The Life and Times of Forest “Fergie” Ferguson

prepared this looks like one of our old crowds it doesn't really look like one of our new friends huh I guess it was raining the night nobody wanted to come out Allison is a great program for us I want to go over a couple of things that are going on um we have like several events plan I don't know how many of you know this but as of December 31st this will be off the Stuart Main Street it will no longer be the fireplace it will be the factory Center so uh there's going to be a transition time come on in there will be a transition time in January we will not be able to

use it okay this will all be going to go into the way that has announced now for the new equipment put in new chairs lots of renovations so our January program is fill in the works we'll let you know about that our notificial program is standing solo just arrived she has talked to talk to Paul iron and he's going he's going to do it on the safe programs Andy yeah to see also was in charge of an outboard Marine okay he was also in terms of outdoor Marines so he will speak about that any stepper we are going to have what we always have that would be our last event here for a couple months

we will have our holiday open and there's going to be some special things for that and we'll let you know one of those physical things is Alice Lockhart and Sandy Thurlow are going to be doing the tours again three tours one at ten one at 11 30 and one at one and it will be just like we did in may they will be um it's 425 one by Sandy and we hope that if you want to take one you will sign up 20 . so that will be a total of 16 weeks so we will have an open house and like we always do and that will announce in the next newsletter what all is

going to be going on that day before I have to choose in January we are going to have a program that I don't know what it is yet but we will let you know we're waiting on some approval of Gloria bike and work on our return to that so they will let us know February will be Black History Month with Faye James and her two sons and she has been working on it since last summer so it ought to be a great program after that there are things um complete all of the programs that go with it so you just plan on coming out to all of our programs and we're going to try and

do some really good ones Sandy Thurlow and Alice la carte have really been good this year to pick up I work in the program burnt out I couldn't think after I've been here almost 10 years of trying to get programmed I will play okay what do we do next and they step it up and they've taken it over so I would love for you all to come out and see the museum we have done a lot of work there it's all decorated for fall and you should come and bring friends and see what's been done and then Wednesday morning for very busy there's a lot of people there and I would love for some more

to come out and fill it up I want to turn the meeting over to Alice but she's going to do a program of Murphy Ferguson and courts history in the Navy a break and then she got a surprise for us so she actually got a short program okay thank you Mary evening everybody um one of my favorite topics to do is on Fergie Ferguson and I know there's some people who actually knew Britney personally right anybody else I know Mary was oh look at this quite a few very good and even though I had done a program a number of years ago on Fergie I've gotten some more additional material and photographs so I want

to put it together as a video so before I've been doing PowerPoints but this is a video so it always makes it kind of nice to do it that way but just a fascinating story a local boy who becomes not only a sports hero but then a D-Day hero during the war and just you know we can be so proud of him and if you remember we also got the city to name the Gazebo right down there where close to City Hall is and close Beyond where the courthouses and name for Fergie so there's a permanent Monument then to him that way so it's just a fascinating story we're going to go through I'm going

to take you through the Whole Life and Times of this video that I created and then afterwards we'll take questions and answers anybody got anything if you want clarification on and then Rick Miller and I have something very special to show you so don't get up yet after for the questions and answers there's something very special a little you're going to be the premier group to see this item nobody else has seen it yet and you're only going to do a snippet of it so just to give you a taste taste but it is quite uh quite good and I think you'll enjoy it so we're ready to start our video Life and Times of

burgers The Life and Times of Fergie Ferguson is who we're going to recognize today a support tarot and during the second world war a war hero Fergie was born June 21st in 1919 in Jacksonville his parents were for senior and Francis his two siblings Aurora born 1916 and Wilbur born in 1921 also were from Jacksonville it was the two boys Fergie on the left and his brother Wilbur on the right here all three of the children after they moved from Jacksonville to Jensen Fergie grew up in Jensen and attended the elementary school there the Jensen Arch and the Jensen train depot were all familiar sites for the Ferguson family in 1934 Fergie started attending the

