Polk State Trustee Leslie “Bubba” Dunson remembered for legacy in business and service

Once described as “prominent in the community” by former Polk State College President Maryly VanLeer Peck, Winter Haven native Leslie “Bubba” Dunson Jr. was well known throughout the Chain of Lakes City. During his time as a member of the College’s District Board of Trustees (DBOT), however, Dunson and his colleagues helped make way for what is now Polk State’s most populated site – the Lakeland Campus.

Described in his obituary as a “successful businessman, citrus grower, devoted family man, and a cherished friend everywhere he went,” Dunson passed away on Sept. 7 at the age of 91. Dunson served on what was then a five-member Polk Community College Board of Trustees from 1983 to 1987. He served as the Board’s chair for the 1985-86 Fiscal Year. Peck was the College’s president for the duration of his tenure.

“Bubba did quite a bit of community service work,” said cousin Donna Dunson, a Polk State graduate and retired longtime principal of Lake Wales High School. “He always stressed the importance of furthering your education. Les touched so many lives.”

During that time, the DBOT oversaw an ongoing collaboration with the Polk County School Board, University of South Florida (USF), the Florida Legislature, and Polk County’s Legislative Delegation to expand what is now Polk State to Lakeland. Then a joint campus with USF, Polk State Lakeland opened its doors in January 1988.

During Dunson’s time on the DBOT, the College looked much different than now. At the time, Polk State had about 3,000 degree-seeking students and one location in Winter Haven – although classes were offered at Lakeland and Kathleen high schools and Lakeland’s Coleman-Bush Building. The College now serves 14,000 degree-seeking students annually and with the completion of the Haines City-Davenport Campus, will have eight locations. The DBOT has since gone from five to seven members.

“Polk State stands today as a stronger institution because of the vision, leadership and service of those who helped guide the College in generations past,” said Polk State President Anastasios Kamoutsas. “Mr. Dunson was part of a generation of trustees whose service helped shape the College’s future and expand its reach across Polk County. We are grateful for their commitment to Polk State and for the lasting impact of their service.”

When Dunson was appointed to Polk State’s DBOT by Gov. Bob Graham in 1983, he co-owned the citrus firm, L.W. Dunson and Son, with his father, Leslie W. Dunson Sr., and was the director of Exchange Bank and an advisory board member NCNB of Polk County. At the time, Dunson was also a member of Winter Haven’s Masonic Lodge, the Egypt Temple Shrine, and the Elks Club.

“I never saw him in a bad mood,” Donna Dunson recalled of her cousin. “He was always helping others. A few years ago, when the hurricanes hit, he came over and was cutting downed trees with a chainsaw in his late-80s.”

The son of a Winter Haven and Polk County commissioner, Dunson made a name for himself both in business and in service. In addition to a long, successful career in citrus, Dunson was president of Bel-Capital, a development company, and was a developer for Hart Lake Hills. He also served on the Board of Trustees for what is now BayCare Winter Haven. He was a longtime member of Parkland Baptist Church in Winter Haven.

A Winter Haven High School alumnus, Dunson earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Florida Southern College in 1957.

“He worked hard and he played hard,” Donna Dunson reflected. “He loved boating, fishing, lobstering in the islands. He was genuinely a great guy.”

The stress that Dunson placed on education trickled down throughout the family, Donna Dunson said. Members of the Dunson family have gone on to further their education in colleges and universities all throughout the nation.

“That legacy of higher education was embedded into his entire family,” she added. “Les treated everyone with respect no matter their background, education, or income level.”