Beach Walks

The beach and the open sea offer a special opportunity to find spiritual pleasure. George Thatcher has fully utilized this opportunity. The retired banker and Gulfport resident records his daily beach walks in a column that runs daily in The Sun Herald (Biloxi). His entries are brief—but they capture the memorable impressions of his daily sojourns. Throughout the seasons, sometimes at sunrise, sometimes at sunset, his sensitive eye and acute consciousness enable us all to experience the special joys of the beach and all its wonder.

"A beach walk offers a bit of peace in a busy world. Amid spectacular seascapes, there is opportunity to consider one's own interior landscapes...." George Thatcher

A longtime Gulport resident, George Thatcher has observed the many changes wrought on the beach by both nature and man. Although his hobbies and interests have changed over the years, Thatcher's pleasure in walking, particularly on the beach, has remained constant. Thatcher has long kept a diary of his daily sojourns on the beach. At first, for his own musing. At the suggestion of a good friend, Thacher submitted some of his writings to a local newspaper, The Sun Herald (Biloxi). To his delight, he was asked to author a column to appear in the paper six days a week. The column has been a tremendous success.

Several years ago, Thatcher retired as chairman of Union Planters Bank's Coast Division. His 23-year banking career followed 21 years as a partner in Rand-Thatcher Advertising Agency.

A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, Thatcher has been active in many Gulf Coast and state organizations. He is a past chairman of the Mississippi Arts Commission. His avocation is fund raising for The Anglican Diocese of Northern Malawi, East Africa, which he frequently visits.

At 78, Thatcher has added another artistic feather to his cap, adeptly appending "accomplished writer" to his broad repertoire of life experiences.