The Sarasota Civil War Symposium:
The First 20 Years
The Sarasota Civil War
Symposium was hatched in April, 1992 during our very first tour – of Shiloh. To
a handful of attendees gathered outside our hospitality suite at our hotel in
Corinth, Mississippi, I asked what they thought of the idea of having an annual
winter Civil War conference in Florida. One man, David Long, spoke up
and said “It’s a great idea and Sarasota is the place.” He spoke glowingly of
the merits of Sarasota, and added that he had recently founded the Manasota
Civil War Round Table there. And he mentioned two Sarasotans, Henry
Trawick and Wally Hoppe, who would surely help.
Based on little more than
that we decided to proceed. We found a hotel through the Yellow Pages - the Holiday
Inn Lido Beach. An important key was to assemble the strongest possible faculty.
This was accomplished when Gary Gallagher agreed to serve as the Head
Faculty Member, and Jack Davis, Bob Krick, Richard McMurry, Jeff Wert and David Long came aboard. Thus, on January 21-24,
1993 we presented the first Sarasota Civil War Symposium.
61 men and women, including
the staff and faculty, attended. From the very first evening, the event had a
magic of its own. The talks were outstanding, Ron and Linda Breedlove brought
books, and the setting was enchanting. On their free time, the out-of-town attendees
discovered the local bookstores, the shops along St. Armand’s Circle, and
Yoder’s Amish restaurant.
On Sunday morning after the
symposium was over, Dr. Robert Walch (photo below) and wife, Doris had all of us over to their house for a Sip & Pick Party. We enjoyed
fresh-squeezed orange juice and sausage biscuits, and ventured out into the orange
grove to pick and take home some fruit. The Sip & Pick Party at the Walch’s
was to become a regular feature of the symposium for many years.
Because
we outgrew the Holiday Inn Lido Beach in our very first year, Catherine Sell of our staff scouted around and found for us the Harley Sandcastle Hotel (now
the Helmsley) further down on Lido Beach – this venue proved to be perfect and we’ve
been delighted to base at the Helmsley ever since.
Over
the 20 years since we first came to Sarasota, we’ve been fortunate to enjoy
nearly 3,000 enrollments at the Civil War Symposium. And most of America’s
foremost Civil War historians have presented for us, including Joseph H.
Alexander, Edwin C. Bearss, William A. Blair, Keith S. Bohannon, Mark L.
Bradley, Peter S. Carmichael, Peter Cozzens, William C. “Jack” Davis, Gary
Ecelbarger, Chris E. Fonvielle, Claude Foster, Gary W. Gallagher, Joseph T.
Glatthaar, Clark B. Hall, William W. Hassler, John J. Hennessy, David C. Hinze,
Harold Holzer, Eric Jacobson, Jay Jorgensen, Robert E. L, Krick, Robert K.
Krick, Robert J. Lenz, David E. Long, Thomas P. Lowry, John F. Marszalek, Richard
M. McMurry, James M. McPherson, Michael M. Musick, Alan T. Nolan, Dale K.
Phillips, Carol Reardon, William Glenn Robertson, James I. “Bud” Robertson,
Charles P. Roland, John Y. Simon, William R. Stott, Jr., Craig L. Symonds,
Emory M. Thomas, Henry P. Trawick, Jr., Bruce M. Venter, Jeffry D. Wert, Frank
J. Williams and Terrence J. Winschel. Gary Gallagher served as Head Faculty
member through 2004 and Jack Davis has been at the helm since.
The
talks and panel discussions have consistently been stellar – and who can soon forget
the hilarious point-counterpoint exchanges between Richard McMurry and Jack
Davis?
We’ve
always had oodles of books in the ballroom, courtesy of Ron & Linda
Breedlove, Jason Duberman, Jim & Judy McLean and Tom & Jan Broadfoot.
And CWEA staff volunteers Catherine Sell, Chad Jacobs, Bob Jacobs, Donna Kerns,
Sheryl Doeren, David Hinze, Mary Hinze, Eileen Wells, Tommy Long, David Kerns,
Donnie Mercier, Sandi Roles, Rich Kauffman, Chip Cather and Janice McKay have
been earnest and indispensable.
But
the action has not all been in the ballroom. Various other quarters of the
“Helmsley campus” have witnessed spirited activity over the years, including:
· the Shuffleboard Court where such as Bob Krick, Craig Morin, Ted Tedards and John
Zervas are to be found locked in mortal combat;
· the Candlelight Lounge, anchored
by such as Lis Cherr, Keith Kehlbeck and Valerie Smith - where Earl Nesmith plays and sings, and where the nimble nonagenarian, Charles
P. “Chick” Roland, occasionally trips the light fantastic;
· The Pool-Side Bar, at night
after it is closed, around which cigar smokers gather to puff and pontificate, among
them Tom Tate, Steve Ritchie and Thomas Tart;
· The Pool-Side Bar, in the
daytime, when staffed by Kelly Firestine - her knowledge of history must
be considerable – see the many attendees hovering around her like hummingbirds
in a flower garden;
· the Dining Room where Ed
Bearss holds court in the evenings, telling tour tales to rapt listeners such
as Irvin and Nancy Hess, Larry Gibbs and Van Vanderwal;
· the Beach along which athletic
types like Jackie Glatthaar glide by on resolute jogs past sedentary folk
reading books or taking naps in lounge chairs.
Some
Memorable Moments of the first 20 years
include:
· Arch Shelton marching the United States and Confederate flags up
to the front of the ballroom, taking special care to display each proudly.
· Colonel Ben Moore, from his seat in the front row, posing a scholarly but
lengthy question until wife Louise would tug on his jacket and beseech, “Ben, you’ve
gone on long enough!”
· Bobby Horton dazzling us by voice and banjo at an evening
performance in 1994.
· Clark Alberts, at Saturday evening banquets (when we used to have
them), bellowing forth ribald ditties and rousing “drinking songs”
· Charlie and Allie Lee Roland hosting an afternoon party in their room - folks reclining
across the beds while balancing wine glasses in a scene that could have been
lifted from La Dolce Vita - when Charlie trumpeted, “Allie Lee and I are
going to dinner. Would the last one out please shut the door?”
· Christine Grant and yours truly, on a dare, walking fully dressed
into the surf until neck deep, thereby raising $140 cash for the CVBT. We
expected this Plunge for Preservation to become an annual rite but it never
caught fire!
· Gary Gallagher, on more than one occasion, wolfing down a home-made
blueberry pie, brought from Rolla, Missouri, by Mary Hinze
· Wally Hoppe, standing at the podium on January 26, 2006, humbly accepting
the first Benjamin and Louise Moore Award – for his special contributions
in building and sustaining the Sarasota Symposium.
Yes,
the annual Sarasota Civil War Symposium has brought together men and women from
far and wide – to share their common interest in Civil War history in an atmosphere
of fellowship and fun. Undergirding it all has been the superb hospitality
of the Helmsley Sandcastle staff, including General Manager Carl Lekic,
Ranita Ruddle, Laurie Pike, Julia Hallman, Todd, Ginny, Dan, Paul, Teresa,
Matt, Kelly, Chad, Missy, Linda, Andrea, Glynda, Chuck, Chris and Earl - who
tell us every year that we are their favorite group.
We
are deeply indebted to the faculty
members, book dealers and hotel staff - but even more, to All of You Who Attend
and Have Attended the Sarasota Civil War Symposium. Years ago something
special was forged between all of us. And we don’t want it to end anytime soon.
So we’re looking ahead to celebrating, with all of you, our 25th anniversary in 2017. David Long had it right - Sarasota is the place!
Thank You.
Bob Maher
