Ronald Reiter was born in 1931, in Toledo, Ohio and spent much of his youth boating, playing and ice skating on Lake Erie and the Maumee River. In high school, Ron learned that an acquaintance of his sister needed a boat boy for their schooner and thus a long career was born. Under Mr. Young’s guidance, he would learn many aspects of sailing and would get tips for smooth docking of the vessel. In the 1940s, Ron was selected by Mr. Young to captain a 22-foot Lyman cruiser owne

St. Michael’s Fuel & Ice was opened in 1993, by Mr. David Luke, a well-respected Biloxi businessman and shrimper. When the gaming industry was introduced to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the early 1990s, a burden was put on the ice supplies in the area. The existing ice houses and fuel docks were hard pressed to meet the demand of the fishermen and processing plants, so Mr. Luke met that need by opening St. Michael’s Fuel & Ice only to realize the need was even greater than h

George Anglado, Jr. was born on August 5, 1942, in Biloxi to George and Evelyn Anglado. He worked his whole life in the seafood industry, working for Suarez Seafood, West Seafood and J & W Seafood. For decades, George exemplified the very best of the seafood industry through both skill and character. Operating the Laitram automatic shrimp peeling machine requires mechanical knowledge, dexterity, and an unwavering attention to detail. Yet beyond the technical demands, it call

Built in 1931 at Covacevich Shipyard in Biloxi, the DORIS MAE was owned and operated by Captain Arthur Baker, Sr. It was named for a family member of the builder’s family, Doris Mae Covacevich. The 52-foot wooden Biloxi lugger was used for harvesting shrimp to support the Baker family who resided on Deer Island off the shore of Biloxi. In 1932, the lugger won the trawl race in that year’s regatta. Two years later, the boat was struck by lightning, but fortunately, it did not

Captain Greg Baker was born in 1966, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. At the age of three, Greg and his family set down roots on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His first introduction to the seafood industry came at the young age of 12, when friends would invite him on shrimping trips. Greg instantly fell in love with the adventurous work and set a course to become a shrimper. He convinced his parents that he could use the family ski boat to harvest shrimp, so he loaded the vessel

Built in 1987 in Chauvin, Louisiana, this 58-foot steel hull trawler originally bore the name Mon Amie. When purchased in 2007, by Captain Greg Baker of Jackson County, Mississippi, the boat was restored and rechristened the KENNY B, reflecting the owner’s love and admiration for his late father, Kenny Baker. Bearing the school colors for which the elder Baker served as principal for many years, the boat is always a crowd favorite with its red, white and blue paint. Especiall

Born in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1943, Joseph Covacevich was the son of Neilous and Maxine Corso Covacevich. His roots are deep seated in the city of Biloxi with his maternal grandparents, Joseph and Nellie Corso, and his paternal grandparents, “Jackie Jack” and Artimease Covacevich. He was very proud of his heritage and was dedicated to the maritime and seafood industries that are synonymous with his hometown. After attending Nativity BVM Elementary and Biloxi High School, Jos

A Louisiana Cajun, David Luke has had a lifetime devoted to the seafood industry. As a young boy, he followed in the footsteps of his father and began working at the family’s canning factory after school and during the summer months. By the age of 12, he was responsible for loading the canned shrimp in baskets to be lifted to the steam machine for sealing. He would continue to learn every aspect of the family business. Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the U.S.

Born in Biloxi in 1950, Buddy Jumonville boasts a legacy of boatbuilding. His father was French Canadian, Marsby John Jumonville, and his mother, Margaret Covacevich Jumonville, was the granddaughter of famed boatbuilder “Jacky Jack” Covacevich. After graduating from Notre Dame High School in Biloxi, Buddy attending the University of Southern Mississippi. Like many children of boatbuilders, one would find him working with his family in the Covacevich Shipyard as a laborer and

Robin was born and raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and served as the Executive Director of the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum since 1988 and retired in August 2025 after 37 years of expert guidance. She previously was the Administrative Assistant to Mayor Gerald Blessey for 4 years before taking a leave of absence to raise her family. She is married to Rusty David and has two daughters, Megan and Shelby and one grandson. They both graduated from the University of Sou

