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Martin "Trader Jon" Weissman

490 bytes added, 05:26, 27 July 2007
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| subject_name = Martin Weissman
| image_name =TraderJonWeissman.jpg
| image_size =125px160px| image_caption =Martin "Trader Jon" Weissman
| date_of_birth = [[September 1]], [[1915]]
| place_of_birth = Brooklyn, New York
| date_of_death = [[February 18]], [[2000]]
| place_of_death =[[Sacred Heart Hospital]], Pensacola
| occupation =owner, [[Trader Jon's]]
| religion =
'''Martin "Trader Jon" Weissman''' ([[1915]]-[[2000]]) was the owner and namesake of the famous [[Trader Jon's]] bar in [[downtown Pensacola]] that was a fixture to naval aviators stationed at [[NAS Pensacola]] for nearly fifty years.
[[Image:TraderJonWall.jpg|thumb|left|170px|Weissman by a wall of Navy photographs]]Trader was born [[September 1]], [[1915]] in Brooklyn, New York to Joseph and Sadie Weissman. He trained as a U.S. Army paratrooper during World War II, but broke his ankle in the last training jump before his scheduled deployment to Europe. The injury left him permanently bowlegged, and ; Weissman was honorably discharged, but he retained a love of the military and aviation.
In [[1953]], Trader and his wife [[Jackii Weissman|Jackii]] moved to Pensacola from South Florida and opened the bar at 511 South [[Palafox Street]] in an historic brick building from [[1896]] — now best known as the [[Trader Jon's building]]. It quickly became a favorite hangout for the [[U.S. Navy]] and [[U.S. Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] officers stationed at [[Naval Air Station Pensacola]].
[[Image:TraderJonComic.png|thumb|left|80px|Cartoon by [[Chip Spirson]]]]Weissman was known for his eccentricities. He often wore His frequently ridiculous outfits included mismatched socks , and would award free drinks he offered a reward to patrons any patron who caught him in a matching pair. Prices for drinks were not generally set and could vary by day and by customer. He also traded drinks for bits of Navy memorabilia, quickly amassing an impressive collection, that he hung on the walls or from a giant fishing net that covered the ceiling. Trader was often heard exclaiming a word that became his catchphrase: "Bee-you-tee-ful!" Weissman portrayed entertainer and Trader Jon's patron [[Wikipedia:Bob Hope|Bob Hope]] in a [[1986]] birthday special for Hope taped aboard the ''[[USS Lexington]]''. In [[1990]], cartoonist [[Chip Spirson]] created a comic strip featuring Weissman for the [[NAS Pensacola]] weekly newspaper ''[[Gosport]]''.
On [[September 25]], [[1997]], Weissman was stricken by a severe stroke and taken to [[Sacred Heart Hospital]]. The stroke left him partly paralyzed and unable to return to the bar, which operated intermittently for several months before closing in [[1998]].

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