randy and Joella Deakins of three family time capsules to the Panama Canal Museum Collection. The list of contents includes documents, photographs, letters, a scrapbook, and other items documenting the Deakins family history in Panama and the Canal Zone, beginning in 1927. These will be kept in our environmentally controlled storage facility, safe from any temptations to sneak a peek before time is up. Set to be opened in the year 2106, they are sure to bring delight to those lucky enough to witness it.
Randy and Joella also sat down with us for an oral history interview earlier this year at the Panama Canal Society Reunion in Orlando, FL. Their interview is currently being transcribed, and will be available online once it is processed. Please check out the Oral History Program on our website (https://ufdc.ufl.edu/ohpcm) and reach out to us if you are interested in participating.
In August 2021, Randy and Joella made the trip to the University of Florida to drop off their family treasures. They are pictured here with the time capsules in our Albert H. Nahmad Panama Canal Gallery. The gallery is home to an annual exhibition. Currently on display is “Are We Next: Fear and Social Roles in WWII”. (Abbreviated Online Exhibit: https://exhibits.uflib.ufl.edu/AreWeNext/) 
The Deakins Family 100 Year Time Capsule. Includes personal papers, letters from family, and papers regarding the Panama Canal Treaty and the transfer of the Canal. Time Capsule sealed April 29, 2006. To be opened on April 29, 2106. Steel box. This is #2 of 3 time capsules made by Randy Deakins. 
Violet S. Deakins: Scrapbook of her life in the Panama Canal Zone. Starts: January 1936. Last Date: January 1963. Violet Deakins born June 7, 1913 and died May 12, 2004. Time Capsule sealed August 8, 2021. To be opened on August 8, 2106. This is #3 of 3 time capsules made by Randy Deakins. 
The Deakins Family Panama Canal Zone Connection from 1927 to 1984. 100 Year Time Capsule. Time Capsule sealed January 28, 2006. Papers and photos of life in the Canal Zone. To be opened January 2106. PVC pipe. This is #1 of 3 time capsules made by Randy Deakins.
Thank you to Randy and Joella and to all our wonderful donors! Keep them coming!
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Honoring Important Canal and Canal Zone Workers
In honor of the first International Day for People of African Descent, we celebrate the extraordinary contributions of the thousands of West Indian workers and others of African descent who have participated in the construction, maintenance, defense, and operation of the Panama Canal and the Canal Zone. Between 55,000-100,000 West Indians went to Panama during in the 19th and early 20th century, and they were the largest group employed on the construction of the Canal. Although some people returned to the countries they had left, many stayed in Panama to create homes and families. They became an integral part of the work forces and communities in Panama and the Canal Zone. Today is a day to highlight the important role they played in this incredible history.
Workers pull a rope in the Balboa Dry Docks with the ship Reina del Pacifico in the background 
Culebra Cut, Culebra. Steam Shovel loading rock, March, 1911 
Panama Canal Review, October 2, 1953 
Group picture in front of Supply Department Main Office, 1950s 
Miss Emily Butcher, music supervisor, conducts a third grade class in rhythm, while Walter Oliver and Alford E. Osborne observe. Paraiso Elementary School, Canal Zone, March 12, 1954 (Available in the Digital Library of the Caribbean, https://www.dloc.com/PCMI013240/00001/33x) 
Women selling bananas at Culebra, Early 20th century 
Wedding party in 1913 in Culebra, Panama Canal Review, May 1965 
Driving Concrete Piles, Mindi Dock C.Z., During World War II, July 1942. To learn more about the International Day for People of African Descent visit the United Nations website page: https://www.un.org/en/observances/african-descent-day
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School Days in the Canal Zone
Panama Canal Review, August 7, 1956 In honor of the end of summer vacation and the first week of school for the Fall 2021 semester here at the University of Florida we are posting a few objects from the collection that many of you might recognize as well as some stories that describe getting ready for the first week of school for many Canal Zone students.
Panama Canal Review, September 3, 1954 Once everyone had either arrived back in the Canal Zone from vacation or had finished up their Summer Recreation Program, the commissaries were there to help with everything the students needed from the latest trends in clothes and shoes to all their school supplies.
Panama Canal Review, August 4, 1950 
Panama Canal Review, August 5, 1955 
Panama Canal Review, August 5, 1955 There was also advice for those students leaving for college.
Panama Canal Review, August 1951. Follow this link for a digital copy of this issue that is easier to read, page 14: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00097366/00225 The school publications were working to make sure the first day of school was a success for Canal Zone students.
Parrakeet, Balboa High School Newspaper, September 9, 1965 
Parents with kids crossing the street on registration day at Balboa Elementary School, Canal Zone. September 5, 1951, 2002.028.002 Gallery of Documents from the Canal Zone Schools. Click the arrows to move through the images: Canal Zone Schools Pass (2001.078.012), Notebook from Curundu Junior High School (II.2019.10.49), Cristobal District School Buss Pass (2005.097.019.004), Canal Zone College Student Handbook 1970-1971 (1999.021.018.001), Registration Form for Canal Zone Schools (2002.152.034)
What do you remember about the first day of school in the Canal Zone Schools? What was your favorite back-to-school purchase from the commissary? Did you ever fill out any of these forms or have a pink hall pass?
