Misener Family Anchors - St Petersburg, FL - Anchors on Waymarking.com

Richarh H Misener

December 5, 1916-May 28, 1987

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there is this reent article about him:

Who was that bearded man? Police have an answer

ST. PETERSBURG -- So who is the mystery man at the north toll booth of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge?

It turns out to be Richard H. Misener, the marine construction magnate and mayor and key player in the development of what is now St. Pete Beach. He's also the namesake of the Richard H. Misener Bridge where the bust was found.

Unfortunately, a motorist mistook the bust of Misener for the stolen bust of Ybor City icon and Columbia restaurant matriarch Adela Gonzmart this morning, prompting a media frenzy. St. Petersburg police say one cameraman was nearly hit by a passing car. Authorities asked camera crews to leave after a crowd gathered and traffic slowed.

"We were disappointed this was not our statue," said Angela Geml, marketing director for Columbia Restaurant. "We were hoping Adela could be brought home."

St. Petersburg police say the concrete bust, which measures about two and a half feet tall, was glued on top of the concrete abutment of the bridge with some type of brown epoxy, which was still wet. The Florida Department of Transportation chiseled the bust from the concrete abutment without damaging the bridge or the bust.

Officers found the name of the artist, Joseph Ierna, stamped on the back of the bust. With the help of a local statute company, they identified the bust as that of Richard H. Misener, who is interred in a mausoleum at Woodlawn Memory Gardens at 101 58th Street South in St. Petersburg.

Officers visited the cemetery and found a bronze bust of Misener at his mausoleum. The bronze bust and the concrete bust from the bridge appear very similar, and they may have come from the same mold.

Police are trying to make contact with a member of the Misener family to see if the bust was stolen.

-- Abhi Raghunathan and Casey Cora, Times staff writers

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