Tampa historian becomes piece of Bay Area living history

Historian becomes piece of Bay Area's history

A Tampa historian has made it his life?s mission to bring the past into the present and in doing so, he's become part of the region?s living history. Mark Wilson reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa historian has made it his life’s mission to bring the past into the present and in doing so, he's become part of the region’s living history.

The backstory:

Rodney Kite-Powell has always had a passion for history.

"My mom would buy me, you know, different magazines and books and things when I was a kid," Kite-Powell said.

That early curiosity turned into a lifelong love for real-life stories.

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"I really liked reading about real events and things that had happened," he explained. "For some reason, there was always something about it that I was drawn to."

Though he started as a finance major, Kite-Powell’s path shifted.

"I started off as a finance major, but I kind of saw that that wasn't a career path that was suited for me," Kite Powell said. "I had wanted to go to law school."

But a college history class changed everything. After graduating from the University of Florida, he got his first job at the Tampa Bay History Center and never left.

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"When I graduated from UF in ‘95 with my degree in history, they hired me to be a researcher, so I enrolled at USF in grad school. And to be cliché, and kind of silly, the rest, as they say, is history," he said.

Dig deeper:

For nearly 30 years, he's worked to connect Floridians with their rich and often overlooked past.

"We have the oldest city in the United States. We had the earliest of the European exploration," Kite Powell explained. "Of course, we all had indigenous people living here in the country. But from a European history standpoint, really. The American history story starts here in Florida, not in Jamestown or not in Plymouth."

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From lectures to museum exhibits, Kite-Powell has become one of the region's most trusted historical voices.

"I think the thing that I've enjoyed the most is really working with the public and helping them understand the importance of our history," Kite-Powell stated.

Now, looking back on his journey, he says the work continues-and the impact speaks for itself.

"I'm very proud of the work we've done here. So, it's interesting to look back on the past 30 years to see how far we've come, because we've a long way," Kite-Powell said.

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A legacy built on remembering the past, but helping others see the value in the present. Kite-Powell is also the historian for Hillsborough County.

The Source: This story was written with information gathered by FOX 13 photojournalist Bryan Gray.

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