48 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • January/February • 2021
Sam was elected to the GICIA Board
in1988 and maintained his seat for
nearly10 years. Serving a year as vice
president and an unprecedented six
years as president, Sam worked alongside
Creighton Sherman and Chauncey Goss,
addressing many important island issues.
It was during his fi nal term as president
that Sam led the Selection Committee
that recruited Misty Nabers Nichols as
executive director in 1998.
Most notably though, it was Sam’s
vision and leadership that initiated the
creation of the GICIA Land Conservancy
in the late 1990s. Sam strongly believed
the GICIA could aid in preserving the
open, green spaces that add to Boca
Grande’s beauty and charm by acquiring
undeveloped property on and around
Gasparilla Island. In 1996, at the GICIA
Annual Meeting, Sam addressed the
membership and gained the support that
solidifi ed the establishment of the Land
Conservancy. Sam went on to spearhead
a fundraising effort that raised the initial
$3 million and allowed the GICIA to
begin acquiring Conservancy Property.
Thanks to those preliminary efforts the
GICIA Land Conservancy now owns and
manages almost 300 acres of property
that will remain undeveloped and forever
protected.
It was after Sam’s passing in 2001 that
the Park was rededicated in his honor as
the Sam Murphy Park. We are grateful to
Mr. Murphy, and to the GICIA, for keeping
the island and the surrounding area as
unique and unspoiled as possible.
Lindsey & Nate McKelvy were married in Sam Murphy
Park on May 15, 2011. It was a perfect intimate setting
for their marriage ceremony, as both have strong ties to
Boca Grande. Now a family, they reside just off island
and frequent Boca Grande, and the park, often.