Authors
"Family Man, Flyer, Businessman, Writer, Sailor, Gardener. I enjoy it all"
Background Information:
I was born on the beautiful tropical island of Trinidad, the land of the Hummingbird, Steel Pan and Calypso. At a very young age I was taken to England where I attended school until graduation, at which time I joined the British Army. The rythm of the tropics never leaves you so I returned to my homeland and became a businessman until I was able to indulge myself in my dream - to fly.
In 1967, after graduating from flying college in England I returned to Trinidad and became a pilot with B.W.I.A. the national airline of Trinidad and Tobago. In those days there was no flight guide for the Caribbean, so during my off time I researched and pubished my first book - Caribbean Flite Guide, which was released in 1974. This was a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) aviators guide for the Caribbean. I especially enjoyed the research as it brought me to every single island in the Caribbean where there was an airfield. Towards the end of a protracted strike I began a career in General Aviation and built the first General Aviation Center and Charter business in Trinidad. This was an exciting time of experiences and opportunities, which form the catalyst for producing my latest publication- To be a Pilot.
When I emigrated to the United States I was married, with two small boys and held an interest in a General Aviation business in Miami. I also flew with a small airline, before becoming a corporate pilot, but Aviation was going through a difficult time and I changed careers to Real Estate. In my spare time I enjoyed writing biographies, beginning with the one my mother requested. After achieving my goals I was able to retire at the end of 2009 to be with my family in Florida and enjoy my grandchildren.
I spend a portion of every day reading and writing and along with my other pursuits the time goes by more rapidly than I would have believed. There is another manuscript that I have almost completed, which is about my great great grandfather, who served with the American Army in Florida, during the Second Seminole war. I have other ideas and a lot of material, but I first want to enjoy marketing my latest work.
Birth Place:
Maraval, Trinidad and Tobago
Alonzo Felder was a full-time IT Analyst with a career spanning over thirty-seven years at Duke University. He spent his days providing end user-level computer support and troubleshooting computer related issues. He is now retired.
Over the last four decades, Mr. Felder has become versed in a number of disciplines, including legal, historical, and investigative research methods. He has co-authored, co-investigated, and edited scientific articles, journals, and medical research studies. He has conducted historical research for use in a variety of presentations and publications, and has presented on family history research at numerous workshops and presentations. His most recent presentation was for the Stanford L. Warren Branch Library, where he explored motivations for family history research, as well as pitfalls to discovery and ways to overcome “brick walls” in research.
He is an online participant and contributor on a number of public genealogy-oriented forums and social media venues, including GenForum, Finding Your Roots, AfriGeneas Genealogy and History Forum, Genealogy.com, and Ancestry.com, just to name a few. His work has been featured at THE LoDi PROJECT museum in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Mr. Felder and his research work are referenced in the following publications:
- Emancipation Betrayed: The Hidden History of Black Organizing and White Violence in Florida from Reconstruction to the Bloody Election of 1920, by Paul Ortiz.
- Old South, New South, or Down South? Florida and the Modern Civil Rights Movement, edited by Irvin D. S. Winsboro.
Mr. Felder has contributed to the Finding Your Roots TV show website, “The Race Card Project,” by Michele Norris of NPR’s All Things Considered. In 2017 he presented the event “Let’s Talk Roots,” a panel discussion about the impact family history has in our community, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has also given numerous presentations on the importance of grandparents and seniors for a variety of senior faith-based groups.
In 2015 Mr. Felder founded My Roots Foundation and currently serves as its president. My Roots Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Durham, North Carolina. The mission is to honor ancestors and promote awareness of the importance and impact of family history through discovering, preserving, and sharing the stories of the forebears.
Work mentioned in Psychology Today’s online publication posted April 2, 2017.
“The Stories of Our Lives” section by Robyn Fivush, Ph.D.
“Cultural stories provide roots for growth
Being part of a cultural group through storytelling is beneficial.”
Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-stories-our-lives/201704/cultural-stories-provide-roots-growth_=_
Mr. Felder actively works as a participant and workshop presenter for DiversifyIT, a voluntary group of Duke University professionals working in the information technology (IT) field who seek to address issues of diversity in the IT workforce.
https://diversifyit.duke.edu/
Active contributor to the DGHI Community, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and member of the DGHI Equity Task Force.
Participant/Member of Cohort 4 of the Duke University School of Medicine and Duke Health’s Teaching and Leading Equity Now (TEN) series, a part of the Duke Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
Mr. Felder has been featured in a variety of newspaper and magazine publications, including “Foundation helps people discover–and celebrate–their family history” by Lewis Beale.
Correspondent
October 21, 2015, 05:10 p.m.
Updated October 21, 2015, 10:48 p.m.
link: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article40763325.html#storylink=cpy
Triangle Gives: My Roots Foundation connects generations to strengthen families | News & Observer
By Corbie Hill
newsobserver.com Nov 22, 2017
“I realized...how to deal with racism.”
by Alonzo Felder
Duke Magazine photos by Author; Illustration by James Boyle
September 26, 2020, Special 2020 issue
Tim Gilmore is an author of books about the history of Jacksonville, and writes non-fiction stories for his website jaxpsychogeo.com. He is an English professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville.
Mark Pappas is the son of Ted Pappas, and works in his father’s architectural business. Mark is the business development manager for PBV Architecture in Jacksonville.
Author Sid Riley was a political columnist, managing editor, and part owner of The Jackson County Times newspaper. For this book, Riley conducted extensive oral history interviews with John Wayne Mixson, and his wife Margie Mixson.
David Rahahę·tih Webb is rooted in the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina and the Pee Dee Indian Tribe just across the invisible line, in South Carolina. His culture has shaped his worldview and is central in his life. He is a traditional and contemporary Native American artist and an active member of his community. David’s art in the form of sculpture, beadwork, and other mediums have been featured in museum exhibits and in permanent collections throughout the eastern United States. Throughout his life, David has served as a culture keeper and historian for his community.
David is also a Seminole and Miccosukee descendant, his direct ancestors were members of the Spanish Indian community of Sanibel Island, his hometown. He recently authored The Spanish Seminole: The Untold History of the Spanish Indians as Shared by a Descendant which presents a detailed account of the Spanish Indians- their history, culture, and legacy using primary sources and documents, and oral histories.
An educator, historian, and environmental scientist, David Rahahę·tih Webb has served more than two decades in nonprofit and education leadership. David is currently executive director of Muddy Sneakers, an environmental education organization which serves students across North Carolina. Previously, served as president & CEO of the Wonder Gardens, he founded the STEM Institute at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and oversaw Miami-Dade County’s environmental education programs, six nature centers and museums, and the county’s sea turtle protection program. He also served leadership roles at the AZA accredited Aquarium of Niagara, and the Florida Museum of Natural History. He also currently serves on two environmental education nonprofit boards. Sharing his love for history, the environment, and his own culture are his passions.
Jonathan Dickinson (1663–1722) was a merchant from Port Royal, Jamaica who was shipwrecked on the southeast coast of Florida in 1696, along with his family and the other passengers and crew members of the ship. He wrote about their experiences. The party was held captive by Jobe ("Hoe-bay") Indians for several days, and then was allowed to travel by small boat and on foot the 230 miles up the coast to Saint Augustine. The party was subjected to harassment and physical abuse at almost every step of the journey to Saint Augustine. Five members of the party died from exposure and starvation on the way.
The Spanish authorities in Saint Augustine treated the surviving members of the party well, and sent them by canoe to Charles Town (now Charleston, South Carolina), where they were able to find passage to their original destination, Philadelphia. After many hardships, Jonathan Dickinson finally reached Philadelphia. He prospered there and twice served as Mayor of Philadelphia, in 1712–1713 and 1717–1719.[1]
Dickinson wrote a journal of the ordeal, which was published by the Society of Friends in 1699