Another Florida resident, Leo Rost, claimed Papa laurels in the third year of the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest.
Leo favored Hemingway in more ways than just looks. A published playwright, he also had a winning way with words.
“Leo worked closely with a group out of London,” said Sloppy Joe’s Michael Whalton, “and he had a couple of his plays produced.”
Michael remembered Leo as being as deep as he was delightful.
“Once you got to know him, you found out that he was surprisingly multi-talented.”
When the Hemingway Write-Alike Contest winner became the year’s top Hemingway Look-Alike winner, Leo savored the thrilling moment on stage at Sloppy Joe’s.
“It was unbelievable,” Leo commented after his win. “When I heard my name, and people started cheering and clapping for me, I just couldn’t believe it.”
Leo Rost died in 1998.