only High School in the county Seward High School located on East 4th Street later named East Ocean Boulevard with so many High School athletic programs at the school the family decided to move to Stuart so Fergie would be closer to his school the family became very familiar with all the places and businesses in downtown the perkerson family settled into a two-story house on Camden Avenue it was right across from the nap Apartments football was Fergie's big Sports Love by 1936 his brother Wilbur also was on the shs team their football coach was J Fred Evans it wasn't just Fergie but all the players mattered and in November 1936 game against Lake Worth Claire Elmer Rico

was confused if he was to play or not and so he didn't go to Lake Worth the coach sent for Herbert Bruner to go and get Rico Stewart tried to delay the game as much as possible with the game finally started it was Fergie who stated he was injured in the very first play so further delaying the game this allowed Bruner and Rico to arrive and get set up for the game it proved to be a very successful trick by Fergie to help his classmates school had not had a winning football season in many years and that was about to change 1937 the school won the Southeast coast conference their first championship many contributed excess

to Fergie he was at curly-haired Giant star player who indeed inspired the other players Fergie completed all his studies and graduated on May 27 1938. it was a class of 20 fellow students Stewart's Golden Sun who everyone felt would accomplish great things he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville and played college football now Ferguson continued the Ferguson tradition and played center for the Stewart High School the coach considered Wilbur a very wiry player he's skill is a Gator player was his ability to play offensive and defensive end positions the Gator football team with all its strong players seem unbeatable that was especially true October 19 1939 game against Boston College it was strong and

hard game but University of Florida defeated Boston 7-0 in the 1939-40s season Fergie managed to catch 43 passes 1941 he made a complete touchdown pass of 74 yards the longest on record it remained unbroken until 1954. for he was named all Southeastern Conference player with honorable mention for All-American in the nation in 1941. not playing football Fergie lettered in track and field events he played on the University of Florida's baseball team also 1940 he won the Collegiate State boxing championship in 1942 he won the national AAU javelin throw championship we love playing sports didn't matter what it was he was involved whatever he attempted in sports Fergie excelled at playing football the best and he

knew what were good plays his long arms and large hands he was a natural at catching passes for 1941 when you have beat the University of Miami in their home stadium of Miami the local Miami Herald had to print Florida whips Miami 14-0 Ferguson did it single-handedly May 25th 1942 Fergie had also earned his bachelor's of Arts degree in education from the University of Florida if it not been 1942 a different path may have opened up for Fergie he would have been a prime candidate for professional National Football League draft but because the United States was at War Fergie willingly took the path of enlisting in the United States Army June he reported to the

318th field artillery battery 81st division he had the basic military training that the Army also wanted Fergie on the Army All-Stars football team that team played the Professionals of the NFL teams all across the country his coach was Wallace Wade in Fergie's travels he met many celebrities such as actress Linda Darnell he was also at the Rose Bowl in California after the Army football season Fergie attended officer candidate school and became a second Lieutenant by July 1943 Stewart's Golden Boy continued to shine and he was always welcomed back to cheering crowds on his furlough visits to Stuart his parents and siblings were also very proud of Fergie Mr Wilbert finished school and went into the

military he then married Kathleen Bullard in 1943 and in the next few years they had two daughters K Francis and Deborah Ann late 1943 Fergie was sent to England to finish training for the upcoming D-Day invasion even while training in England he played on the 29th Infantry Division Blues football team they beat every team they played there were parades of the American soldiers through the Streets of London during one of those parades that Fergie was in he wanted to reassure the English citizens he marched he could be heard yelling Englishmen never fear Fergie Ferguson is here as Operation Overlord today approached to push the Germans out of France the troops marched to the Loading Docks

