Lyndsay Fogarty
Florida is known for many things, including its growth. In fact, a 2018 report by MagnifyMoney, a website that aids consumers through a variety of free financial tools and information, ranked Orlando No. 14 in its list of America’s 100 Biggest Boomtowns after studying the ways each city has changed between 2011 and 2016.
With more people comes more patients and students, so local hospitals and colleges are in a constant state of change to keep up with the flourishing population and its needs. These are some of the highlights of several Central Florida institutions that have made history during the month of November.
Rollins College Found a Home
What started as a paper plan developed into one of the most beloved colleges in Central Florida – Rollins College. Back in 1885, Edward Payson Hooker offered an outline of Rollins College to the Congressional Association in hopes of turning the dream into a reality. After contemplation, the design turned into action when it was accepted and founded as a coeducational institutional by the Congressional Church. In that same year, classes began on Nov. 4 and the college officially took off under the presidential leadership of Hooker himself. The institution has remained the heart of Winter Park and home to thousands of students, degrees and professors.
ORMC Celebrates Its Centennial
Orlando Regional Medical Center opened as Orange General Hospital on Nov. 5, 1918 with just two of its four floors completed, one functioning operating room and no gas, electricity or air conditioning. By 1945, it had become the third largest private hospital in Florida and grew from 100 beds to 263 beds and bassinets. Today, ORMC is part of an entire network of hospitals under the Orlando Health umbrella, which also includes Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. ORMC has Central Florida’s only Level One Trauma Center, a state-accredited hospital facility that offers highly specialized treatments for critical injuries. More than 85,000 patients are treated at the facility each year.
UCF Student Newspaper Gets a Name
On Nov. 15, 1968, University of Central Florida journalism majors and alumni Jonathan Gholdston and Linda Mettle named the school’s independent, student-run publication the “FuTUre,” a nod to UCF’s original name of Florida Technical University, according to an article published in the paper’s final issue. It ran as “F.T.U. ???” for the first five issues as the name remained undecided. After several masthead and name changes, the staff settled on “The Central Florida Future” in 1985. The paper gave countless UCF journalism students hands-on experience as they honed their skills. “The Central Florida Future” was shuttered in 2016 when Gannett, the publishing company that owned the paper, decided to shift its focus.
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