Arturo Mennillo -
1925-1996
During the more than twenty-five years (1945-1965) that Arturo Mennillo operated Arturo’s Studio, he devoted many hours and much effort to the overall promotion of Destin and the Fort Walton Beach area. In the course of these events, he produced many negatives concerning the general history of the area and became known as the area’s official photographer. In this capacity, he had many exclusive photo assignments that resulted in a total negative file of well over thirty-five thousand images. These negatives represent the only historical record of its kind in existence.
Arturo left the United States with the title of Official Photographer for the U.S. Embassy assigned to cover the progress of hundreds of military projects. He had intended to complete that first eighteen-month contract and return to reopen Arturo’s Studio. As things turned out, he had embarked upon a whole new career. It was ten years later that he left Vietnam, for assignments in Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iran, and a number of locations around the world, before finally coming back to the United States some twenty years later.
Anthony (Tony) A. Mennillo
1950-2022
Although Arturo had set off for other parts of the world, his son, Tony, stayed and became ingrained in his hometown and all that it was becoming. Tony says it best, “I was born here. I swam and fished in the blue-green waters, and played in the snow white beaches and dunes throughout my childhood. I was immersed in Destin socially, creatively, and emotionally. I was as captivated by its tropical beauty and bittersweet history as any native son or daughter.”
When Arturo returned, he knew the images needed a way to be protected. Tony recounts a conversation between the two of them, “’Time sensitive’ was the word Dad used when a packet of negatives crumbled in his hands. They were sixty years old and had outlived their media life.” Arturo continued, “If the early collections are not preserved, the images will be lost forever.” Shortly after beginning this project, Arturo passed away, leaving Tony to continue. He states, “It was not my intention to write history, that has already been done, but to use the history that matched up to the image.”
Stemming from his own experiences growing up, images from his father’s photography, investigations into the past, his grandfather’s and others’ stories, Tony Mennillo’s passion and purpose has revealed and revitalized the Emerald Coast history for many to take in and enjoy. Through resurrecting photos, research, and publishing three books, Tony has devoted a lifetime to not only saving, but capturing and carrying forward what his father, and so many others left to contribute.
From one generation to the next, from ‘Time sensitive’ to ‘Time-less,’ treasures from the past can now be appreciated in the present, and secured for future generations.