ships and transports were loaded foreign had three beaches to land on in the Normandy coaches of France the United States had three beaches and Canada one beach it was June 6 1944 Fergie had hoped to be in the first wave of Americans onto the coast but had been reassigned back in May to be with the second wave the Americans came at low tide 6 a.m onto one of the beaches Omaha Beach with so much Beach area to cross they were exposed to unending German fire bombs and artillery it became known as the suicide wave soldiers trying to come on Shore were exposed to countless rounds of German gunfire foreign US Army Lieutenant General Omar Bradley

was watching on a ship offshore he knew it looked hopeless and was about to call The Invasion off he then observed Lieutenant Ferguson and his men entering the beach as the second wave Fergie knew it was a dangerous situation he rigged a long pipe-like bomb of explosive charges he went with other soldiers to the Bob wire fortification he inserted the Bangalore torpedo next an explosion an opening was created Fergie directed his men to move forward off the beach General badley witnessed this and said in reinforcements the tide of the invasion was turning suddenly Fergie was struck by shrapnel in his head and his leg he was alive but had to wait for the medics many

wounded and dead Americans in Omaha Beach that day if those scenes look familiar they are from the opening of the 1998 movie Saving Private Ryan same battle scenes at Fergie and others faced actor Tom Hanks did those opening scenes reenacting what Fergie had done the Hank's character would go on to achieve other things throughout the movie not true for Fergie he eventually was transported to an English hospital he was unconscious there for two months later he was transported to Atlanta Georgia to the Lawson VA hospital for additional surgery for his bravery Fergie was awarded the distinguished service cross medal on December 20th 1944 and then made a first lieutenant this is the second highest award

given to a member of the United States Army it is for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy Force it is a bronze cross with an eagle in the center and the inscription for Valor only five thousand were awarded during all of World War II Fergie made the front page headlines of the Stuart news he was discharged from the military our March 20th 1945 and returned back to Stuart Fergie was welcomed back to Stuart with open arms all of the people in the county were proud of their Golden Boy he was home to all the familiar places downtown Stuart Lighthouse Restaurant The Lyric Theater back home to his parents

house on Camden Avenue the hospitals in 1944 could only do so much he did have a metal plate in his head he suffered from speech problems and his movements were slow and difficult for him his sister Aurora helped look after Fergie all of Stewart was very respectful and assisted him whenever possible still physically a big fella he did want to find something he could do American Legion State conference honored him with a parade in May of 1946 held in West Palm Beach he was accompanied by the Stewart High School band a big opportunity came in 1946 when a semi-pro veterans football team for Stuart was created he served as their coach that was the one

skill he retained football plays the Stuart team of veterans had two good winning seasons for good days and bad days for Fergie related to his health by 1950 he did become the coaching consultant for the Stewart high school football team though he was always calm and very laid back with the students loved his family also especially his two young nieces Kay and Deborah tragically Fergie's father passed away in August of 1952. for some much-needed family time Fergie his mom and sister Aurora went on a two-month cross-country road trip in May of 53. Fergie really enjoyed seeing New Mexico and Arizona by late 1953 and back home Fergie developed a brain infection he also got the

flu and had to be admitted to the VA hospital in Coral Gables in Dade County on January 7 1954 he lapsed into a coma at the hospital his mother Aurora and Wilbur stayed by his side Fergie died May 15 1954. as was stated by his family and friends Fergie never complained his body was brought back by train from Miami to Stuart Aurora was devastated by Fergie's passing it was said that a vast sadness in her heart never left her this same sadness was felt all over Martin County all businesses closed on May 20th during Fergie's Funeral Service which was held at the Stuart Baptist Church the church was filled with mourners and then another 150

people standing outside the military funeral and burial was conducted at All Saints Cemetery in Jensen Beach the Harold John's American Legion Post 62 conducted the services with Fergie's passing the University of Florida remembered its hero alumni special Lord has been given every year to a senior UF football player who displays outstanding leadership character and courage this first one was awarded then in 1955. other honors included Fergie's name being placed in the Florida Sports Hall of Fame Fergie has been the only athlete from Martin County over the years the Ferguson family has carried on Fergie's mother died in 1980 brother Wilbur in 1987. and sister Aurora died in 2009. as the decades went by Fergie was

