Dale Carnegie and the Parking Attendant

An employee inspired a Florida resort owner to an act of grace.

On Gulf of Mexico Drive in Longboat Key, Fla., I rode past the wreckage of the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort. Once the No. 1-ranked tennis destination in the U.S., its buildings have recently been leveled to make room for a planned new development.

But when the Colony was busy and thriving, two decades ago, I happened upon an act of quiet generosity there that caught me by surprise.

There...