Post #637173 by TikiTomD on Sat, May 19, 2012 7:59 PM

While browsing at Art & Alligators during Hukilau 2012, I came across a breathtaking Polynesian giclee print signed by McVicker, stated to be of the Polynesian Room mural in the Yankee Clipper Hotel (now known as the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel). Regardless of its origin, I had to have it, for it so perfectly encapsulated Mid-Century Poly Pop...

On getting back to my room, I found this Tiki Central thread from 2006 on the subject, started by thegreenman. Humuhumu also posted about it on her Humu Kon Tiki website. The quest for more information on the artist and the art went unanswered for five years, then in September of 2011, McVicker’s daughter posted an answer to the mystery on Humuhumu’s website...

I found this Roger Lloyd McVicker obituary on legacy.com...

In another of life’s odd coincidences, you’ll note that the one guest book entry came from someone in Flagler Beach, about 260 miles up the east coast of Florida from Fort Lauderdale Beach, in the same beachside town that I live in. I found a matching name in my local phone directory and called on a whim. Answering the phone was the same Janet Powell who was Roger McVicker’s friend! Janet and her husband had come to Fort Lauderdale in September of 1957, in the year after the Yankee Clipper opened. They moved to Flagler Beach about 14 years ago because of some very personal experiences with the increasing crime in South Florida. Her husband since passed away, but she only lives about five blocks from me.

Earlier tonight, Janet dropped by to see the Polynesian art print that I’d just had framed. Pat and I had picked out some red suede matting that nicely highlighted it...

Janet was quite impressed with the Polynesian scene but not surprised at the quality of Roger McVicker’s work, as she was already familiar with his considerable artistic talents. Here’s her photo admiring the print...

During her many years in Fort Lauderdale, Janet and her husband had frequented the Polynesian Room and the Wreck Bar in the Yankee Clipper, as well as the Mai-Kai. However, she only got to know Roger McVicker late in life. As fate would have it, Janet agreed to help a pharmacist by looking in on his elderly mother who had lost much of her vision. The woman lived in the Royal Park Condos in Oakland Park right next door to Roger. During her frequent visits, Janet met and became good friends with Roger. Janet was an expert quilter and Roger had an appreciation for the artistic quality of her work. Janet said that he remained active as a commercial artist, working right in his condo on various projects and proposals. She described his architectural rendering drawings as so detailed and lifelike that they appeared as if they were photos, though he remained an unknown talent because his work was bundled in with all the other components of a commercial bid package.

Janet described Roger as a slender man of short stature with a gentlemanly disposition that never faltered. He invested his life savings in a dot-com enterprise that went bankrupt when the bubble burst, and she believes that this weighed heavily on his wellbeing. I ran across this article in the news archives that corroborates Janet’s story (note that Roger McVicker is cited from a telephone interview)...

Las Vegas Review-Journal October 14, 2000

Janet was able to confirm that a small photo I found on the internet was indeed Roger McVicker, though it was clearly when he was much younger...

-Tom

[ Edited by: TikiTomD 2012-05-20 09:49 ]