Long Island legends Rob and Mary Gosman and their six children turned a modest 1940’s fisherman’s breakfast shack into a major waterfront restaurant, wholesale /retail fish and lobster business, shopping promenade, clam bar, and outdoor concert venue at the entrance to Montauk Harbor. Over the course of 80 summers, thousands of college students and other seasonal workers had jobs at Gosman’s Dock. Now, some of “The Help” share their first-person, often hilarious, sometimes harrowing stories of serving customers, encountering celebrities, and dealing with colorful co-workers from near and far in “Memories of Gosman’s Dock,” just published by Parrville Press and illustrated with rare photos.
Learn about the housewife who tried to swim across the Atlantic (page 111), the charter boat captain who inspired the movie JAWS (Page 36), Gosman’s Woodstock (page 139), lobster fights (page 139), how a baked potato became the highlight of six fishermen’s dinner, (page 100) and how a shark ended up in a phone booth (page 37). Along the way you’ll meet a diverse cast of characters from bygone summers, when Montauk was a quiet, undiscovered paradise. “Memories of Gosman’s Dock is the perfect summer “beach read.”
All five authors of “Memories of Gosman’s Dock” worked various summer jobs there during their high school and college years. They include: Debbie Tuma, a longtime journalist for East End papers and The Daily News, who currently works at WLNG 92.1FM in Sag Harbor; Christopher Walsh, journalist for the East Hampton Star and a popular musician; and Bill, John, and Brian McKernan, all of whom worked at Gosman’s Dock during various summers from 1961 to 1976. Their late sister Rita McKernan Gosman, was a longtime hostess at Gosman’s Restaurant.
Parrville Press is the creation of Brian McKernan, retired PR writer, former editor of teleproduction trade magazines, and audiobook narrator/voiceover artist. In addition to editing and writing a chapter in “Memories of Gosman’s Dock,” Brian McKernan is also the author of “With Thanks to Superman,” (Parrville 2023), “Superman: The Richard Donner Years,” (Bowers, 2015), and “Digital Cinema: The Revolution in Cinematography, Postproduction, and Distribution,” (McGraw Hill, 2005).
“Memories of Gosman’s Dock” features rare photos of the construction of Gosman’s Restaurant and cover images by Antoni Ghosh. This fun book will stay with you long after your Montauk vacation ends. This book is not affiliated with Gosman’s Dock, and is available on Amazon.com