21 Intriguing Floridians

MOTIVATION—By overcoming great emotional and physical obstacles, Daniel Davison has accomplished more in his life than he ever could have imagined—all as a quad-amputee.

A victim of child abuse, Davison dedicated his young adult life to music, drugs and self-destruction. After a drug-related incident left him vulnerable to freezing temperatures, doctors had to remove Davison’s hands and feet. Davison turned this tragedy into a new beginning. He moved from Chicago to Naples and began a career as an inspirational speaker. Touring schools and other venues, he spreads his message of taking personal responsibility and never letting anyone limit your potential.

“No one should let anyone else tell them they can’t do something because they are mentally, emotionally or physically handicapped,” Davison said. “We are who we are because of the choices we make. We should make our choices based on our goals and the difference we want to make for ourselves and in the world. The only limitations in life are the ones we choose to put on ourselves.”

Davison has been skydiving, taken up horseback riding, become an avid sailor and learned to play several instruments. To learn more about Daniel Davison, visit www.danielrdavison.org.

ART—Islamorada resident Cinnamon Edgar has grown up with a limitless passion for art and life.

“When she was little, she just loved to take pictures, and to paint and draw. And if everything wasn’t exactly perfect, she’d throw out the paper and start all over again,” remembered Barbara Edgar, Cinnamon’s mother.

Born with Down syndrome, Edgar developed her love of art at the Marian Center in Miami Gardens, a Catholic school for children with developmental disabilities. Teachers encouraged her to pursue her interests and asked Edgar to paint or draw pictures for cards, special invitations or auxiliary fundraisers. With her clear and eloquent speaking voice, she often gave speeches at events, as well.

Edgar moved on to Marian’s workshop program, where she worked for 20 years before “she decided to get a ‘real job,’ as she called it,” Barbara said. Edgar used her watercolors and photographs as presents and greeting cards. After years of recipients insisting she could sell her art, she decided to start her own company. Florida Keys Art by Cinnamon began eight years ago, and she now has 50 to 60 accounts between Marathon and Islamorada, with plans to expand.

A true Florida Keys native, she is an avid angler. She won several junior fishing trophies, including at the Miami Metropolitan South Florida Fishing Tournament and the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament.

To order from Florida Keys Art by Cinnamon, call (305) 852-5989 or visit www.cinnamonsfloridakeysart.com.

HISTORY—Dr. Paul George, a well-known South Florida historian and history professor at Miami-Dade College, guides unique walking tours of historic neighborhoods.

“My interest in Florida history began when I was researching for my doctoral dissertation in the 1970s at Florida State University on the history of criminal justice in Miami,” George said.

The native Miamian teaches courses covering Miami, Florida, American and world history. He lectured at Florida State University, Florida A & M, Florida Atlantic and the University of Miami.

His career at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida began more than 20 years ago. George is not only a resident historian, but also editor of the museum’s scholarly journal, Tequesta, and the Historical Association of Southern Florida's magazine, South Florida History. As a curator, he has worked on several of the museum’s historical exhibitions, as well as at the Jewish Museum of Florida.

Through his work with the museum, he leads 35 different history tours in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. His crime tours and boat tours are held on the waters along Key Biscayne and Stiltsville, but his Little Havana and Miami cemetery tours also are popular.

George has authored articles, book reviews, books and columns regarding Florida history. He has won several awards as an author, as well as narrator and principal on a historical documentary created by WLRN Television on the Miami News/Freedom Tower. For more information, visit www.hmsf.org.

PARKS—After more than 30 years of preserving Florida’s history, Phillip Werndli is a wealth of Sunshine State knowledge. His work has helped maintain irreplaceable historic buildings and sites.

“I really acquired my interest for it in college, when I studied American history and architecture,” Werndli said. “I didn’t know that I was going to be doing this. I actually started as an engineering major and ended up a historian.”

Fresh out of the University of Florida with a master’s degree in American History and Historic Preservation, Werndli joined the National Park Service in 1974, surveying historically significant buildings. With the Florida Department of State from 1974 to 1983, his knowledge broadened through positions like historic sites specialist, director of the Florida Folk Program and director of the Division of Cultural Affairs. This led to connections with the Florida Park Service, with which he has worked since 1988.

For nearly 20 years, Werndli’s passion for Florida culture was put to good use as a park service administrator of partnership and volunteers. He helped create and maintain Citizen Support Organizations (CSOs), in which residents support their local state park by educating visitors, hosting events and raising funds. CSOs are integral to the protection and maintenance of Florida’s ever-diminishing wildlife, as well as many important historic sites.

Presently, as historic resources administrator, he reviews preservation grants and maintains the cultural resources library. “History gives roots to a community and a sense of place,” he said. “When I first started, the homogenization of America was just beginning, and it is even worse now. Historic buildings give communities a sense of character and help people reconnect with local heritage.”

INNOVATION—As a new hurricane season begins, Floridians know the importance of preparation and proactive safety measures. Bill Guthrie has a lifetime of experience working with windows and doors, and he has developed a hurricane screen that quells storm season worries.

“I’ve been building doors since I was 8 years old,” Guthrie said. He grew up working in his father’s window and door company, which he eventually helped develop into a multi-million dollar business. Eventually, Guthrie started his own company, providing security screens for large projects like college, commercial and residential housing.

“I had done a job in the Carolinas, and after hurricane Hugo came to town and wiped everything out, a colleague there told me I needed to visit,” Guthrie said. “I thought I was going to have to replace all of my previous work, but all of my screens were still there. That’s when I knew I was onto something.”

Guthrie’s screen became the first to pass the stringent Miami-Dade County building code impact test, which includes shooting a piece of lumber out of a cannon at the product.

Guthrie now runs Hurricane Screens & Security, Inc. in West Palm Beach, where he sells his Fort Hurricane Super Screens. Along with proven hurricane durability, the screens are sturdy enough to ward off intruders, and they provide superior sun protection to decrease indoor heat and utility bills.

As with most inventors, Guthrie is not happy with just one revolutionary product. “I’m always doing something like working on new products, and I have a few patents pending,” he said. To learn more, visit www.stormscreen.net.

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