Week Eleven: New Horizons

Hello, reader! My Spring Break was extremely productive, allowing me to grow the Michael Gladden Jr. Digital Archive to a milestone total of 100 object pages! I am extremely proud of the progress I have made over nearly a year on this project. Here’s to another hundred objects to come!

Over on the Michael Gladden Jr. Digital Archive, I created the Gladden Document Collection to give all of my miscellaneous documents in the Gladden Collection a proper home. The collection consists of treasures from Mr. Gladden’s personal life, such as his original Bachelor of Science diploma from Bethune-Cookman College. This diploma held profound significance for Mr. Gladden. It was representative of a personal dream, fulfilled at last by his own sense of initiative and work ethic, backed by the unwavering support of his community. This is further expressed in a 1975 article published in The Apopka Chief, gaining a glimpse into Apopka’s business owners being awarded for their contributions by the Apopka Historical Society. Michael Gladden Jr. is pictured third from the right in the second row of the photograph. Lastly, this collection also houses the funeral agreement form from the historic Marvin Zanders Funeral Home- the very slip of paper that summed up the costs of Michael Gladden Jr.’s obsequies and burial. 

This week, Ms. Boykin and I met to catch up and discuss updates surrounding the Gladden collection. While we communed at Ms. Boykin’s mother’s house in South Apopka, we talked about an exciting potential donation to the current Gladden Collection as we know it. Ms. Boykin informed me that William “Perrine Slim” Gladden Jr.’s former caretaker, Mr. Terrance, is currently cleaning out old files from the house’s old attic. These files once belonged to William Gladden Jr. for his research and reference, possibly containing relevant information unavailable in the existing Gladden Collection. I look forward to sorting and assessing the William Gladden Jr. collection soon, once I arrange a time with Ms. Boykin to pick up these artifacts from Mr. Terrance.

The Mead's Bottom Mural Project's depiction of Michael Gladden Jr., 2026.

After our discussion, Ms. Boykin took me on a tour of South Apopka, pointing out various pieces of community history on our way back to the Museum of the Apopkans. While in transit, I learned that the house that Michael Gladden Jr. built for his family still stood tall, now operating as a small church. The red brick façade was as vibrant as ever, and I took comfort in knowing that Mr. Gladden’s presence in Apopka was not truly lost to history. We also took a side trip to visit the Mead’s Bottom Mural Project, which was painted by artist German Lemus in 2024. Celebrating the residents of this diverse settler community, the mural project includes a gorgeous depiction of Michael Gladden Jr. I have included a photograph of it in the blog post, grateful for the opportunity to view it in person.

To end this blog on a high note, I met an extraordinary individual at the Museum of Military History who wanted to discuss garnering greater visibility for the Michael Gladden Jr. Digital Archive. I was kindly introduced to Mr. John Perry of the Caribbean Rhythms Radio Network, located in Kissimmee. I was introduced to him by Mr. Louvette Williams, who has been instrumental in building broader community support in the Gladden Collection. Mr. Perry, a Jamaican veteran and former employee of the Kennedy Space Center, has invited me to speak on his radio show, “Life Raw & Real,” to discuss the story of the Gladden Collection and its community importance. More exciting news to come next week, reader! See you then!