May/June 2019 GASPARILLA ISLAND 27
The certificate read:
Having demonstrated unusual skill and endurance
by riding, fish busting and bring to gaff a 6-foot, 3-
inch Silver King Tarpon weighing 125 pounds after 35
minutes of heartbreaking battle that would test the
fortitude of any man; and since you so magnanimously
released your exhausted opponent to again
roam the watery depth, and perhaps some day do
battle with another worthy Knight of the Rod; it becomes
my pleasant duty to appoint you, Marian
Schneider, a member of the Tarpon Club of the good
bark The Flamingo, a distinction given only to fishermen
who rode their Tarpon to gaff.
Signed,
Capt. Dick Schneider
Her father's influence on her life is a focal point
in this book. He taught her about inner courage,
strength, faith and perseverance, and how to have
a good time with friends,“My father and my
mother both gave me almost free reign to make
my decisions and learn to deal with them
for the good ones and the bad ones. I was dad’s
little girl and he was bigger than life to me. I was
with my dad much more than mom. My inner
courage came from being able to make my own
decisions and figuring out how to make them
work best for me. I was beginning on my path to
learning that I could do anything if I wanted it
enough. Most importantly, he was a big-hearted
man who did so much for so many. He loved having
a good time and wanted everyone around him
to enjoy whatever he was doing. Trust me; he
helped many people in many ways. I grew up
watching him do this; I would like to think I am like
him.”
Marian’s dad always said, if you teach someone
to love something, they will take care of it. If you
love something and treat it right, you'll get that
love back many times over. This sentiments have
been a keystone to her success.
“Spending many hours with my dad around
Boca as a child I was taught all about the free
things in life. The marine life, wildlife, and what is
now called our ecosystem. How important the
entire system that Mother Nature provided us …
” Marian, he would say, “teach people to love
something and they will take care of it. He taught
me to love it all ... and that was the very foundation
of Grande Tours, Inc.”
Marian said Grande Tours gave her a vessel to
do just that, to teach thousands to love our natural
surroundings around Charlotte Harbor Aquatic
Preserve. People learned a lot on their tours, it
wasn’t just another boat ride.
Winning the Ecotourism Pioneer Award meant
the world to her.
“When I received the introduction to the
Charlotte County Hall of Fame for being the
Pioneer of Eco-Tourism, I had just closed Grande
Tours and this award was like icing on the cake,”
she said. “It came at a perfect time. However, what
has occurred in my life now, after the book was
published and well received, has been a close
second to the award. I have been very happy with
it.”
Marian said it’s been a wonderful thing to have
people approach her to talk about what Grande
Tours did for them and their families. “I’ve done
quite a few book readings and signings, and I have
been overwhelmed by so many people telling
wonderful stories about how Grande Tours
touched them and their families in some way. I am
humbled.”
Marian’s father taught her so many things about
marine life and nature beyond the shores in a
compassionate and hands-on way. His spirit
resurfaces throughout this biography in every
journey, challenge, and success that she and
Grande Tours endured for so many years. There
are great photographs along the way that give the
reader more insight to her unique life, right down
a photo near the end, of her signing away her business
in a lawyer’s office. She said selling her business
and property was one of the hardest things
she’s ever done.
Marian said despite red tides, hurricanes, and oil
spills in the Gulf of Mexico, Boca Grande has always
rebounded and remains a mecca for marine
life. Our local waters have supported human and
marine life for millions of years. They have been
the very center of human existence.
“Throughout this story, I have repeated what my
Daddy always told me – ‘If you teach someone to
love something, they will take care of it.’ That has
been the keystone to my success. The part I almost
never talk about is the other half of that
equation – If you love something and treat it right,
you’ll get that love back many times over.”
You can purchase There’s A Captain In You on
amazon.com and in bookstores.
Jonathan Herbert is an award-winning writer
who grew up in Englewood. His novels, Banyan
Street and Silver King, have won multiple
literary awards, including recognition from the
Paris Book Festival. You can follow him on
Twitter @herbertnovels or on the web
at herbertnovels.com.
/amazon.com
/herbertnovels.com