The Rise of Sarasota: Ken Thompson and the Rebirth of Paradise

by Jeff LaHurd

Overview

Ken Thompson served as Sarasota's city manager from 1950 to 1988, making him the longest-serving manager in United States history. During these years, Sarasota experienced a population explosion and an unprecedented modernization of city services. The city moved from a sleepy little town to an independent city with an identifiable economy. This period of growth gave residents a vastly improved bayfront that included Island Park and the Marina Jack development and saw the creation of the current city hall and the Van Wetzel Theater. In thirty-eight years, Sarasota moved from the Circus City to the multifaceted city it is today. Follow well-known Sarasota historian Jeff LaHurd as he recounts the sometimes controversial era of Sarasota's greatest growth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609498344
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	11/13/2012
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	527,073
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Jeff LaHurd is the author of several books of local history. His articles have appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Style Magazine, The Sarasota Observer, SARASOTA Magazine, SRQ, and The Downtowner. LaHurd is a former board member of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation and the Sarasota Historical Society.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction 11

1 Welcome to Sarasota 13

2 Thompson Family Travels and Travails 17

3 Rebirth: 1950-1959 29

4 Sarasota Goes Modern and Outward: The 1960s 75

5 Regrouping: The 1970s 97

6 "I Do" 115

7 Trying to Hold On: The 1980s 125

8 Not Quite Time to Say Goodbye 135

9 Goodbye 143

10 Tributes 145

Appendix: A List of Changes During Thompson's Tenure 147

Bibliography 149

Index 153

About the Author 157