Tom Barnes was
born in Fort Myers, and at age of five his family
moved away from the sandy beaches of Southern Florida
to the wooded hills and red clay of Central Georgia.
The land his great grandfather fought for in places
like Gettysburg, Cold Harbor and Saylers Creek.
Tom
Grew up listening to war stories and fatefully
recording them into his journal. He chose literature
over science with English lit, history and drama as
his prime subjects at Jackson High, Middle Georgia
College and the Pasadena Playhouse.
His military service was spent
in naval aviation where he became a member of an elite
group known as the Hurricane Hunters. His
squadron flew out of Miami into the Caribbean and
South Atlantic in search of tropical depressions and
charting their path and growth until they became
full-blown hurricanes.
Once he was out of
the Navy, Tom made his way to New York to pursue a
career in theater and writing. He continued his war
journal, wrote non-fiction short stories while doing
plays, which included a stint with Bert Lahr in
"Harvey", and Vera Miles in "The Country Girl".
When PBS decided to
do the TV Series Heritage Tom was hired as host
narrator and writer. His initial writing assignment
was to research and write three episodes for the
series The Battle's of Atlanta and Chickamauga, and to
assist in rewriting another twenty-one segments for
the series. Researching, writing and interviewing
local historians, while filming on location, was a
challenge. But local citizens adding their own family
remembrance added color and brought the stories to
life.
The final episode
of the series was about a Georgia native and a Western
legend called Doc Holliday.
The idea for Tom's
next project came from an old slaves tale, The Legend
of Ebo Landing, a story he first heard at a waterfront
bar in Savanna, Georgia. The human tragedy of those
Africans drowning themselves got his attention and he
followed up by going to the source of the story, St.
Simons Island. He talked to the natives, and then did
extensive research, which formed the background for
the novel called "Tungee's Gold."
Years later when
Tom got hooked on the Holliday story he became
convinced that much of the legend had been hidden
beneath a veneer that dime store novels had drawn and
Hollywood perpetuated.
™