FORT MYERS, FLA., January 23, 2023 – Internationally-acclaimed author Robert N. Macomber will headline the annual Cracker Dinner Monday, Feb. 20, at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, hosted by the Southwest Florida Historical Society.
Macomber will speak on the topic “The Adventurous Life and Strange Death of the U.S. Navy Schooner Annie on Our Coast.” Annie was a U.S. Navy blockade ship during the Civil War that captured five ships. “Her life was impressively successful, her skipper wildly unpredictable, and her strange demise is still a mystery to this day,” Macomber said.
Macomber is a multi-award-winning author best known for his Honor Series of naval thrillers describing the life of a fictional American naval officer Peter Wake. His 16th novel in the series, “Code of Honor,” was released last April and has received the Editor’s Choice Award by Historical Novels Review. He also has been honored as the Florida Writer of the Year by the Florida Writers Association, among dozens of other awards.
In addition to his writing, Macomber is an internationally-recognized lecturer on 58 maritime topics and has been a consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense, specializing in strategic vision and planning by utilizing historical analogies.
When not traveling the world on research treks, lecture tours or book signings, he lives on Pine Island, the same coast where he grew up.
The presentation will be accompanied by music performed by local singer John Goulet.
Buffet dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $40 and are available at the Broadway Palm, 1380 Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers. There also will be door prizes, a silent auction and a book signing by Macomber.
The annual Cracker Dinner is sponsored by George T. Mann General Contractor and Susan Bennett Marketing & Media, L.C., among others.
Funds raised at the annual dinner will be used to support the mission of the Southwest Florida Historical Society which is dedicated to preserving the history of our area by archiving donated historical documents, photos and maps and stimulating public interest and appreciation for local history.

About the Southwest Florida Historical Society