- May 3, 2024
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Husband and wife duo Alice and Ron Howell are recounting the past 70 years of the Ormond Memorial Art Museum — with the community's help.
Thanks to his artistic mother, Walker Fischer spent a lot of his time in the Ormond Beach Memorial Art Museum. Former board member and curator, Sara Fischer appreciated shining spotlight on the different kinds of local talent — including her own.
“There was a portrait of me hanging on these walls once,” Walker Fischer chuckled as he walked through the museum Wednesday night. “She did a Pablo Picasso-style painting of me once, not with the messed up faces or anything. I modeled quite a bit for her.”
Fischer is just one memory that will be featured in the museum’s upcoming history book. Dedicated to the last 70 years the organization has been a part of the community, the book is being written by local historians, reenactors and authors Alice Howell and Ron Howell.
“It’s been an evolutionary process,” Ron Howell said. “Together, we’ve written 10 books about Ormond Beach’s history, and Susan Richmond contacted us about writing this one.”
The couple moved to Ormond in 1990, and have been heavily involved in preserving and teaching local history since. The Howells perform in local events and private parties as reenactors of Ormond Beach historical figures, they are involved in the Ormond Beach Historical Society and were instrumental in setting up first trolly ride that bussed around classes of fourth graders back in 2006.
“We’ve always sought out historical places,” Ron Howell said. “We met when I was working as a young engineer, and my company hired Alice as a typist. We designed the communication technology that put man on the moon. We’ve got quite a history together.”
After being married for 36 years, the couple attempted to retire and live a simpler life, but now they’re busier than ever.
“We ended up starting two new companies,” Ron Howell said, “one being an computer engineer service and the other was a publishing company, Halifax Country Publishers.”
By the beginning of 2016, their publishing company will release the history book just in time for the Ormond Memorial Museum’s 70th anniversary. Museum director Susan Richmond is looking forward to the event.
“It’s going to be awesome.”
To see the Howell’s entire collection, go online to www.halifaxcountry.com.
To submit your photos and stories from the Ormond Memorial Art Museum for the history book, email [email protected] or call 290-1356. The deadline is the end of September.
