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Myrtle Scharrer Betz

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Myrtle Scharrer Betz
Born
Myrtle Scharrer

(1895-02-22)February 22, 1895[1]
Caladesi Island, Pinellas County, Florida, United States
DiedJanuary 3, 1992(1992-01-03) (aged 96)[2]
Palm Harbor, Florida
Other namesMyrtle Betz

Myrtle Scharrer Betz (1895–1992) was an American writer who wrote about life on Caladesi Island in the early 1900s.[3]

Betz was born on Caladesi Island. Her mother died when she was seven, and she stayed on the island with her father, the homesteader Henry Scharrer.[4][5] She would live on the island for 35 years.[6]

At the age of 20, she married Herman Betz; they lived four years together in Miami before returning to Caladesi, and in 1928 they had one daughter.[7][8] Myrtle and her husband moved to the mainland in June 1934, six months before Henry Scharrer's death.[9][10]

On her father's wishes, for years Betz sought to turn the Scharrer property on Caladesi into a park, unsuccessfully enlisting state support; prior to the 1960s her efforts were not viewed with favor.[11][6] Having been sold to City of Dunedin Commissioner Francis L. Skinner in 1946, the 157-acre Scharrer homestead was, along with other properties on the island, purchased by the state and made a state park in 1967, though the original houses and cabins on site burned down in the 1950s.[11]

At age 87, Betz wrote the book, Yesteryear I Lived in Paradise (ISBN 9781597320337) telling of her life on the barrier island.[12][13] Yesteryear I Lived In Paradise was first published in 1985 in a loose-leaf binding made possible by the interest and generosity of 105 friends of Myrtle Betz. This edition was presented to Myrtle as a surprise gift for her 90th birthday.[14][6] In 1990 Honeymoon Island State Park began celebrating Myrtle Scharrer Betz Day on the island.[15][16]

Betz died in 1992,[2] and she was later profiled in Linda Taylor's book on women exploring nature.[17] She was a long a member of the National Audubon Society.[2]

In 1994 a play based on her book about Caladesi Island, The Islander, was presented at the cultural center in Tarpon Springs, Florida.[18] Betz's descendants presented her life in period costumes to people interested in life on the island.[19]

In 2000 Betz was honored as a Great Floridian.[20]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Betz, Myrtle Scharrer (2009) [1984]. Yesteryear I Lived in Paradise: the Story of Caladesi Island. Tampa, Florida: University of Tampa Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-159732033-7.
  2. ^ a b c Lamm, Sharon Kirby (1992-01-04). "Myrtle Scharrer Betz, 96, writer of book about Caladesi Island". Tampa Bay Times; St. Petersburg, Florida. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  3. ^ Tomalin, Terry (June 21, 2002). "Beauty and the Beach". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  4. ^ Kirby, Sharon (1982-08-29). "Myrtle Betz tells of 35 years of life amid Caladesi's beauties". Tampa Bay Times; St. Petersburg, Florida. pp. [1]. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  5. ^ Betz 2009, p. 162.
  6. ^ a b c Kirby, Sharon (1985-02-24). "On her 90th birthday, woman gets a party and her manuscript published". Tampa Bay Times; St. Petersburg, Florida. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  7. ^ Washington, Ray (1984-03-25). "Outsider from the island". Fort Pierce Tribune; Fort Pierce, Florida. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  8. ^ Betz 2009, pp. 115–6, 164–6, 167–8.
  9. ^ Brenner, L.C. (1944-06-02). "American Pageant". Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Fort Worth, Texas. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  10. ^ Betz 2009, p. 170.
  11. ^ a b Betz 2009, pp. 171–2, 175, 177–8.
  12. ^ Caladesi Island State Park official website
  13. ^ Reviews of Yesteryear I Lived in Paradise
  14. ^ "The Story Behind Yesteryear". Caladesi Memories. 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  15. ^ "Author to receive honor at park". Tampa Bay Times; St. Petersburg, Florida. 1990-11-16. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  16. ^ Landry, Sue (1990-11-18). "Island living subject of celebration". Tampa Bay Times; St. Petersburg, Florida. pp. [2]. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  17. ^ Taylor, Linda (2008). Great Women Exploring Nature. Author House.
  18. ^ Lamm, Sharon Kirby (1994-10-21). "Woman's island life comes to the stage". Tampa Bay Times; St. Petersburg, Florida. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  19. ^ Clark, Robert (2001-02-16). "A homesteader's tale of perseverance and survival". The Kingston Whig-Standard; Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  20. ^ Betz 2009, p. 184.


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