Page 18 - LIN_December 2022

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DESIGNED

LOIS BOLIN, Ph.D., Old Naples Historian

Memories Home

OF

The day after the storm cleared, community stewards, such as Naples Promenade Disaster and Recovery Group,
sprang into action alongside organizers, coordinators, volunteers, and social media whizzes.
Since then, many groups who were looking after the physical needs of various neighborhoods sprang forth along
with individuals who were looking after emotional needs to feel connected. Everyone was playing a role in our home’s recovery.

PICKING UP THE PIECES W. Roy Smith, Ed Frank and Ansel MacSwain were among those
Perusing Facebook one night, I came across a post by Nancy Turner, who who founded the Bank of Naples in 1949. Mr. Smith, Naples’ first mod-
is married to a pioneering descendent named, Nick Turner. She men- ern-time mayor, who served from 1946-1960, became president of the
tioned her concerns about “Tooke’s Palm” at the end of North Lake Drive. bank and hired Mr. Tooke as the bank’s first manager. Mrs. Tooke was
The next day, another post from Jen Adriaanse, popped up about a offered the job as head cashier.
metal plaque and asked if anyone knew of this family. It was none other Sadly, one year after opening the bank, Mr. Tooke suffered a major
than Florida’s First Lady of Banking, Mamie B. Tooke, who used to go stroke and passed away a short time later. Mrs. Tooke then became
down to the beach to swim after work and my guess is, it was where bank manager and proceeded to develop a strong and loyal clientele.

“Tooke’s Palm” is today.
MAMIE’S RULES AND REGS
Mrs. Tooke was a natural at customer service. The concept of an open-
door policy might not have begun with Mrs. Tooke, but she embodied
the philosophy. Since the building was not air-conditioned, the doors
of the Bank of Naples stood open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and the
first face everyone saw upon entering was hers. This policy not only
encouraged the general public to visit, it also offered her loan officer the
ability to sniff out any necessary details in order to do his job effectively.

JEDGE, THE LOAN OFFICER
One of the bank’s early customers, Joan Tibbetts, often did her bank-
ing and other errands accompanied by Jedge, her basset hound. Jedge
would wait patiently for his cookie, and one day decided not to follow
Mrs. Tibbetts home. Instead, he would assume his position next to
Mrs. Tooke, wherein for hours he would go about his
Above: Tooke's Palm, uprooted by Hurricane Ian. new job of sleuthing or sleeping.
Right: Jedge, Mamie Tooke's "right-hand man".
When Mrs. Tooke assumed the manager’s posi-
WHAT’S MY TAKE ON TOOKE? tion, she also inherited a seat on the Loan Committee.
Mrs. Tooke, regarded by many as the mother of Naples, is still revered as As the stories go, she soon noticed that during some
one of Southwest Florida’s most formidable women in banking. Known of the loan interviews, Jedge would get up and leave
for her courage and managerial skills, she could have written a book on the bank, while during others he would remain next
leadership, trust and other proficiencies she either learned or honed from to her desk. Jedge became her barometer.
her beloved husband, Clarence. Another teacher in business and life for
Mamie was Jedge Tibbetts, her faithful “loan officer,” who was willing to FAILURE WAS IMPOSSIBLE
simply work for cookies and a scratch on the back. Gene MacSwain, son of one of the founders of Naples’ first bank, remem-
bers Mrs. Tooke, Mrs. Tibbetts and Jedge very well. Over coffee a few
BANKING IN NAPLES years ago, he matter-of-factly relayed, “You know, that dog could decide
Prior to 1949, bank transactions for the Naples area were conducted in if you got a loan or not. It made some people mad. “He then smiled that
Fort Myers. Bubba Frank, founder of the Swamp Buggy, opened the first sly Cracker smile, leaned in and whispered, “She knew who’d pay back
commercial building on Fifth Avenue South and made this banking trek that loan—we all did. Now she had a scapegoat. Actually, I guess it was
daily for himself and for a few others, thus dubbing himself “The Collier a scape-dog.”
County Courier.” Other residents, however, grew tired of traveling for
their banking needs and decided to pool their money and open a bank. (Thanks Nancy and Jen for memories of home.)

18 Life in Naples December 2022