John Flaherty Iii
One of my earliest memories of my dad at work was the day he took command of the Juniper in St. Petersburg. On that occasion, his parents were there for the ceremony, and my grandmother was the proudest woman imaginable. We saw just how proud she was as she made her way to the ship's gangway, enthusiastically yelling, "Jackie, we are so proud of you!" in a way that only Gram could ... or, for that matter, get away with. I half-expected one of Dad's men to burst into laughter, but somehow they maintained their composure that day. During that time, we learned about Gasparilla, played on the ship's softball team, and often wondered why Dad would brave a hurricane while everyone else sought shelter. Love you, Dad. John III.