William Gary Pollock
William Gary Pollock, 68, of North Fort Myers, died Sunday, afternoon, Oct. 3. 2010.
Gary was born Aug. 16, 1942 in Sharon, PA to John and Marjorie Pollock.
At 17, after graduation from Hickory High, class of 1960, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He spent four years (1960-1964) as a proud Marine. He won many awards and honors and was Marine’s Marine.
Gary was known to be quite an adventurer and marched to the beat of his own drum. Having searched for gold in the Superstitio Mountains, mostly by himself in the 60s, scuba dived in the piranha infested rivers of British Guyana and mined diamonds in South America for several years. He did quite well diamond mining and found many where they weren’t known to exist before. He had many humorous stories about his jungle adventures, including giant poisonous snakes, hostile natives with poisonous blow darts and a reluctant liking for very warm beer.
Gary had a Mensa IQ and accomplished many things in his short lifetime. He acquired a real estate brokers license, managed Page Field Airport in Fort Myers, earned a pilot’s license and flew a corporate jet for Coca Cola. He was also head of construction for many of the large buildings and condos in downtown Fort Myers.
Gary tested for and was awarded a chief engineers license and worked for a while in the 60s and 70s as an engineer on a large British freighter supplying the numerous islands in the southern Caribbean. He once woke up after a night of partying to find himself married to the island Chief’s daughter. As was Gary’s humor he claimed no guilty knowledge and had himself back to Miami with the help of a sympathetic U.S. consulate. Thereafter he rejoined his freighter with a rousing welcome from his captain and shipmates.
Some time later, Gary and his shipmates were caught in a hurricane. The ship lost it’s propulsion system and was slammed by 30-foot waves and very high winds. Being a pilot and having nothing more than a outdated ship’s manual, bunk bed parts, kitchen utensils and a lot of sweat, he got the ship running again, avoiding certain death on the coral reefs. He was hailed by the captain and shipmates and given a bonus and a raise and was advised to stay away from the chief’s daughter.
Another humorous adventure happened to Gary in 1976. He had read the new book “Jaws” and was a grouper fisherman. He took one of his numerous boats some 35-miles west of Sanibel Island into the Gulf of Mexico. With the north winds blowing steadily, and the water temperature in the 60s he stayed out 8-days and had a good catch. Heading back, some 20-miles from the shore, he encountered a rouge wave and was thrown overboard into the cold water with swells of some 12 to 15 feet causing his boat to capsize and sink, thus scattering fish and blood all around him. Having just read Jaws he wasn’t too thrilled with his situation. He related to his brother, Tom, he was able to save a couple cans of Busch beer for company and thus began the almost impossible swim back to Sanibel Island, the whole time looking around him for shark fins. Having been a long-time shark fisherman with his buddy, Little Boy Johnson, of Pine Island, he knew his chances of survival were little to slim. His Marine survival kicked in and he swam in the cold water for seven to eight hours. Having encountered some very rough water, a charterboat, The Anne, out of Fort Myers Beach was heading back to shore with a boat load of sea sick tourists when against all odds, an older woman passenger told the captain she was the head of a swimmer dome 200 yards off the port on top of a swell. Thankfully, the captain took up his binoculars and confirmed her sighting. Brining the Anne around and circling to get Gary out of the water, captain, passengers and crew were shocked to pull a bright blue, naked man out of the water this far from shore in those conditions. Having a weeks growth of beard and having lost his swimming trunks some miles back, he was hauled aboard by captain and tourists alike. Smiling his “Cool Hand Luke” grin his first request was for an ice cold beer and Lucky Strike cigarette having turned down hot chocolate and tuna fish sandwiches.
Having a bad fishing day for captain and tourists, Gary saved the day by captivating all with his story of being marooned on an uncharted deserted island for a week when he decided to make a swim for it. Everyone was captivated and cheered by Gary’s survival and exploits. The bad fishing day was saved after all by hauling in the bog on named Gary Pollock.
As a long time resident of Pine Island and resident of Florida since the 60s, as a former shrimper, crabber, treasure hunter below Key West and the Dry Tortugas, Gary’s exploits will always be remembered by his many Pine Island friends and family as a man’s man who took no prisoners. He was the personification of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s song, “Free Bird”. He crammed three men’s lives into one. The world is a better place for his having been here.
To his many friends, family and loved ones, shed no tears for Gary’s passing, but remember him as the man who lived the life most people would only dream about. He will always be loved, talked about and remembered by all with admiration.