Editor’s Letter
Congratulations to all of you who came out on the other side of 2020 relatively unscathed.
As we look forward to the future, it may seem like some things are rolling along as last year
did ... and that can be frightening for some, annoying for others.
I have decided that this is going to be a good year, and sometimes that’s all it takes. Your
mind is usually your biggest enemy; it can make a good thing bad, and a bad thing good. With
everything that has gone on, it has become very easy to turn a blind eye to the blessings that
we have. I hope that some of you join me in waking up every day making a conscious effort to
take stock of what it is that keeps us going, and what our passions are. From there, we will build
the rest of our day. I, for one, will do that each day until I realize that things are not as bad as they
seem. And that’s all there is to it.
This is a special edition of this magazine: We are entering our eighth year of ownership of this
publication. I also worked on it for three years when it was owned by the Gasparilla Gazette and
Breeze Publications. Back then it was a paper stock, tabloid-sized periodical that ran about 35
pages, and it was usually my job to fi ll them all. I want to thank every one of my co-workers who
play a vital role in producing the beautiful magazine it has become, and I thank our publishers for
seeing its value and keeping it alive.
Our content this time around is quite diverse. We talk about everything from polo to pottery,
with tributes to our fascinating past in the form of a Sam Murphy discussion (who truly is the man
behind the “pocket park” that was just re-landscaped), and a wonderful piece about the Boca
Grande reunion that takes place almost every year. Many thanks to Grant Bell for giving us his
thoughts on what it was like to grow up here, and what goes on at the mysterious “Bocapalooza.”
Our history piece is a bit unusual, but intriguing. For a very long time I have wanted to write
a story about what it was like on the island prior to the population explosion. Things were a
lot different in the 1970s and 80s, which was right before the time before, shall we say, total
gentrifi cation. Believe it or not, there was a bit of a lawlessness to this place; a rogue’s paradise,
if you will. The affl uent people that were here came from old money, and I think they found Boca
Grande to be a bit of a relief from their rather scheduled, dull lives in their primary residences.
They enjoyed the company of the generational fi shermen as well as they did their neighbors,
who might have the last name Morgan or du Pont. Instead of ostracizing the people whose
families made this island, who built the railroad and ran the shops, they embraced them as
unique individuals who were full of character and wonderful stories. Some of those colorful
characters may or may not have gone on the occasional “square grouper” run, you’ll just have to
read up on that to fi nd out more.
Take care of yourselves, and each other. Chin up, keep calm, and carry on. We have work to do
this year.
14 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • January/February • 2021
Marcy Shortuse
Editor-in-Chief, Gasparilla Magazine