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ORAL HISTORY
A.L. Quick - Oysterman
A. L. “Unk” Quick has been an oysterman all of his life. Originally from Wewahitchka, Florida, his family moved to Eastpoint in 1949. Unk was just nine years old. He quit school at the age of sixteen. He started oystering the very next day. In 1964 he proposed to his wife, Gloria. She started shucking oysters right after they got married. They have worked together ever since. He catches, she shucks. And some days they’ll go out on the bay together. He catches, she culls. In the off-season they pick up odd jobs and do yard work. Whatever they’re doing, they make a good team. And they know the area inside and out. Unk can speak volumes about the bay and the bounty it holds. But he fears that soon there will be no more oysters. He believes that the bay is being overfished and folks aren’t taking care of it like they should. Years past retirement, Unk and Gloria don’t intend to quit working any time soon. The bay is all they know.
A. L. “Unk” Quick passed away on July 24, 2020, at the age of 80.
