Life Lessons of a Legend

Life Lessons is a dramatic and inspiring story of Captain Tony Tarracino's remarkable journey from the ghettos of Elizabeth, N.J. to becoming a living legend serving as the Mayor Emeritus of Key West. He made a career of being a mesmerizing storyteller, captivating personality, and Casanova of the sea. The Captain swears like a sailor on leave yet speaks of compassion as the word we should all live by. In Life Lessons you learn of his harrowing life on the sea, secret spy exploits as a gunrunner during the Cuban revolution, tales of the oldest bar in Florida - Captain Tony's Saloon, being immortalized by his friend Jimmy Buffett in the song Last Mango in Paris, and Tony's family of 13 children with eight different women. Life Lessons captures the legendary tales and riveting lessons learned from a life of great adventure lived on the edge.

In 2001, Brad Manard was living an ordinary life as an Iowa School Superintendent. Then he read Jimmy Buffett’s A Pirate Looks at 50, realized Jimmy was having a lot more fun than he was, and decided to adopt his Untamed Spirit. From there, he met Jimmy Buffett’s friend, the legendary Captain Tony Tarracino. Immortalized in Buffett’s song Last Mango in Paris, the revered saloon owner, gun- runner, and mayor emuritus of Key West, Captain Tony has lived a Caribbean life on the edge of free-wheeling spirit and adventure. Together, Brad and Captain Tony co-wrote the Captain’s memoirs entitled Life Lessons of a Legend focusing on Captain Tony’s life lessons and his ability to build strong, positive relationships with people. Tony’s Life Lessons have influenced Brad’s leadership style including his understanding of compassion, appreciation for the unique qualities of each individual, and the impact of kindness. Brad Manard is currently the Superintendent of the Boone Community School District in Boone, IA. His history includes: -Over 30 years as a superintendent, high school principal, assistant principal and English teacher in Nebraska. -An earned B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Nebraska. -An earned Ed.D degree from the University of South Dakota -In 2008, he was a nominee for Iowa’s Superintendent of the Year Brad is continuing to write with his first novel The White Room due to be published soon. Capt. Tony Tarracino passed away on November 1, 2008, four days after celebrating the official release of Life Lessons. In his 92 years of life, Tony shared in his last days that Life Lessons made the last month of his life one of the best months of his life. That day, in the restroom at Capt. Tony’s Saloon in Key West, anonymous author wrote 11/1/08 - On this saddest of days, we all celebrate the life he lived, the life we wished we lived, and the possibilities of the life before us....