The Voice of a Legend
By Gary S. Hatrick
There is no more iconic voice in Zephyrhills and Dade City than the voice of Greg First.
Many may not know his name, but for generations of Zephyrhills High School students and for those who attend civic events, his voice is unmistakable. It has rung out over radio airwaves, across Bulldog Stadium, and across the Main Streets of Zephyrhills and Dade City for more than 50 years.
This is not to say he is not well known because he is very well-known to the business community and the service organizations around east Pasco County having done volunteer work and served for years as a member on boards from the Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce (the East Pasco Chamber of Commerce) to the Rattlesnake Festival in San Antonio. It is a rare organization that has not had First as an announcer, master of ceremonies, board of director member, or as a volunteer worker at one time or another.
First is technically not a Zephyrhills native, having arrived with his family from Ohio at the tender age of three. That was 72 years ago. His family lived on 16th Street across from St. Joseph's Catholic Church, which was made out of wood then, he said. The current building was constructed when the old one burned down.
His father was in refrigeration and air conditioning and worked on the front porch in the early days. The family didn't have a lot of money, and the kids, First and his brother Gary, who recently passed away, had eye problems that required care, but his dad kept things together, "My dad worked his butt off to make something of himself," First said. Make something of himself, he did. He built a refrigeration business and later opened a shop for RV and trailer supplies. If you drive south of town in Zephyrhills, you'll see a building where an old weather-beaten sign reads "First RV." His dad built the building and had a successful business there for years.
Except for a couple of years when he and his brother attended St. Anthony Catholic School in San Antonio, Florida, First went to elementary school right up through graduating from Zephyrhills High School.
His memories of old Zephyrhills take him to Crystal Springs, when it was open to the public for swimming and recreation, and weekends with his friends at Lake Iola in Dade City. He remembers the beginnings of the now world-renowned Zephyrhills Water, and the discussions about whether anyone would buy bottled water.
"It was just a whole different thing," First continued. "We had a meat market downtown. We had an old Zephyr Hotel. We had banks downtown. We had a taxi driver, and her name was Willie. There was a fish pond right downtown, about where the old chamber was, right by the Village Inn. They had a wishing well where you could drop money in. I tried to figure out how I was gonna get a limb and a piece of gum and see if I could get some of that money out," he grinned
During high school, First did some radio work at the Zephyrhills radio station, WPAS. The station was in a trailer located near the corner of Fort King Road and US Highway 301. There was an overpass there at the time. "That was my first real job," he recalls. He started out sweeping the floors and cleaning, but he had a keen interest in the radio equipment, and got the opportunity to do some radio work, but that was going to have to wait. It was the Vietnam Era, and the draft was in force. "I graduated in '67, I knew I was gonna get drafted, so I went into the Air Force."
After basic training, First was sent to Lowery Air Force Base, outside of Denver, Colorado. After they graduated, they received their order for their duty assignments. "Most of my buddies went to Vietnam, and I don't know how I didn't," First said. "I don't know if they started with A and were done by the time they got F, but it seemed like everybody before me was going to Vietnam, and they sent me to England."
In England, First worked at a tactical reconnaissance base. "I scored high in the computer fields, I guess, but anyway, the computer was a Univac 1050-2. It was so big. I mean, it was big."
First spent his entire hitch in England. Three years and eight months later, he was back home having attained the rank of E-5, an Air Force staff sergeant. He remembers being told not to travel home in his uniform lest he be accosted by anti-war demonstrators.
After his return home, First went back to radio, but it was not a full-time job; still, it had its perks. "I'm gonna tell you, working at the radio station, you could get into any events or anything just by showing your press credentials," he said. "I never really made any money. It was pretty much a hobby. I had a morning show that I was doing at WPAS, and then I was working up at WDCF (the Dade City station) but I never really made any big money."
First's income-generating jobs were in the medical fields as a public relations man. His first position was at the hospital in Dade City, which is now AdventHealth Dade City. He said he beat out a more educationally-qualified contender, because of his community contacts and knowledge. "They were looking for a guy or a gal that knew the community and people and stuff like that," he said. After a few years, he was "headhunted" by a blood bank. He took the job and continued working with the blood bank through various name changes (it is now OneBlood) for about 15 years.
In these positions, it was part of his job to be a member of civic organizations and to attend community events, and that would set the tone for the rest of his life. During his time with the Chamber of Commerce, he served as Chamber Board President three times. Many boards he served on were in support of those in need, like Sunrise of Pasco, The Thomas Promise Foundation, and Meals On Wheels.
In the mid-eighties, he teamed up with a local businessman, Kerry Ryman, and began to announce the Zephyrhills Bulldogs home games. The two never missed a game for 40 years and retired together. The press box has been named after First and Ryman.
"We went through a lot of different principals, head coaches, and athletic directors," First said. "Everything was planned around high school football, like vacations and that. - 'Nope - can't go there. We got a game that Friday night,'" he mused.
First has pursued many unique opportunities. He was a pilot, an advanced scuba diver, and a third-degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. For a while, he even penned a commentary called "First Things First" published by the Zephyrhills Free Press in its early days as a print publication.
He knew many of the local legends who are no longer living, people like Alice Hall (of Alice Hall Community Center) with whom he used to work with on a committee to decide on what kind of exhibit would be displayed at the Pasco County Fair and Chief Bill Eiland, (of Eiland Blvd.) who he must have known for other reasons, but one especially stands out in his memory. He was a frisky kid who got stopped by the iconic Zephyrhills police chief. He remembers the chief took him home to his father rather than taking him to jail. First said he never saw his father so angry. These were indeed different days.
Firstacknowledges that things are different in many ways. It's not just the traffic and the buildings. The community doesn't hang together as it once did. Interest in community events seems to be waning.
"There's a million differences, it's a whole different deal," First said. "Back then, Zephyrhills was your friendly city, the city of pure water, all that kind stuff. It was a whole different vibe, and everybody knew everybody. It's changed a lot, but we're still trying to keep some of the traditions together. The question is, can we? And are there enough people who want to?"
First's years of community participation were recognized in 2022 when he was awarded what is perhaps the highest honor available through the East Pasco Chamber of Commerce: The Alice Hall Community Service Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his body of work both professionally and as a volunteer community servant.
Now, at 75, First has slowed down. He enjoys his retirement in his Dade City home with his wife of 34 years, Jenny. "She's the light of my life," he said, "The only thing she likes to do is take care of me, and that's good, you know!"
He may have slowed down, but he hasn't stopped. First's voice still heralds the Christmas season during the Festival of Lights Parade in Zephyrhills and keeps things moving from the stage at the Pasco Bug Jam in Dade City, and he continues to volunteer for Metropolitan Ministries in Dade City. His faith in Jesus Christ is very important to him, and it has guided him through the years.
Greg First is indeed a legend. Throughout his years of service, his fingerprints and voiceprints have become so ingrained in these communities that you can be sure the memory of First will last.
