Storytelling from generation to generation is
one of the best ways that we keep memories alive in
our community, so I sat down with two long-time Lutz
residents, siblings Ben Nevel & Beth Nevel-Rader. They
shared some gems from their childhood days attending
the Old Lutz School in the late 1950’s.
Their parents Benjamin and Betty Nevel, along with
their children, moved to Lutz in 1952, and their mother
Betty, taught 2nd grade at the school. Beth recalls
her mother telling her why she loved to teach that
are still very much attached to their mother’s apron
strings, but by second grade, they kind of become
themselves and start to blossom as individuals.”
Beth explained their upbringing, “Our parents
raised us in the church and with a strong sense of
giving back to the community. Our Mom and Dad were
big volunteers and worked tirelessly at our church as well as in scouting,
where all of us participated. Beth earned the prestigious Curved Bar in
Girl Scouts and Ben became an Eagle Scout and earned the Order of the
Arrow, a special honor given to scouts who best exemplify the Scout Oath
and Law in their daily lives.” Beth said their parents really ingrained that
spirit in them - to work hard and to always help others.
At the Old Lutz School, the siblings shared memories on events
that happened during their attendance. During the Cold War, Beth
remembered having regular air raid drills where they practiced ‘Duck and
Cover’ procedures and students were directed to quickly crouch down
under their desks for protection in case there was an attack. Ben pointed
out, “Also, things at school were a lot stricter back then than they are
courtyard and wait to be called into our room by our teachers. You didn’t
just jump off the bus and come running into your room like they do now - you had to be orderly and wait.”
Ben shared, “There used to be an old wood frame building out back that was actually the old school house
and they turned that into the cafeteria where Beth and I ate our lunch. That building is long gone. When we
were young in those lower grades, you’d go out there for lunch and when you came back to class, the
teacher would turn out the lights and all the students had to lay down for a nap during rest period.”
Beth recalled, “I vividly remember having to sit out in the hall outside of Mrs. Saunders’ classroom as
punishment for not knowing my multiplication tables. To this day, I can’t remember what 7 times 8
Mr. Kester, a teacher who is now in his 80’s, approached me and asked, ‘Young lady, did you learn your
being given at the campus after a polio scare.”
to serve the community as Fire Chief. Ben said, “There were times back then that there were two urgent
calls that came in at once and we both had to go in opposite directions to go help people because there
wasn’t a dedicated Fire Department in Lutz. It’s just what people did back then – they volunteered.”
he returned, he joined the community’s dive recovery team and continued to do his part to serve his
fellow neighbors. Because her older brother is very humble and never one to blow his own horn, Beth
had to share some of his good deeds over the last three decades. Ben, better known in the community
as the “Suspender Guy” and the Patriarch of the Old Lutz School, has volunteered as its caretaker for
over 30 years, mowing the grounds and performing maintenance and repairs. He is the ‘go to guy’ for
all things and he and his wife, also named Beth, are deeply dedicated to the school’s preservation. 27 years ago
Beth moved up north for work but has recently retired and returned to her deep roots in Lutz and continues to
happily serve the school and her beloved hometown.
Beth mentioned, “As we get older, we always want to come back and share these stories to save them for
Saturdays each year, home-schooled students come to visit as well. Just the other day, a little girl came in to look
at the museum and she couldn’t understand what the antique telephone switchboard was. I had to explain to
her how different the telephone system was back then and how it worked. She was amazed. It’s important for
children using our technology now to understand that this really was how things used to be.”
“Our goal for the school is to make it a meeting place and a place where our activities bring the community
together to connect,” Beth noted. The school hosts the Annual Lutz Pioneer Descendants Reunion each October,
TGimonees By at the LOultdz School
BY SANDY PARRISH
6 | LUTZ MAGAZINE | VOLUME II • ISSUE VIII | TO ADVERTISE CALL 813-501-4894
Siblings Ben Nevel & Beth Nevel-Rader
Ben and his wife, also
named Beth, in their Railroad
Costumes for the Annual
Christmas Celebration