An Evening with Donn Colee

231 Southwest 2nd Avenue,Fort Lauderdale FL 33301

25 January, 2022

Description

Join History Fort Lauderdale and Author Donn Colee for a live, in-person Meet the Author. Donn R. Colee Jr. is the author of Legends & Lore of Fort Lauderdale’s New River, published by The History Press in 2021. He is a seventh-generation Floridian; the direct descendent of George Colee, who immigrated to the St. Augustine area from England in 1821. Donn was in the advertising/public relations business in West Palm Beach until 1988, when he joined WPEC TV 12/CBS, where he remained for 20 years, the last 5 as station manager. This is his second book. His first, Towers in the Sand, is the history of radio and television stations in Florida and the people who brought them to life. Colee is a member of the Florida Historical Society, Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, St. Augustine Historical Society, and Historical Society of Palm Beach County. He is a former commissioner of the Florida Inland Navigation District, the state agency responsible for maintenance and improvements of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Fernandina Beach to Key Biscayne. The ICW was built by a company cofounded in 1881 by his great-great-great-grandfather, who became its civil engineer. Donn and his wife, Martha, reside in Palm Beach Gardens. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren. Book synopsis: The New River winds its way through a mysterious and tumultuous history, from the whirlpools of a legendary birth to banks stained with the blood of a massacre. Long-lost tribes flourished on the bounty of fish from its crystal-clear water and game from its wooded shores, only to succumb to European weapons and disease. They were replaced by Seminoles and runaway slaves, with a few white pioneers seeking opportunity in the new southern frontier. After the Civil War, a trickle of immigrants became a flood of Confederate refugees and Northern opportunists. South Florida’s destiny was changed forever when inshore transportation evolved from foot and hoof to inland waterway and steel rails. Schemes to “drain the Everglades,” turned swamp to subdivisions with the New River at its core. Trace the storied arc of southeast Florida’s ancient history with author Donn R. Colee Jr. History Fort Lauderdale operates 3 museums & a research library on its historic campus on the New River. Guided tours of museums begin every day at 1, 2, and 3pm. K-12 educational programs, life long learning, specialty tours, art exhibits, family fun days and much more are offered. Come hear the stories of Fort Lauderdale!!