The late Elder Willie Mayes was

proud of the family church that began in his parent’s home with six members. He

began pastoring New Zion Primitive Baptist Church in 1984 and operated a cement

finishing business for 45 years.

 The company is among the

oldest Black owned enterprises in Sarasota. At age 14, he stopped attending

school to help his family make ends meet financially. Mayes earned meager wages

doing farm work in Fruitville near where the family lived. Children in the

settlement of approximately 50 residents attended school in a little church. The

people walked a quarter of a mile to pump water for daily use. In 1944, the

family moved to Newtown where Mango Avenue is situated between Highway 301 and

the railroad tracks near the city dump. “The smoke bothered us for years. We

stayed in the house most of the time to escape that smoke.,” Mayes said. His

sister Rosa Lee Thomas believes their neighbors on Mango died as a result of

the fumes. She keeps a record of their names as a memorial. An unforgettable

moment in Thomas’ life was being chosen the 10th grade attendant of Miss Booker

High School with another attendant Willie Mae (Blake) Sheffield.