The community of Royal is located just a few miles northwest of Wildwood. It is one of Florida’s oldest African-American communities, but very few people know about its history. Beverly Steele was raised in Royal and loves to talk about its history. Why is it called “Royal”, anyway? You will learn the answer to this question and much more about the long history of the area when Steele speaks to The Villages Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.
The group will meet at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 at Captiva Recreation Center. Visitors are welcome.
Steele graduated from Wildwood High School in 1974 and earned her bachelor’s degree in consumer science from Florida A&M University. She later moved to New York City and became a corporate manager handling a $10 million department before the age of 30. Steele then started her own company, The Steele Organization, LLC, a consulting and marketing firm.
In 1992 she moved back to Sumter County, and six years later founded Young Performing Artists, Inc., a 501 c) 3) not for profit, statewide focused corporation that recognizes young performing and visual artists, and awards scholarships.
Steele is the recipient of the Robert W. Saunders’ Library’s Lamp of Knowledge Award, the Daughters of the Union 1861-1865 Civil War Remembrance Award, the Sumter County Community Hero Award, the FAAE Statewide Business Leader Award, and the DAR National Historic Preservation Award for her work of preserving the historic value of the Community Of Royal. She is the author of the 2019 book “Hello, Somebody!” Steele lives in Royal with her husband, Cliff Hughes, and her 101-year-old mother.