2024 Honoree

Honoring Darrell "Sarge" LaBorn

Darrell David LaBorn was the fourth of six children born to the Late Willie Lee LaBorn & Thelma Davis on June 2, 1948, in Wayne County – Highland Park, Detroit.  

On Saturday morning, December 9, 2023, God called Minister Darrell “Sarge” LaBorn, from Labor to Reward while at home in Key West, FL. 

Minister LaBorn graduated from High School in 1966.  At the age of 18, he enlisted in the United States Army and went to Vietnam. He spent several years in Thailand where he learned to speak the language fluently.  He meritoriously served his country from 1967 to 1987 as a USA Vietnam Vet.

His Accomplishments included, Master Mason at Mountain Post Military Lodge Number 26 Colorado Springs / Eastern Star, Post Commander 1986-87 in Ludwigsburg, Germany. He worked for NAS, Key West in the IT Department from 1998-2002. He then worked for Navy Gateway Inns & Suites, as the General Manager (GM) here in Key West - 2002-2008.  13 Hundred Gospel Service – Lay Leader in Guantanamo (GTMO), Black Heritage Organization GTMO – President 2012-2014.  He served NAS, Key West IT Department in 2014. He joined Bethel A.M.E. Church and is recognized as Minister LaBorn. He joined the American Legion, Post 168 as the Judge Advocate. He served as the Secretary for Compassion for Humanity, Inc. in 2019 and sponsored two boys in an orphanage in Haiti. While living in Germany, he managed a band (Sir Lancelot) for several as well as opening a Restaurant (International Inn).  He worked for University of Maryland (European Division) in the IT department and obtained his AA Degree in Computer Science.   He enjoyed and loved serving in the Prison Ministry at the Monroe County Sheriff Department in Key West Florida.  He was passionate toward helping the brothers that were incarcerated. Serving with a humble heart.

Honoring Mary Beth Neely

Mary Bethe Neely, 75, passed away October 30, 2023 in Surprise, Arizona. She

was born in Manhattan, Kansas, on June 25, 1948 to Marion and Betty Sack.

She moved to Wichita at an early age and attended schools there. While

earning a chemistry degree at Kansas State University, she met and married

Richard Neely. She subsequently earned her Master's in chemistry at Arizona

State University. After moving to Colorado Springs in 1975 they raised one

daughter, Karen.

In Colorado Springs, Mary Bethe introduced thousands of college students to

the magic of chemistry at Pikes Peak Community College and then, for many

years, at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Away from teaching,

she was active as a docent at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, member and officer of

Junior League of Colorado Springs, a member of P.E.O., and a Girl Scout

leader. She believed in supporting women, encouraging education, and doing

her part to make the world a better place.

Mother, wife, sister, friend, and teacher are roles she was proud of, but smart,

determined, organized, resilient, helping, and kind are words that described

her. Missing her but thankful that they had her in their lives are daughter

Karen Neely of Big Pine Key, Florida; husband Richard Neely of Surprise,

Arizona; brother Joe Sack of Wichita, Kansas; sister Ann Gruenbacher of

Cincinnati, Ohio; seven brothers and sisters-in-law, and many nieces and

nephews.

Honoring Arthur "Buzzard" Rahming

 Arthur Lee Rahming was born June 7, 1944, in Key West, Florida to the late Otis T., Sr. and Gloria Rahming. He was the 4th son of their 11 children.

He grew up in Key West and to all he was known as "Buzzard". Arthur traveled the world as a truck driver and worked on the railroads. Some would call him a drifter. During his journey he met many people from all walks of life. Many of those he met along life's way remembered him and considered him to be a friend and frequently visited him in his neck of the woods, Key West, Florida. When he wasn't traveling, he would do masonry work. He mastered the skill of plastering.

Buzzard had a gift of making others laugh. He had many unique sayings that he loved saying and would have everyone in stitch­es after they were said.

If you knew him, you also know that he loved his family and traveling to the Bahamas where his father originated. The apple of his eye was his baby sister Carolyn (Carrie) Maclin. The love he had for her was like no other.

His Christian faith started when he was a child and the lessons that were taught throughout his life remained in him. He was a faithful member of St. Peters Episcopal Church.

Buzzard was a man that never complained therefore his short sudden battle with sickness filled his entire family with shock. Although he wasn't blessed with his own biological children, he raised many. There were those that recognized him as their father, and some would call him daddy.

