Schwartz/Morse

[Trish Crocker]

This has probably been asked (and answered) many times....why is the name of the founder different than his son?

[villagegolfer]

This has probably been asked (and answered) many times....why is the name of the founder different than his son?

When he was a teenager, Gary took his stepfather's name, Morse. Harold S. Schwartz is Gary's biological father.

[Trish Crocker]

When he was a teenager, Gary took his stepfather's name, Morse. Harold S. Schwartz is Gary's biological father.

Thank you...now I'll be able to sleep...whew :)

[villagegolfer]

Thank you...now I'll be able to sleep...whew :)

LOL Believe it or not, it is a common question. I do not know why he changed his name, though. There are theories but I do not want to go there.

[Schaumburger]

Thank you for this information; I had wondered about that myself. Interesting that a son would take his stepfather's name, yet later on go into business with his biological father.

[graciegirl]

Thank you for this information; I had wondered about that myself. Interesting that a son would take his stepfather's name, yet later on go into business with his biological father.

Just another happy ending...

For all of us!:thumbup:

[Trish Crocker]

Thank you for this information; I had wondered about that myself. Interesting that a son would take his stepfather's name, yet later on go into business with his biological father.

hmmm...step dad owns???? biological owns THE VILLAGES! I'm thinkin that blood would definitely be thicker than water.:thumbup:

[Skip]

This has probably been asked (and answered) many times....why is the name of the founder different than his son?
Here's how it happened...

Mary Louise ("Mema") Brown-Schwartz was divorced from the founder, Harold S. Schwartz and she moved back from Chicago IL. to Central Lake, MI (where she was raised) about 1944 with her two children, Harold Gary Schwartz and Mary Louise Schwartz. She later married Clifford H. Morse there and started Brownwood Farms about 1945. Because the war was still going on, she didn't want the Schwartz name of her children to be an anti-semetic target in case the Nazis invaded the US. Clifford adopted the children and their names were legally changed to his (Morse). Son, H. Gary (his Mom preferred to use his middle name) later operated the Farmhouse Restaurant there with his Mom and wife, Sharon. Gary's sister, Mary Louise ("Mar") married David S. Detar and continued to run Brownwood Farms with her son, Stephan Detar. She still lives in Central Lake and Gary visits her often.

Founder, Harold Schwartz later married Bernice Newman (about 1946) and had three other children, one of which is Richard A. Schwartz (who lived in "Eden Prairie", MN. for a while), Gary's half brother, who now lives in the area but no longer is involved with the golf operations of the corporation. Harold went around the country buying up radio stations until he got to Wildwood, FL. and found Orange Blossom Gardens. He bought and sold land plots in Florida and New Mexico and even owned a hotel in Miami, FL. at one time.

About 1983 after buying out his OBG partner, Albert J. Tarrson, Harold asked his son Gary to come down and manage the business and help develop the growing retirement community. Gary and Sharon moved to Paradise Drive. Harold returned to Chicago for two years then came back to live on Aloha Way about 1985. Together, Harold and Gary had a bright vision for a retirement place they eventually named The Villages. By the time Harold died (just before Chrismas, 2003), he was 93 years old, had 5 children, 16 grandchildren (Mark Gary, Jennifer Louise and Tracy Lee among them), 28 greatgrandchildren and shook thousands of hands on the Town Square.

H. Gary Morse, who lost his wife Sharon to cancer just before New Years in 1999, is now 74 years old and loves to spend time on his 143 ft. yacht named "Cracker Bay" with his second wife, Renee.

Skip

[Larry Wilson]

A big Thank You Skip.

[mikeandnancy1112]

Thanks! A very interesting history.

[Virtual Geezer]

Doing a Google search on cracker Bay I came up with this link. http://www.superyachts.com/motor-yacht-2536/cracker-bay.htm

Now I have to admit that is one nice row boat. The interior pictures are stunning.

VG

[swimdawg]

Here's how it happened...

Mary Louise ("Mema") Brown-Schwartz was divorced from the founder, Harold S. Schwartz and she moved back from Chicago IL. to Central Lake, MI (where she was raised) about 1944 with her two children, Harold Gary Schwartz and Mary Louise Schwartz. She later married Clifford H. Morse there and started Brownwood Farms about 1945. Because the war was still going on, she didn't want the Schwartz name of her children to be an anti-semetic target in case the Nazis invaded the US. Clifford adopted the children and their names were legally changed to his (Morse). Son, H. Gary (his Mom preferred to use his middle name) later operated the Farmhouse Restaurant there with his Mom and wife, Sharon. Gary's sister, Mary Louise ("Mar") married David S. Detar and continued to run Brownwood Farms with her son, Stephan Detar. She still lives in Central Lake and Gary visits her often.

