Zonian
Encyclopedia
A Zonian is a person associated with the Panama Canal Zone
, a political entity which existed between 1903 and the absorption of the Canal Zone into the Republic of Panama
between 1980 and 2000.
It's frequently said by Zonians that drinking the water of the Chagres River
(which supplied much of the drinking water for the area) dooms one to forever seek to return.
Many of these people consider themselves to be Panama
nian and U.S. citizens
, although quite a few say that they are only American or only Panamanian. Many of them are descendants of the civilian
American workers who came to the area during the early 1900s to work and maintain the canal. Nowadays many Zonians work at the canal itself. Others of them may have been American citizens born in the Canal Zone or who spent their childhood there. A significant presence of American canal workers remained in the Canal region until 1999.
The Panama Canal Society holds a reunion for Zonians every year, usually in Orlando, Florida
.
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
, a political entity which existed between 1903 and the absorption of the Canal Zone into the Republic of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
between 1980 and 2000.
It's frequently said by Zonians that drinking the water of the Chagres River
Chagres River
The Chagres River is a river in central Panama. The central part of the river is dammed by the Gatun Dam and forms Gatun Lake, an artificial lake that constitutes part of the Panama Canal. Upstream lies the Madden Dam, creating the Alajuala Lake that is also part of the Canal water system...
(which supplied much of the drinking water for the area) dooms one to forever seek to return.
Many of these people consider themselves to be Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian and U.S. citizens
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, although quite a few say that they are only American or only Panamanian. Many of them are descendants of the civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
American workers who came to the area during the early 1900s to work and maintain the canal. Nowadays many Zonians work at the canal itself. Others of them may have been American citizens born in the Canal Zone or who spent their childhood there. A significant presence of American canal workers remained in the Canal region until 1999.
The Panama Canal Society holds a reunion for Zonians every year, usually in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
Notable Zonians
- Rod CarewRod CarewRodney Cline "Rod" Carew is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, second baseman and coach. He played from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels and was elected to the All-Star game every season except his last. In 1991, Carew was inducted into the National...
, professional baseball player - Kenneth Bancroft Clark, noted African-American psychologist
- Karen HughesKaren HughesKaren Parfitt Hughes is the Global Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller. She served as the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of State with the rank of ambassador. She resides in Austin, Texas.-Early life:Born in Paris, France, she is the daughter...
, former U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs - Frederick W. LeslieFrederick W. LeslieFred Weldon Leslie is an American scientist who flew on the NASA STS-73 Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist.-Background:Leslie was born December 19, 1951, in Ancón, Panama. He is an instrument rated commercial pilot with more than 900 hours in various aircraft...
, American astronaut - John McCainJohn McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, current U.S. senator (R-ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
), Republican nominee for the 2008 United States Presidential Election. - Gustavo Adolfo Mellander, College president, historian, author of several books on Panama and the Canal Zone.
- Richard PrinceRichard PrinceRichard Prince is an American painter and photographer. Prince began appropriating photographs in 1975...
, painter and photographer - Charles S. SpencerCharles S. SpencerCharles Sidney Spencer is Curator of Mexican and Central American Archaeology in the Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City."Dr...
, Curator of Mexican and Central American Archaeology, American Museum of Natural History - Stephen StillsStephen StillsStephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
, noted rock musician - Andrew WhiteheadAndrew WhiteheadAndrew Whitehead is an American activist who maintains a website highlighting the alleged connection between the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Islamist movements in the United States and elsewhere....
, political activist - Evan Rodaniche, Guitarist Powerman 5000Powerman 5000Powerman 5000 is an American Metal band formed in 1991. Through the span of over two decades, the group has released several albums and gained their highest commercial success with 1999's science fiction themed Tonight the Stars Revolt!...
- Frederick Pohl, Science Fiction writer and editor
- Edward A. Murphy, Jr., aerospace engineer, best-known for the eponymous Murphy's lawMurphy's lawMurphy's law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong". - History :The perceived perversity of the universe has long been a subject of comment, and precursors to the modern version of Murphy's law are not hard to find. Recent significant...
Further reading
- Mellander, Gustavo A.; Nelly Maldonado Mellander (1999). Charles Edward Magoon: The Panama Years. Río Piedras, Puerto Rico: Editorial Plaza Mayor. ISBN 1-56328-155-4. OCLC 42970390.
- Mellander, Gustavo A. (1971). The United States in Panamanian Politics: The Intriguing Formative Years. Danville, Ill.: Interstate Publishers. OCLC 138568.