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| Coach Ray Hayes |
The Leesburg Ledger
Friday, March 20, 1935
LEESBURG - The Lions Club at their regular weekly luncheon were honored by having as their guests, the coaches and members of the high school basketball team, who represented this district at the State Tournament this year and were one of the semi-final teams. Lion Robinson, presiding in the absence of President McIrwin, extended a hearty welcome to both the coaches and all of the team members. Coach Ray Hayes responded by introducing his assistant Roy Hope, Manager Billy Masters, together with Frankenstein Phillips, Jim Girtman, Bill Girtman, Elmo Miller, Joe Knowles, Bethea, Jim Worrill, Jim Golden and Bill Davis, who made up this year's Yellow Jacket squad. Ned Searcy, the other valued member of the team was sick and unable to attend.
Coach Hayes deplored the fact that the school was unable to offer any training to the younger boys of the Junior High School to teach them the fundamentals of the different sports they might be fitted to take up on reaching high school. He stated that to be able to compete on an equal basis with the larger schools of the state, with many more athletic prospects than are available here, it is vital that some form of Physical Education and preliminary training be arranged for. He urged that this matter be given serious consideration so as to keep the standard of Leesburg athletes up to what they have been for the past several years.
Lion Robinson introduced the guests speaker of the evening, Karl Lehman, Secretary of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, who warmly praised the coaches and members of the basketball team for the records they had compiled in the last few years against much larger schools throughout the state. Mr. Lehman cited many incidents gathered from the various cities over the state he has lately visited to show that Florida is now enjoying one of its best season since 1926. He gave facts and figures to show that in Miami and St. Petersburg, two of the largest tourist centers in the state, more rooms and apartments had been built than ever before and that practically all of them were filled this winter. He also pointed out that more expensive homes had been built and more property changed hands than in the last ten years. The Citrus display at Tampa Fair which won the Blue ribbon for Lake county in his estimation had caused the many citrus groves to be sold throughout the county. All of these sales he said, were made to northern people and he named many of these. He stated that all indications were for another boom for Florida without all of the speculation but much saner than the boom of 1926.
Gene Morris was welcomed into the club as a new member, while Ormund Powers of the Orlando Morning Sentinel was also a guest. The attendance contest which will run through the balance of this month, seems to be getting good results, this being the best attendance in several meetings.