Arthur Baker, Sr. was born in 1906, to Frank “Ben” and Dora Ryan Baker. He was the third generation of fishermen, the second generation of Bakers to be born and live on Deer Island located just off the shoreline of Biloxi. Arthur married Eva Louise Walthall, with whom he had six sons- Fredrick, Arthur, Frank, Donald, Alvin and Ronald- raising his five younger sons to be “boatman” and work in the seafood industry. The life of a fisherman was hard, and raising the family on an

Fifth generation Fountain from D’Iberville/St. Martin area of Biloxi, Andy Fountain was born to Andrew and Melba Fountain in 1959. The Fountain family produced several boat builders including Martin Fountain, Sr., Martin Fountain, Jr., and Gussie Fountain. Andy began his boatbuilding apprenticeship with his uncle, Bill Holland, working after school and during summer breaks. During his senior year of high school, he joined the Navy serving aboard the Yard Oiler 129, then aboar

The ST. VINCENT was owned and operated by Vincent Rosetti in the early to mid 1900s. Vincent would take on each of his sons as deckhands aboard the vessel and teach them to harvest shrimp and oysters. The ST. VINCENT would lead the annual Blessing of the Fleet boat parade for many years under the guidance of the Rosetti men.

The MARION BOY was a 40-foot wooden hull Biloxi lugger built by Jack Covacevich in Biloxi, Mississippi. Beginning in the 1920’s, the vessel was owned by Mateo Pitalo and used in harvesting for many seafood processors, but primarily the Kuluz Bros Packing Co. The lugger served the seafood industry under the guidance of Captain Bill Romero.

The MARGARET A was a 40-foot wooden hull Biloxi lugger built by Jack Covacevich in Biloxi, Mississippi. The vessel was owned and captained by Mateo Pitalo for more than 30 years beginning in the 1920s, and used in harvesting for many seafood processors, but primarily the Kuluz Bros Packing Co.

Built in 1928, by Jacky Jack Covacevich, the HAPPY LANDING was a 55-foot Biloxi lugger. With its cypress hull and mahogany interior, the beautiful vessel was originally used by the “Happy Landing Restaurant and Lounge” located in New Orleans to entertain guests and for gambling on the Mississippi River. When the boat was relocated to Biloxi, it was purchased by John “Wesley” Compton, Sr. and used for charter fishing. Many trips along the Mississippi Sound and to the Chandeleu

Born in Meridian, Mississippi in 1920, John “Wesley” Compton, Sr., moved to the Gulf Coast as a young man. He began working with his father on the electrical systems of the popular Buena Vista Hotel. After serving in the US Navy, he assumed ownership of the electrical business. It was when “Big Bill Kennedy” took Wesley to the Chandeleur Islands on a fishing trip that he fell in love with the islands along the Gulf Coast. This inspired him to purchase the 32-foot Mary Jack an

Cecile Barras McKreth was born in 1908, to a family of sharecroppers in St. Martinville, Louisiana. As did thousands of seafood workers from south Louisiana, Cecile’s parents, Alcide Barras and Clemence Odalie Borel, brought their family to Biloxi in 1919, seeking work in the seafood industry. For nine years, Cecile’s family lived in “the camps”, which were housing units provided by the factories for seafood workers. The family moved from the camps after the passing of her fa

Born in Biloxi, January 1919, to Vincent Rosetti (an immigrant of Hvar, Yugoslavia) and Josephine Frank Rosetti, Tony was the first generation of his family to be born in the US. His grandfather, Anthony Rosetti, came to Biloxi at the turn of the twentieth century, as many Yugoslavian immigrants did, in search of a better life for his family and became a captain and commercial fisherman. He would ultimately become a founding member of Biloxi’s Slavonian Lodge. Tony’s mother,

Florrie Myrlene Cumbest was born on February 23, 1931, to Mack Elvis Cumbest and Florrie Almeda Goff Cumbest. She grew up in the Creole/Wade Community in Jackson County and married Israel “Buddy” Shemper, Jr. in 1950. In 1954, the couple moved from Pascagoula to Biloxi to a property Buddy and his father secured in a trade. On this property located at the foot of Crawford Street and Bayview Avenue, a surplus store and Shell Oil service station were on the north side of the str