Historic Englewood Florida
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Page 8 www.yoursun.com Meanwhile, Bob Scott re- paired just about anything that came into his shop, Wille said. Then he started expanding his business, as he saw needs in the community. "Dad had to do a lot of dierent businesses to make a living," Wille said. "He repaired outboards, helped fishermen. He opened a rental shop with tools and beds for when kids came to visit — and he had a pet shop, too." Some of Bob's "celebrity" pets around the store included Susie the monkey, who was always a big draw, and Fritz the Wonder Dog, a German shepherd who learned how to surf. Fritz was often part of early Pioneer Days events. Wille's brother Bob Jr. moved down after a bad accident to stay with their father full time. He helped his father in the shop and took all the telegrams. The younger Scott was a regular sight in his pickup truck, taking a message out to someone on Manasota Key. "A lot of people didn't have a telephone, so they relied on telegrams," Wille said. Bob Scott also helped keep the equipment running for what was then the Englewood Volunteer Fire Department. "Dad was a firefighter in Illinois so he joined the fire department immediately when he came down to Englewood," Wille said. When the fire alarm went o in town, Scott would jump into ac- tion to get to the fire department, sometimes leaving a customer standing in the shop. His sense of immediacy didn't slacken o when he was o from work at home. "When the fire siren rang, I would run to get his leg," Wille explained. "Mom would go to the phone to see where the fire was." Scott was relied on in emergen- cies because he had shortwave radios and a generator which he used to keep in contact with headquarters in Sarasota. Deputy Don Sauerwine helps Robert Scott hitch a boat. SCOTT FROM PAGE 6A PHOTOS PROVIDED BY NANCY WILLE Robert Scott's Bob's Outboard Shop on West Dearborn Street, which he opened in 1955. SCOTT | 9A Robert Scott photographed in 1958 in front of his shop in Englewood with a 1908 Waterman outboard motor.