As a proud descendant of the Minorcans who settled in St. Augustine, Robert (Bobby) Solano lived a life filled with youthful adventures. As a child, accompanying his beloved Pop, he “skeetered” over sand dunes and coquina bogs along a thirty-mile stretch of coastline from Jacksonville Beach to Vilano Beach, searching for mullet and turtle eggs. After graduation from Fletcher High School, Bobby Solano put the lessons of his youth to work as an adult and achieved success beyond his wildest dreams.
When Bob So
lano asked me to help write his life story, I had no idea what an amazing life he’d led, but now that his book has been published, everyone can read of his many adventures. THE LAST BEACH BOY: A TRUE AMERICAN STORY OF LIFE AND ADVENTURE (Windrusher Hall Press) was recently published and is available on Amazon Books in both print and Kindle formats. The book has many historical ties to St. Augustine and Jacksonville Beach, including how he and Pop were present the night Nazi spies landed on Ponte Vedra Beach. THE LAST BEACH BOY includes tales of his encounters with diamondback rattlers, wild boars, and sharks, as well as his days at Fletcher High School, where he captained the basketball team that won the 1954 state championship.
Readers will learn that after graduating from high school, Solano was about to take a job digging ditches when he received a phone call that changed his life. He became a pioneer with one of the first ICEE franchises before launching his own KOOLEE frozen drink business. With his partner, he grew that business, eventually serving over 2,500 convenience stores. In the end, this man who began life hunting and fishing to help feed his family achieved remarkable success but still treasures his humble beginnings.