Who is this treasure hunter?

[signumops]

Can anybody identify the man on the right in the attached picture? Art McKee in the middle. Man on left (Art's right side) is also unknown. Man on right appears in several pictures in the Florida Memory collection. Also have another picture of him from another published source. I'd like to find out who he is and talk to him if possible.

 

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[Chagy]

Terry,

I will send you a PM with McKee's daughter's e-mail she lives in Cayman...send her the pic maybe she can help you....

All the best,

Chagy....

 

[FISHEYE]

terry,

That guy could be sam staples.

 

[jeff k]

Here are three possibilities, but they're probably all dead. That pic is around 60 years old.

Bill Thompson
Ed Ciesinski
Craig Hamilton

 

[mad4wrecks]

It might be Don Washington on the right (deceased)

 

[jeff k]

Here's a pic of Craig Hamilton. He has the right haircut.

 

[signumops]

Thanks all for the look-see and possible ID's! I found out the guy on the right side of Art is actually Mickey Spillane!!

I will be able to ID the other guy for sure in a few months. Meanwhile Mark Mondano probably knows who he is as well. I don't know Mark Mondano, but if he reads this board, maybe he will get in touch. He has written at least one book on diving along the Spacecoast and Treasurecoast, and he was a doctor in Vero at one time I am pretty sure.

By the way, there are several pictures of this guy in the McKee Collection at Florida Memories Online.

Craig Hamilton.... hmmmm... was he from the Treasurecoast area?

 

[Galleon Hunter]

I believe Mark Modano who wrote the book you are referring to is now deceased. I knew Don Washington and think he was still plunking around the Great Lakes that early on, although I do not knowm when he became active on the FL scene. Craig Hamilton would be my choice but that is just an opinion.

Two people who might know are Dick Holt (he ended up with a lot of the McKee family photos and used to run the Somewhere in Time Treasure Museum in Isllamorada) He's retired but still should be listed around Islamorada.

Another person you might want to send a photo to is Ron Nelson. He was friends with Art McKee and might know. He is in his 70's and not into the new-fangled technology of computers, emails and such but you might drop him an old fashioned letter and a copy of the photo as he would be happy to help if he knows the answer.

Ron Nelson, 218 Trinidad, Tavernier, FL 33070

GH

 

[Goldminer]

Mickey Spillane also lived in the Tavernier area when I managed the Holiday Isle marina. We had a dive shop there as well, and he was a frequent patron. He actually gave away several dive watches to the local divers that he knew. I just talked to Dick Holt last week at his home. I managed one of his jewelry stores, and worked in the museum many times. If you PM me, I will give you his phone number.

 

[signumops]

Hey Goldminer:
I worked at Holiday Isle as the resort instructor at the dive shop when Ed Armstrong owned it (no relation). Wayne Bean ran the 6-pack boat twice daily. This was back in 74' I think.

I lived a few blocks from the Plantation Key Sheriff's sub-station and used to eat lunch occasionally with Art McKee near his museum.

When were you there?

 

[Goldminer]

signumops,
I worked there in 1965, when it was owned by four partners. Dick Laribee had the dive boat concession, and there were only about six charter boats in the marina. I later lived at Plantation Villas, which was just across the road from the Sheriff's sub-station. Art frequently ate at my uncles restaurant in Islamorada.

 

[sphillips]

Goldminer &Signumops

I built my fist home at MM89 Bay side, then lived in Venetian Shores MM86 2001-2003