In 1969, Richard Nixon was president of the United States.
The Vietnam War was raging and of national concern.
The Internet was born, and so was Sesame Street.
And in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, life was good.
During the first week of November, four Beaches Hospital Auxiliary members, Lib Bean, Dot Howard, Mary Hollingsworth and Marian Lewis, were thanked for raising money for the hospital.
Newcomers were welcomed to the area: Jerry and Sandra Foster, Alan and Margaret Fleener, James and Joanna Lynagh, Murray and Margaret Matteson and Charles and Lynn McCarty.
First Lt. William Collings, Jr. was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in Vietnam.
And the school year was off to a good start, with six new teachers at PV-PV School: Mr. Hinsley, Mr. McDonald, Mrs. McDonald, Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Rogers.
The residents of Ponte Vedra Beach knew all this, thanks to a new newspaper in town: the Ponte Vedra Recorder, which published its first edition 50 years ago today on Nov. 7, 1969.
“We’ll never make the professional golf circuit! We’ll never paint the great American masterpiece! We’ll never write the great American novel! But maybe, just maybe, with everybody’s help, we can do something really worthwhile,” declared the paper’s co-founders, Gretchen Carpenter and Peg Bradford on the first page, continuing, “So this announces the Inevitable Happenings in our life…the birth of the first Ponte Vedra newspaper, dedicated to accurate coverage of events taking place in our community that often pass unnoticed.”
Carpenter--editor, publisher and co-owner--and Bradford, associate editor, also printed the paper’s motto under its masthead with the words “Dedicated Community Spirit.”
Over the past five decades, the Ponte Vedra Recorder has lived up to that motto.
And today it happily celebrates 50 years of continuing success in the community newspaper industry.
The community newspaper industry in general is fading, but it is more important than ever. Regional and community newspapers are closing their doors all around the country--sadly, because they are the glue that bind residents together.
But the Ponte Vedra Recorder is thriving. And it continues to serve its community by promoting its news in a way that is dedicated to its spirit.
The Recorder changed through the years, growing and expanding with the community. Newspapers are called the first rough draft of history, which the Recorder has been for Ponte Vedra Beach, Palm Valley and surrounding beach towns from its inception. But it has always also celebrated the history of the area going back hundreds of years, educating readers about what came before.
In 1972, the Recorder published a serial column by Mrs. Richard Massey on three centuries of Florida history, which she first wrote for the Ponte Vedra Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
In 1976, the Recorder was “proud to present” an ongoing column by Myrtle Stanley, called “A View of the Valley,” about Palm Valley life.
The December 21, 1979 issue provided a Year in Review, reminding readers of what had occurred month by month. In February, “plans for Ponte Vedra Shopping Plaza, to be located at the intersection of A1A and SR 210, are unveiled;” in March, “Beaches Hospital installs computerized X-ray machine;” in July, “Peggy Bradford and Gretchen Carpenter are presented resolutions of appreciation from the PVCA…”
In the Recorder’s 25th anniversary “Silver Anniversary Issue,” dated Dec. 16, 1994, the Recorder reprinted a story from the Feb. 1, 1980 issue about the passing of Gretchen Carpenter after a nine-month battle against cancer. Also, in that issue, publisher Timothy Bradford, Peggy’s son, reprinted a story he had written for the Aug. 24, 1984 edition about the death of his mother, who had died earlier that month after “a long bout with cancer.” Dedicated Community Spirit “was more than a catchy motto,” he wrote. “Providing a vehicle to promote the community gave her great joy.”
Tim Bradford served as publisher, as well as editor, writer and photographer for many years, leading the paper until his death in February 1997. His widow, Pamela Bradford, kept it going until 1999, when she sold it to Journal Community Publishing Group, based in Wisconsin.
Then in 2011, the Osteen family of Sumter, S.C. acquired the Recorder along with three other sister publications. OPC News, LLC is owned by three members of the Osteen family: Graham, Kyle and Jack. The brothers also have holdings in Osteen Publishing Company, Inc., a Sumter newspaper operation that has been in their family for more than 100 years.
Shortly after purchasing the Recorder, the Osteen brothers gave an encouraging statement that was reprinted in the Nov. 6, 2014 issue, when the paper celebrated its 45th anniversary. In keeping with the spirit and enthusiasm first shown by Gretchen Carpenter and Peg Bradford, they said, “Ponte Vedra is a great community with an audience that traditionally loves to read newspapers. Along with the staff at the Recorder, we think we can bring a renewed vitality to the operation. We believe in the future of smaller community news organizations.”
Five years after that declaration was reprinted, it continues to ring true.
“In a fast-changing, instant gratification world, local journalism is at the heart of readers’ communities and is the conduit to the community,” Pam Bradford Williams said. “Community newspapers have the power to bring about great good and make a profound difference within neighborhoods and are the true, original social media. Congratulations to the Ponte Vedra Recorder on 50 years of success.”
Photos provided by the Beaches Museum & History Park
