Published in The St. Augustine Record
Publication Date: 05/01/06

The Randolph Caldecott grave site, in Evergreen Cemetery, has been designated a "Literary Landmark" by the Friends of Library USA (FOLUSA). The designation was in March 2005 for Caldecott, who is among the first illustrators to be so honored.

Florida has had many men and women of literary distinction and achievement through the years however, the practice of designating as Literary Landmarks their homes, the places where they worked, or their burial sites is relatively new, according to members of the local society.

The local Randolph Caldecott Society (RCSA) was recently requested to present a session on the Caldecott "Literary Landmark" ceremony at the Florida Library Conference, in Orlando. The session was hosted and facilitated by Eileen McNally, director, Florida Center for the Book, located in Fort Lauderdale. She presented Florida's 17 Literary Landmarks noting that the Randolph Caldecott burial site was the most recently designated.

Mary Jane Little, director of St. Johns County Public Library System, gave the introduction for the session, stressing the importance of the partnership between the Friends of the Main Library under the leadership of Suzanne Batovsky, and the Caldecott Society's ceremony co-chairs, Wynema Gatewood and Gwen Reichert.

Little stated that these two groups were greatly assisted through the services of Valerie Pieschel, Main Library manager, who served as the project liaison. Gwen Reichert, president of the locally based Randolph Caldecott Society of America presented an overview to the planning and organization needed to host such an event.

The session participants were made to feel that they participated in the actual ceremony through the use of Reichert's "You Are There" format.

Information on all Florida Landmarks published by the Florida Center for the Book was distributed along with a packet of Caldecott information provided by RCSA.

Florida's 17 literary landmarks include:

• Fruit Cove: Woody Guthrie
• St. Augustine: Randolph Caldecott
• Cross Creek: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
• Daytona Beach: Stephen Crane
• Eatonville: Zora Neale Hurston
• Wabasso: Laura (Riding) Jackson
• Stuart: Ernest Lyons
• Fort Lauderdale: John D. MacDonald
• Surfside: Isaac Bashevis Singer
• Key West: Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Frost, John Hersey, Jose Marti,
  Wallace Stevens, Harry S. Truman, Tennessee Williams
• Venice: Walter Farley

A booklet describing each site, with a map, and giving some biographical information can be obtained by contacting:
The Center for the Book
100 S. Andrews Ave.,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
http://www.browardlibrary.org/web/FCFTB/index.htm 954-357-7401