By Brenda Eubanks Burnette
Described as “handsome and affable,” Vernon L. “Cap” Conner, was a board member of Florida Citrus Mutual from the beginning and served on various committees for 23 years. He believed the association was the only hope for growers to get their fair share of consumer dollars for their crop. Conner played a significant role in providing leadership and direction to help unify the efforts of citrus growers in this regard.
He was born on a farm in Floyd County, Virginia, in 1903 before his family moved to Oklahoma. Conner left home at the age of 14 and worked for three years as a clerk in a retail grocery store before becoming a store manager for the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. In 1933, he opened his own wholesale produce business and was one of the first to operate a fleet of trucks hauling citrus and vegetables direct from producing areas to northern markets. He established connections in Mount Dora, Florida, where he flew his own plane to buy fruit and vegetables.
A May 11, 1958, Orlando Sentinel article about his retirement as president of Florida Citrus Mutual noted: “As a producer merchandiser, he bought from 30,000 to 40,000 boxes of citrus every year from many of the same Florida growers who later were to elect him Mutual’s president. He flew his own plane to Florida to make his citrus purchases.”
During World War II, Conner held both commercial and instructor’s pilot ratings and was a flight instructor in the war training service for both the Army and Navy. After the war, he sold his business and “retired” at the age of 39, moving to Mount Dora in 1941 with his wife, the former Jesse May McCraw.
His wife was also an accomplished grower, serving as president of both the Florida and National Federation of Garden Clubs. The couple bought groves of their own, and Conner became active in the citrus industry, serving as a director of the Mount Dora Growers’ Cooperative, Plymouth Citrus Products Cooperative, Citrus Central, Seald Sweet Growers, Florida Citrus Commission, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association and other organizations. He also volunteered in community, county and state affairs.
Conner was extremely involved in the formation of Florida Citrus Mutual, serving on the board just one year before being elected secretary in 1959. He was re-elected to that post each year until he became president after the untimely death of former Mutual President Perry Murray. Conner served in that role for four and a half years, the longest term of anyone at that time.
In an article from the March 29, 1959, issue of The Orlando Sentinel, Conner stated: “We at Mutual choose and will continue to choose the way of constructive and profitable leadership in our great citrus industry, the leadership and direction that comes from the combined will and action of more than 9,000 grower members who produce all but a small percentage of the citrus grown in Florida.” He then went on to outline 14 points “which have brought Mutual’s intents and purposes to fruition,” including such key initiatives and achievements as:
- Direct representation in northern markets to keep members informed on market conditions
- Active participation in state and federal legislation affecting growers
- Sponsorship of industry programs to broaden market potential for citrus products
- Organization of clinics and scientific research to address industry challenges
- Cooperation with law enforcement to prevent citrus fruit theft
- Providing market information and price guides to members
He closed the article, noting that “In such a position of industry leadership, Mutual deals in problems and their solutions. In times of trouble, the industry turns to Mutual for leadership. In times of adversity, whether of marketing or growing conditions, Mutual enjoins the industry to refrain from panic and precipitate unreasonable action.”
This quote still rings true today. Cheers to all of those who have served Florida Citrus Mutual so diligently during its more than seven decades of history!
Brenda Eubanks Burnette is executive director of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Pieces of the Past is presented in partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center in Lakeland.
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