Jack E. Davis - The Gulf: The Making of An American Sea

Copyright 2017 by Jack E. Davis

All rights reserved
First Edition

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For Willa, and to the memory of Jimmy (19561970),
taken by the sea that captivated us

The inspiring elements behind this book originated in childhood years in Mary Esther, when the Florida panhandle was a mostly quiet stretch of white sand on the Gulf of Mexico. Water and wildlife provided a surplus of attractions for my sometimes solitary circumstances and incessant fidgeting. The estuarine environment of Santa Rosa Sound, on which my family lived, became the cul-de-sac of my youth, where docks were the sidewalks, waterways the streets, a little motorboat my bicycle, and a rod and reel my bat and ball. From minuscule sea creatures to Goliath storms, the world of the Gulf furnished experiencesboth wonderful and tragicthat shaped enduring sensibilities toward what we call nature.

Numerous people since have helped me make the shift from personal experiences and memory to objective research and writing. My gratitude begins with librarians, unsung partners involved in every nonfiction book. Those who graciously answered my call for assistance include the archival and librarian staffs at the universities of South Florida St. Petersburg, Florida, West Florida, Houston, and Texas; Texas A&M (at Corpus Christi), Tulane, and Mississippi State universities; and the public libraries in Apalachicola (FL), Houston (TX), Freeport (TX), Biloxi (MS), and Fort Myers (FL).

When it was time to do a final reading of the manuscript, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation graciously lent me its cottage on the Gulf.

Many people helped get me to that point and deserve my appreciation. Among them are Barbara Albrecht, Sherry Arrant, Ray Arsenault, Shane Bernard, Kathy Bollerud, Ray Bollerud, Joe Browder, Jim Cusick, Dan DAndrea, Tim Delaney, Diana Dombrowski, Marsha Dowler, Joy Towles Ezell, Nick Foreman, Lynne Howard Frazer, Gary Garrett, Jorge Gonzalez, Robbie Gonzalez, Scott Graves, Caty Greene, Jennifer Guida, Karl Havens, Lee Irby, Dean Lindsey, Bill Mahan, Jay Malone, Forrest Marcy, Marty Melosi, Gary Mormino, John Nemmers, Jack Payne, Betsy Perdichizzi, Leslie Poole, Lorraine Redd, Jack Rudloe, Jim Schnur, Ryan Schumacher, Courtney Smith, Bruce Stephenson, Leslie Sturmer, Geoff Sutton, Terry Tomlins-Walsh, Flo Turcotte, Kathy Turner, Frederic E. Vose, Christian Wagley, Chris Warren, and, not least of all, Ed White and Michelle Zacks (who shared her fabulous dissertation). Aaron Hoover, Jos Leal, Chris Morris, Paul Mueller, Nancy Rabalais, Margaret Ross-Tolbert, Gene Turner, Stefanie Wolf, and Linda Young graciously read parts of the manuscript. A true friend on many levels, Mary Santello hunkered down on demand with several sections in draft, written and visual, and offered advice on countless uncertainties. A champion of the project from the start, Cynthia Barnett read every word, some of them multiple times, from book proposal to epilogue. She was an inestimable and unfailingly supportive critic who, not to mention being a treasured friend, has been a true gift to my professional life.

A one-year sabbatical from the University of Florida gave welcome support, while month-long residential fellowships at Escape to Create (Seaside, FL) and the MacDowell Colony (Peterborough, NH), and the brilliant people who were part of the experience, were equally priceless gifts. I was fortunate to have Lisa Adams, my agent, believe in the value of this book from the start, and to connect me with the superlative editor Bob Weil and his talented assistant, Will Menaker; their advice and unflagging enthusiasm pushed me in key directions. The book benefited in immeasurable ways from the copyediting skills of Stephanie Hiebert, who rescued me from much more than typos and misspellings. Many thanks also to Anna Oler, Julia Druskin, and Steve Attardo for the fabulous design work, and Marie Pantojan and Rebecca Homiski for patiently navigating the book through production.

Finally, my family, Sonya Rudenstine and Willa Mae Davis Rudenstine, endured more than I had the right to ask of them. One of the most special moments came when Willa returned with me to my Gulf childhood and kayaked the very waters where this book found its beginning.

ALSO BY JACK E. DAVIS

An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas
and the American Environmental Century

Paradise Lost? The Environmental History of Florida
(editor, with Raymond Arsenault)

Making Waves: Female Activists in Twentieth-Century Florida
(editor, with Kari Frederickson)

The Wide Brim: Early Poems and Ponderings of
Marjory Stoneman Douglas (editor)

Race Against Time: Culture and Separation in Natchez Since 1930

The Civil Rights Movement (editor)

Only in Mississippi: A Backroads Guide for the Adventurous Traveler
(with Lorraine Redd)