Florida Citrus Hall Of Fame Welcomes Class Of 2016
December 14, 2015 The selection committee for the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame has once again picked out several distinguished individuals to honor for their significant contributions to the state’s citrus industry.
The Class of 2016 includes: Dr. Bill Castle of Lake Alfred; Jack Norris of Palm City; and Vic Story, Jr. of Lake Wales. The trio will be honored during the 54th Citrus Celebration Luncheon, scheduled to take place March 11 at Florida Southern College in Lakeland.
Meet the inductees:
Dr. Bill Castle
Internationally recognized as the leading authority on rootstocks, and the entire Florida citrus industry has been shaped by Castle’s work. His research has resulted in improved citrus scion and rootstock development, orchard design, and management of high-density planting, citrus propagation, and pre-plant expert systems, windbreak design and establishment, along with pomegranate cultivars and plantings. He did significant work in developing new sweet oranges, with focus on early-maturing selections with better juice color and flavor, to improve the not-from-concentrate (NFC) product. Known widely throughout the international community, his extensive network of researchers has made numerous collaborations possible, resulting in breakthrough research on HLB and most recently, while in retirement, the beginnings of a commercial pomegranate industry. His research also helped to develop the “DISC” precision ag program and one of its outcomes, Advanced Citrus Production Systems.
Jack Norris
A native Floridian, Norris has devoted countless hours of service to industry, educational, and civic organizations while working in top management positions at major corporations such as Coca-Cola Foods and Turner Foods Corp. Despite the intense demands of his corporate responsibilities, he served in a variety of volunteer leadership roles with numerous industry organizations such as Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Florida Citrus Mutual, University of Florida advisory boards, and the Florida Citrus Production Managers Association. During his tenure with Coca-Cola Foods, Norris and his team worked closely with UF/IFAS and USDA-ARS researchers, as well as private companies, to pursue innovative solutions in the areas of production, harvesting, labor, and marketing that benefited the entire industry. Many of the first high-density plantings in Florida citrus occurred under his leadership, and some of the first privately-owned mechanical harvesting equipment and fungicide trials took place in the company groves. He went on to become President and CEO of Florida Power & Light’s Turner Foods Corp. and in the same manner successfully led the operation until his retirement in 2000. Under Norris’ leadership, Turner Foods grew into one of the largest citrus growing operations in Florida and by the early ’90s the company had acquired approximately 20,000 acres of citrus properties in the state.
Vic Story Jr.
Story is known throughout the industry for his hard work, multigenerational business and his world class production techniques. He serves as president of The Story Companies, a well-respected grove management and fruit marketing operation based in Lake Wales. Vic and his father grew the family business from 100 acres to 2,500 acres in Central and South Florida, and The Story Companies now owns and manages more than 7,000 acres of citrus with 30 full time employees. Story is a leader in cutting-edge production methods, being one of the first to spray for psyllids with the onset of HLB. He was one of the first growers to transition from overhead irrigation to micro-jet technologies, and is a pioneer in the use of software to trace chemical and fertilizer use per block per variety to improve efficiency of operations. He also helped to create the Sun Lion citrus label, which is currently sold at Whole Foods and other grocery stores, to provide a high-quality, Florida branded fresh product to consumers. More importantly, he has represented Florida citrus growers tirelessly, on countless occasions, at the highest levels in Washington and Tallahassee as president of Florida Citrus Mutual and a member of the Florida Citrus Commission. In 2012, Story was named the Florida Grower® magazine Citrus Achievement AwardSM winner.
Invitation and ticket information for the special gathering will be available at FloridaCitrusHallOfFame.com.
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