Ken Casola and the artisans he employs at Casola Stained Glass Studio in Fort Myers are among the last of the European-style, stained-glass craftsmen in the United States. Casola acquired the skills and artistry with which he created, for instance, the panels of a 60-foot-wide church window in Palm Beach Gardens, from a man who had been making stained glass for seven decades before they met.
Brad Parliman walked into Casola’s Stained Glass Studio in 1985, looking for part time work. He offered not only his labor, but also training for Larry Casola’s son, whom Larry had had to bribe with the offer of fully paid college tuition in exchange for helping out in the family business. Ken was 17 years old at the time; he could have no clue how fortunate he was that Brad Parliman had walked into his life.