The Legend of Norman Riddle: Our First Employee

Norman’s story

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Every great institution has a milestone that marks its growth from a volunteer effort to a professional community. For the Key Biscayne Yacht Club, that milestone arrived on August 31, 1957, with the hiring of Norman Riddle. While our founding members had spent the previous two years doing the heavy lifting to establish the club, Norman became our first staff member. A former Navy petty officer and World War II veteran, Norman brought the discipline and spirit of the sea to his role as Dockmaster, a position he held with pride until his passing in 1976.

Norman’s dedication to the club was total; for 18 years, the KBYC grounds were his home. In the early years, he lived in a modest utility room on-site—a space no larger than a ship’s cabin—before eventually moving into Apartment 109, which was built specifically for him above the old clubhouse. He was a constant presence on the docks, a man known as a kind soul who possessed the colorful, honest vocabulary of a mariner who had served on the battleship USS Wyoming (BB-32).

His daily rituals were as much a part of the club’s culture as the tides. Every afternoon, he would make the walk from the club to the local English Pub. Waiting for him there, hanging on its own dedicated hook, was his personal pewter Navy mug. Engraved with his name and the designation of his battleship, the mug was a treasured piece of his history that he used for his daily pint throughout his years of service.

One of the most significant images in our archives shows Norman standing in the parking lot next to his original creation: a hand-painted Compass Rose. It was a simple, beautiful gesture from a man who wanted to ensure we always knew our coordinates. When the time came to preserve his vision, the club's board and a dedicated committee ensured it would not be lost to time. In the 1970s, the club invested $4,500 to have Norman’s design professionally rendered into the magnificent tile mosaic we see today at the foot of the flagpole. It stands as a permanent landmark and a tribute to our first employee—the sailor who stayed at his post for nearly two decades and ensured the Key Biscayne Yacht Club always knew its true north.