Phillips' legacy not just crab empire
OCEAN CITY -- Brice R. Phillips made a name for himself with the famous seafood empire he and his wife, Shirley, built from a modest foundation in 1956 when they opened a small carryout crab shack in Ocean City.
The legacy he leaves with those who were close to him, however, will span far beyond the business realm.
Phillips died July 1 at age 90 in his Ocean City home. He was referred to in interviews as one of the nicest men his friends ever knew. The sentiment was also stated in the late William Donald Schaefer's will, released in May. The Baltimore mayor and former Maryland governor left Phillips $2,500, and his words about Phillips' kindness were the only personal remembrance of any kind in the will, according to The Baltimore Sun.
"He was a constant gentleman," Sen. Jim Mathias said. "He was always dressed like one, and he and
Shirley were just the couple you would want to help represent a family resort."
Brice Phillips grew up on Hoopers Island in Dorchester County, where he met Shirley Flowers Phillips, his childhood girlfriend who became his wife of 68 years. Leonard Berger, who owns the Clarion hotel complex in Ocean City, recalls the graciousness and generosity of the Phillips family.
When Berger became engaged to his wife, Shirley Phillips insisted on hosting the shower at their home, he said.
"They were always doing things like that, and they were very active in charities. They were always willing to give a helping hand for someone who needed it," Berger said.
Former mayor Roland E. "Fish" Powell remembers when Brice and Shirley Phillips moved to the resort with their sons, Stephen and Jeffrey, and started the business. It began as a way to sell excess crabs from A.E. Phillips & Son, the family's processing plant on Hoopers Island. Powell called it a "one-copper-kettle operation."
It eventually blossomed into what it is today: A family business that includes 19 restaurants across the East Coast. The original restaurant, at 21st Street, has expanded into Phillips Crab House, a two-story building that seats more than 1,000 and occupies an entire block.
"We lifelong Marylanders got to watch the Phillips family grow as an enterprise, and they were always one of those families you looked up to," said Mathias, who is in the midst of his 40th summer in town. "Hopefully the Phillipses can be an inspiration for people who dream of building a business and family in Ocean City, and 25 years from now, when people talk about leadership and accomplishment, they'll think of Brice and Shirley."
When Powell was in office, he said he could always count on Brice Phillips when he needed something like a luncheon or another favor.
"He was always there when you needed him," Powell said.
Brice Phillips served in Schaefer's informal "kitchen cabinet," a group of businesspeople, doctors and other thinkers Schaefer used to consult, according to Mathias, who recalled having a nice time on numerous car rides he would take with Brice Phillips to visit the former governor in Baltimore.
Schaefer was integral in helping take the Phillips' restaurants from Ocean City to Baltimore back in 1980, and the two men had been close friends, said John Knorr, the company's senior vice president, in an interview shortly after Schaefer's death.
"I really hope Ocean City's future continues to be conjoined with or supported by people like Brice and Shirley Phillips," Mathias said.
On July 1, Phillips Seafood posted a photograph of Brice Phillips on its Facebook page. It was accompanied by news of his death and an outpouring of sympathetic and tributary comments from friends and workers past and present.
One comment urged the family to continue on with his legacy. Another said Brice Phillips will be "eating all-you-can-eat crab legs with God now," while another said the world lost an "amazing man with a golden heart."
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. today at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center at 40th Street and Coastal Highway. In lieu of flowers, donations in Brice Phillips' memory may be made to Atlantic General Hospital, Critical Care Unit, 9733 Healthway Drive, Berlin, Md. 21811; Atlantic United Methodist Church, 105 Fourth St., Ocean City, Md. 21842; or Coastal Hospice, PO Box 1733, Salisbury, Md. 21802.
The legacy he leaves with those who were close to him, however, will span far beyond the business realm.
Phillips died July 1 at age 90 in his Ocean City home. He was referred to in interviews as one of the nicest men his friends ever knew. The sentiment was also stated in the late William Donald Schaefer's will, released in May. The Baltimore mayor and former Maryland governor left Phillips $2,500, and his words about Phillips' kindness were the only personal remembrance of any kind in the will, according to The Baltimore Sun.
"He was a constant gentleman," Sen. Jim Mathias said. "He was always dressed like one, and he and
Shirley were just the couple you would want to help represent a family resort."
Brice Phillips grew up on Hoopers Island in Dorchester County, where he met Shirley Flowers Phillips, his childhood girlfriend who became his wife of 68 years. Leonard Berger, who owns the Clarion hotel complex in Ocean City, recalls the graciousness and generosity of the Phillips family.
When Berger became engaged to his wife, Shirley Phillips insisted on hosting the shower at their home, he said.
"They were always doing things like that, and they were very active in charities. They were always willing to give a helping hand for someone who needed it," Berger said.
Former mayor Roland E. "Fish" Powell remembers when Brice and Shirley Phillips moved to the resort with their sons, Stephen and Jeffrey, and started the business. It began as a way to sell excess crabs from A.E. Phillips & Son, the family's processing plant on Hoopers Island. Powell called it a "one-copper-kettle operation."
It eventually blossomed into what it is today: A family business that includes 19 restaurants across the East Coast. The original restaurant, at 21st Street, has expanded into Phillips Crab House, a two-story building that seats more than 1,000 and occupies an entire block.
"We lifelong Marylanders got to watch the Phillips family grow as an enterprise, and they were always one of those families you looked up to," said Mathias, who is in the midst of his 40th summer in town. "Hopefully the Phillipses can be an inspiration for people who dream of building a business and family in Ocean City, and 25 years from now, when people talk about leadership and accomplishment, they'll think of Brice and Shirley."
When Powell was in office, he said he could always count on Brice Phillips when he needed something like a luncheon or another favor.
"He was always there when you needed him," Powell said.
Brice Phillips served in Schaefer's informal "kitchen cabinet," a group of businesspeople, doctors and other thinkers Schaefer used to consult, according to Mathias, who recalled having a nice time on numerous car rides he would take with Brice Phillips to visit the former governor in Baltimore.
Schaefer was integral in helping take the Phillips' restaurants from Ocean City to Baltimore back in 1980, and the two men had been close friends, said John Knorr, the company's senior vice president, in an interview shortly after Schaefer's death.
"I really hope Ocean City's future continues to be conjoined with or supported by people like Brice and Shirley Phillips," Mathias said.
On July 1, Phillips Seafood posted a photograph of Brice Phillips on its Facebook page. It was accompanied by news of his death and an outpouring of sympathetic and tributary comments from friends and workers past and present.
One comment urged the family to continue on with his legacy. Another said Brice Phillips will be "eating all-you-can-eat crab legs with God now," while another said the world lost an "amazing man with a golden heart."
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. today at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center at 40th Street and Coastal Highway. In lieu of flowers, donations in Brice Phillips' memory may be made to Atlantic General Hospital, Critical Care Unit, 9733 Healthway Drive, Berlin, Md. 21811; Atlantic United Methodist Church, 105 Fourth St., Ocean City, Md. 21842; or Coastal Hospice, PO Box 1733, Salisbury, Md. 21802.
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