A note from Professor Hochstadt...
I am responsible for a wonderful collection of interviews with Jacksonville people by Jacksonville people. As these were slowly transcribed, and they become accessible to a much wider audience, I created short biographies of people mentioned in the interviews, and added others whose names I ran across. Eventually the list of Jacksonville characters took on a life of its own.
The only claim I’ll make about this list is that it is as accurate as I could manage. The description of each person’s life is based on a serious effort to find reliable information. Many names appear on this list because they or their families were mentioned in interviews. Then one name led to another. Occasionally I would burrow into some part of Jacksonville’s past and come up with names and accomplishments that have been forgotten. I have tried to avoid reproducing “the great man” version of our history that I was taught in public schools. My special interest in teachers and athletes, doctors and businesspeople, and my efforts to discover everyone’s educational journey influence this list.
This list is an unequal representation of Jacksonville. As much as I tried to unearth the biographies of some lesser known names, every source of information in media, in archives, and on the internet favors the prominent, the wealthy, and the educated.
Nearly every day I add another character to Jacksonville’s past, adding to this list. I welcome new information about anyone here or suggestions about any other Jacksonville character. I can be reached at shochsta@ic.edu.
Seeking information about one Jacksonville person after another demonstrated to me their many accomplishments and personal strengths – I call them characters with respect. I believe the list also demonstrates the character of Jacksonville, an incubator of greatness since its founding in 1825.
- Steve Hochstadt
Jacksonville Characters - A through F
Jacksonville Characters - G through Q
Jacksonville Characters - R through Z