Nicknamed The Magic City, its rapid transformation from a swampy wilderness to a bustling metropolis captured the imagination of dreamers and pioneers alike. In the 1920s, my grandparents, Lucy and Robert Thomson, were among those who rode Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railway south in search of opportunity—arriving just in time for the Great Florida Land Boom of 1925. I grew up hearing my grandmother’s stories about that time, and I carried them with me throughout my life. During the pandemic, when the world stood still, I finally sat down to write the story I always knew I wanted to tell.
A True Miami Love Story Told on Stage
Few places in the world are as culturally diverse and vibrantly alive as Miami.
Bringing History to Life
Greetings from Paradise is an 80-minute, one-act stage play inspired by my grandparents’ journey. But it’s also a window into a defining era of South Florida’s history.
Their story unfolds against the backdrop of a city on the rise, shaped by ambitious visionaries like:
Carl Fisher – The mastermind behind Miami Beach
George Merrick – The visionary who designed Coral Gables
Edward ‘Doc’ Dammers – A key figure in South Florida’s early development
Through their ambition—and the struggles that followed—Miami transformed into a symbol of opportunity, resilience, and reinvention. The play captures the land boom, the bust, and the 1926 hurricane that reshaped the region in dramatic fashion, as seen through the eyes of the newcomers who lived it.
Three Cheers for June’s Grandma
A PLAY AND STREET FEAST TO HONOR EARLY PIONEER
By, J.P. Fabor, Coral Gables Magazine, JUNE 2025
Though she was an award-winning television journalist for many years, June Thomson Morris had no previous experience writing plays. But her “Greetings from Paradise,” which debuted on the 100th anniversary of the founding of Coral Gables at the end of April, was more than a fine start, The audience – albeit highly biased in their love for the city – raved about the production at the Miracle Theatre, which sold out for another five days. They also enjoyed a 1920’s-style street-feast on opening night, with guests dressed for the era. Proceeds from the ticketed event went toward supporting the theater.
The play itself told the true story of Morris’ grandmother, a plucky 19-year-old who travelled by herself to Coral Gables in pursuit of adventure and romance. Specifically, she had met a young man just once at a hometown dance in Indiana. The two corresponded for six months before she decided to head south to see if this young man’s intentions were honorable.
Part of the seduction by mail came via postcards describing the paradise-to-be of Coral Gables, and the play did an admirable job mixing their love affair with the story of how the city was founded, with actors also playing the roles of city founder George Merrick and Miami Beach founder Carl Fisher. Directed by Actors’ Playhouse Artistic Director David Arisco, with veteran actors from other productions staged at Miracle Theatre, “Greetings from Paradise” ended with the hurricane of 1926 sending fair-weathered patriots of the Gables back north, while June’s grandmother Lucy Mae Barnes- played with delightful exuberance by Alexandra Van Hasselt – and her new husband decided to stick it out. And the rest, as they say, is history.
On opening night, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago presented June with a PROCLAMATION declaring April 29, 2025 as June Thomson Morris Day in Coral Gables.
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