Honoring George Jeffrey Baty

George Jeffrey Baty, age 61, was born on Monday, April 23,1962 in Key West, Florida to the late John Henry Baty Sr. and Eloise Stoney-Baty. Jeffrey was the youngest of the seven children born to the union of John and Eloise.

After graduation from Key West High School, Jeffrey embarked on a journey to connect with family and pursue his work career. His first stop was in San Diego with his oldest sister, Lerine. He welcomed the opportunity to see her again but was unable to find employment there and moved on to Los Angeles with his 3rd oldest sister, Ethel. Jeffrey was employed in LA with Montgomery Ward and Standard Brand. After many successful years with those companies, the desire to see more of his family took Jeffrey to Colorado to live with his brother Alfred. Jeffrey returned to Key West for a while, but eventually landed in Fort Pierce, FL where he would establish his home and begin employment with The Hill Group, Inc. Jeffrey's work and contributions to the company were so much admired and appreciated that even as his health failed and he could no longer work as previously, his employer kept him on the payroll, hopeful that he would be able to return. Through many different moves, work experiences, some personal trials and a few climate changes, Jeffrey was always blessed to have the love and support of family. He was overjoyed to connect with his daughter Kah Li and begin to build a closer relationship with her. Jeffrey's legacy of hard work, commitment to family and friends, enthusiasm, and a smile so warm it easily touched all he was blessed to encounter is the testimony of an individual who said "YES" to Jesus as his Lord and Savior - he lived an honest life, a life to honor God.

Honoring Izette Allen

Izette Scott Graves Allen, affectionately known as “Izzy” was born in Key West, Florida on January 19, 1936. She was the eighth of nine children born to Roscoe Scott and Ellen Ileen Sands Scott. 

Izette is preceded in death by her mother, Ellen Ileen Sands Scott, Father Roscoe Scott, Eldest sisters Mary Scott, Pearl Scott Thompson, Elmira Scott Edwards, Eldest brothers, Quinton Scott, Henry Scott and Solomon Scott.

Izette attended Douglass High School from grades 1 through 12 where she was involved in school activities and was a star player on the women’s basketball team, until she graduated in 1955.

After graduation she married Bernard Ralph Graves Sr. and from this union she would have three children, one daughter Brenda Graves and two sons Bernard Ralph Graves Jr. and Kelvin Stafford Graves. Later in life, Izette and Bernard would divorce, and she would marry James Allen who also proceeded her in death in 1982.

Izette held several jobs during the course of her life but primarily worked for MWR at the Bachelor’s Officers Quarters on Trumbo Point Naval Base for approximately 30+ years.  After retiring from MWR she decided to occupy her time and began working for Monroe County. Her last position with the county would be as Director of Senior Citizen Meal Services. During this employment she warmly referred to her clients as “her Seniors”.  Izette’s final retirement was in January of 2021.

Izette grew up in a Christian home and at an early age gave her life to Christ.  She attended Trinity Presbyterian Church where she was an active member for many years. She sang in the church choir, was a member of the “Willing Workers” club and was also a trustee and church elder.

Izette left Trinity Presbyterian and would become a member of Trinity Wesleyan Methodist Church. Izette was a faithful and beloved member of both churches until she passed. 

Throughout her entire life, Izette had a nurturing and caring spirit which showed in her continued devotion as a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Honoring Reverend Stephen Braddock

Reverend Stephen Braddock

Community Hero

In Paradise for Good – June 14, 2023

Reverend Stephen Braddock arrived in Key West in 1999 and quickly became a part of the island community. Stephen assumed the role of President and CEO of the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition from 2000-2017. He grew the organization from a small 16-bed shelter for homeless male addicts to a multifaceted organization consisting of seven facilities with 180 beds, serving individuals who were recovering from homelessness, domestic violence, alcohol and drug addiction, and living with serious mental illness.

Stephen also founded Key West’s Loaves and Fish Food Pantry; established the annual Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day; sat on and chaired numerous nonprofit boards throughout the Keys, statewide and nationally; and served as the lead hospice chaplain on the interdisciplinary team for Hospice/VNA of the Florida Keys.

During his lifetime, Reverend Braddock joined the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys’ Legacy Society by creating the Matthew 25 Endowment Fund. It was funded upon his passing in 2023 and now every year in perpetuity, the fund will provide meals for the hungry, end of life care, services for addicts, and support for service dogs for disabled individuals. To donate to the Matthew 25 Fund, visit CFFK.org/matthew25/


Thank you, Reverend Braddock, for Leaving a Legacy in Key West and the Florida Keys.

