History Fort Lauderdale has named the honorees for its annual History Makers fundraiser on April 30.
The organization says in a statement that the Forman Family, Broward County pioneers and early developers, will be honored with a History Makers Legacy Award and Fort Lauderdale Commissioner, District #2, Steven Glassman will be honored as the Historic Preservation History Maker of the Year at the event that commends individuals who have made an impact on Fort Lauderdale’s growth.
“We are thrilled to expand History Makers 2019 to honor not only one individual, but a legacy of growth and development,” Patricia Zeiler, executive director of History Fort Lauderdale, said in a statement. “This year, we’ll pay tribute to the numerous contributions of The Forman Family who helped guide our city on its prosperous path to a top tourism, arts and education hub and to City Commissioner Steven Glassman who has dedicated his career to preserving our rich historical and cultural assets. We invite the community to join us in celebrating our honorees’ leadership and achievements.”
The statement says that for more than 100 years, the Forman family has been major contributors to the development of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County.
“Ever since Hamilton and Blanche Collins Forman arrived in 1910, they, and their descendants, have played leading roles in the fields of agriculture, business, water management, education, public service and philanthropy. Dr. Charles Forman and his brother Hamilton Forman were Broward’s most powerful political figures from the 1950s to the 1990s. When their pioneer dairy farms and pastures were closed to facilitate the building of Florida’s Turnpike in the mid-1950s, the family turned their attention toward education and building a world-class education complex on their land. Today, the former farmland houses campuses of Florida Atlantic University, Florida International and the University of Florida’s Broward complexes, Nova elementary, middle and high schools, Broward Community College and Nova Southeastern University.”
Meanwhile, Glassman “has been a foremost advocate of historic preservation, arts and culture and philanthropy in Broward County for close to 25 years,” the statement said.
“For 11 years, Glassman was an administrator for the Broward County Cultural Division where he worked closely with elected officials and business leaders to further the quality of life in all of Broward’s major cities through the arts and culture. This work included serving on advisory boards in Hollywood, Miramar, and Pembroke Pines. He has served on the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Beach Redevelopment Advisory Board (three years) and the Planning and Zoning Board (six years). His many years in various civic leadership positions include president of the Broward Trust for Historic Preservation and a seven-year tenure as the president of the Central Beach Alliance. Steve has also served as president of several beach condominium associations including his current six-year tenure at the Sapphire Condominium. He has remained focused on fixing our city’s infrastructure via smart growth and proactive future planning.”
This year’s event will also celebrate the city’s 108th birthday with cocktails, food stations and entertainment on the downtown Fort Lauderdale campus.
Tickets for the event starting at6 p.m., at the historic New River Inn (231 SW 2nd Ave.) are $100 and can be purchased online at http://bit.ly/HFLHistoryMakers2019 or via email at info@flhc.org.
