Description
Roaring Twenties Tycoon
● Memphis boy who conquered New York
● Creator of his own county in Southwest Florida
● Builder of the Tamiami Trail, owner of popular hotels
● Streetcar advertising mogul during the Roaring Twenties
● NYC Deputy Police Commissioner who moved in high society
Local author Marya Repko digs into the life of this amazing man who created a successful advertising business in his home town of Memphis before expanding it in New York. But that was not enough of a challenge so he invested in Florida. He became the largest landowner there, bought hotels, operated a telephone system, published newspapers, and undertook a road-building project across the swamps of the Everglades. At the same time, he was keeping up his New York interests as a civic leader, generous with his creativity and wealth.
REVIEWS
I just finished reading your enjoyable draft about Barron Collier – a story account that captures and humanizes this truly remarkable man. Anyone reading your book will have a far better understanding of Collier and the county named for him. Well done. Franklin Adams, historian & environmentalist
You masterfully got so much info in so few pages! Not much left to do to send it to press. Congratulations.
Lila Zuck, Naples Historian
Your book is great; learning lots of info I didn’t know about, especially all his hotel interests. Great research and lots of work!
Patricia Huff, President, Friends of the Museum of the Everglades
Marya Repko grew up in Hadlyme, CT, but lived most of her adult life in Europe as a software engineer. After retirement, she moved to Everglades City, FL, where her first book A Brief History of the Everglades City Area has sold thousands of copies. Other brief histories of Deaconess Harriet Bedell, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and Sanibel have been well-received, as have the children’s versions of the Everglades, Sanibel and Collier books. Her most recent book Women in the Everglades describes the hardships of pioneer life and the achievements of early environmentalists.
