Stuart Anderson: The Kindest Man in Englewood
September 24, 2009 at 2:38 p.m.
Stuart Anderson: The Kindest Man in Englewood
By Ken Kocab
In the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", George Bailey, (played by Jimmy Stewart) was shown by his guardian angel that he made a difference to the people in his home town. Just as a despondent George was going to jump off a bridge in the middle of a blinding snowstorm, he was saved by the angel and transported to a make-believe version of his town. George got to see all the bad things that would have happened in the town if he would have never existed. He hesitatingly decided to now go on living and glumly returned home. When he walked through the door he was greeted by all the townspeople that he had helped in some way. George's many friends reminded him of all the generous things that he had done for them. He couldn't believe how everybody was there to show him so much kindness.
This award-winning movie illustrates how much a person is valued if he or she shows kindness and generosity towards others. George Bailey never realized how kind or generous he was, and never took any credit for his good works. In the same way that George performed acts of kindness towards his neighbors, Stuart Anderson was endeared by his many friends in Englewood. Because of the countless ways that Stuart helped our town and its' people, he truly was the kindest man in Englewood.
Stuart Anderson was born in 1898 and grew up on the 160 acre family farm near what is now State Route 776 and Manasota Beach Road. The Anderson family moved to Sarasota Florida from Georgia around 1888, and later permanently settled in the Englewood area. After a short time, Stuart's father J.D. (Jody) Anderson, along with the help of the 15 Anderson siblings, cleared the land, planted many types of crops, and also eventually got involved in the cattle business. Jody was a well-respected leader who was called upon for advice many times. He was elected the first county commissioner from this area in 1922, and helped to establish schools, roads, and a post office.
Carolyn Pope, Jody's great-granddaughter and Stuart's granddaughter, said, "Jody Anderson was known for his honesty and putting others before himself. He definitely passed this on to his sons and daughters. I'm very pleased to be a part of that tradition."
As he was growing up Stuart was kept busy by performing a great variety of chores. One of his most important jobs was to take the family produce by ox wagon to Lemon Bay. From here all of the vegetables would be taken by schooner to Sarasota. By the time that he was 24, Stuart was employed at various times as a county road supervisor, a mail carrier, and even as a deputy sheriff. In 1923 he married Louise Starr Lee Davids, and settled at the family farm.
By 1924 the big land boom had overtaken the Englewood area and many landowners were being offered large sums of cash for their properties. Urged on by developers, local townsfolk voted to end the open range that had permitted cattle to roam where they pleased. As a result, Stuart's father had to dispose of many cattle at a great loss. Stuart believed that the land boom would go bust and didn't want any part of it. He decided to open a grocery and supply store in Woodmere near the family farm. After only one year of successful storekeeping, Stuart felt the need to move into town and look for other opportunities.
Stuart and Louise rented a small house on the bay at the end of Perry Street, and decided to become involved in fishing. He hired a group of local fishermen and accompanied them out into the bay to fish. As long as the good times were rolling most people in Englewood now felt good about the future. However, a combination of events would turn things upside down. The town bank, which contained most of the savings of the entire area, was shut down after Abner Silkey, a bank employee, embezzled $15,000 in assets. The land boom went belly up by 1928, due to shady deals and many unscrupulous real estate salesmen. Finally, the Depression hit this area with a vengeance in 1929, dealing what many felt was a death blow to the local economy.
Refusing to let people starve, and seeing the need to take action, Stuart called a meeting of all of the town fishermen. Since no one in town had any cash to buy needed food or supplies, Stuart proposed a daring solution- the barter system. The plan was for all of the fishermen to pool their catches, load them onto iced trucks, and send the drivers north to Georgia or Northern Florida to sell what they could for cash, or barter for any food products that could be eaten. Stuart's plan was very successful, and he was credited with keeping the town from nearly starving.