not forgotten in Martin County a new award the Fergie Ferguson County football championship trophy was started in 2013. Jensen Beach High School was the first winner of that trophy the high school in Martin County with the most wins in a season have been awarded the trophy in 2014 the city of Stuart decided to rename the Majestic white Bandstand in gazebo Park after Fergie Memorial Day 2015 was the dedication of that plaque and the renaming officially of the Bandstand in attendance that day were Fergie's two nieces Deborah and Kay who came from their home in Mississippi they spoke of their pride of their uncle and how pleased they were Stewart was honoring him the bronze plaque

showed the city seal and an image of the distinguished service cross medal it proved to be a very special day to remember a local hero clack is embedded in a large Stone in front of the Bandstand joining the nieces were Joe Crenshaw Alice Lockhart and Bob D'Angelo on Camden today the former Ferguson home still stands other remembrance of Fergie is a book written in 2015 by Bob D'Angelo with detailed research specially covering Fergie's football achievements and his War experiences are all found in this book by Bob former sports reporter for the Stuart news Bob now lives in Tampa this June 2019 Marx Fergie's 100th birthday anniversary June 6 marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day and

may 2019 marks the 65th anniversary of Fergie's death if he is remembered Fergie lives forever is that better can you hear it no no no we could hear Jim thank you so excuse I could probably project it but uh as you see very touching it is a good thing yeah it's all true story uh just a fascinating you know individual we have Tom Thurlow here who is one of those high school students that is trained under herding as a football player so I mean there's a good example what he grew up into and from some of that training that he got as a football player of course as we know many people here knew him

and him in the community you know he was a good guy and people respected him there was no making fun of him you know just because of his disabilities so they knew what they had they had a proud American a local boy now anytime yes Andy I congratulate you on getting the additional photographs and like the one of him getting the medal did you get that from the nieces or uh see I can't remember where that was one from the nieces were some that Bob D'Angelo was able to get hold of too he got a hold of love and he assisted me on getting some of these extra ones I don't remember that one in

his clothes yeah I'm still in contact with him because they have been back down since the dedication in 2015 but we still communicate you know back and forth so it's a little more yes yes still in Mississippi other questions yeah so he's still very uh I mean he's still very he's scared in all states yes approximation to the church it is a distance from the church but I'm not familiar with which section to say that he's in um you know we have Joyce Menard Fletcher who's the historian for All Saints church and I know she knows where all of these are and she's going to be doing by the way coming in the new year

a historic program where she takes you on a tour of the cemetery and points out some of the famous people and heard he is one of them right other questions thank you is there a dude what kind of the uh of the plaque at the feed store yes there is how is that they're so expensive yeah do it in the window for the display because of this program but uh Mary if you remember how that happened the city of course did up the plaque got everything and then they looked at it again and they realized the city seal was slightly turned supposed to be a certain way and so we couldn't allow that so they

had they didn't want to get rid of it so they offered it to us at the Museum so we say oh yeah and they had to make a whole new one so the one that is actually on the stone there by the Gazebo is correct and the city seal is turned the right way so that's how we were able to get an extra one which is great for us question yes uh the funeral the church was funeral was held was it still standing or was it yeah you have two back you have two virgins the Baptist Church we have the older one and the more recent one one that's there now Stewart Baptist Church Third

