My father, Ernest Lamar Simpson, drew a cartoon every week for the Sebring News in the late 1950s. I remember him working on these and sometimes I would look over his shoulder as he drew.
Each week the cartoon featured something that was happening in our small Florida town. It’s the Sebring I grew up with and the Sebring I love to recall. My mother grew up here in the 20s and 30s so I have the memories she shared with me too.
Daddy drew cartoons for football games, school plays, voting day, the county fair, the Ridge Theater Guild, the first art shows at the tourist club and so much more.
When My husband and I moved back to Sebring I was happy to find a small town bank where I could open a savings and checking account. It’s where people knew me and it felt comfortable. Unfortunately the bank sold a couple of years ago to a larger bank and I was disappointed they closed the branch downtown a few blocks from Studio 215.
Then one fine day I heard that Mayor John Shoop, (yes he’s our mayor too) president of the previous bank was anxious to get back to that small town atmosphere where he could spend more time interacting with the customers. One of the bonuses for me is that the branch I missed so much downtown is now home to First Southern Bank. It’s truly that small town bank I was missing.
That brings me to my father’s cartoons. I have stacks of his original drawings and what better fit for some of them to be displayed than at First Southern Bank’s lobby. There are nostalgic black and white photos of Sebring as part of the decor and Daddy’s cartoons framed and matted in black go so well. I met with the Mayor to see he he would like to hang some in the bank. I was delighted when he said yes.
The large photo is of North Ridgewood Drive as viewed from the circle. My studio is further down on the left hand side. I would say it is a picture of Sebring in the late 30s when my mother would have been a young girl.
My father passed away in 1999, I know he would be thrilled to know his cartoons are still apart of this community. Thank you John Shoop for hanging his work.
