‘A Tale of Two Halgrims’ is Safron’s latest documentary
The 9th Annual Fort Myers Film Festival debuted a documentary by Ilene Safron Whitesman and Mail Sail Video Productions. Titled A Tale of Two Halgrims, the film tells the history of the first two directors at Edison and Ford Winter Estates. For a total of 50 years, the Halgrims personally influenced the day-to-day management of the estates – 
now one of the country’s most visited historic sites and tourist attractions.
From 1927 through 1931, Robert Halgrim, Sr. worked for Thomas and Mina Edison. In 1947, Mina deeded the Edison estate to the City of Fort Myers. Halgrim became the first director to solely manage the estate, serving 
in that capacity from 1948 until 1972. In 1973, his son Robert Halgrim, Jr. became the second director and operated the site until his retirement in 1998.
During highlights from an interview with Robert Halgrim, Jr., this short documentary chronicles the history of the 
Halgrims’ stewardship, detailing how Mina Edison gifted the Edison estate to the City of Fort Myers; the idea to collect thousands of Edison artifacts for a museum; how Henry Ford’s home was added to the site; and a list of some of the most famous people who have visited the property.
Even the most knowledgeable historians may learn something from this story.
December 17, 2019.
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.