hall, commonly referred to by those who remember it as S.D.'s Pool Hall. He ran it until 1925, when he met Louise du Pont Crowninshield and her husband, B. Crowninshield, who had long been an avid tarpon fisherman. He loved quail hunting, and Sam's knowledge of the region made him the perfect guide for occasional hunting trips. He guided for them exclusively in 1925, the same year he closed his pool hall and took over the Red Gill Fish House from Kingsmore Johnson and his good friend Sug Futch. From that point on he guided for the Crowninshields and ran his fish house on the side. When Sam guided, he arrived wearing crisp white shirt and bow tie, and not only helped his clients catch tarpon, but cooked lunch for them, took care of their boat and boat house. In the off season he might even take care of their house. Friends remember him as quite lenient with those who could not pay their bills for whatever reason, but he wasn't a frivolous man. 1960 began his golden years, during which he spent his time running the Marine Ways, selling goods and services to the local boaters and fishermen, drinking beer with his friends out on the dock, feeding his ducks and watching his daughters come of age. He is remembered by many for the silly-looking paper hat he took to making and wearing as he grew older, claiming they kept him cool in the summer and warm in the winter. He died in October 1978 of a heart attack, on the same docks where he had worked for over 50 years. Tommy S. Parkinson was born in Charlotte 36 GASPARILLA ISLAND May/June 2017 Harbor in 1914. His daughter, Carolyn Nabers, recalls he spent his early years fishing crabbing, earning a living from the water, with his father, Thomas A. Parkinson. He lived for days at a time in fish camps in Bulls Bay. His dad was also a fishing guide. In 1930 Tommy started guiding. He lived in the "Guide House" in Boca Grande (rooms, docks and boat slips located on the bayou, across from where the Pink Elephant is today.) "Guides made $15 a day," Tommy said in a Boca Beacon interview in 1987. "The stories they told were worth the price of a charter. Going price these days is $400 and the stories aren't near as good." Tommy loved people, especially kids, and loved to talk about old times and old timers. Capt. Billy Wheeler once said, “If you can't get along with Tommy Parkinson, you can't get along with anybody.” In 1939 he started to work at the Gasparilla Fishery, managing the Boca Grande Fishery and still did some occasional guiding, but his job didn't leave much extra time. Once he was fishing a gentleman back in the ’30s who was staying at Useppa. Tommy took him back to the Inn to eat and the gentleman invited Tommy to dine with him. The hotel manager told them the guides could eat in the kitchen, they were not allowed in the Tommy Parkinson dining room. The gentleman replied they would both eat in the kitchen. They did every day for the rest of the visit. Tommy Parkinson died in 1994. G M "GUIDES MADE $15 A DAY," TOMMY SAID IN A BOCA BEACON INTERVIEW IN 1987. "THE STORIES THEY TOLD WERE WORTH THE PRICE OF A CHARTER. GOING PRICE THESE DAYS IS $400 AND THE STORIES AREN'T NEAR AS GOOD."
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