THE DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL
Daytona Beach, Florida
Monday, October 23, 1995EDUCATION LEADER DIES AT 67
By Debra JohnsonBUNNELL - Herschel King, a longtime champion of education in Flagler County, died Sunday morning at Memorial Hospital-Ormond Beach.
King, 67, underwent triple bypass heart surgery Oct 2 and had not left the hospital.
The Bunnell native retired from politics in 1994 but served a total of 33years on the Flagler County School Board - more than anyone else. First appointed to the School Board in 1953 by the late Florida Gov. Dan McCarty to fill a vacancy, King at 23 became the youngest School Board member in the state.
King .remained active in the political arena after the first appointment and was re-elected to ·the board through 1988, with only one defeat to his record.
In 1990, the Democrat announced he would not be seeking re-election to the School Board. At that time, he said he was “fed up with the unpleasant political atmosphere” that had developed on the board.
However, in 1991, Gov. Lawton Chiles appointed King to fill the District 3 School Board post created by the resignation of Republican Boyd Robertson.
Because. district boundaries were redrawn in 1990, King was faced with a re-election decision when his appointed term expired in 1994. King no longer lived in District 3. He could move or run for the District 1 seat where he lived.
King chose not to run when longtime friend E.W. "Andy" Anderson filed for the District 1 seat. Anderson died Aug. 10 while still in office after a short battle with cancer.
Anderson, as a teenager, had lived with Herschel and Joanne for a year so he could graduate from the old Bunnell High School.
He also chose not to move and run in another district, citing his wife’s political career. Mrs. King, currently mayor of Bunnell, has served for the past six years on the Bunnell City Commission. This month she missed her first two City Commission meetings in six years.
'When King wasn't busy with the School Board responsibilities, he co-owned and operated a potato and cabbage farming business with his brother, Larry. The two men sold the business in 1989 .and had been leasing the land and equipment to a Georgia company.
During King's tenure on the School Board, Flagler County saw vast changes.
In the 1950s, King helped win state support for a kindergarten program.
Flagler County already had organized a private kindergarten.
King was on the board when a federal court order was issued in the 1970s to desegregate the school district.
With his years of Service in the county's educational system, King was well-known and respected at the state Department of Education.
He would often work behind the scenes, contacting friends in the department in an effort to sway funding support for a local building program in the late 1970s as the county's growth began booming.
School. Board Chairman Theda Wilson, contacted .at home, said: "His death is such a loss for the whole community; not just the School Board, He was a grandfather figure and a dedicated co-worker. There were never any question that he believed in children."
Dennis Fitzgerald, who has served 10 years on the School Board, said: '"I worked with Herschel for many years and developed a friendship I will not forget He always stated his feelings, popular or not. and was one of the kindest gentlemen I have known.''
In addition to his wife, Joann, King is survived by two daughters, a son, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Graig Funeral Home, Bunnell, is in charge of arrangements.THE DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL
Daytona Beach, Florida
Tuesday, October 24, 1995
Herschel King
From Our Flagler County Bureau
BUNNELL - - Herschel C. King, 67, of Magnolia Avenue, a long time champion of education in Flagler County, died Sunday at Memorial Hospital, Ormond Beach.
Mr. King, a native and lifelong resident of Bunnell, attended Florida State University and South Georgia College and returned to this area to serve a total of 33 years on the Flagler County School Board. His political career began in 1953 with his appointment to the School Board by Florida Gov. Dan McCarty and ended with King announcing in 1990 that he would not he seeking re-election to that post.
Mr. King was co-owner of King Brothers Farms and had previously owned King Lumber Co. He was past director of both Barnett Bank of Volusia County and Bank of Flagler Beach.
He was a past president of the Flagler County Shrine Club and the Kiwanis Club; a member of Morocco Temple, Jacksonville; a 25-year 32nd degree member of the Scottish Rite of Free Masonry; and a member of Masonic Lodge 200 F&AM and Elks Lodge 2709. He was an Honorary Kentucky Colonel and an avid supporter of Future Farmers of America and the Florida State University Seminole Boosters Club.
