Tommie (Tommy) Camilla Stephens Barfield (1888 – 1949) was instrumental in the education system of Collier County, Florida, as its first School Superintendent.[1][2][3] Tommie Barfield Elementary School, at which her Great Floridian plaque is located,[4] was named for her.[5] Tommie moved to Marco Island in 1901 with her family and married James Madison Barfield in 1906.[6] In 1910, she turned her home into a hotel and began to make and sell jellies and candies to her guests.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Collier pioneer", The News-Press, September 26, 2004, No ordinary woman, Tommie Barfield blazed a trail as the county's first school superintendent and as a tough lobbyist who fought to get roads built.
  2. ^ "Woman was first Collier school chief", The News-Press, May 26, 2002, Marco Island pioneer Tommie Barfield was the first female – not to mention, the first ever – superintendent of Collier schools.
  3. ^ "High tea raises funds, lets ladies dress up", The News-Press, March 8, 2003, This year she will take on the role of Tommie Barfield. Perdichizzi recently wrote a book about the pioneer woman who was one of Collier County's early settlers.
  4. ^ "The Great Floridians 2000 Program, Marco Island (Southwest)". Marco Island (Southwest). State of Florida, Florida Department of State. 2005. Archived from the original on April 3, 2005. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  5. ^ Tebeau, Charlton W. (1985), Florida's Last Frontier: The History of Collier County, University of Miami Press, p. 155, Mrs. Barfield, in whose honor the new "Tommie Barfield School" is named, became the best known figure on the south end of the island.
  6. ^ "Pioneer Days".
  7. ^ "History - Collier County". pineislandnews.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11.

Further reading

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