Founder, Harold Schwartz later married Bernice Newman (about 1946) and had three other children, one of which is Richard A. Schwartz (who lived in "Eden Prairie", MN. for a while), Gary's half brother, who now lives in the area but no longer is involved with the golf operations of the corporation. Harold went around the country buying up radio stations until he got to Wildwood, FL. and found Orange Blossom Gardens. He bought and sold land plots in Florida and New Mexico and even owned a hotel in Miami, FL. at one time.

About 1983 after buying out his OBG partner, Albert J. Tarrson, Harold asked his son Gary to come down and manage the business and help develop the growing retirement community. Gary and Sharon moved to Paradise Drive. Harold returned to Chicago for two years then came back to live on Aloha Way about 1985. Together, Harold and Gary had a bright vision for a retirement place they eventually named The Villages. By the time Harold died (just before Chrismas, 2003), he was 93 years old, had 5 children, 16 grandchildren (Mark Gary, Jennifer Louise and Tracy Lee among them), 28 greatgrandchildren and shook thousands of hands on the Town Square.

H. Gary Morse, who lost his wife Sharon to cancer just before New Years in 1999, is now 74 years old and loves to spend time on his 143 ft. yacht named "Cracker Bay" with his second wife, Renee.

Skip

Fascinating, Skip!

Do you know the family?

Thanks for your insight to a family that has brought so many wonderful things to an area now known as The Villages.

[graciegirl]

Here's how it happened...

Mary Louise ("Mema") Brown-Schwartz was divorced from the founder, Harold S. Schwartz and she moved back from Chicago IL. to Central Lake, MI (where she was raised) about 1944 with her two children, Harold Gary Schwartz and Mary Louise Schwartz. She later married Clifford H. Morse there and started Brownwood Farms about 1945. Because the war was still going on, she didn't want the Schwartz name of her children to be an anti-semetic target in case the Nazis invaded the US. Clifford adopted the children and their names were legally changed to his (Morse). Son, H. Gary (his Mom preferred to use his middle name) later operated the Farmhouse Restaurant there with his Mom and wife, Sharon. Gary's sister, Mary Louise ("Mar") married David S. Detar and continued to run Brownwood Farms with her son, Stephan Detar. She still lives in Central Lake and Gary visits her often.

Founder, Harold Schwartz later married Bernice Newman (about 1946) and had three other children, one of which is Richard A. Schwartz (who lived in "Eden Prairie", MN. for a while), Gary's half brother, who now lives in the area but no longer is involved with the golf operations of the corporation. Harold went around the country buying up radio stations until he got to Wildwood, FL. and found Orange Blossom Gardens. He bought and sold land plots in Florida and New Mexico and even owned a hotel in Miami, FL. at one time.

About 1983 after buying out his OBG partner, Albert J. Tarrson, Harold asked his son Gary to come down and manage the business and help develop the growing retirement community. Gary and Sharon moved to Paradise Drive. Harold returned to Chicago for two years then came back to live on Aloha Way about 1985. Together, Harold and Gary had a bright vision for a retirement place they eventually named The Villages. By the time Harold died (just before Chrismas, 2003), he was 93 years old, had 5 children, 16 grandchildren (Mark Gary, Jennifer Louise and Tracy Lee among them), 28 greatgrandchildren and shook thousands of hands on the Town Square.

H. Gary Morse, who lost his wife Sharon to cancer just before New Years in 1999, is now 74 years old and loves to spend time on his 143 ft. yacht named "Cracker Bay" with his second wife, Renee.

Skip

I agree with Swimdawg. That is the most interesting information about the "family" that I have ever read.

I hope someday we G's can meet you in person. I am sure you even have more things about this wonderful and mysterious family to share.

And, if you don't have anything else on your agenda, please write a book. I would be first in line to buy it!

[chuckinca]

From the Wikipedia article "the Villages, Florida":


Harold Schwartz, a Michigan businessman, began selling land tracts via mail order in The Villages area in the 1960s. Unfortunately for Schwartz and his business partner Al Tarrson, a Federal law in 1968 banned mail order sales of real estate.[5]

Stuck with considerable portions of Florida land, in the early 1970s Schwartz and Tarrson began development of a mobile home park, Orange Blossom Gardens, in the northwestern corner of Lake County. By the early 1980s, though, the community had sold only 400 units. In an attempt to improve the business, Schwartz decided to buy out Tarrson's interest and bring his son, H. Gary Morse, on board in 1983.

Morse noted that the successful retirement communities (such as Del Webb's Sun City developments) offered considerable numbers of well-maintained amenities to the residents and were also surrounded by diverse amounts of nearby commercial development. Thus, Morse began to significantly upgrade the development, which worked out well – the mid-1980s saw improvement in sales, and Schwartz then began to buy large tracts of land in nearby Sumter and Marion counties for future expansion.

