Talk:Florida statewide teachers' strike of 1968

Personal statement from Henry L. King

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Many teachers never went back and left the state. Some were black-balled and not allowed to go back to their jobs. As, I, Henry L. King can tell you as a CTA Rep. for Clearwater High School, after 2 years of warning sanctions by the NEA, 1000 teachers assembled at Wescott Hall on the Campus of Florida State University several days before the 2/19/68 Resigners Club event. This was supposed to be a meeting between Gov. Kirk and the teachers. Gov. Kirk did not show up but sent a fully uniformed Florida Highway Patrolman to the podium before the 1000 assembled (from long distances, at their own expense) with a note:"I am always interested in Florida Education. Sorry I cannot be with your today." ON the front page of of the St.Petersburg times the next morning was a picture of Kirk at Disney Land California. This blatant shunning of the teachers by Gov. Kirk was the precipitating event for the immediate submission of over 25,000 resignations througout the State. Since FEA was a professional organization, not a union at the time, I, personally delivered over 1800 signed resignations to Supt. Southard in his Pinellas County office and asked him to join us for the benefit of improving education in Florida. Two months later on 4/10/68 I moved the 5 of us in my little family to Baltimore, Md. being fortunate enough to get a job with Westinghouse Corp. in Aerospace and Defense. The facts of this edit are verified in articles of the St. Petersburg times, Clearwater Sun, Tallahasse Democrat and other papers over the state. There was no public support and teachers all over the state "caved in" with the worst treachery because the very large Dade County Teachers Assos., made a separate agreement, ending any power of large numbers. A school administrator told me it was the "noblest thing I ever saw" when I returned 13 years later to retire in Florida. The President of the Pinellas County Teachers Assos, as well as The FEA (Jane Arnold) as well as her sister (DR. Lois Arnold) who was an assistant Supt. of Schools, ended up in San Diego. Calif. until they returned to Clearwater to retire. unning of the teachers by Gov. Kirk was the precipitating event for the immediate submission of over 25,000 resignations througout the State. Since FEA was a professional organization, not a union at the time, I, personally delivered over 1800 signed resignations to Supt. Southard in his Pinellas County office and asked him to join us for the benefit of improving education in Florida. Two months later on 4/10/68 I moved the 5 of us in my little family to Baltimore, Md. being fortunate enough to get a job with Westinghouse Corp. in Aerospace and Defense. The facts of this edit are verified in articles of the St. Petersburg times, Clearwater Sun, Tallahasse Democrat and other papers over the state. There was no public support and teachers all over the state "caved in" with the worst treachery because the very large Dade County Teachers Assos., made a separate agreement, ending any power of large numbers. A school administrator told me it was the "noblest thing I ever saw" when I returned 13 years later to retire in Florida. The President of the Pinellas County Teachers Assos, as well as The FEA (Jane Arnold) as well as her sister (DR. Lois Arnold) who was an assistant Supt. of Schools, ended up in San Diego. Calif. until they returned to Clearwater to retire.