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Florida Conversations: Work, War, Wit, Wisdom: Lessons and Legacies from Ybor City
Presented by the Tampa Bay History Center and USF Libraries, this free program is part of the Florida Conversations series, underwritten by the Tampa Bay History Center Endowment Fund at the University of South Florida with media sponsorship from WUSF Public Broadcasting.
In this special program, Rodney Kite-Powell interviews Donna Piñero Parrino, author of Work, War, Wit, Wisdom: Lessons and Legacies from Ybor City. Parrino, a fourth-generation Tampan, blends history, humor, and reflection in her memoir, recalling Ybor’s “Golden Sunset.” She shares stories of childhood lessons, community warmth, and the struggles of Jim Crow, honoring her cigar-worker grandparents’ resilience through the Great Depression and WWII. The book offers a heartfelt tribute to family, tradition, and a vanished way of life.
Work, War, Wit, Wisdom is available digitally through the USF website: Read the book.
Florida Conversations will be presented in person in TECO Hall and virtually through Zoom. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Ybor’s legacy and hear directly from the author. Reserve your spot today.
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The history center is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
**Galleries are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas and open until 3 p.m. on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
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