Morse officially changed the overall development name to The Villages in 1992. The development is still controlled in all major aspects by descendants of Schwartz and Morse (as an example, Jennifer Parr, Director of Sales and the spokesperson on the sales video sent out to prospective buyers, is Schwartz's granddaughter).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Villages,_Florida


.

[graciegirl]

Here's how it happened...

Mary Louise ("Mema") Brown-Schwartz was divorced from the founder, Harold S. Schwartz and she moved back from Chicago IL. to Central Lake, MI (where she was raised) about 1944 with her two children, Harold Gary Schwartz and Mary Louise Schwartz. She later married Clifford H. Morse there and started Brownwood Farms about 1945. Because the war was still going on, she didn't want the Schwartz name of her children to be an anti-semetic target in case the Nazis invaded the US. Clifford adopted the children and their names were legally changed to his (Morse). Son, H. Gary (his Mom preferred to use his middle name) later operated the Farmhouse Restaurant there with his Mom and wife, Sharon. Gary's sister, Mary Louise ("Mar") married David S. Detar and continued to run Brownwood Farms with her son, Stephan Detar. She still lives in Central Lake and Gary visits her often.

Founder, Harold Schwartz later married Bernice Newman (about 1946) and had three other children, one of which is Richard A. Schwartz (who lived in "Eden Prairie", MN. for a while), Gary's half brother, who now lives in the area but no longer is involved with the golf operations of the corporation. Harold went around the country buying up radio stations until he got to Wildwood, FL. and found Orange Blossom Gardens. He bought and sold land plots in Florida and New Mexico and even owned a hotel in Miami, FL. at one time.

About 1983 after buying out his OBG partner, Albert J. Tarrson, Harold asked his son Gary to come down and manage the business and help develop the growing retirement community. Gary and Sharon moved to Paradise Drive. Harold returned to Chicago for two years then came back to live on Aloha Way about 1985. Together, Harold and Gary had a bright vision for a retirement place they eventually named The Villages. By the time Harold died (just before Chrismas, 2003), he was 93 years old, had 5 children, 16 grandchildren (Mark Gary, Jennifer Louise and Tracy Lee among them), 28 greatgrandchildren and shook thousands of hands on the Town Square.

H. Gary Morse, who lost his wife Sharon to cancer just before New Years in 1999, is now 74 years old and loves to spend time on his 143 ft. yacht named "Cracker Bay" with his second wife, Renee.

Skip

I think this is so interesting that I have revived it.

[gomoho]

Thanks Gracie - hadn't even noticed the dates till you mentioned them. What a wonderful piece of history for us Villagers to have.

[Bogie Shooter]

This should be added to the nuts & bolts thread.

[Ceafolks]

Thank you Gracie for giving new life to this older thread. This is great information. Did you know that Mr. Schwartz was considered the greatest radio ad salesman in Mexico?

[Mack184]

Thank you Gracie for giving new life to this older thread. This is great information. Did you know that Mr. Schwartz was considered the greatest radio ad salesman in Mexico?
He was involved with the infamous "Border Blasters" that radio people love to talk about. Since Mexico was not a signatory on the USA & Canadian radio agreements there were a number of Mexican AM stations that operated with super high power. 1,000,000+ watts. Compare that to the highest powered US & Canadian AMs at 50,000 watts. These stations would come on at night and use the skywave to blast away all over the USA & Canada and screw up local frequencies all around the country. Those stations sold lots very interesting advertising back in the day. Famous Top-40 DJ Wolfman Jack got his initial fame on the Mexican border blasters. God I'd love to talk to Harold Schwartz!

[cherylritt]

Just another happy ending...

For all of us!:thumbup:
AMEN Graciegirl!

[Indy-Guy]

I have a book titled The Villages Then and Now. The information posted before is all in this book plus more information. I purchased mine about 6 years ago at All Booked up which has two locations in The Villages. The Author is Lee King PHD.

The Villages: Then and Now - Lee King - Google Books (http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Villages.html?id=UGRGMwEACAAJ)

Orlando Sentinel article about the author and book. Article was written in 2004 so the numbers are much different compared to today. We nhave come a long way. Of course it has the normal Orlando Sentinel slants zinged into the article but still interesting.


Author Tells The Villages' Story - Orlando Sentinel (http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2004-10-31/news/0410310097_1_villages-enigma-lady-lake)

[maureenod]

I noticed that Garys mothers maiden name was Brown. The first time I visited Brownwood the sales office handed me a pamplet about cattleman Brown. Was this his grandfather?