New College salutes captain with flagpole memorial

He spent his career sinking ships, disabling Japanese aircraft carriers and searching the seas for survivors.
But here in Sarasota and on Siesta Key, Capt. Ralph E. Styles was most known for the simple task of daily raising and lowering the flag outside his house on Beach Road.

Styles served as the first director of facilities planning at New College during the 1960s, and passed away last February. A memorial beneath a lighted flagpole at the college’s Keating Center bearing Styles’ name was dedicated to him Friday, June 12.

Friends who attended the ceremony called Styles a modest, pleasant and well-mannered spirit who will be forever remembered at New College by the dedication of the flag.