LAKELAND, Fla. (Nov. 3, 2005) — Florida Southern College librarians Mary M. Flekke and Randall M. MacDonald have authored “Lakeland,” a book of postcards published before 1950 and drawn from local libraries and personal collections. Detailed captions accompany the postcard images.

Highlights include the original development of the downtown business district; Lakeland train stations at the north edge of Munn Park; local schools such as Lakeland High School, Lodwick School of Aeronautics and Florida Southern College; the “Welcome Arch,” a familiar sight to downtown visitors for several years; and early residences, government buildings, churches, and agricultural sites.

Flekke and MacDonald are senior librarians at Florida Southern College, with a combined 42 years of service to the college. Flekke is a member of several professional and community organizations including the Society of Florida Archivists and the Polk County Historical Society. MacDonald is a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Delta Pi and the International Honor Society in Education, and has served as a school volunteer for over twenty years.
 
“Lakeland,” part of Arcadia Publishing’s Postcard History Series, is available at area bookstores, independent retailers, on-line bookstores, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888) 313-2665.

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.