Editor’s note: The following is an article by Karen Miller about a lady the likes of whom you have never met. She is an institution unto herself. She was in a line of Auxiliarists being inspected by the Commanding Officer of Station Sand Key when he made a short note of her shoulder boards being a little faded. Very softly and with a beautiful smile she replied that they were 40 years old. He responded with a smile and said, “They look just fine, then.”
Meet Mary Skidmore, Hospitality Chair, for Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 11-6, New Port Richey, Fla. Mary was recently presented her 40 year certificate by the District 7 Director of Auxiliary, CDR David Allen, USCG.
She’s definitely a pioneer. Mary joined the New Port Richey Flotilla in 1968, at a time when there were very few women in the Auxiliary.
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How Mary got to the Auxiliary is an interesting story given the fact that her starting job had nothing to do with the Coast Guard. It was the railroad and her first job was as a “Wheel”. She had joined the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) during World War II. Conductors at that time were always men – and “Conductor” was a title reserved for men. The railroad had to come up with a new title and so Mary became a “Wheel”. Same job; different title.
This is where she met and married “Skid” and brought up seven children – as she calls them, “his, mine and ours.”
In 1954 they started planning for Skid’s retirement from the LIRR which would happen in a few years. While looking around for what they would do, Mary discovered a wonderful piece of property in Moriches, Long Island, right on Great South Bay.
There was a building on the property that Mary had moved further inland since it was too close to the water. How did it get on the property in the first place? It was a Coast Guard building from Fire Island that floated to the mainland during a storm! This was Mary’s first encounter with the Coast Guard.
Given its location on the water, Mary, with some help from her Dad, purchased thirty boats, painted them orange and started Skidmore’s Fishing Station. Right from the start she had more business than she could handle. During a fuel crisis, she used to tow the customers out with her power boat.
To this day, Mary periodically bumps into people who recognize “Capt” Mary and relate to her what fun they had at Skidmore’s Fish Station. The men especially remember that she hired “girls” in bikinis to clean the boats!
In the early Sixties, Mary became interested in the Coast Guard Auxiliary on Long Island. Alas, the local Auxiliary flotilla leadership wasn’t interested in admitting a female member. So, Mary spent her spare time as a Senior Leader for a mounted Girl Scout troop. She volunteered to help with horses instead of boats. All the while, she worked at their fish station.
Then, in 1964 Mary and Skid moved to New Port Richey, Fla. But, she stayed a “snowbird,” arriving in the spring in Moriches to open the Fish Station. Mary didn’t even think about the Coast Guard Auxiliary since she knew that didn’t want a woman in their ranks. She was very surprised when she met Harry Cadenhead in 1968.
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Auxiliarist Skidmore is presented with her 40 year service certificate by the District 7 Director of Auxiliary, CDR David Allen, USCG. |
Harry was the Flotilla Commander of New Port Richey Flotilla 11-6 and he encouraged Mary to join. She didn’t have to be asked twice. Mary became the first female member of the New Port Richey Flotilla 11-6 which was only 10 years old at the time and Harry was a forward thinking leader.
In 1975 Mary’s husband Skid passed away. The next twenty years brought Mary many ups and downs. She always liked to dance. Mary used to dance at the Eagles and Elks lodges, usually with her friends’ husbands.
One night she met Al, a drummer in the band. She and Al were together for two years, until he died. Still loving to dance, Mary went to Arthur Murray’s Dance School. There she met another Al and they were so good as a team, they won a trip in a dance contest. Unfortunately this Al died also. Then Mary met Verne who was from upstate New York and was with him for ten years. Then, Verne passed on.
In 1995, Mary met Henry at a dance at the local Eagles Lodge. She loved the Auxiliary so much that she had Henry join. He published the Flotilla’s newsletter for several years. Just recently their dancing days have ended when Mary twisted her ankle and it hasn’t healed well.
Mary truly believes that “Fellowship is the glue that holds the flotilla together.” To that end she has always been active in hospitality. Now, even at age 95, Mary is the Fellowship Chair for her Flotilla. She plans several events a year and was very instrumental in preparations for 11-6’s fiftieth anniversary celebration earlier this year.
If you get a chance, and are anywhere near New Port Richey, Florida, try to meet Mary and spend some time with her. Her life and her experiences in the USCG Auxiliary are fascinating.
Yes, Mary, we still need you now that you’re 95.
~IJLA