Survivors include his wife, Joann; two daughters, Suzette Pellicer, Bunnell, and Vickie King Fontenau, Killingworth, Conn.; a son, Herschel C. Jr.; a brother, Larry, Bunnell; 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the Flagler County Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 755, Bunnell 32110.
Craig, Palm Coast, is in charge.
KING, HERSCHEL C., SR - Funeral service for Herschel C. King Sr., 67, Magnolia Street, Bunnell, .who died Sunday, will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church of Bunnell, with the Rev. Scott Conner, pastor, officiating. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. today (Tuesday) at Craig Funeral Horne Chapel and from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. Wednesday at the church.
Mr. King was a lifelong resident of Bunnell. He served for 33 years as .a member of the Flagler County School Board and was Past Chairman of the Board. Mr. King and his brother were co-owners of King Brothers Farms since 1957, and he previously owned King Lumber Company from 1952 until. 1957
He was a lifetime member of First· Baptist Church of Bunnell and past director of Barnett Bank of Volusia County and the Bank of Flagler Beach. He served as past president and member of the Flagler County Shrine Club and Flagler County's first Kiwanis Club. Mr. King was a 32nd Degree Mason and a member of Morocco Temple Shrine of Jacksonville, a 25-year member of the Scottish Rite of Free Masonry, a member of Masonic Lodge 200 F&AM, Bunnell, and the B. P.O.E. Lodge No. 2709. Mr. King was also a past member of Starlight Rotary Club and an Honorary Kentucky Colonel. He was an avid supporter of the FSU Seminole Boosters and Future Farmers of America.
Survivors include .his wife, Joann King, Bunnell; two daughters, Suzette Pellicer, Bunnell, and Vickie King Fontneau, Killingworth, Conn.; one son, Herschel C. King Jr., Bunnell; four stepchildren, Gregory, Jeff and James Crews III, and Wendy Hodge; one brother, Larry King, Bunnell; 14 grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.
Mr. King was predeceased by his parents, Thomas Larimore King and Carrie King Alford.
Make donations in memory of Herschel C, King Sr., Flagler County Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 755, Bunnell, FL 32110.
Arrangements are under the direction of Craig Funeral Home, SH Old Kings Road, South, Palm Coast.
THE FLAGLER/PALM COAST NEWS-TRIBUNE
Palm Coast, Florida
Wednesday, October 25, 1995
HERSCHEL KING’S DEATH LOSS FOR FLAGLER EDUCATION
County grieves school board member
By Debra Johnson
BUNNELL - Flagler County was mourning the loss of a friend and longtime supporter after Bunnell native Herschel King's death Sunday.
King, 67, the longest serving member of the Flagler County School Board, underwent triple bypass heart surgery Oct. 2 at Memorial Hospital-Bunnell. He remained there until his death.
Many county residents were still dealing with the news Monday afternoon.
Flags at all the county schools as well as the district headquarters are at half-staff in tribute to King.
Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. today at First Baptist Church in Bunnell. Craig, Flagler Beach, is in charge.
School Superintendent Dr. Donn Kaupke said Monday he had lost a friend and an adviser.
"Aside from having been on the school board for 12 of the 13 years I've been. superintendent here and being one of my bosses, he was a good friend and a person whom I would seek advice from, even after he left the School Board," Kaupke said.
School Board Chairman Theda Wilson said King's service to the board was a model for the entire county and his loss would be felt by the entire community.
"He was on the board when I came on and he served as a grandfather figure and a dedicated co-worker. There was never any question he believed in the children," she said.
Dennis Fitzgerald, a 10-year School Board member, remembered King as a man who was not afraid to state his opinions.
"I worked with Herschel for many years and developed a friendship I will not forget. He always stated his feelings, popular or not, and was one of the kindest gentlemen I have ever met," he said. "He will certainly be missed."
King. was well-known to Flagler County residents and· educators statewide. He served 33 years on the School Board before stepping down in 1994.
First appointed to the board in 1953 by the late Florida Gov. Dan McCarty to fill a vacancy, King was the youngest School Board member in the state at age 23.
