Watterson “Mack” Miller (1902-1985) was one of Ocean City’s legendary characters. A member of a prominent Louisville, Kentucky family, he dropped out of Dartmouth College and traveled the world. Arriving in Ocean City in 1942 he was employed by the CP Cropper Fish and Oyster Co and later as a handyman for the Showell family at the Castle in the Sand Motel.
Mack marched to the beat of a different drummer. He lived alone in a plywood shack on the edge of the harbor in West Ocean City and drank raw eggs for breakfast each day. He never wore socks, even in the winter, and his belt was a piece of nylon rope. Mack was an excellent swimmer and would swim the Inlet up into his late 70’s. During his lunch break at the Castle in the Sand he would often swim far out into the ocean and back. On several occasions, Mack narrowly escaped being hit by boats while navigating the Inlet. When Mack Miller died at the age of 83, his ashes were scattered upon his beloved ocean.
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Photo courtesy of Fritz Pielert