I was raised in a very small rural New England town where things seldom change; the main street looks the same as it did 100 years ago.  Nine towns went to my high school and still do to this day.   When I moved to Florida 22 years ago on a job transfer,  I saw the destruction that was occurring at an alarming rate to rural towns and lands. I have always been a conservationist, so I had to jump in with both feet to work on protecting Florida for future generations.

 

I believe we must teach the next generation why we need to protect our rural lands and all it has to offer to future generations. We must continue to educate our inner city youth, our elected officials, and our neighboring cities and counties. The reason I sit on the Rural Heritage Board is that I feel this is a wonderful opportunity to share with all of Central Florida and beyond, my passion for Rural Heritage.

 

Gary graduated from Andover High School in Linthicum, Maryland in 1966 and from the University of Maryland in 1970 with a BS in Electrical Engineering and continued with an MS in the same discipline.

 

Gary and his wife Barbara came to Florida from Maryland in 1990 after relocation with his former company of 20 years,  Sprague Electric. Gary was the VP of Marketing and Sales for the Film Capacitor Division of the company located in Longwood, FL.  After his career with Sprague he spent a number of years with a manufacturer’s representative firm in the electronic components area calling upon many of the larger companies in the Central Florida region.  Later he was the Senior Sales Engineer for Microchip Technology in Central Florida covering the major manufacturers in Central Florida, servicing them with the embedded control technology requirements.  In 2008 he became an owner and partner in the area of financial education with Online Trading Academy (locations in Orlando and Tampa).  At Online Trading Academy (OTA) the skills of trading Equities, Futures, Options and FOREX were taught.  Gary retired in 2010.  Today he is still a trader of Futures and Equities.

 

Gary and his wife Barbara chose the Geneva area as their home.  Gary was born and raised in West Virginia and Barbara in North Carolina so Geneva was a natural fit to their rural heritage and lifestyle.  They have one son and four grandchildren.

 

Gary has served on the Seminole Woods Homeowners Association in Geneva for over six years and currently is the President of the Association.  He is active in community affairs, an active Amateur Radio operator for over 50 yrs., holding an Amateur Extra Class FCC license, a member of the American Radio League, Quarter Century Wireless Association and numerous professional organizations.  He holds many awards and records for his activity over the years in Amateur Radio.  He is a Certified Volunteer Examiner to hold FCC license exams.

Larry Ellis attended public school, college and has lived in central Florida since 1958.  He has over 37 years experience in public education and is the Assistant Director of Custodial Services for Seminole County Schools.  Larry started his career with Orange County Public Schools and progressed through increasing responsible school and district based positions to department head before retiring and accepting his present job.

 

Larry has helped to found several not for profit educational organizations to include the Rural Heritage Center, Florida Prehistoric Museum, Inc. (Florida Fossil Hunters) and Walk Back in Time.  He has held or currently holds board positions in additional not for profit organizations; Florida School Plant Management Association, Central Florida Anthropological Society, Florida Cow Culture Preservation Committee Inc., Florida Paleontology Society Inc., Partnership for Learning Inc., Will McLean Foundation Inc., and the Florida Cattleman’s Annual Ranch Rodeo Finals and Heritage Festival.

 

Larry lives in Geneva and enjoys reading, horse back riding, camping and teaching Florida history.