"Through Their Eyes," by Cedar Key writer Terri DuLong, features topics of interest to Cedar Keyans, as seen from the perspective of some of the more colorful "old timers" of the area. 
Willard Hathcox
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"People here live longer," stated Willard Hathcox during a recent interview. When asked what accounts for the longevity of people living on Cedar Key, he attributed the fresh air, seafood, slow pace and being near the water as major factors. Willard should know—he'll celebrate his 88th birthday on April 29. But his mental acuity and physical stature belies his age. Ramrod straight with good recall of past events, he shared his years growing up on the island.
Born in Lukens, which is the area where the timber ends on SR 24 to the Number Four Bridge, his family moved to Cedar Key when he was nine months old. His father had been working at the sawmill in Lukens and came to the island to become a commercial fisherman. Willard is the youngest of five siblings and is now the only surviving member of two brothers and three sisters.
He grew up in a house near the City Park, attended Cedar Key School and states there were more children in the classes back then. He married and has one son and two daughters and became a commercial fisherman like his father. "During this time of the year, all the fishing was done in the rivers and creeks. In the summer, I'd fish from here to the Suwannee," he stated. He fished mostly mullet and explained at one time there were seven fish dealers on the island. "There were 180 fishermen here in the union. If you didn't know how to fish, you didn't eat, especially during the depression."
Growing up he said there were lots of children to play with on the island, probably more than there are now. He spent his free time getting in the boat and going fishing and crabbing. "I've spent more time on that water than I have on this land," he said. Willard told about the Maddox Theater that used to be on the island. To earn extra money, he sold peanuts to movie patrons for ten cents a sack. His mother would roast them and he'd fill a basket to sell. The sales paid for the purchase of many of his clothes from age 10 to 16. He loved going to the movies and cowboy films were his favorite. When asked how the depression affected Cedar Key, he said, "We fared better than most people because mostly we ate out of that water out there. In addition to rice and grits." He stated that he had just finished eating a dozen oysters that his son had brought him the day before. "We have the best oysters on the face of the earth," he said. "I don't care where they come from."
"Nobody knows better than I do how fortunate we are to live in a place like this," Willard said. "We don't have any trouble here. I can go to Gainesville and spend three hours, and I can't get home fast enough. I don't know I could live anywhere else."
He did leave the island in 1938 to live with his sister in Texas to look for work. He returned in 1939 and has had no desire to leave again. When asked about changes to the island over the years, he said, "I used to know everybody on this island and all of their kids. But it's not that way anymore. As they die off, they sell and new people have come in." Seeing the island through Willard's eyes was an enjoyable journey back in time. | 