When he first got involved in the fishing business, Stuart went out to fish with the other men, but as his business grew he now began to manage his small fish house. By the end of the 1920's, the fishing business was growing so rapidly that he decided to lease the Buchan home and Royal Casino building at Buchan's Landing. However, due to the land bust, the bank problems, and the depression, Stuart was forced to run his expanding fishery business on the barter system also. Many Englewood residents offered what they could in trade for fish to eat, but eventually some ran out of anything to barter. Stuart offered credit to anyone who needed it, many times "forgetting" to collect on many accounts. He often would also give away needed fish to the elderly or infirm.
During the depression Stuart served as a school trustee and faced the prospect of only opening schools for seven months a year. Refusing to accept this, Stuart organized a fund raising drive that enabled Englewood schools to be open for the full nine months. He also raised enough funds so that teacher's salaries could be paid in full while many other communities were paying in script. Whenever school buildings were in disrepair Stuart would either raise the needed repair costs or even do the work himself.
By 1936, just as things were beginning to look a little better for Stuart, a hurricane literally destroyed the casino building and he was forced to look for new quarters. He found a great location for his newly named Lemon Bay Fishery at the end of Wentworth Street, and proceeded to expand the business rapidly.
During World War II Stuart was appointed Civil Defense head for the Englewood area. He devised a plan to place men one mile apart on the shore of Manasota Key to watch for enemy submarines. One of the necessities for this patrol was having a flashlight. The government gave no funds for flashlights, so Stuart used his own funds to provide every man with a flashlight.
After the war Stuart went into a partnership with his brother Oscar, who had just returned from active duty. By 1950, Lemon Bay Fisheries was Englewood's largest employer with over 45 employees. Even though he had the largest fishing company in the area, Stuart many times helped local independent fishermen to get started in the business by providing his own funds to help them buy boats and nets.
Carolyn Pope related one of her treasured memories of her grandfather, "He was a kind and generous man who rarely lost his temper. He engaged everyone around him and took care of those in need. I used to work at the fishery running the cash register and even then I noticed how kind he was to everyone, especially the children." When Carolyn was asked if her grandfather ever got upset, she remembered the Sunday dinner at which Stuart's son Dan tried to get the whipped cream container to work. "Dan tried it and suddenly got whipped cream all over granddaddy. He didn't say a word, but got up from the table and walked silently down the long road to the fish house".
Carolyn recalled her grandfather's friends saying that he would give them the shirt off his back if they needed help. "Everyone loved him and I don't think that he had an enemy in the world", said Carolyn. When asked about her grandfather's legacy, Carolyn felt that he was a true pioneer who was a leader in so many ways. He also was a generous family man who not only cared for his own family, but so many others in town.
Stuart Anderson retired in1963 and sold the fishery business. Carolyn remembered her grandfather spending many hours tending his rose and vegetable gardens He passed away on December 31, 1963, and was buried on the top of a small hill at Lemon Bay Cemetery. Carolyn Pope now resides in the memory-filled family home at the foot of Wentworth Street, where she maintains a local insurance company. The fishery building itself is gone, but the dock that led out into the bay still exists. Carolyn plans to soon restore the dock to its former glory.
Many members of the Anderson extended family still live in the Englewood area and include business owners, attorneys, and community leaders. As Carolyn and I gazed out the window of her beautiful home on Lemon Bay, I asked her what her feelings were about her grandfather. She said, "I am very fortunate to be a part of this family. My grandfather was a generous man who would do anything for anyone." She added that during this interview that she learned a lot about her grandfather that she had not known before.
The worth of a man is measured by the kindness and generosity he shows for those around him. If this is the case, Stuart Anderson is truly a man whom Englewood will never forget.
I would like to thank the following sources in the writing of this article:
Ms. Carolyn Pope, Interview- May, 17, 2007
The Elsie Quirk Library Archives, Pioneer Families File
Josephine Cortes, The History of Early Englewood, 1989
"Anderson clan receives long-awaited recognition" by Diana D. Harris, The Englewood Herald,
May 29, 1996