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Former Orange County League President Susan Simasek grew up in a natural world that most of us can only dream of. Born in 1943, her family moved from Hillside Avenue in downtown Orlando to a pristine 1.4-acre lakefront parcel teeming with wildlife and natural beauty.

No wonder, that as a League member and LWVOC President in 1984-1985, she did everything in her power to help protect and defend Florida’s natural waterways. 

“Our neighbors were alligators and every form of Florida wildlife you could imagine,” she said as we visited in her family home on the shores of Lake Irma. “We would see Florida panthers, bobcats, baby rabbits, possums, racoons, snakes, and gopher tortoises. But you don’t see them anymore. All the animals I grew up with are no longer here.”

Her family home, which she inherited, fronts on what is now University Boulevard. But when she first lived there, the only road was called “Hall Road,” which extended only as far as Dean Road.
 

“UCF wasn’t here,” she pointed out. There was very little development. There was only one grocery store on Aloma.”

The family moved to the area because her father worked in agriculture for A. Duda and Sons.
 

“Econ Trail was just a dirt road,” she said. “We rode horses down to Maitland and oftentimes rode our bikes down the middle of Hall Road. There was very little traffic.”

“In order to go to school, we had to travel to Winter Park,” she said. “I attended the old red-brick Park Avenue Elementary School. In the eighth grade, I was in the first class attending the new Glenridge Junior High School. After that, we attended Winter Park High School on the campus now known as the ‘Ninth Grade Center.’”

Susan also attended Orlando Junior College, which later became FTU and finally UCF. She recalls that a portion of the family’s land was taken for the construction of University Boulevard.

Susan’s first experience with government occurred in the 1960s when she worked for former U.S. Congressman and Senator Ed Gurney of Winter Park. Initially she worked in a clerical position in his Florida office, but later moved to Washington, D.C., during a period when protest marches – for civil rights or against the Vietnam War – were almost daily occurrences.

Before settling down, Susan received an opportunity to see the wider world as a flight attendant for Delta, flying out of major hubs like Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and D.C.

Throughout her life, Susan kept journals of her experiences and thoughts about the world around her.

She met her husband at a party in Orlando while he was stationed at McCoy Air Force Base. “We clicked right away,” she said. “We got married and moved to Pittsburgh, where he was a CPA for Ernst & Ernst.”

Their first child, a daughter, was born in Pittsburgh, but their second child, a son, was born in Winter Park.

“Ernst & Ernst had offices here, so we decided to return to Florida to raise our children,” she noted. “We lived in Winter Park Pines, as my parents were still living in the house on Lake Irma.”

Susan joined the League in 1972, some 53 years ago. She recalls that at the time; the group was still small and meeting at a local church.

As her children grew, the League became “my job,” Susan said. “My husband worked, my children attended school, and I became very active in the League, serving as both president and treasurer.”

During the 1980s Susan and other League members and Orange County residents began to notice that as the population grew, Florida’s once-pristine waterways were becoming polluted.

The League response was to develop an educational booklet entitled Preserve Florida Waters.

“I researched and wrote it,” Susan said, “and Jo Patterson illustrated it. Our goal was to teach Orange County citizens how to preserve and protect their waterways.”

“We encouraged residents to use natural pesticides instead of harmful chemicals that are known to destroy fragile ecosystems,” she continued. “We warned against the danger of algae blooms which can be harmful to fish, domestic animals, and birds. We illustrated how water pollution occurs as part of the life cycle, showing the stages of ‘eutrophication’ as a waterway ages and eventually dies if it is overfed with nutrients.”

“The response to the booklet was greater that we expected,” she said. “We initially printed 1,000 copies, but they were scooped up by property-owners, schools, environmental groups, and water districts such as the St. Johns Water Management District.”

“The book was so well-received, we did a second printing in 1989,” she noted. Susan estimates that the League distributed more than 3,000 copies.

Susan says she was attracted to the League because of its nonpartisan status and because of its emphasis on important issues affecting our lives. 

“I have always been interested in public affairs, and I was proud to be a member of an organization that worked to make sure that government agencies were held accountable, that they were doing what they were supposed to do.” she added.
 

“The League looked at community issues through a nonpartisan lens. We would go to county meetings and testify on vital issues affecting our communities. You can see the outcome of those efforts if you look around.”

“During my time as a League activist, we helped preserve the environment, including county parks and recreational areas. We emphasized ‘planned growth.’ We helped establish bike paths and nature trails. We helped keep local citizens informed, and we still do.” 

“I am so glad the League is still growing and going strong,” she said. “We offer vital services to our community. They should always be preserved.”

Written by Suzanne McGovern