Richard E. Hamrick and Annie B. Hamrick played major roles in the development of Okeechobee County and the community of Okeechobee. Known as "Colonel" Richard E. Hamrick, a title used for lawyers rather than military service, he arrived in the newly formed county in the spring of 1917, was appointed the first Superintendent of Schools in September 1917, served until January 1921, and oversaw the first Okeechobee High School graduating class of 1920. For the next seventy years, he was active in law, real estate, and the cattle industry, and he is credited with starting one of the first dairies in the area and bringing the first Brahma cattle. In 1947 he was instrumental in purchasing all the rights of the dedication of the original plat of Okeechobee, including Flagler Park, with the intention that the park remain free from commercial use and dedicated in perpetuity for public benefit. During their lives, the Hamricks allowed certain uses in the park that served the public, including the first public pool, Chamber of Commerce building, and public library, and they also donated property where the current Hospice of Okeechobee and Hamrick Home now sit. Annie B. Hamrick received a teaching degree from the Florida School for Women (FSU), established the first kindergarten in Okeechobee, introduced hundreds of children to learning during the school's fourteen years of operation, cared for her family of three boys, R.E. Jr., David, and Harvey, and before her death in 1970, inspired Richard E. Hamrick's support of the library as a tribute to her devotion to educating Okeechobee's children.