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MARTY CLEARMary Lou "Boo" Larcom spent more than 30 years, mostly at Franklin Middle School, teaching physical education.
SOUTH WESTSHORE - If it hadn't been for her father's accent, Mary Lou "Boo" Larcom might never had ended up in Tampa, and hundreds of local school children might never have met the woman who became one of their favorite teachers.
Ms. Larcom's parents moved from Massachusetts to Pinellas County in the 1920s, shortly before their daughter was born. Her father's New England accent sounded strange to people in the tiny town of Seminole.
"He had a hard time getting a job because of his Yankee accent," said Jen Larcom, Ms. Larcom's great-niece.
He eked out a living as a fisherman for a few years, then moved to Tampa, where remnants of his accent didn't pose a big problem.
Ms. Larcom called Tampa home for the rest of her life. She died Saturday (June 21, 2003) after a long battle with diabetes. She is survived by a brother, Edward J. Larcom, and several nieces and nephews. She was 74.
From the day she was born - Nov. 1, 1928, the day after Halloween - almost everyone called her "Boo."
And from the time she was a child, it seemed obvious that she would become a physical education teacher.
"She loved sports and she loved kids," Jen Larcom said.
Sports opportunities for girls were limited in Tampa back then, but Ms. Larcom took advantage of all opportunities that arose. She loved the water and water skiing, but the family didn't have a boat. So her brother would drive his Model T along the beach, towing Ms. Larcom on her skis in the water.
Ms. Larcom attended Westshore Elementary and Plant High School. Plant didn't have a softball team in the late 1940s, but Ms. Larcom joined a few independent girls' teams that played regionally and around the state. She pitched for Hall's Girls and Jack's Cookies and was talented enough that local papers wrote stories about her.
After graduating from Plant, Ms. Larcom attended what is now Florida State University, where she earned a degree in physical education.
She returned to Tampa to start her career, most of which she spent at Franklin Junior High School (now Franklin Middle School northeast of Ybor City), where she taught physical education for more than 30 years.
When she retired, some of her students gave her a softball with the words, "Mary Lou Larcom, 32 years."
She left almost 20 years ago, and few current faculty members remember her. But her students never forgot, even decades after graduation.
"A lot of her students kept in touch with her," Jen Larcom said. "They even visited her in the nursing home."
Although she lived in a nursing home since January, Ms. Larcom was active and independent through last year. She loved fishing.
"She did everything herself," her great-niece said. "She could do electrical and plumbing work, and she loved to work in her garden. She kept beautiful orchids."
Even as her Aunt Boo aged, she never lost her childlike sense of humor, Jen Larcom said. She had a sharp wit and wasn't above pulling practical jokes.
Ms. Larcom lived in the same South Tampa home on Vasconia Street since the 1960s, and until about 10 years ago she shared it with a friend, Irvis Moore, who most people called Moe.
It wasn't a natural alliance. Both women loved football, but Moore was a devoted University of Florida fan and Ms. Larcom was an equally ardent FSU supporter.
The two had a standing bet, with some hefty stakes, when the teams went head to head.
"The one who lost," Jen Larcom said, "would have to wear the other school's colors and do the dishes for the year."