Street Fourth Street all that area um that was built in 64. so the funeral of course was in 54. okay so it's not the same church but it's the same area where same congregation the Stewart Baptist Church they had a different building and they just got a new building what's there now and where is the chair where was it now I mean where is the location now where the church now um third third street very close to Woodman Hall okay okay Woodman Hall is close to the railroad tracks okay yeah once you get into that area West Ford Street or West Ocean and Third Street where Woodman Hall is you can see it's a great

picture so she's in the spot other questions okay this next program that we're going to be doing is uh in connection it's uh Rick Miller and myself it was Rick Miller's idea our audio man here came up with this idea that the big statues we have five of them throughout the city and these statues are selfish like seven feet tall and they have a historical plaque on them and photographs and what it does is Mark wherever that statue is what historical events and places are nearby you know within cycle and they've been up there for a number of years a lot of people have seen them in fact a couple of even gotten damaged and

had to be redone again but you know we have all five of them up there now but Rick came up with the idea of let's really showcase these statues we can show them and you know uh chamber Commerce meetings and stuff like that and tell the story behind them you know it's not just seeing these sketches but seeing the history behind and he uses what's on his 3D to help really visualize because some of this you know you can't show everything that's there now you need to know the back story so this is where he's added a 3D to make the back story so you guys like I said are very lucky you're getting to

see a snippet that's not all of it of the five statues he covers the introduction and then the first statues that you get an idea of what we've done and he'll have it done available shortly so everybody can see it and you know maybe even be on YouTube then you can share it with other friends so it's a nice overview of the history of this area with those statues so Rick whenever you're ready hi there I'm Halford a lawyer directory Center here 's 1901 building would always do it you only ever played family is left we have delivered so important I advances for the five family Staffing good morning straight no I'm St Lucie Avenue

right now on the street we're in fact areas of the Supreme Court we find the former president of the United States will received he didn't think of somebody else we want that problem the bathroom foreign so again that's just a snippet we go through all the five different locations there's one by The Lyric Theater there's one over by Woodman hall there's another one on John Jefferson Road and then the fifth one is over by Hospital pond off of Palm Beach Road there area so this was a project done by Stuart Main Street originally several years ago I had to put up those statues but then like I said you know Rick came up with the

idea let's take it a step further and really tell the story of each of these because otherwise a lot of people just pass them and see their statues and they don't really read and look at the photographs because working with Stuart Main Street we we were really intense in making sure we had everything correct and accurate in good photos and the project would last so by doing this it's like another extra step and again when it becomes available that everybody can download it or you know YouTube and send it to your friends it's a great way to kind of showcase Stuart the especially the downtown section and I know you'll want to go and look

at accepted yourself anybody with questions it seems like they're Justified no they're fine yeah originally the idea with uh Stuart Main Street is that they would do five then do another five and then another five well the problem is those statues are not cheap each one has a different sponsor who helped pay for it but unfortunately just you know they tacked all of those sponsors out on the first five and don't really been able to find enough money to do it again there's not been any talk of doing another five well we have plenty of places we could do judgment but at least we have these five I wonder if the channel tram operators of

the drivers are reversed in the statues and they said here you know talks to visitors about those well how much they do it varies from obviously driver to driver some probably know a little bit more than others and again we want to make this available to the city Eula and to other groups and that you know the tram yard you should definitely see some of this information they make sure they read those statutes and uh the cool thing about it it's really hard to see on a regular screen like this but I was moving it around I was moving it around so you can see it um in the City Annex the plan is to

have a at the beginning of Europe seeing the VR headset put the headset on you'll be able to sit and you'll be able to watch it if you haven't experienced it it's something really cool it's like you're standing at each of the statues and you can look around yourself Alice tried it out it was amazing and if you've never tried it um we'll do an email once once the system's set up and hopefully uh and it'll be free you can just come in trying to show off our city a little bit something different for people to come in and you know you can get brochures and all that which is great information about the city

but just just a step further something unique that's uh brand new technology and like you see he embedded some of those photographs in there so if you're covering about Grover Cleveland or the you know original St Lucie Annex Hotel you know there's a picture of it there where it would have been in a time when it exists so it's neat and he's when so if you want to go back and back in which time as you can that's the beauty of it so it's not just a film that goes that's it you have to start all over again no you can do it just as you're looking at each item each of those please yes

who is foreign Hospital Pond and those who aren't familiar with it's down East Ocean right uh close to Palm Beach Road it was um Hospital Lake or Hospital Pond has been known area hospital nearby you know it started in 1926. um but if Sid was saying he said he got that named cousin but that's it we have to learn we have to look at ourselves other questions yes something that may not be um do you know the couple that's on that called page there this is the kisses we'd have to check with the people here and obviously that's their webpage yeah oh yeah no I don't know foreign drivers well they are they are taught

