Quintet with varied backgrounds selected for Polk Arts & Culture Hall of Fame

An author and historian, a pair of music educators, a singer-songwriter and a museum director will soon join the Polk Arts & Culture Hall of Fame.

The Polk Arts & Cultural Alliance announced the five honorees on Tuesday: Canter Brown Jr., Frank Howes, Jessie Owens, Jim Stafford and Myrtice Young. They will be inducted during a ceremony Oct. 15 at Nora Mayo Hall in Winter Haven.

The induction process begins with open public nominations of candidates, Ward said. After determining which nominees meet the criteria for lifetime achievement, the alliance shares names with a selection committee composed of local residents, current Hall of Famers, board members and elected officials.

The committee ranks the candidates, and a selection committee from the PACA board reviews the recommendations before the entire board gives approval, Ward said.

The alliance seeks variety among inductees, Ward said, including diversity in place of residence and cultural specialty.

“I think, once again, we’re tapping into Polk’s rich arts and cultural heritage with these nominees,” Ward said. “They’re a diverse group in terms of geography and arts and cultural disciplines. We’re fortunate that there’s a pretty deep well of potential Hall of Fame candidates. It’s a really solid group and a great reflection on the arts and cultural heritage we have here in Polk County.”

Canter Brown Jr.

Brown, a Fort Meade native, is a retired history professor who has taught at Florida A&M University and Fort Valley State University. The author or co-author of 13 books on the history of Florida and the southern United States, Brown produced a two-volume history of Polk County.

He earned the Florida Historical Society’s Rembert W. Patrick Award for his book, “Florida’s Peace River Frontier.” Brown also contributed to the creation of the annual L.B. Brown Heritage Festival, held at a restored home in Bartow built by a man who was born into slavery.

Brown is the first inductee as a literary artist, Ward said.

Frank Howes

Howes, a lifelong music educator, served as band director at Southwest Middle School, principal at Harrison School for the Arts and director of fine arts for Polk County Public Schools in a career that spanned 40 years. He was inducted into the Florida Bandmaster’s Hall of Fame in 2003.

Howes, a Lakeland resident, founded the Hollingsworth Winds, a local music ensemble of wind players and percussionists, according to a news release from the Polk Arts & Cultural Alliance.

Jesse Owens

Owens has been a music educator in the Winter Haven area for more than 50 years. She retired as a choral director from Polk County Public Schools after 42 years and has served as adjunct professor of music at Florida A&M University and Polk State College.

Owens, who holds a doctorate, founded the Dr. J. Owens Academy of Fine Arts in 2012. She is also the founder and artistic director of the Sankofa Chorale, a musical group that performs various genres of music in support of African-American culture, the release said.

Jim Stafford

Stafford, a Winter Haven native, emerged with a group of Polk County musicians that included famed country songwriter Bobby Braddock and the late Gram Parsons, a revered figure in the country-rock genre. He gained national fame in the 1970s when his song, “Spiders and Snakes,” reached No. 3 on the Billboard singles chart.

A regular performer on “The Tonight Show” and “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” Stafford hosted his own network TV program, “The Jim Stafford Show,” in 1975. He performed for about 30 years at an eponymous theater in Branson, Missouri, before returning to Polk County.

Stafford entered the Polk County Schools Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2017.

Myrtice Young

Young, preservation manager at the Polk History Center in Bartow since 2010, will be inducted as a “cultural champion.” During her tenure, she has reorganized the Polk County Historical Commission, spearheaded the Polk Historical Marker Program and worked with Polk County’s Planning Division to establish the Historical Preservation Ordinance, the release said.

A lifelong Polk County resident, Young has collaborated on historical and cultural initiatives, such as “Sesquicentennial 2011,” a county-wide commemoration of Polk’s 150th anniversary, and the History and Heritage Guide to Polk County.

The Hall of Fame

The Polk Arts & Cultural Alliance has inducted members of the Hall of Fame since 2014 . Previous inductees include retired Theatre Winter Haven leader Norman Small, the late Florida Southern College artist-in-residence Robert MacDonald and the late jazz trumpeter Nat Adderley.

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The Hall of Fame is physically located within the Art & Culture exhibit on the second floor of the Polk County History Center.

The induction ceremony on Oct. 15 will also recognize selected local arts and cultural organizations for their work through the annual Polk Arts & Culture Awards, the release said. The event will include the inaugural “Best of Polk” art show.

Tickets for the event will go on sale in August at www.polkarts.org .

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Quintet with varied backgrounds selected for Polk Arts & Culture Hall of Fame