The back story
One of the best things about running a lifestyle magazine is meeting interesting people
or getting reacquainted with people you haven’t seen in years. In this issue, Greg
Gardner’s piece on Sam Crutchfield stirs up some first-hand memories of the ubiquitous
man of many talents.
It would take a book to cover the nine lives of Sam, and we’re only able to dedicate a few
pages. I first met him when I was a rookie reporter at the Fort Pierce News-Tribune and Sam
was the paper’s fishing columnist.While I could spend a day at the office hunting and pecking
away at stories, Sam could stop in after a day of fishing and write up his column in
about 10 minutes. He could make an IBM Selectric hum like nobody else in the newsroom.
Turns out he learned how to type fast while a radioman in the Coast Guard.
You never know when you
might encounter Sam, or when
you might see his accomplishments
Reach Publisher and Editor Gregory Enns at
772.466.3346 or enns@indianrivermag.com.
in the headlines or on
television.
Sam made big news in 1983,
and I happened to be the
reporter working the cops shift
that day. He’d been out fishing in
his boat when he came upon a
53-foot Hatteras that had been
abandoned and was laden with
173 bales of marijuana. Sam
radioed the Coast Guard and
helped bring the boat in. Under
salvaging laws, he filed a claim
for the boat and ended up spending
years fighting the government
over its ownership. The
government won.
On Sundays back in the '80s,
Sam would often drop in at the
old Harbour House in Fort Pierce
to sharpen his musical skills with
a friend, the pianist Arthur
“Potty” Pottorff. Sam could play
pretty good trumpet. He could
render “Over the Rainbow,” as a
columnist once said, like only he
could render it. Turns out Sam
had played in the marching band
at Florida State.
Years later, after I left the
Treasure Coast and was living
in Sarasota, I was watching a
Saturday fishing show when
Sam came across the television
screen, his music playing in the
background. Turns out, Roland Martin deemed Sam’s versatility as an angler and musician
worthy of featuring for an entire show on his nationally televised “Fishing with
Roland Martin.”
Now, as Greg tells us, Sam has entered a new phase of his life, writing and producing
music about fishing. Sam typifies the spirit of summer, and we hope the story about him is
just one of many you’ll enjoy in this special issue.
And speaking of summer, don’t forget that you won’t receive your next Indian River until
October, when we begin our fourth year.We have some really exciting features planned.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
A TREASURE TO READ
4
Publisher & Editor
Gregory Enns
Associate Publisher
Allen Osteen
Contributing Writers
Janie Gould,
Gloria Taylor Weinberg,
Susan Burgess, Willi Miller,
Sue-Ellen Sanders,
Greg Gardner, Jerry Shaw
Photography
Rob Downey, Ed Drondoski,
Greg Gardner, Bob Dobens,
Robert P. Dudley
Design
Michelle L. Burney
Web Editor
Michael Burney
Cover
Photo of pool by Lighthouse
Pools in Jupiter and falls by
Florida Falls of Stuart
To Advertise
772.466.3346
advertise@indianrivermag.com
Advertising Representatives
Carrie Biggers
772.828.7001
carrie@indianrivermag.com
Debbi Beach
772.201.1947
debbi@indianrivermag.com
Christine Keller
772.201.0170
christine@indianrivermag.com
To subscribe
Visit indianriverstore.com
or send $20 check with
recipient’s mailing address to
Indian River, 308 Ave. A,
Fort Pierce, FL 34950
All address changes must be
made in writing to the above
address or by e-mailing
subscribe@indianrivermag.com
On the Web
www.indianrivermag.com
Indian River Magazine Inc. is a locally
owned company based at 308 Ave. A
in Fort Pierce, Fla. Indian River magazine
publishes five times a year: early
October, late November, mid-January,
early March and early May. All material
contained herein is copyrighted by
Indian River Magazine Inc.
A 64-pound spearfish stands between Sam Crutchfield and his charter,
Mrs. John Adams, after a day of fishing in 1985. The spearfish
would have been a world’s record if it had been caught according to
the rules of the International Game Fishing Association.
/indianriverstore.com
/www.indianrivermag.com
link
link
link
link
link
link