King remained active in the political arena after the first appointment and was reelected to the board through 1988, with only one defeat to his record.
In 1990, the Democrat announced he would not seek re-election to the board. At that time, he said he was ''fed up with the unpleasant political atmosphere" that had developed in the county.
His interest in the School Board and Flagler County's youth remained high and he was back in politics by 1991.
Gov. Lawton Chiles appointed King to fill the District 3 school board post vacated by the resignation of Republican Boyd Robertson.
Due to redistricting in 1990, King was faced with a re-election decision when his appointment expired in 1994. The Democrat no longer lived in District 3. He could move or run for the District 1 seat where he lived.
King chose not to run when longtime friend E.W. ''Andy” Anderson filed for the District 1 seat. Anderson died Aug. 10 while still in office after a short battle with cancer.
Anderson, as a teenager, had lived with Herschel and Joann King for a year so he could graduate from the old Bunnell High.
Dr. Kaupke recalled when he, King and board members Anderson and Dennis Fitzgerald went to Tallahassee two years ago to seek funding for the· Indian Trails K-8 Center. King and others testified before the state Department of Education committee.
"Herschel stepped right up there and made comments about Flagler County that I'm sure those committee members, many of whom were old time· Floridians, could understand and appreciate. I really think he had a lot to do with convincing that particular committee that we should get the funding," he said.
"It's tough to see two of our supporters and champions of education go down back to back like that," Kaupke said.
In announcing his decision not to run in 1994, King said he would never ask his wife to give up her political career because moving would result in the couple moving outside of the city limits.
FLAGLER/PALM COAST NEWS-TRIBUNE
Palm Coast, Florida
Saturday, October 28, 1995
KING: FLAGLER’S OWN ‘IRON MAN’
Leader was dedicated to schools
By Andrew Mikula
BUNNELL- For the second time this year, Flagler County residents gathered Wednesday morning to mourn a public education leader.
First Baptist Church was overflowing Wednesday with residents who came to pay their respects to former School Board member Herschel King, who died Sunday morning after undergoing heart surgery Oct. 2. He was 67.
The church was the site of an August funeral for E.W. "Andy" Anderson, a fellow School Board member who served with King.
The Rev. Scott Conner delivered a 15-minute eulogy recalling some of the accomplishments of one of the stalwarts of Bunnell's business community, King was a 33-year veteran of the School Board. Conner said that record "is a legacy that will long be remembered."
Conner used a baseball analogy to make his point, saying the accomplishments of Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripkin, who broke Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played, weren't as impressive as King's dedication to Flagler County education.
"Thirty-three years of dealing with upset parents, with difficult state regulations, not to mention other School Board members is an even greater accomplishment. We need to tip our hat to the Iron Man of the Flagler County School Board," Conner said.
King was first appointed to the board in 1953 and was re-elected or appointed several times in the course of 41 years. He owned and managed two family businesses with his older brother, Larry.
King's generosity and his concerns for others were apparent in many ways, Conner noted.
The preacher related how King's concern for his mother, Carrie King Alford, who died a week before he did, overrode concerns for his own health. After King had· brought his mother to Memorial Hospital in Ormond Beach earlier this month, doctors uncovered heart disease that required triple bypass surgery.
"He didn't feel well, but he was going to see to her needs first," Conner said.
Conner said King was concerned and upset when his friend Anderson. became ill this spring with terminal pancreatic cancer. Anderson, who as a teenager lived two years at King's Bunnell home, died Aug. 10.
King loved his wife, Joann, and Conner said he gave up his own political career in 1994 so she could continue serving as mayor of Bunnell. Conner said King loved his four stepchildren as much as his own three children.
The community was really like an extended family for King, he said.
“Mr. King loved all of the children of Flagler County. He must have, because he served 33 years on the Flagler County School Board so it could be the best system it could be,” Conner said. "We need more men like Herschel King to become leaders in our community ... quiet and unassuming, wise and gifted."
Pallbearers for King's funeral included Jim Burnsed, Scott Crews, Brice Hosford, Tony Lombardo, H.V. Peavy and Lew Wadsworth, Jr.
