Filmmaker Steve DeGroodt to Present ‘The Life & Times of Dr. Henry Perrine’ at the Custom House Museum
Thursday, January 19, at 6 p.m., the Key West Art & Historical Society welcomes L.A.-based filmmaker Steve DeGroodt who will show his documentary film ‘The Life & Times of Dr. Henry Perrine.’ Perrine, a 19th century botanist and plant explorer, was first recognized for his research with Quinine as a medical cure for malaria and established the first agricultural enterprise in the Florida Keys. Having spent time as a U.S. Consul to Yucatan, Perrine introduced many beneficial tropical plants from Mexico and the Caribbean to the Florida Keys. Killed during the Second Seminole War, his Keys legacy includes the Key Lime, mango, avocado and varieties of the agave sisal. Following the film, Society board member and cineaste Michael Shields will host a Q&A session with the filmmaker. Made possible in part by the generosity of the Helmerich Trust. Tickets can be purchased online at kwahs.org/event/the-life-and-times-of-dr-perrine; $5 for members, $10 for non-members. For more information contact KWAHS Director of Education Adele Williams at 305.295.6616 extension 115. Your Museums. Your Community. It Takes an Island.