Honoring Jeanne White

Jeanne Marie Seibyl White, 66, departed this life on August 28, 2023 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the beloved wife of Dr. D. Steven White, cherished mother of four children, and grandmother of one.
Vivacious and brilliant, she was a dedicated genealogist, archivist, and historian, and was profoundly passionate about her family history. Spending countless hours analyzing and documenting Eastern European records spanning the last four centuries, she developed an unparalleled cultural and historical understanding of these areas. She authored several books which remain indispensable and treasured tomes by researchers of Maryland Polonia.
Jeanne doted on her pets, was famous for her matzo ball soup, and enjoyed old movies. She had a razor-sharp wit and enjoyed spending time with her family.
As a friend and neighbor, she was simply The Best. We all miss her. Rest in Peace Jeanne! We Love you!!

Honoring Linda Cates

Linda Cates was our friend and neighbor. A lifelong resident of Key West, she was born right next door to the house in which she lived her whole life, and just a couple of blocks from where she worked. She was extremely loyal to those she liked, and especially so to her brother James, who lived with her. She was the "historian" of the neighborhood, and could tell stories about it that were fit for a novel. She had a good heart and was always ready to help out when a neighbor needed something she could do. That includes the local cats, which she loved. But not the chickens! Her friends and neighbors and her cats will miss her. Rest in Peace Linda!

Linda Marie Cates
Born 11/17/1955
Died 9/18/2023
Beloved daughter, sister, aunt and friend of many.
A TRUE CONCH UNTIL THE BITTER END!!!!

Honoring Billy Martini

Billy was born on February 14, 1963 in Kingston, New York. He was a Kingston High School graduate, class of 1981. He lived at the Jersey Shore in Manasquan for many years before returning home to Kingston. Billy worked at Romeo Kia in Kingston, New York, where his coworkers were family to him. He was an avid boxing fan and music lover. He had unmatched swagger and gave love freely to all who knew him.

Honoring Sterling Sands

Sterling Calvin Sands, the son of the late Charles B. and late Etta Y. Sands, was born on October 4th, 1960, in Key West, FL. 

He attended the Monroe County Public Schools System, graduating from Key West High School in 1980. During his high school years, Sterling was a high school basketball team member. Upon graduating high school, he attended Miami Dade Junior College and played on college’s basketball team. After returning to Key West, Sterling was employed by the City of Key West Sanitation Department for several years and was employed as a maintenance technician for Key West Historic Inns at the time of his death. Sterling enjoyed coaching youth basketball in the city’s intermural basketball league which he did for many years.

He was an active member of Trinity Presbyterian Church and enjoyed singing in Church.  Sterling was also a member of “The Blessed Community Choir”, a multi-denominational city gospel choir that performed at community events.

Honoring Rachel E. Ligon

Rachel, a proud Kentuckian by birth, dedicated close to 18 years of her life to capturing the magic of Key West life and Key West weddings through her lens. With a remarkable flair for home restoration, she cherished the notion of breathing new life into aged treasures. Her passion for living and her creative spirit knew no bounds. She was not just a daughter, a sister, and a friend, but a cherished presence that will forever be deeply missed.

Honoring Baxter

Baxter is a special dog who persevered. Being given to us at too young of an age, he became sickly and could not digest puppy food. We spent his early year cooking special food for him until he was able to process regular dog food. From there on out, he was small but mighty, both in activity and in love. Baxter was my side kick and constant companion. He has travelled everywhere with me, and he loved nothing more than being squished up against you, held and snuggled. He loved everyone and just wanted affection from everyone he met. People were always telling us what a special, one-of-a-kind dog he was. Around age 8, Baxters eyes started to get bad. He could still see, but not well, and we started carrying him up and down the stairs at our home. Our vet sent him to an animal eye doctor in Miami. Shortly after, it was discovered that he had a tumor in his brain. Baxter started having seizures, but did not want to give up. He still wanted to play and have fun. Eventually the seizures made it hard for him to walk. Even with this difficulty, he tried and tried to be active and play, and we took him to a pet neurologist in Miami who was able to stave off the seizures. We had several more months with Baxter when suddenly his love of playing stopped, and we knew it was time to say goodbye. Baxter was always with me and at my side, no matter if it was through days of migraines or just to follow me from one room to another, and I was holding him just like he loved when he was put to sleep. He had 10 years of a beautiful life, traveling from Michigan, where he was born, to Summerland Key, where he lived out his final years. There will never be another dog like him, and I can only hope that we successfully returned all the love and devotion that he gave to us.

