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April
2002
Volume 66 |
Number
4
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| Orlando
– A Story Still Being Written |
The 2002 ASA Annual Meeting will be held in Orlando, Florida,
October 12-16. To acquaint newcomers and seasoned veterans
with Orlando, we present this historical synopsis of the
city.
It's hard to believe that an area once named "Mosquito
County" could become one of the top vacation destinations
in the world. But that is indeed Orlando's story, and if
the end has ever justified the means, the result of all
the hard work put into making Orlando what it is today has
long since been justified.
Settling Down
After the end of the Seminole war in 1842, American settlers
began to follow soldiers into areas of central Florida.
At Fort Gatlin, a deserted Army post in what is now modern-day
Orlando, a town began to grow. Perhaps it was the oftentimes
inhospitable weather that made settlers here so adaptable
to turmoil, but whatever it was, Orlando residents have
always taken tragedy in stride. Orlando's very namesake,
U.S. soldier Orlando Reeves, was killed in 1835 by an Indian
arrow, but not before he was able to warn his fellow soldiers
of an oncoming raid.
As the area grew in population, cattle and cotton were
the staples of a burgeoning economy during the mid-1850s.
With success, however, came greed and lawlessness. Gunfights
were common in Orlando's streets because of rampant cattle
rustling, and the citizens realized that a safer way to
make money might be needed. It didn't take long for Orlando
to find itself within a prosperous cotton plantation, and
things looked good for Orlando's new staple, until the Civil
War broke out. The war stole the cotton industry's workers
away, and the industry quickly failed. A hurricane in 1871
was the final nail in the coffin for Orlando's cotton industry.
Not to be deterred, Orlando's citizens turned to a crop
that would later make Florida famous – the citrus fruit.
"Orange fever" hit around 1870, and people began
planting citrus seeds where cotton once grew. The South
Florida Railroad and the country's growing appetite for
oranges and grapefruit led to a boom around 1880. Tragedy
struck again, however, in 1894 when freezing weather hit
central Florida and almost entirely ruined Orlando's citrus
trees. As they are wont to do, though, the residents recovered
in due time, and central Florida to this day remains one
of the leading producers of citrus fruit in the world.
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No
kidding, 45 million people visit Orlando every
year. For many of them, both young and old,
Walt Disney World is the main draw.
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What's
the Big Idea?
In 1895, a resourceful citrus grower named John B. Steinmetz
proved that when life gives you lemons, just go ahead and
make lemonade. As Steinmetz watched the winter weather destroy
his crops, he had an epiphany of sorts that set a course
for a tradition in entertainment that Orlando follows to
this day. In that year, he converted his citrus packinghouse
into a skating rink, built a bathhouse, made a picnic area
and created an ingenious toboggan slide that emptied into
a spring with a splash. The Orlando as we know it today
was born.
Electricity
came to the area in 1900, and telephones arrived a year
later. Cars rocketed into the area in 1903 at a speed of
five miles per hour. In 1928, Orlando Municipal Airport
opened, and in 1956, Martin Marietta (now known as Lockheed
Martin) was established in the area and soon became one
of Orlando's largest employers. Citrus fruit flavored much
of Orlando's history throughout the 19th and 20th centuries,
but once Orlando got a taste of technology, the world would
never again be the same.
There's
a Mouse in the House
1971 was unquestionably the banner year in Orlando's curriculum
vitae. That year brought the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom,
which brought Orlando a fame that few cities can match.
Just like its host city, Walt Disney World has done nothing
but grow since its inception. The theme park is truly a
world of its own and has consistently drawn visitors from
every corner of the planet. Since there's nothing like success
to breed success, other attractions followed in Walt Disney
World's wake. SeaWorld Orlando opened in 1973, and Shamu
made "killer whale" a friendly household name.
Seeing the success that Walt Disney and SeaWorld had, Universal
Studios set up camp in 1990 and then went on to even greater
success with its Islands of Adventure in 1999. In 2000,
Discovery Cove made waves with visitors and guaranteed that
no matter what theme park one chose, the one consistent
theme was fun.
An
Attractive City
All the superlatives ever used to describe Walt Disney World
and its flashy neighbors can't compete against statistics,
and Orlando is definitely not statistically challenged.
Orlando has repeatedly won the "Top Domestic Hot Spot"
award from the American Society of Travel Agents, is considered
the number-one family destination by Travel Agent International,
was called "North America's Leading Destination"
for 2001 by World Travel Awards and has won its eighth
consecutive "Gold Service" award from Meetings
& Conventions magazine, to name just a few honors.
The
Orange County Convention Center, site of the 2002 ASA Annual
Meeting, boasts the second largest exhibition space in the
country (1.1 million square feet) and offers 250,958 square
feet of meeting rooms. The city's more than 105,000 hotel/motel
rooms speak volumes about the numbers of visitors who are
attracted to its endless business and entertainment opportunities.
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The
Orange County Convention Center will host
the 2002 ASA Annual Meeting.
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For
the Kids-at-Heart
Sure, Orlando is a hotspot for kids, but adults are taken
care of as well. Orlando is quickly garnering rave reviews
from food critics around the world for its fine dining options.
For the shopper, eight shopping malls and countless smaller
shops offer unmatched variety. When the sun goes down, the
neon lights grow bright and illuminate the heart of a city
that pulses with everything from low-key blues and jazz
to high-energy dance clubs.
It's
a Big World After All
As long as people desire to enjoy themselves, Orlando will
never stop growing. This town takes its visitors' pleasure
very seriously. Its 125 golf courses, 800 tennis courts,
4,300 restaurants, 95 amusement attractions and 39 million
square feet of retail shopping space can attest to that.
But it's also a practical and progressive city. When its
reputation for entertainment is crossed with its reputation
for business sense, the visitor to Orlando will soon find
out that the city can be wrapped up in two words: serious
fun.
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Plans
Under Way for 2002 ASA Annual Meeting in Orlando
The 2002 ASA Annual Meeting will be held October
12-16 in Orlando, Florida. ASA members and their
spouses or guests are invited to attend. Registration
and hotel reservation forms will be mailed to
ASA members in June.
The Peabody Orlando and the Rosen Centre will
serve as co-headquarters hotels for the ASA
Annual Meeting. All meetings of the House of
Delegates and reference committees will be held
at the Peabody. Breakfast panels also will be
held at the Rosen Centre.
The Orange County Convention Center is the
location for the 53rd Annual Refresher Course
Lectures that will be presented on Saturday
and Sunday, October 12-13.
The scientific papers, panels, Clinical Forum,
the Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture and
the Lewis H. Wright Memorial Lecture also will
be held at the Orange County Convention Center.
All scientific, technical and art exhibits will
be open from Sunday through Tuesday, October
13-15, at the Orange County Convention Center.
Spouse activities will be held at the convention
center and Rosen Centre. Hospitality rooms,
where coffee and soda will be served throughout
the day, will be located at the center and Rosen
Centre. Tickets for social activities will be
sold in the registration area at the Orange
County Convention Center.
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Jeffrey
H. Silverstein, M.D., is Associate Dean for Research,
Vice-Chair for the Institutional Review Board, Vice-Chair
for Research and Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology,
Surgery, Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mt. Sinai
School of Medicine, New York, New York. |
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