Last week, Highlands County lost a piece of its past. It was the inexorable march of time that touches each one of us living, breathing souls. But when Lonnie Curl, Robert Allen Baker and Ray T. Graddy departed from life, they took with them a part of Highlands County that was young, and in some minds –– still pristine. Curl was a former Sebring police chief. So was Baker. Graddy was a postmaster. They were all longtime county residents and had been active in public service. They helped shape the county's destiny in visible and invisible ways. They were the area's living history. Their lives also interspersed. All three graduated from Sebring High School. Graddy and Curl both received the Most Valuable Man award for their contributions to the Sebring Fire Department. ...more

November 20, 2007

SEBRING — Three of Sebring's prominent residents have died within less than one week. Former Police Chief Lonnie Curl, 87, died Tuesday at his Sebring home. Former Police Chief Bob Baker attended Curl's funeral Friday and then died of a heart attack later that night. Former Postmaster Ray Graddy, 92, died Saturday. "To me Ray Graddy represents what the old pioneers of Sebring are all about," said Craig Johnson, a friend of Graddy. "He cared about his community, and he gave back." Johnson said Graddy was a nice man who always treated people well. ...more

November 20, 2007