‘Mr. Gulf Coast’ was last of the pack of South Mississippi’s tourist legends
Another of Biloxi’s iconic tourism leaders, who loved the city so much he put “Biloxi 1 and 2” on his license plates, has died.
Reginald “Ed” Bossier was known professionally as the owner of Biloxi Travelodge, Hook, Line & Sinker restaurant, Bossier’s Gifts souvenir shop and an RV park he built over the years along the Biloxi Strip in west Biloxi.
His friends say “gregarious” best describes Bossier, who died April 6 at the age of 81.
A funeral service was held Friday. Before burial Monday, a procession begins at 10 a.m. at the Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home to Southern Memorial Park in Biloxi, past the Biloxi Lighthouse and the places Ed loved most.
“He was Mr. Gulf Coast,” said Bill Holmes Sr., former executive director of the Coast Coliseum and Convention Center.
“He was a special person. Outgoing. Always joking around. When he was at cocktail parties, he was the life of the party,” Holmes said.
He also was like that at his restaurant, where he was hands-on, shucking oysters and pouring out wisdom and drinks.
He opened Bossier’s Grill in 1972, and in 1978 it became “The Hook, Line & Sinker” Restaurant and Anchor Lounge, where seafood was fresh and everything was made from scratch His 69-unit Biloxi Travelodge won many hospitality awards. Bossier’s Arcade was a fun hangout to play pinball or pose in the picture booth.
“Ed was truly one of a kind,” said Kenny Glavan, who is married to Bossier’s niece Lisa Compton Glavan and is regional revenue, sales & marketing strategist at Lodging & Leisure Investments. Glavan recalls late-night drives with Ed through Biloxi, counting cars in hotel lots and inviting them to the VIP lounge for a dozen oysters and complimentary beverage, Glavan said.
His businesses were more than just establishments, “They were part of the fabric of our community,” Glavan said. “His legacy will live on in the hearts of those who knew him.”
Building Coast tourism
In Forrest Gump fashion, Bossier was there for every major development of the Coast tourism industry over decades.
“He helped us get Cruisin’ The Coast started and off the ground, among other things,” said Beverly Martin, director of the restaurant and beverage association for South Mississippi and later a tourism commissioner and a Harrison County Supervisor.
“He was one of the first that offered golf packages to the snowbirds,” she said, bringing tourists South when the weather was warm in Biloxi.
She worked with Bossier for so many years, “It feels like he was always there, so I can’t even tell you how far back,” said Linda Hornsby, executive director of the Mississippi Hotel and Motel Lodging Association.
When it was just the Gulf Coast Hotel Association, the organization would have dinner meetings for at the hotels and resorts.
“Everyone tried to outdo each other,” she said, and Bossier sent out impressive trays of oysters. The chefs weren’t allowed to talk to the other owners for fear they would try to hire them away, she said.
Part of Biloxi ‘rat pack’
Bossier was a member of the unofficial Biloxi “rat pack” of hotel owners and managers, who were the voice of the industry and supported both community causes and legalization of casinos to revive the Coast economy.
Among them were Billy Creel, who was at the Isle of Capri when it became the first casino in Mississippi in 1992. Charles “Eddie” McGuire, manager of the Biloxi Beach Motor Inn, and Jack Stanford, a Coast and state tourism leader and general manager at Broadwater Beach Hotel also were part of the group.
Bossier is the last of the pack, having come back from hardship and illness many times. That includes disaster.
On Aug. 20, 2005, they had a contract to sell their business, said his wife Katie Bossier. “Then Katrina wiped us out Aug. 29,” she said.
Family ties
“He lived hard, and he loved hard,” said his sister Gloria Compton, who remembers him as her mischievous younger brother, a good Christian and so brave. “God’s grace — and Katie’s care — gave him so many extra years.”
“I worked for Mr. Ed when I was young,” his wife said. “He invited me to a Mardi Gras ball and we’ve been together since. We’ve been together for 33 years.”
Despite his busy schedule running multiple businesses he made time for his family, “We used to go midnight bowling together,” said his daughter, Regina Bossier. They also stayed up late watching movies on HBO and vacationed in Destin, Florida.
Despite being ill, Bossier recently attended his grandson, Drew Bossier’s white coat ceremony in Jackson to be part of his journey to become a dentist.
Biloxi first
Bossier joined many community organizations and achieved 40 years of perfect attendance at the Biloxi Rotary. He also attended Edgewater Rotary and his daughter.
Ed was one of the two remaining charter members of the Krewe of Neptune that tarted in 1981. Barry Barq is the lone charter member, said Kenny Beverin, one of the organization’s directors.
Bossier was King Neptune XXVI in 2010, when the krewe was revived after Hurricane Katrina. He also was a duke in 1998 for Bones Barq and was part of The Order of Les Pierrots.
“He never would forget a name,” Beverin said, “whether it was a year ago or 50 years ago. It’s a big loss to the krewe and the community,” he said
“There’s so much good to say about Ed, it’s hard to say just one,” said George Junkert, owner of Triple Diamond Pawn. He’s known Bossier since 1992, when they owned two of the first pawn shops on the beach.
Although they originally were competitors who became friends who scuba dived together in Cozumel, Mexico and fried turkeys together for Christmas for the last 20 years.
“Ed always had words of wisdom,” he said, and was inspired by the poem “If,” by Rudyard Kipling that speaks of perseverance and “meet with triumph and disaster.” It was his life and Biloxi was his home.
