The author, Charlie Davis, is a graduate of Florida State University, with a degree in Insurance and Real Estate, and is retired from careers in Insurance, Real Estate, and Residential Construction. He is the father of four adult children and the grandfather of nine grandchildren. He and his wife, Sandra, live in Gulf Breeze, Florida.
BOOKS
Growing Up In Pensacola: is a collection of essays written over the past several years, some of which were published in Dockside Magazine between 2001 and 2003. Additional essays, written since that time are included. The objective of this book is to share with the readers some of the seventy-seven year old author’s experiences growing up in a big family in Pensacola from the 1930’s until the present. The nearly five dozen essays include many pictures that are relative to the subject matter of the essays, which vary from humorous to serious. The topics covered are from grammar school to local politics and the concerns of family and friends during World War II and much more. The love of community and respect for fri
ends and neighbors is evident in the stories about East Pensacola Heights and the joy of summers spent in and on Bayou Texar. The love of boats and fishing by the author’s family and friends is demonstrated throughout the book, and includes accounts of collisions and near involvement with U-Boats in the Gulf of Mexico. The author’s faith remains intact as he explains his journey from one church denomination to another. It’s a potpourri of stories which can be read in any order, written in a conversational style that makes reading it entertaining and enjoyable.
THEY ALSO SERVE: Johnson knew he could get his ass blown off in Korea, but that was a risk his government was willing to take. The story begins in 1952 when the three U. S. Navy Dental Technicians were assigned to the U. S. Marine Corps at Parris Island, S. C. The three were unlikely friends: Johnson, a self-professed “Redneck,” and Dubeau, a proud Cajun, were white and from the South. Carter was black and from the North. They learned they would not be going to Korea but would remain at Parris Island. . . “till this damn war’s over,” said the Chief.
They were bored, but life got better when Johnson won a classic 1939 Packard in a raffle, and they spend their off-duty hours in the nearby towns and the Lowcountry Sea Islands for beach parties and fishing. Segregation creates problems for Carter, who falls in love with Maria, a beautiful young lady from the Gullah Community on St. Helena Island. They Also Serve is a story of broken hearts, tragedies, fallen comrades and hurricanes, but told with humor and optimism in the vernacular of young military men, who serve their country well in time of war, and “cuss” just for the hell of it.
Growing Up In Pensacola II: Like the first book, the sequel is about local people, places and events the author has known during his eighty-four years “growing up in Pensacola.” Each chapter is a story, a memory or a tribute to an individual or group. Meet local leaders in sports, radio, military, banking, politics, commercial fishing, the maritime industry, education and the legal profession. Discover local heroes and some of the people who have made Pensacola the great city it is.