by Joel Addington
Contributing Writer
When it comes to shopping for Larry Warren, his friends and family have it easy.
“On my Christmas list, everything is from the Pheasants Forever catalog,” said Warren, referring to the organization dedicated to everything pheasant.
Warren is regional manager of the Danish shipping company Hogue at the Jacksonville Port Authority’s Blount Island Terminal. He is also a life-long pheasant hunter and takes annual trips to Iowa, his home state, to enjoy this pastime. The odd thing is, the pheasant is the only animal he hunts.
Three of the four walls in Warren’s office contain the bird’s likeness. There are two large prints in addition to the stuffed and mounted version of the colorful bird with an uneven feather pattern given to Warren by his brother in 1974.
“I’ve never had to dust it,” said the 58-year-old father of two and grandfather of six. “It just never gets dirty.”
So why pheasants?
“I grew up doing it (pheasant hunting),” he said. “We didn’t have computers or 100 channels on TV. I just fell in love with it.”
Warren even had pheasants embroidered into the seats of his truck. And every year, he returns to Iowa for a hunting trip with his two sons. Last year marked the 50th consecutive year Warren had a successful hunt.
“It’s usually a family event but this past year was special because I started at 8 years old,” he said. “It’s a big part of my history.”
Warren’s professional history began in the Navy. After high school he enlisted in the Navy and served as a radio man. After his service, he somehow found his way back to the maritime profession.
“I never intended it to be that way,” he said. “I got out of the Navy and never intended to walk on a ship ever again.”
Rather, in 1972, Warren started a clerical job in the coffee division of the Port Authority before making his way to Strachan Shipping Co., where he left as the president of Cauldwell Maritime Agencies, a subsidiary of that company.
“Cauldwell did nothing but represent Hogue,” explained Warren. “So instead of using the agency, Hogue decided to open this office in 1996.”
Warren has spent 36 years in the oceanic shipping business and the last 11 with Hogue. Fitting, then, he also serves as an honorary consul to the nation of Denmark.
Portraits of the queen of Denmark and her prince consort hang behind Warren’s office desk. He’s met the queen three times and was even knighted in 2004.
“It’s a bit overwhelming,” he said of the first meeting. “When you’re waiting in line to shake her hand, you’re thinking, ‘what do I say?’”
As an honorary consul, Warren helps Danish citizens obtain U.S. passports and offers other kinds of assistance.
What Warren likes most about his job is the interaction with people.
“I’m blessed to have a great staff that’s a close-knit team,” he said. “Whether it’s here or oversees, it’s working with people that I enjoy.”