Elizabeth Taylor visited former father-in-law in Haines City
PAULA STUART News Chief Correspondent, The Ledger
HAINES CITY -- Everyone now is aware of the death of silver screen goddess, Elizabeth Taylor, who died March 23. Taylor is considered one of the greatest and most glamorous actresses of Hollywood's g…
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The Ledger
HAINES CITY -- Everyone now is aware of the death of silver screen goddess, Elizabeth Taylor, who died March 23. Taylor is considered one of the greatest and most glamorous actresses of Hollywood's golden age, and she is being remembered in Haines City. Most folks remember Taylor as a starlet and humanitarian, but in October 1993, Taylor was seen in Haines City, demonstrating her characteristic of being a special friend.

Taylor flew from Miami where she had been promoting her perfume, White Diamonds to visit Phil Burton at Heart of Florida Hospital when it was located on 10th Street in Haines City. Burton, the adoptive father of Richard Burton, was one of Taylor's former fathers-in-law as she had been married to Burton's adopted son, the late Richard Burton, twice.

"Liz loved him," said Rev. Hugh McGlashon of Haines City. "He was extremely pleased she came. He was so glad she flew up from Miami to be with him."

McGlashon and his wife, Lois, are the responsible parties for bringing Philip Burton to Davenport in summer 1993 for long-term care provided by the former Bishop Gray Inn, now known as Crossroads Retirement Home. McGlashon was the rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Key West where Burton was a parishioner. McGlashon transferred to St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Haines City and was alerted by a family friend that Burton had suffered a series of strokes and need constant care.

"He was Richard's teacher and taught him to speak English because he could only speak Welch," McGlashon said. "Both of his parents were dead and his sister's husband wanted him to work in the mines, but Philip knew he had more to give."

According to McGlashon who cared for his parishioner, Taylor and Burton were close.

"He said she had an unusual quality about her. She was very conscious of who she was and didn't want to detract from what mattered," McGlashon said. "She didn't stay past a half-hour because she knew her presence would have been counter productive and all the media would have shown up."

Kay Rocker of Winter Haven was working that day at the local hospital as Director of Nursing.

"Everybody there acted like the Queen of England was coming. They let her in the back door where obstetrics used to be, the north door the doctors would come in. They took her up the double doors on the first floor," she said. "Everybody was excited. It was a big deal to them, and she was a great movie star."

McGlashon said Burton informed the nurses he would be getting a visit from Liz Taylor, but none took him too seriously.

"They thought, 'yeah, sure,'" he said. "He kept telling them to get him some clean pajamas because Elizabeth Taylor was coming, and he said, 'I mean it,' and five minutes later, she walked in the door."

His nurse took them both to a vacant nursery room where they visited and talked about his health and her perfume promotion.

"She surprised all the people, but didn't stay past 30 minutes," McGlashon said. "She knew the paparazzi would be coming."

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