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Along the Watchtower, page 4: Jack and family move to Florida: Golf's greatest becomes a transplanted Floridian

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Along the Watchtower, page 4. More true accounts, oddball events, and state history from Florida Panhandle reporter Ken Brooks. Sunday, June 1, 2008. Jack and family move to Florida: Golf's greatest becomes a transplanted Floridian. When he turned professional in 1960, Jack was every bit the Midwestern Boy Next Door- assuming the boy next door could drive a golf ball 335 yards down the middle of a fairway. I (fell) totally in love with the easygoing Florida lifestyle," Nicklaus told a biographer. "Ou...

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Along the Watchtower, page 4: The murderous reign of the notorious Ashley Gang

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Along the Watchtower, page 4. More true accounts, oddball events, and state history from Florida Panhandle reporter Ken Brooks. Saturday, May 31, 2008. The murderous reign of the notorious Ashley Gang. The American Mid-West had its John Dillinger. The Dustbowl had its Pretty Boy Floyd. The Southwest boasted Bonnie and Clyde. Americans have always loved their anti-heroes, those swashbuckling gun-toters who rob from the rich and give to.well, themselves, mostly. One day, John spied a Seminole Indian loadin...

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Along the Watchtower, page 2...: The day I defeated Joe Frazier

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Along the Watchtower, page 2. More true accounts, oddball events, and state history from Florida Panhandle reporter Ken Brooks. Tuesday, May 27, 2008. The day I defeated Joe Frazier. We'll call this tale- absolutely true, by the way- "A Brush With History, Complete with Twist Ending.". Our story begins in September 1980. I was visiting a friend in Jacksonville, where boxer Joe Frazier was going to be signing autographs at a local mall. Naturally, we made plans to attend. 50 Years at Ringside. When I hand...

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Along the Watchtower, page 1: The PGA Championships of 1971 and 1987: Golf's only two major championships ever played on Florida soil.

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Along the Watchtower, page 1. True accounts, oddball events, and state history from Florida Panhandle reporter Ken Brooks. Saturday, May 24, 2008. The PGA Championships of 1971 and 1987: Golf's only two major championships ever played on Florida soil. As each new year begins, professional golfers fine-tune their considerable skills in preparation for the season's four major tournaments- the Masters in April, U.S. Open in June, British Open in July, and PGA Championship in August. Jack Nicklaus, 33, was A...

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Along the Watchtower, page 1: The Houdini family comes to the Florida Panhandle

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Along the Watchtower, page 1. True accounts, oddball events, and state history from Florida Panhandle reporter Ken Brooks. Saturday, May 24, 2008. The Houdini family comes to the Florida Panhandle. Harry Houdini- born Erich Weiss to a family of Jewish Hungarian immigrants- rose from an impoverished Wisconsin childhood to international stardom during the early-1900s as a magician and escape artist nonpariel, playing to packed houses in major cities around the globe. Reported, "Houdini lives again. It ...

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Along the Watchtower, page 5: The Case of the Purloined Poster

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Along the Watchtower, page 5. More true accounts, oddball events, and state history from Florida Panhandle reporter Ken Brooks. Friday, June 6, 2008. The Case of the Purloined Poster. Over three decades ago- in February 1974- newspaper heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped from her San Francisco apartment, sparking the largest manhunt in United States history. That fall I graduated college and found a job back home in the Florida panhandle town of Panama City. My work required a daily trip to the downto...

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Along the Watchtower, page 2...: The last public appearance of Al Capone

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Along the Watchtower, page 2. More true accounts, oddball events, and state history from Florida Panhandle reporter Ken Brooks. Monday, May 26, 2008. The last public appearance of Al Capone. He cut quite a charismatic figure, even in those days. Al Capone bounded up the steps of Miami's federal courthouse. Flashbulbs popped. Reporters shouted questions. By-standers reached out to pat his broad back- "I touched him! One of them shouted. When a reporter for the Miami. The once-mighty Capone- an invalid?

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Along the Watchtower, page 3: Paradise Lost? The Ft. Lauderdale Spring Break Riots of 1967.

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Along the Watchtower, page 3. More true accounts, oddball events, and state history from Florida Panhandle reporter Ken Brooks. Thursday, May 29, 2008. The Ft. Lauderdale Spring Break Riots of 1967. If teens in the Eisenhower-era didn't have an official Spring Break destination, the 1960 beach-blanket flick. Where the Boys Are. Each year thereafter, spring breakers arrived in ever-increasing numbers, pumping millions into Ft. Lauderdale's economy. It was win-win. When police arrived in an attempt to rest...

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Along the Watchtower, page 4: The Inverrary Classic, 1972-80: the Great One plays host to PGA stars

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Along the Watchtower, page 4. More true accounts, oddball events, and state history from Florida Panhandle reporter Ken Brooks. Monday, June 2, 2008. The Inverrary Classic, 1972-80: the Great One plays host to PGA stars. Following ABC-TV's cancellation of. In 1971, Jackie Gleason retreated into semi-retirement. There were offers from other networks, but Gleason- ex-pool hustler from the streets of. Only when the girls are here.". I know it will be a very safe tournament this year because I've ordered the...

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Along the Watchtower, page 4: The education of a funnyman: Oliver Hardy in Jacksonville

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Along the Watchtower, page 4. More true accounts, oddball events, and state history from Florida Panhandle reporter Ken Brooks. Sunday, June 1, 2008. The education of a funnyman: Oliver Hardy in Jacksonville. Hollywood's comedy team of Laurel and Hardy never had a more devout fan than my father. Whenever one of their 106 shorts or 23 feature films turned up on TV- which was often during the 1950s- my Dad would park himself in front of the TV. Me- I preferred the Three Stooges. In Jacksonville Hardy's ric...