Honoring Tom Hambright

Tom Hambright
Feb. 23, 1938--Oct. 14, 2023

Thomas Leroy Hambright was born February 23, 1938, in Mooresville, North Carolina, to Robert Lee and Rachel (Sims) Hambright. He graduated from Troutman High School in 1956 and Appalachian State Teachers College in Boone, North Carolina, in 1960.

In 2022, Tom told Friends of the Key West Library board member Ellen T. White that he started getting interested in history very early – when he was a toddler and his grandmother took care of him while his parents were working 12-hour days in the cotton mills of his native North Carolina during World War II.

“She was from mountain people and she used to tell me stories about the old days, and it got my interest,” Tom said. “I could have kicked myself later on, because unfortunately I don’t remember one of them. Anyway, that’s where it started, and in high school, I was the best history student.”

He intended to become a history teacher – but wound up in the military, serving in the U.S. Navy for 21 years, including appointments in Key West. He appeared in a September, 1969, Key West Citizen story about bachelor officers, where he was described as “a genial giant of a Southern man (6 foot, 6 inches)” who reportedly “likes the southern easiness of life here.”

In 1981, he retired as a Lieutenant Commander and returned to the island, where he took computer classes at Florida Keys Community College (now the College of the Florida Keys) and went to work for the Key West Art & Historical Society as a curator for three years.

Joining the library

In 1985, he joined the Monroe County Public Library’s Florida History department, which had been started by Betty Bruce with a strong focus on Conch genealogy, as well as collecting photographs and documents from the islands’ past.

Hambright, along with his late wife, Lynda, continued that work, helping many people trace their roots on the island. He helped people learn about local history, whether they were researching their families, their new home, or were just curious. He answered questions from journalists and historians. He and Lynda compiled an index to the Key West Citizen, a unique and essential resource for anyone researching the past in the Keys.

In the early 1990s, Tom oversaw the construction of a new wing on the library with a vault to protect the collection. In 1997, he and Lynda started a newspaper column for the Key West Citizen called “Key West 100 Years Ago Today,” intended to run for a year to mark the centennial of the USS Maine explosion.

The column was so popular that it continued and expanded to Today In Keys History, which still runs in the Citizen and appears on the Florida Keys History Center website and social media accounts. It recounts events from throughout the documented history of the Keys and has included excerpts from the 19th century diary of a Key West attorney and the 1822 logbook from the USS Shark, whose crew first raised the American flag over the island.

Two hundred years later, that logbook was donated and became part of the Florida Keys History Center archives.

“Tom Hambright absolutely loved the history of Key West and the Florida Keys, and he was endlessly fascinated by it. He was always inspired by Paul Harvey’s phrase “The Rest of the Story,” and he loved to uncover the deeper, little-known backstories of the events and players,” said Dr. Corey Malcom, who is now the Florida Keys History Center’s Lead Historian.

“Tom was also big on sharing history, too. For over 30 years, he was the editor of the Key West Maritime Historical Society’s ‘Sea Heritage Journal,’ the de facto Keys historical publication. And he was part of the team that selected the subjects and put together biographies for the Key West Memorial Sculpture Garden; he wrote a history of the USS Maine plot in the Key West Cemetery that determined exactly who was buried there, and he worked with Ed Knight to install the ‘Forgotten Soldier’ monument dedicated Key West’s US Colored Troops now in Bayview Park.”

The Florida Keys History Center itself is Tom’s largest legacy, Malcom said.

“For over 35 years he worked to build an important archive for Monroe County that now houses documents, photographs, and public records from the past,” Malcom said.

Anne Layton Rice, Assistant Library Director for Support Services, oversaw the work of the History Center.

“A great joy of my 23 years working with Tom was him peeking in my office door frequently to announce ‘We’ve got treasure!’ This meant I was to proceed directly to the History Room for Tom to delightedly display and explain a new donation,” Rice said. “Tom didn’t just love history, he loved sharing history. My son, now a KWHS senior, is a history honors student due to Tom’s enthusiasm. Primary sources over interpretations ruled in Tom’s domain.”

Malcom said Tom met with “thousands and thousands of people over those years and helped them find out about their families, their houses, or with research for dissertations, books, or films.”

