Why The Islanders

Are The Right Agents For You

Find out more about Chris and John, including her baseball player father, Miss Florida status and challenges with Cystic Fibrosis, and his marketing, advertising and public relations career, sailing adventures and birding expeditions. Read on below:

Christine Torgeson Shaw

            Christine arrived on Anna Maria Island as a babe in arms, arms that belonged to first-baseman Earl Torgeson. Earl played from 1947 through 1961, with the Boston Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. Known as quite a scrapper, Earl had a great career, even if it was just short of Hall of Fame status.

            While just out of Manatee High School, Christine entered the Miss Manatee contest, without one of the usual ‘talents,’ but with a strong desire for a college scholarship. After putting together a slapstick comedy skit, she was somewhat surprised to win! Perhaps more amazing to her (if not her friends), Chris placed first runner up at Miss Florida 1966. When the winner abandoned her crown shortly after winning the title, Chris took on the ‘sash,’ and finished out 10 months as Miss Florida, 1966.

            Chris is also a champion for Cystic Fibrosis. Diagnosed with the genetic disease relatively late in life (at age 30), she has participated in a number of therapeutic studies through the National Institutes of Health including highly experimental gene therapy. She believes her youth spent swimming, boating and skiing on Anna Maria Island helped save her life. We believe a higher power has had a hand in her survival as well.

  John van Zandt

A native Floridian, born in Ft. Lauderdale, John came to Anna Maria Island in 1983, after a year-long sabbatical from his successful career in a Houston advertising agency and search for a family-friendly place to live. Through his marketing and PR efforts, he’s helped builders and developers sell more than $1 billion (with a "b") in residential real estate, in Texas and Florida.

With a lifetime interest in sailing, he’s parlayed ownership in several boats from 14 to 35 feet into the ‘perfect’ vessel, a 30-foot Morgan sloop built in 1972, “Allegro.” Racing ‘round the buoys in Tampa Bay and as Commodore of the Manatee Sailing Association turned into distance racing too, Clearwater to Key West, and St. Petersburg to Havana. He’s found most of the shallow spots in Tampa Bay.

John also likes to check out the birds. Most any trip can be a mini-birding expedition, in England, Denmark, Spain or Mexico. Recently recruited for an Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico, he had his greatest one-day tally, with 174 different species.