I'm not saying they don't know some know more than others um but you know like Sandy and I we've been doing this for years and we still don't know everything we're still learning stuff so no no no she says we don't know I really really well Sandy are we still learning new things all the time indeed yes but that's fun that's the fun thing assembling on something we never knew before you know the historical vignettes that Greg and I do when we started that in 2012 not that long ago again this is Stuart you know Greg the Stewart boy he says oh goodness we'll only have enough babies because we're doing it weekly for maybe

six months that's all I could figure we'll ever remember or know about Stuart we're covered six months worth of whatever every Wednesday well again it was 2012 we're still October every Wednesday we're still coming up with stories so that's the beauty there are plenty of things and I know we're not even touching on everything by a long shot you know but what we're trying to do is that forgotten less known items that most people you know aren't aware of so since we have a little time Rick should tell introduce himself and say where his office is a star and that he found these things really more as a um he does much more work than

he can do it's a labor of love yeah because he has his own business and please tell why you're so uh why my husband should be so proud to know oh um University of Florida yes yep uh yeah I graduated University of Florida in 91 telecommunication production moved to Steward in 95 worked at Marshall Memorial and a funny story with Sandy is the first HR person I met was her daughter uh Jenny and basically took me through the HR process when I was hired back in 95. I then left in 2005 and I have a video production company it's right above Maria's Cafe and clam shelf over the years in downtown right down the street

in there building a 52. yeah the first elevator in Martin County but I do small video productions I uh you know being a downtown not only business owner but I live right off of Kruger Parkway and in East Ocean for 20 years now at a house and I joined the Stuart Main Street board when I moved to Downtown Stuart office and so I've been a member of Stuart Main Street for nine years and that's kind of how I met Alice and and Sandy I think through that I might have met Sandy before that um and I just like to be involved with the community and when um I think Alice asked me to film the

meetings I was happy to do it because we want to preserve you know I'm a supporter of preservative history so all these talks that happened they're going to get forgotten unless you film them you know you can have stories stories get changed verbally but if you have it on tape have it on DVD they'll be available and we do make make them available through the uh through the museum and if you ever want a copy or fat fat copies I don't know how many years back I've been doing it three or four years and I think Julie was doing it before that I'm not sure how many uh years back some of these videos are

available and they're great to have so yeah if you ever have a video of me um right in Downtown Stuart thank you Maria's Cafe second floor in fact I overlooked candy Circle yeah he has a wonderful view of it and I have a I have a I don't know if any of you during the hurricane it got pretty popular I have a live webcam that looks over at Haney Circle and Duffy's and actually it all went down only about an hour during Hurricane Dorian I was able to come down uh Comcast had an issue but they got it fixed pretty quickly I had calls from Pennsylvania and emails asking where the camera was and it's

nice because it's a live stream people from out of town wanted to know what was happening in Downtown Stuart and it's a great shot if you ever want to go to it at stuartwebcam.com and you can see what's going on in Downtown Stuart an ironically this off business window is the same one that Tom's dad's office was oh that's right he still kept his office that was that's great the original thrill of office yeah yeah I know and uh behind building that's a great building I enjoyed being up in there for 10 years and he collects games memorabilia it's like Ryan to 10 years with people baby things even the Navigator span on Facebook yeah

thank you remember if you've got any suggestions or ideas let Mary know the programs you'd like to hear or see come up in the future too you know especially if you've got ideas of guest speakers so there's not marry no one this idea okay thank you so much come on