“Here is a photo of the Landon Lionetts at the Gator Bowl in 1949. It was one of the most precise marching groups that I have ever seen. They had a great reputation all over the South. They would stretch out 90 yards of the field.” LS
Landon High School opened in 1927 and served as a high school in Jacksonville until the last class graduated in 1965 and the school was converted to a middle school. Of note was the Landon Lionettes, a precision girls’ drill team. I came across a great newspaper article from The News and Courier in Charleston, S.C. dated Friday Morning, December 10, 1948, ahead of this particular performance with the headline “Famous Florida Girls’ Drill Platoon to Vie With Crack Clemson Unit in Gator Bowl”. The article went on to say that Jacksonville, Florida’s famous Landon high school Lionettes were scheduled to make their third New year’s Day Gator Bowl appearance when Clemson meets Missouri. “When the Lionettes make an appearance 120 of them march onto the field. Miss Turner (Kathleen Turner, the director of the Lionettes) reports that not a single girl on the squad has been late or absent at either a practice session or an official appearance this fall, really an outstanding record when it is known that the girls have drilled three times weekly since early september, have make eight appearances in the local stadium, another in Orlando, Fla., and also have participated in several parades.” The story goes on to add “In these 16 years, the Lionettes have marched about 266,048 miles collectively, which is equal to 10 trips around the world with a few side jaunts thrown in for a good measure. Approximately 1,100 girls have been Lionettes since 1932, remaining in the group from one to three years.”
Tags: drill team, gator bowl, girls, historic photography, Landin High School, Lionettes, precision, vintage photograph
My mom is in one of those pictures..She was a Lionette..1949 was her senior year at Landon
I was in the last year of the Lionettes. Miss Turner retired so that was it, all gone. Our last year was 1957 and then I graduated in 1958. This drill team will never be forgotten as long as there are some of us still around. My mother proudly made many of the uniforms due to her great sewing skills. Wonderful days and great memories.
I was a member of the Lionettes when these pictures were taken.
We worked hard, had a code of ethics which we followed, and had fun.
This group was a great character builder.
Our Mothers sewed new uniforms for us every year we were in.
These uniforms were also designed by Miss Kathleen Turner.
I live in SC at present. A Jax., cousin sent me the comments for which I am very appreciative.
Margaret, Thank you for your comments. The photographs taken by Loyd Sandgren have a connection to so many people who have lived in Jacksonville over the years. So glad you found this photograph. I’m sure there are others on the site that will bring back a few more memories. Bob Self/Vintage Jacksonville
I wonder if the people of Jacksonville ever realized just how much good Miss Kathleen Turner did to promote Jacksonville with her “Lionettes”.
Miss Turner was our Physical Education teacher at Landon. She did an excellent job as a teacher. Her dedication to working long, extra hours to
have this drill team for her school and community was never fully recognized as far as I know.
The shortest member of this group was 4’10” the taller ones in the range of 5’11” to 6′, yet on the field we all looked the same height, and the decorative braid on the bottom of our skirts appeared to be a straight line. Miss Turner’s clever design, of course.
I do remember there was some recognition from a group in Texas who asked her assistance in starting up or enrirching such a program out there.
I think their name may have been Rangerettes. I only knew of this from people talking about it.
Landon High School had an excellent band who played for the Lionettes’ programs.
I have often thought about all the talented people who were in the 1949 graduating class: teachers, doctors, dentists, writers, business leaders, so many people of accomlishment. Some of national and international prominence.
Our numbers are dwindling, but those remaining are still very able people.
Thank you for your historical influence,
Margaret Louise Drody Thompson
I loved the Lionettes. Thank you Margaret for sending this to me.
One of our drills was to spell GIVE across the field from end to end. Since I was the shortest one Unit 1, and Margaret was unit 12 she was I think 5’10′” and I was 4’10”, BUT WE WERE AND STILL ARE BEST FRIENDS. One drill we had to spell GIVE across the field since I was the shortest and Edith was next to me we had to watch the goal lines and spell it out, It was scary but the pictures proved we did it right. Miss Turner was tough and she would give out demerits, but we didn’t get any! She was a minister’s daughter and she kept us doing right all the time, Well, I am still marching two miles a day at 88 and still going strong. Great training, great friends, and I still think about them and love them. Amaribelle Ward
The Lionette Drilll Team was designed by Miss Kathleen Turner. The Lionettes were famous throughout the South. Our programs made newspapers throughout the South.
Miss Turner was an outstanding gym teacher who taught us all kinds of sports including baseball, archery, bowling and table tennis on the athletic field.
In the school’s gym we had classes of exercise including climbing ropes, using stall bars for head stands, parallel bars for jumps; hoops for Basket Ball.
The school was well built with spacious classrooms and two gymnasiums with showers for clean up after gym classes.
Girls were eligible to be chosen for membership from the , 10th to 12th grades . Most of us looked forward to being chosen for the group. even though it meant following a strict code of dedication, fitness, cleanliness, behavior and rehearsals. Since we were representing our school, we had to look and be our best whenever we were in the Lionettes uniform. We not only performed at half times at home football games, we sometimes sometimes traveled with them to out of town games. Holiday and patriotic Jax. parades were also part of or performances. We practiced complex formations 3 times a week after school, learned new routines of unique formations designed by Miss Turner for the stadium field for every performance and earned credits against which mistakes meant demerits.
The girls were precisely arranged by height with identical uniforms Every school year meant a new uniform, sometimes a skirt and blouse or a one-piece. The uniforms were sewn by drill team mothers and their unveiling was a highlight for the Lionettes. The new uniform Miss Turner designed each year was kept top secret and it was so exciting when we finally got to see them. They were always the school’s colors of orange and white, Every hem line and orange horizontal braid designs were arranged to be perfectly even when we were in a straight line across the field. Heights of girls could range from 4″ 10″ to 6’1″, which meant
line ups were made according to height.
After the Armistices Day parade, we set out with the “Red Poppy” of Flander’s Field, and a collection can to collect donations for the Veterans. from passersby in downtown Jacksonville. Margaret Drody was gifted with a sterling silver bracelet as Champion Collector in 1948.
“I have often thought about all the talented people who were in the 1949 graduating class: teachers, doctors, dentists, writers, business leaders, performers so many people of accomplishment. Some of national and international prominence.” exerpts from my comments in Landon Lionettes, 1949 | Vintage Jacksonville.”I wonder if the people of Jacksonville ever realized just how much good Miss Kathleen Turner did to promote Jacksonville with her “Lionettes. She did an excellent job as a teacher. Her dedication to working long, extra hours to have this drill team for her school and community was never fully recognized as far as I know.”
Members of our family Margaret Louise Drody, Mary Ellen Drody, serving in their 10-12th grades; and eariier my mother’s half sister Dorothy McWright.
Margaret Drody Thompson
Margaret, Thank you so much for sharing your first-hand knowledge! Bob Self/Vintage Jacksonville