F. Diane Pickett

Ms. Pickett was born in Atlanta, GA, in l940 and came to DeFuniak Springs as a toddler where she lived until her re-location to Tallahassee, FL, at age 16. Following graduation from Leon High School, she enrolled in Florida State University and pursued a business curriculum leading to a career as a medical executive. She remained in Tallahassee until her father’s death in l983 brought a return to the small town where she had spent her formative years.

Sadly, it was no longer the vibrant community she remembered from her youth. Several downtown shops had closed and many of the lovely Victorian era homes around the famous lake yard Circle were in decay. Despair was in the air as the new Interstate I-10 took traffic away from local businesses and the development of Walmart created a ghost town. With an eye to the future, Pickett developed an organization called the Turn Around Society in an effort to organize and energize local residents. It met with great success and inspired Pickett to bring an international travel/education program for ages 55+ to DeFuniak. The program was titled Elderhostel, now known as Road Scholar. The program was extremely well received by the local community who were excited to meet the 50 visitors who came from all over the nation six times a year to play and study in DeFuniak for an entire week. The history of Chautauqua was the course of study taught by historian Dean Debolt from the University of West Florida. The program also featured art classes, musical performances, and assorted lectures. Pickett coordinated the program for several years which then prompted her to revive The Florida Chautauqua. Her vision, financial support, and leadership grew the program from its initial single day opening in l993 to two full weeks at the time of her retirement almost fifteen years later.

Pickett then turned her interests to historic preservation and endowed a non-profit foundation, DeFuniak Springs Landmarks, to continue that mission. Pickett is also a published author whose debut edgy and award -winning novel, Never Isn’t Long Enough, was followed by The Tea Wasn’t Always Sweet. These books bring Southern history alive and captivate readers with their strong characters and insightful exploration of tradition. Her short stories and essays have been published in magazines such as Country Living and a wide variety of literary journals. She is also a columnist for Stroll magazine. All proceeds from the sale of her books go to DeFuniak Landmarks.