Friends of the Library schedules guest speaker from Florida Citrus Hall of Fame – Nov 18

Friends of the Library
Press Release

Jody Mackle
Communications Chair
November 8, 2019

Brenda Eubanks Burnette

Friends of the Library is pleased to announce that Brenda Eubanks Burnette will speak at the Fernandina Beach Library on November 18th, 6pm on the history of the Florida citrus industry in conjunction with the current art exhibit, “Historic Florida Citrus Labels”, on display in the Fernandina Beach Library Community Room. This exhibit shows the colorful historic advertising art used in Florida between the late 1800s and the 1960s.

Brenda is the current secretary of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in Bartow, Florida and coauthor of a new book “Florida’s Citrus Crate Labels, Florida’s First Billboards”, which will available for purchase at the talk.

Many native Floridians here in Fernandina Beach have family ties that connect them to Florida’s citrus history and industry. Come for an entertaining evening about Florida’s history. Refreshments will be served. No reservations are needed.

For further information regarding this event, on joining the Friends of the Library, or becoming a volunteer for one of our events, please visit the FOL website at www.fernandinaFOL.org.

Friends of the Library is an all-volunteer organization whose mission is to promote literacy and lifelong learning in our community through programs, advocacy and fundraising for the Fernandina Beach Library. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE, WITHIN THE STATE, 800-HELPFLA (800-435-7352) OR VIA THE INTERNET AT WWW.800HELPFLA.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. REGISTRATION #CH18122

Bio of Brenda Eubanks Burnette

Brenda is the Executive Director for the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame, which is located at Florida Southern College in the Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay, Jr. Archives Center. As head of that organization, she is responsible for the annual induction ceremony recognizing distinguished leaders that have made significant contributions to the industry, as well as preservation and outreach efforts on behalf of the citrus industry’s rich heritage.

To that end, she manages an engaged learning program in conjunction with Florida Southern College through an endowment program which funds fellowship students and faculty to research and supplement information on Citrus Hall of Fame inductees, as well as to catalog and digitize information in the Florida Citrus Archives and other donated collections. Additional programs include oral histories with industry leaders and pioneers, educational history displays, and digital photo, postcard and citrus label collections that are constantly being added to an online database of images.

She was the 1981 Florida Citrus Queen, and traveled throughout the United States, Canada and Japan promoting Florida citrus, which led to a three-year stint as the consumer spokesperson for the Florida Department of Citrus. She went on to become the Executive Director of the Florida Citrus Showcase in Winter Haven for five years, managing the Florida Citrus Festival and Miss Florida Citrus programs, among others, before moving to West Palm Beach, where she opened her own business, Burnette & Associates Marketing. Services include special event management, public relations, communications, marketing and promotions.  She is also the Executive Director of the Miss Florida Citrus and Miss Imperial Polk County Scholarship Pageant, both of which are preliminary pageants in the Miss America organization.

Brenda has written, produced and directed several videos on the Florida citrus industry, as well as many of the inductee biographical presentations for the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame ceremonies. In 1996, she collaborated with Jerry Chicone, Jr. and co-authored, designed and published the sold-out book, “Florida Citrus Crate Labels: An Illustrated History,” and recently published a companion book on labels titled “Florida’s First Billboards.”