veniceareahistoricalsociety.org

Special Edition

The History of

The Betty Intagliata Lecture Series:

30 Years of Excellence

Betty Intagliata

Betty Intagliata, her husband Paul, and their two daughters Debbie and Lisa moved to Venice, Florida in September, 1981. Betty was a history teacher who became fascinated with Venice’s history.  In 1990, she organized four meetings at the former Wedgewood Restaurant in Venice to gauge community interest in forming a society that would promote local history and historic preservation. The interest was there!  

Through the efforts of George McLean and accountant Grady Hough, the Venice Area Historic Preservation League, Inc. attained its non-profit status in 1991.  The word "Area" was dropped in 1994.  In 2001, under the presidency of Rollins Coakley, George McLean pursued a “doing business as” designation for the Society through the State of Florida, and since then, the Society has been known as the Venice Historic Preservation League, Inc., d/b/a Venice Area Historical Society (VAHS).  

Since its early days, VAHS has provided an array of historically interesting programs for its members and guests.  Inspired by Betty’s vision and efforts, this activity has evolved into the Betty Intagliata Lecture Series, now permanently funded by the Bill Jervey, Jr. Charitable Foundation. 

According to Betty, the first VAHS Board created the monthly programs as a benefit for members and as a way to attract new members.  Topics during the early years addressed local history, and since then, all programs have been open to the public and offered for free.  Betty remembers a "nostalgia" evening with a panel of "old-timers.”  At another meeting, the speaker was the author of a book about Englewood.  Programs were held at the Hotel Venice (now The Summit at Venice Assisted Living and Memory Care), the Venice Library or at a City Hall meeting room.  A big crowd turned out for a program about the "Restoration of Ca' d'Zan.”

Logo Developed by Evelyn Nelson

The first program committee was comprised of Betty Intagliata, Mary Richards, and Nancy Stone.  As the years went on, VAHS presidents often selected the program topics.  However, after Betty took a grant-writing course in the early 2000s, learning about the Florida Humanities Council’s (FHC) grants for speakers, she became the person in charge of programs.

FHC favored programs that were presented as a series addressing a single subject.  This led to Betty’s success in securing many grants on topics like Florida’s experiences during "The Great Depression," the “Civil War,” or “The New Deal.”  Speakers included noted university professors and historians. Another FHC grant paid for a special event, an all-day seminar on John Nolen and New Urbanism, attended by City Council members.

In recent years, one- and two-year program series have addressed topics as varied as “Reconstruction,” “Civil Rights,” “Women’s Suffrage,” and “Southwest Florida’s Native Americans, Including the Seminole Wars and the Legacy of the Calusa tribes.”  Over the years, the lives of many prominent individuals such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Zora Neale Hurston, and Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, to name a few, were either described or re-enacted as part of the series.

Packed audiences have turned out for most of these programs, and venues have included various locations around Venice, such as Village On The Isle, the Venice Presbyterian Church’s meeting hall, and the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Venice.  Since the arrival of COVID-19, Betty has arranged to have the presentations videotaped and made available online.  The presentations in 2021 are part of VAHS’s contribution to Sarasota County’s Centennial Celebration.

The value of Betty Intagliata’s contributions to the citizens of Venice and Sarasota County can be summed up in the words of Dr. Bill Jervey:

As a graduate student at the University of Arizona in the 1960s, the highlight of my week was attending a session of Tucson's “Sunday Evening Forum.”  This was a weekly program on the University campus featuring some of the world’s most interesting people.  Best of all to a poor grad student, it was always free and open to the public.

I long hoped to one day be in a position where I could sponsor something similar.  Low and behold, when I came to Venice, I found that VAHS had its own lecture series, thanks largely to a remarkable woman named Betty Intagliata.  As I came to know Betty, the more I came to admire her and to appreciate the top-notch lectures she produced.  To put on even one program is a major effort.  To put on programs month after month and year after year is truly amazing!

Here was payback time.  I could make Betty's work a little less onerous by taking over the financing of the lecture series.  Working with VAHS President Barbara Smith, I agreed to have the Bill Jervey, Jr. Charitable Foundation provide all future funding to keep the programs coming.  Subsequently, I amended my will such that there will be sufficient funds to support the lecture series, as long as there is an interest in doing so---hopefully for a long while to come.

In the process, I made three requests, all of which were approved by the VAHS Board of Directors:  First and most important, that the program be named the "Betty Intagliata Lecture Series" and (history repeats!) that it always be free and open to the public.

Thank you, Bill, and congratulations, Betty, on this recognition of your many contributions to our local community!

SUPPORT VAHS

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has provided a way for you to donate to VAHS online.  This can be a one-time or recurring donation.  Click on the green "Donate Now" button to see how it works.

VAHS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and has registered with the State of Florida to solicit contributions.  A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES AT WWW.800HELPFLA.COM OR BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN (800-435-7352) OR OUTSIDE (850-410-3800) FLORIDA.  REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.” Ch 32089

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VAHS MEMBERSHIP WOULD LIKE TO ADD NEW MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS!

If you would like to have a personal chat to find out more about our goals, needs, and plans, or if you are unsure of your renewal date, please contact Carol Bailey, Membership Chair, at membership@veniceareahistoricalsociety.org.  You can also leave a brief message on the VAHS phone at 941-412-0151.

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