Kimberly Matthews, Senior Director of Strategic Planning and Director of Libraries, said Tom’s work will have lasting effect. “His years of dedicated service will always leave a legacy for future generations to enjoy the history of the Keys,” she said.

Dr. Cori Convertito, curator and historian at the Key West Art & Historical Society said Tom was “a giant among men. Anyone who spoke with him quickly realized that his reverence and passion for local and maritime history was palpable — it was as though it was part of his genetic code. Serving in the U.S. Navy brought him to Key West, but it was this island and its history that ignited his true calling in life as a historian. His eagerness to read everything he could get his hands on, commit it to his eidetic memory, and share in such a cohesive and absorbing manner set him apart from all others.”

Alex Vega grew up in Key West, hearing stories about the old days from his grandfather. He followed his interest in history to the library when Betty Bruce ran the department and it was located on the side wing, where the Children’s Room is now.

He said many Conchs were skeptical when Tom first took over.

“At first, it was, ‘Who is this guy who was in the Navy who knows about Key West history?'” Vega said. “As the years went by, I would tell them ‘This guy knows more about Key West history than you who were born here.'”

A firefighter, Vega started documenting fires and their impact on the island throughout its history. In the pre-Internet years, he and Tom would go through microfilms of the Jacksonville newspaper, scouring it for mentions of Key West.

Vega eventually wrote a book resulting from that research and led the effort to preserve Fire Station No. 3, now named in his honor as the Alex Vega Firehouse Museum at the Key West Historic Firehouse.

Tom was “a treasure trove of knowledge. That’s what I called him – a walking encyclopaedia,” said Vega, who also credits him with instilling standards for research: “If you’re going to say something about history, about any subject or person, make sure you have the facts to back it up.”

Reaching millions with the image archive

Tom was a popular public speaker and gave countless talks on Keys history, but his widest reach was online, through the Florida Keys History Center’s image archive on Flickr. Tom led a team of volunteers who made high-resolution scans, identified them and uploaded them to the site. More than 23,000 images are online and freely available for viewing and downloading. They have been viewed more than 43 million times.

“When Tom and I first discussed digitization, he was concerned: ‘What if they stop coming in (because everything is online)?’” Rice said. “Quite the contrary: Tom was then overwhelmed with scholars and researchers from all over the world wanting more – especially more Tom.”

Even after his retirement on his 84th birthday in 2022, Tom continued as the Florida Keys History Center’s most devoted volunteer, coming in several times a week to scan more images and share his knowledge about the island with library staff and patrons.

Tom was named Monroe County Employee of the Year in 1999. In 2016, the city of Key West declared January 5th “Tom Hambright Day” in recognition of his service. In 2017, the Key West Art & Historical Society honored him with the prestigious Scotti Merrill Preservation Award. When he retired in 2022, the county bestowed the title of Historian Emeritus.

“Tom Hambright was such an amazing person and blessing to this community,” said Monroe County Mayor Craig Cates. “His knowledge of the Florida Keys history was unparalleled, and he devoted so much of his life to the Keys.”

It seemed like Tom was always on duty behind his desk piled with documents and books, but on his rare vacations, he was delving into even more history.

“Always on the quest for the perfect hot dog while visiting presidential birth homes, Tom traveled in his huge van listening to his favorite music station: Willie’s Roadhouse,” Rice said.

Tom’s wife, Lynda, died in 2021. Tom is survived by a large family of colleagues, friends and admirers in the Keys and beyond.

“While I consider Tom a mentor, I also had the pleasure of his friendship and support as I began my own career in maritime and local history. No phone call went ignored; no question went unanswered, even if that meant hours of digging through primary source materials on microfilm or in Florida History’s vault,” Convertito said. “For years everyone said, ‘Tom is irreplaceable’ and ‘what will we do without Tom?’. We will carry on the good work in his absence, but we will continue repeating those sentences because he was truly one of a kind and it is difficult to imagine him not being on the other end of the phone to assist.”

Malcom said Tom’s legacy continues through the work of the Florida Keys History Center, from people looking at microfilm and documents at the Center in Key West to those viewing online photos from around the world.

“Tom will be missed terribly, and his death leaves a big hole, but he has also left so much for us to appreciate, learn from, and build upon,” Malcom said. “We understand the Florida Keys, and how our island communities came to be, much better because of him. Tom may be gone, but he is unforgettable.”