Candice Shoaf

Vocation

Lifestyle

Notable

Family

American deep sea diver and law enforcement officer. A shooting champion at age 13, Candy became the first licensed female salvage diver in Florida at 18 and joined the police force at 23. Working up to the Police Chief Assistant by late 1980, she was also the Criminal Justice Adjunct Professor and an author. The daughter of NASA executive Harry Shoaf, she dove for a treasure-salvage company 1970-1971. She had always loves sports, especially sailing. She was a long-distance runner, a scuba diver and had her own airplane. She not only filled the role of Wonder-Woman, but had the same fabulous shape and was as pretty. She was married to Julian Leek from 1969-1972 and briefly worked for her mother-in-law, Sybil Leek. She did some ghost writing, typing and filing and catered Leek's entertaining. In September to December 1971 Candy attended police academy, graduating first in a class where she was the only woman. In June 1973, she was the first female police officer in Brevard County and among the first few in the country. In 1977, she was the first female patrol sergeant leading 20 men, and she was the first female adjunct professor at the local college on a permanent staff. In 1977, Candy graduated with top honors with a state teaching license for police academy work. In December 1982, she was named the first female member of Brevard County's police chief association. On 4/19/1982, she met a doctor and they became companions for some years following. In August 1985, she made a three-week trip to China as one of about 30 American law enforcement officials to visit the People's Republic to teach American police methods to the Chinese. Candy had been working as the police budget and planning director for the past few years and will probably address those issues when she visits Peking, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Canton. To prepare for the trip, she studied the history and culture of China as well as learn a bit of everyday Chinese phrases and practice eating with chopsticks.