Judi and Gene Roberts Garden
2013
Located next to the Fannin Center is the Judi and Gene Roberts Garden, which was dedicated in 2013 to Judi (Class of 1960) and her husband Gene Roberts (Class of 1960).
The two met at Florida Southern College and were married in 1960. Gene was born November 22, 1932, in Key West, Florida. His encounters with President Harry S. Truman at a young age inspired him to pursue politics. Gene moved to Lakeland in 1952 and graduated from Florida Southern College in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science. He received master’s degrees in business administration and education from the University of Mississippi. He began his career as an educator in public schools in Key West and Polk County, then went on to run for elective office ten times, both as a Democrat and a Republican. While he was never successfully elected, Gene was an enthusiastic politician, and his work positively impacted many people. He passed away in 2013 due to heart failure.
Judi was born September 26, 1939, in Nebraska City, Nebraska. She moved to Lakeland in 1959 and graduated from Florida Southern College in 1960. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church, the Lakeland Republican Club, the Lakeland Republican Women’s Club, and the SPCA. Judi worked for the Polk County School System for many years. In 1976 she survived a rare disease known as Guillain-Barre syndrome, contracted from a swine flu vaccination. She fought an 11-year battle with cancer before passing away in 2010.
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