Cutting a Christmas tree on-island and other memories
The February 9 History Bytes program features the Davis family – Frank Davis, Robin Davis Melvin, Doug and Gail Coleman Davis – who spent their summers and holidays in Boca Grande during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Their memories include arriving on the train from Arcadia, cutting the family’s Christmas tree at the north end of the Island and days of freedom, fishing, swimming and fun.
Frank Davis studied Agricultural Business and Science in college but returned to the island and started fishing professionally in the early 1980s on two boats – The Native, a 24-foot Morgan, and Native II, a Lake and Bay 20. Frank is also a Yacht Broker Consultant.
Robin is Robin Davis Melvin of Special Effects and Gasparilla Outfitters. She remembers how the siblings had the freedom to go anywhere. Their parents didn’t worry because the whole town watched out for the Island kids. Their home was Arcadia but summers in Boca Grande meant fishing, swimming and playing with their friends here.
Doug remembers that the family lived in a house at 1 Gilchrist. The kids biked everywhere, fished every morning and snorkeled in the afternoon. They caught trout and sold them to the fish house, bought candy at what was then Whidden’s Grocery store and is now Hudson’s and watched tv via VHF. And Doug met his wife, Gail Coleman Davis, in Boca Grande. He and Gail live in the Florida Panhandle but try to visit the Davis and Coleman families often.
The History Byte program is at 11 a.m. at the Johann Fust Library. Registration in advance is required at bocagrandehistoricalsociety.com as is adherence to the Library’s covid protocols. For more information, call the History Center at (941) 964-1600.
Shown in the photo above are Frank Davis, Robin Melvin and Gail Coleman Davis.
