My Ocean Springs: 2007 in Pictures

Gary Thone helps run the Pro Shop at the beautiful Gulf Hills Golf Club in Ocean Springs. Now owned by residents, Gulf Hills was developed in 1927 by the Branigar brothers of Chicago. Legend claims that it was developed specifically as a secluded entertainment site for Al Capone, and the remnants of a “speakeasy” and casino on site lends credence to the claims. Over the years, the clubhouse lounge (The Pink Pony) entertained movie stars, gangsters, and the wealthy, including the most famous fan of Gulf Hills, Elvis Presley. Today, in addition to the rolling hills filled with residences on Fort Bayou, Gulf Hills offers a golf club, tennis club, swimming pool, and hotel and conference center.

The Art House, located on Cash Alley in downtown Ocean Springs, is a co-op gallery operated by the Ocean Springs Art Association. The approximately thirty working artisans that make up the co-op each work one day a month at The Art House amid the breathtaking artwork. Bruce Davis was a Seabee stationed on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and when he retired he decided to stay put. He then began a successful second career as an engineering consultant, but five years ago he took up pottery, and now, as a member of the co-op at The Art House, he works his day each month among the other artists.

Susan Gates grew up in Ocean Springs with dreams of becoming a professional dancer, and by her teenage years she was already spending her summers training under professional instructors in Chicago and New York and Los Angeles. After high school, her professional career took off, leading her to a variety of exciting opportunities including sharing the stage with music legends, performing in off-Broadway shows, and dancing as a member of the Knicks City Dancers in Madison Square Garden. After her marriage to accomplished magician, Christopher Gates, and the birth of their son, Nicolas, Susan moved back to Ocean Springs in 2001. That year she opened “The Studio,” where Susan discovered her love for teaching children to dance. After Hurricane Katrina turned life upside down in 2005, “The Studio” restructured and reopened under the name, “The Studio Up Side Down,” with credit to both Hurricane Katrina and the new in-ground trampoline and tumbling aspect of the new operation.

Doug Mansfield, and his wife, Cheryl, opened their G.I Museum in August, 2006, the only military history museum on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Their collection includes over 16,000 artifacts spanning from World War I through Iraqi Freedom, but the museum currently focuses its attention on World War II. The 2,000 square foot building that the Mansfields built to house the collection was named Sean Cooley Memorial Hall in honor of their son’s close friend who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in February, 2005, which appropriately communicates their museum’s goal to impress upon everyone the wartime sacrifices made by Americans. Admission to the museum is free: it is quite simply a labor of love.

Victoria Conway (back row, center) is the Administrative Manager & Founder of the Mississippi Rollergirls, the first and only flat track roller derby league in Mississippi. She also skates for the team under the name, Vikki Sixx, a take-off on the name of the bass player from Motley Crue. The Mississippi Rollergirls formed in April 2006, but they were without a home rink until Skate Zone in Ocean Springs stepped into the picture. The Rollergirls currently consists of twenty-four strong women who practice twice a week in an attempt to get their league off the ground. They hope to develop four fourteen-woman teams and an all-star traveling squad. The Mississippi Rollergirls are focused on supporting their community and promoting female empowerment while providing a safe, family-friendly source of entertainment along the way. Safe, that is, for the fans. Injuries to the athletes come with the territory.

The value of a work of art increases with its rarity. By that standard the breathtaking azaleas that explode in color for a brief period each spring are the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s most valuable flower. Patricia Anderson looks over the beautiful azaleas in front of Bliss in downtown Ocean Springs. Carol Gautier opened the “unique boutique” on Washington Avenue in late 2001 and boasts the brightest azaleas in the downtown area. More importantly, according to her employee Patricia, Carol’s personal beauty continues year around, touching the many lives that pass through her popular store.

When tornadoes devastated Enterprise, Alabama, Linda Orrison decided that someone ought to do something to help. When she told her son, Brad, owner of The Shed BBQ, he immediately volunteered his seventeen-foot trailer to haul a load of supplies. Linda began making phone calls to schools and churches and City Hall, and within a week loaded Brad’s trailer AND two fifty-three foot tractor-trailers full of relief supplies! No one should be surprised. The Shed BBQ began with Brad’s dumpster diving treasures, continued with hard work by both Brad and his sister, Brooke, and struck gold with Poppa Jack’s special sauce, and since its opening in August of 2001 has transformed into a nationally recognized restaurant that has recently sold its first franchise! If you “get fed at The Shed,” you might soon become a Shed Head, too!

A unique community lends itself to unique sports, so three years ago Ocean Springs was a natural location to host the Gulf Coast Gators, Mississippi’s only U.S. Lacrosse sanctioned youth team. Coach Charlie Reichel played lacrosse in high school and college (New York Maritime) and quickly became involved with the new club when it was being formed. In March 2007, the Gators hosted the “1st Annual Battle by the Beach” at the Gay-Lemon complex in Ocean Springs. Six clubs competed in the all-day tournament’s two divisions (seventeen and under, and fifteen and under) on a gorgeous Saturday, and that evening the lacrosse teams from LSU and Tulane squared off in an exciting free exhibition match.

Visitors to the famed downtown shops of Ocean Springs cross the railroad tracks on Washington Avenue and are greeted by the large letters announcing Salmagundi Gifts. The Salmagundi Shop has been offering its large variety of high-end gifts for over forty-five years now. The original owners found the name Salmagundi (which means “a little bit of everything”) in an old Washington Irving book, and the unique name has been a part of Ocean Springs ever since. Jeannie Stevenson became the owner of Salmagundi Shop fourteen years ago, and her wonderful personality continues to develop a loyal clientele that guarantees the historic shop will survive well into the future.

One building dominates the skyline of Ocean Springs: the Villa Maria Retirement Apartments on Porter Avenue. The Villa Maria opened its doors in late 1971, providing over two-hundred apartments for independent senior citizens in its thirteen stories. Marjorie Priester moved to the “Villa” with her husband in 1980. Mr. Priester passed away from a heart attack in 1983, and Marjorie has remained a resident ever since. She has worked the front desk, served as counselor to many fellow residents, walked to regular services at First Baptist Church, and made many friends through living at the Villa over the past twenty-seven years.

Mayberry had Floyd’s Barber Shop. Ocean Springs has Cox’s Barber Shop. Bobby Cox (pictured) owns the popular Government Street business, but he is simply one of a host of folks carrying on the most family-oriented barber shop around. In 1961, Robert Cox (Bobby’s dad) began cutting hair at Mr. Webb’s shop in downtown Ocean Springs. In 1962, Robert Murphy joined him there. This began a working relationship between the two Roberts last lasted over forty years until Mr. Cox retired three years ago (although he still works Mondays at the St. Martin shop for some golfing money!). The two barbers moved to the Government Street location in 1970, Bobby and brother-in-law, Gerald Ferrill, entered the family profession in 1989, and even Mr. Murphy’s son, Cliff, began cutting hair alongside his dad two years ago. Best of all, everyone in Ocean Springs who decides to get a haircut at Cox’s Barber Shop feels like part of the family, too.