By Rusty Fleming
George Silzer has been a Grand Lake personality for nearly fifty years.
Whether aware of SilzerĀ for his involvement in the historic annual Dripping Springs Moon-Off, from years gone by andĀ eventually busted by former Governor Bellmon, his part in assisting with the raising of theĀ Cherokee Queen from the lakeās murky bottom, the transportation of some of inland AmericaāsĀ watercraft to distant locations or mechanical repairs on most anything which floated, it willĀ probably come as a surprise that his roots were originally in the agricultural sector.
George was raised on a farm in Illinois and the Silzer family owned and operated a dairy farm,Ā south of Tulsa near Glenpool, back in the day before George found his way to Grand Lake.
TheĀ family would spend weekends away from the dairy business boating on lakes like Tenkiller andĀ Fort Gibson.
George remembers those early day boating experiences fondly and laughs when heĀ describes the mixing of boating and managing a dairy operation like it was yesterday.
āYeh, weād head out to the lake for the weekend with the kids and swim, ski and boat about likeĀ everyone else, but as a dairy farmer it was a little more complex. Iād leave the family at the lakeĀ around five in the afternoon, drive back to the dairy to do the milking, return to the lake, then doĀ the same thing all over again about 5:00 am.ā
That was the start of a love affair with all things related to the commercial aspects of recreationalĀ boating, which would include boat hauling, mechanical repairs, boat salvaging and evenĀ becoming a collector of classic wooden cruisers and showing them throughout the country.
ThisĀ dairy farmer turned Laker didnāt let much hay grow beneath his feet.
The Silzer family eventually sold the dairy farm and purchased a cattle operation near LocustĀ Grove.
Their passion for everything boating was somewhat simplified managing cattle asĀ opposed to a twice-a-day milking enterprise.
With their passion for boating, it was just a matterĀ of time before they discovered Grand Lake.
Silzer recalls those early Grand Lake days like this: āAfter we moved to Locust Grove, weĀ started coming to Grand a lot. Eventually, I bought an older cruiser from Grand Craft Marina.Ā There was always something in need of repair and weād arrange for whatever it was to beĀ repaired, but when we returned the following weekend the same stuff was still broken. It wasĀ right then and there that my son Wade and I decided there might be room for a couple of guysĀ willing to fix boats on this lake. Thatās how we got started in the marine services business.ā
Actually, Wade had found a job as a mechanic at Port Tyler working for Fred George and thatāsĀ how George Silzer met Fred George.
The two hit it off and George negotiated a lease with FredĀ for an old shop west of Ketchum and a Grand Lake marine services company was off andĀ running.
Today, Wade Silzer, along with his wife and business partner Paula, own and operates theĀ TowBoatUS franchise on Grand Lake, a marine storage facility and Rebel Marine, a restorationĀ and mechanical repair business.
And George, who gravitated to the commercial transportation ofĀ boats of all sizes, still owns and operates Custom Yacht Services, formerly known as Ship-to-Shore Marine Services, with locations on Grand Lake and in Sallisaw.
After cutting his teeth onĀ minor boat repairs, George Silzer has hauled boats for some of Oklahomaās elite personalities.
Silzer credits Jack Hodges for giving him his first job hauling a really big boat.
George, who has never suffered from a confidence problem or shied away from a challengeĀ which might yield a buck, had heard that Hodges was looking to transport his Bertram Yacht toĀ Florida for the winter.
He approached Hodges about doing the haul.
According to Silzer, Hodges was seriously unimpressed and questioned whether he even ownedĀ a trailer large enough to pull the boat out of Grand Lake, much less haul it to Florida.
SinceĀ Hodges was successful in the oil field transportation business, he was no stranger to evaluatingĀ the worth and capabilities of trailers.
George insisted Hodges at least look at his newly acquiredĀ trailer and the end result was a big boat hauler was born.
Silzer has hauled some of Americaās largest boats nationwide, from port-to-port and for justĀ about every Grand Lake boat dealer, both past and present.
He recalls many by name like CarlosĀ Langston, the Howsers, Joe Harwood and many more, but over the years he did more businessĀ with Ugly John Mullen than anyone else.
The veteran of thousands of boat hauls says, āAt one time, Ugly John represented about 75% ofĀ our business, but we became more than business acquaintances and weāre still really goodĀ friends today, some forty years later. Some donāt know about my battle with colon cancer, andĀ thatās understandable, but John does and he frequently calls to see how Iām doing and offers hisĀ plane for transportation to medical facilities if I need it. Most donāt know the manās good as goldĀ and has a huge heart.ā
This past June, Silzer elected to forgo any more radiation or chemotherapy treatment.
HeĀ climbed in his RV, along with his wife Jo, and set out to travel.
He recently returned to GrandĀ Lake, and some say, looking better than when he left.
Silzer might be battling colon cancer, but has not lost that thirst for a good time, the signatureĀ ponytail or that twinkle in his eye, which was probably most responsible for the birth of theĀ Dripping Springs Moon-Off, along with his close friend, the late, great Richard Gilliam.
And asĀ we can attest after this past Labor Day weekend Saturday, George is still mooning after all theseĀ years.
The calmer, gentler Grand Lake might appeal to many, but for some of Grand Lakeās old-timersĀ it seems like yesterday that Silzer, aboard his rambunctious cruiser the āKaty Did,ā and RichardĀ Gilliam, aboard his classic wooden cruiser, the āMooner,ā could be found cruising into theĀ springs on any Friday of the Memorial Day weekend to incite a three-day Moon-OffĀ competition.
And he’s still got the tee shirt to prove it!