ilt Wagner was our peerless sign painter for over forty years. He owned and operated Wagner Signs out of a storefront down on 24th Street in old Northwood, with a large garage door in the back alley that allowed him to letter commercial vehicles inside. He worked in and out of his shop on commercial signage or in the local boatyards, depending on the project at hand. Milt lettered the name and hailing port on our first boat, , before she rolled out on timbers for her launch in 1947 and stayed extremely busy in our yard with new construction and service projects throughout his career. In the early 50’s, Milt hired a young assistant, Ernie Pate, fresh out of his Army hitch in Korea and eager to learn a trade. Milt, and later with Ernie, lettered the transom of every one of our boats until his passing in the eighties. Upon Milt’s demise, Ernie assumed the helm of
