WEDDING BELLS (#76): There she was, in front of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, watching the Festival of States parade with a friend. A tall, lovely, brunette with big brown eyes. Tom Davis and I went over to talk to the ladies. Her name was Linda. She was soft spoken, with a quick smile/grin.
We had our first date the next night and we never dated anyone else. I bought an engagement ring at Girard Jewelers and we were married a little over a year later, one month before I turned 29.
Linda had been raised on a dairy farm outside of Asheville and married her high school sweetheart. She completed two years of college before going to work full time with Wachovia Bank in Asheville. Her family life had always been extremely difficult, and in her early 20s she decided she needed a fresh start. Through a dear friend, Linda made a contact in St. Petersburg, Florida. She packed her car and left the mountains of North Carolina for a city she had never even visited.
Linda was a hard worker, took classes, and became active in the community, working with several city leaders, and kept advancing her career. When we met she was a Marketing Officer at Landmark Union Trust Bank, working for Bob Stewart.
Paul Thomas was not happy about the development, “Scott, I’m about to buy a boat. We’ll have a blast! You’ll have more girls than you can handle.” I had learned that the single life as an adult was not what I expected or wanted. Our work relationship became very tense. I had just gotten my Broker’s license and decided it was time to move on. I talked with John Lucas, who had a real estate office in a building he owned on Blind Pass Road.
John also owned the Cameo Apartments in PAG. John and his wife Nancy lived across the street from from the old Simmons family house and were friends of my parents. My Mom and Nancy sailed with the Salty sisters at the SPYC. The winners of races won sterling silver charms. I think my Mom and Billy Caldwell’s mother, Adele, still hold the record for winning the most charms.
I worked out an arrangement with John. I could rent a desk and use the office for the greater of a fixed monthly amount or 20% of my commissions. Since Paul and I were splitting my commission 50/50, this was a great deal. Both years I worked with John I had over a $1,000,000 in sales, which was quite good at the time.
Linda and I got a mortgage and Billy Caldwell built a house that I designed with help from Vaughn McCarthy. We were married May 27th, 1979 and moved into our new house for our honeymoon (See Pass-grille Beach #46).
The hours of a realtor were great for a single man, but not so good for a man married to a woman with more traditional hours. The next Thanksgiving was when I decided I needed to make a change. My Mother always made a Thanksgiving dinner for at least 20, and on Saturday, Linda wanted to make a Thanksgiving dinner just for the family. As we were sitting down for dinner a got a call from one of my signs.
A fellow attorney had done me huge favor and listed his parents home with me, a beautiful waterfront home on Island Estates in Clearwater. It would take me at least 45 minutes to drive there and the caller wanted to see it “now.” Since the caller said he had seen the sign and didn’t even ask the price, I knew he was a looker. I said I wouldn’t be able to show the house until the next day. The caller wanted to see the house right away. I told him he should call Island Estates Realty, which was nearby, and gave him the number. The next morning I called Island Estates Realty. I was right, he was just a looker.
It was Linda that helped me get my next job. She gave my Resume to Leo Kubiet, who at the time was Sales Manager for “The St. Petersburg Times”. I met with Leo and he passed my Resume on to Cliff Camp, the General Manager of “The St. Petersburg Times” and to Ted Wittner, an insurance agent who was branching out into commercial real estate.
A new job was on the horizon.
