Celebrating 29 Years of Member Support

Celebrating 29 Years of Member Support
A Message from the President
Y
ou are invited to the Annual
Members’ Party Sunday,
February 22, from noon to
4pm. Read all about it on the front
page of the newsletter. This annual
event celebrates you, a member
and supporter of the California
Surf Museum. You are both its
most important backer and its most
important client.
As a CSM member, you are
invited to get involved! Call 760-7216876 if you are interested.
• March 20-22: volunteer to help
at CSM’s booth at the first Junk
Bonanza, Del Mar Fairgrounds
• Exhibit planning for 2016 exhibit
Surfing South Vietnam: China Beach
• Event planning for 8th Annual Gala
On March 10, the annual
meeting and elections for the
Board of Directors will take place.
All members in good standing are
invited to attend and participate.
There are 15 seats on the board,
with alternating two-year terms.
The Board of Directors concentrates
on fulfilling the goals and dreams
of the Museum and the wonderful
community it serves. More activities,
improved collections and archives,
exceptional events, higher-level,
outstanding exhibits and more
service to those who love the surf
culture and its rich history are our
future objectives.
We look forward to seeing you
on February 22!
Much Aloha,
Jim Kempton
President, California Surf Museum
COMING IN 2015
Your membership includes free
admission to the exhibit hall, and free
or reduced rate admission to events.
Coming this year:
• Swamis Surfing Association 50 Year
exhibit: February
• CDIP Buoy display in conjunction
with Scripps Institution of
Oceanography: Spring
• “Gordon and Smith One Long Ride”
book signing: Spring
• Anna Trent Moore presents legendary
filmmaker Bud Browne: April
• Surf artist Heather Brown in the
Artists Gallery: May-June
• Heather Brown art exhibit opening
and book signing: Saturday, May 9
• “Top Surf Artists from Japan” in the
Artists Gallery: July
• 8th Annual Gala: November
JOIN, RENEW OR DONATE TODAY! use this form or go to surfmuseum.org
and support the preservation of your surfing heritage!
GREMMIE Student/Military LEGEND Senior 62+
$25
SURFER Individual
$50
OHANA Household
$75
Full membership benefits and 4 Guest Passes.
New members receive a CSM logo pin.
P R E S E R V I N G
O U R
S U R F I N G
H E R I T A G E
DATE
New Membership circle membership level
Renewing Member circle membership level
Donation
Your membership benefits include:
• Free admission to all exhibitions
• Invitations to exhibit openings and special events
• 10% discount in the CSM Museum Store
• Discount pricing to most special events
• Subscription to CSM’s newsletter
• Membership card and CSM Member sticker
Full membership benefits and 4 Guest Passes.
New members receive a Member T-shirt.
Includes 2 adults and children under 18.
Full membership benefits and 8 Guest Passes.
New members receive 2 Member T-shirts and license plate frame.
MALIBU CHIP Member Donor $100 $250 $500 $1,000
Full membership benefits and 12 Guest Passes.
New members receive 2 Member T-shirts,
a license plate frame and a CSM logo pin.
NEW Surfer, Ohana, Malibu Chip Members only,
please select CSM Member T-shirt size:
Men’s S M L XL XXL
Women’s S M L
XL
If mailing, please add S&H: $5 Domestic, $10 International.
Payable to
California Surf Museum
312 Pier View Way
Oceanside CA 92054
(760) 721-6876 • www.surfmuseum.org
PLEASE NOTE ANY CHANGES TO YOUR INFORMATION ON BACK.
Subject to change without notice. Rev 01302014.
OUTSIDE!
NEWSLETTER OF THE CALIFORNIA SURF MUSEUM | OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA | Winter 2015 | Volume 28 Issue 3
Annual Members’ Party
C
Celebrating CSM’s 29th Birthday
and Honoring Our Elders
Sunday, Feb. 22, noon to 4pm
ome and spend some quality time with your favorite
old-timers at the annual members’ party at CSM on
Sunday afternoon, February 22, from noon to 4pm.
Along with celebrating 29 years of amazing accomplishments,
we would like to recognize a few remarkable elders who have
helped put us on the map.
Learn more about these extraordinary seniors and meet
other members who have been instrumental in your museum’s
success. We could not have built such a remarkable collection
of artifacts, memorabilia, and stories without our valued
elders.
Our no-host bar will be in full swing, thanks to the
personable volunteers from Oceanside Glasstile.
Oceanside’s Teri Café will
provide a fabulous, optional
Hawaiian-style plate
lunch for $11.
We are delighted
to announce that
entertainment
will
be
provided
by
guitarist Dave Sheils,
a local surfer/singer/
songwriter.
BYRON JESSUP
Early Oceanside
lifeguard, mentor
to Phil Edwards
and others, who
recently donated his
Hobie balsa board
to CSM’s line-up.
Also on the agenda is our
fun-filled table raffle. We’ll have
a variety of goods and services
offered, and you can put your ticket
in the container specific to the item
you wish to win. As in years past,
the monies raised at this event will
go towards purchasing archival
supplies, so we can continue to
properly preserve and store the
cherished items in our collection.
Admission is free to all LOLLIE TAYLOR
members and general admission Oceanside bodysurfer
is $10. An RSVP is requested and and mat-rider whose
always much appreciated. In fact, love of catching
you will receive two waves extends down
free raffle tickets just through her family, to
for calling in to RSVP. the fourth generation.
760-721-6876.
ED THOMAS
An early San Diego surfer
and aerospace engineer
whose surfboard literally
“rescued” CSM in the
mid-1990s.
CHUCK ALLEN
One of the original
Palos Verdes Surfing
Club members and
an aviation pioneer,
whose balsa/redwood
PVSC board has been
an icon here at CSM
for many years.
MEMBERS
DONORS
Thank you to CSM’s renewing and new
Thank you to CSM’s generous donors
members September through December
2014.
P R E S E R V I N G
O U R
S U R F I N G
H E R I T A G E
A 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
312 Pier View Way • Oceanside, CA 92054
(760) 721-6876 • www.surfmuseum.org
[email protected] • [email protected]
Museum Store Online:
www.californiasurfmuseum.com
California Surf Festival:
www.californiasurffestival.com
facebook.com/CaliforniaSurfMuseum
Twitter: @CASurfMuseum
Instagram: CAsurfmuseum
Proud Member of
American Association of Museums
American Association for State and Local History
California Association of Museums
Congress of History
San Diego Museum Council
MainStreet Oceanside
Oceanside Chamber of Commerce
Oceanside Cultural Consortium
Visit Oceanside
CSM Board of Directors
Jim Kempton (2013-14), President
Jack Francis (2014-15), Vice President
Tara Torburn (2014-15), Secretary and Acting Treasurer
Daryl Dick (2013-14), Past President
Jim Arganda (2014-15)
Louise Ravera Balma (2013-14), Architect
John Bishop (2014-15)
Louie Hayward (2014-15)
Chuck Keiper (2013-14)
Dick Saar (2013-14)
Misty Tienken (2014-15)
Staff
Museum Store Manager: Camille Cacas
Historian: Jane Schmauss
Customer Service: Gabe Burris • Jenna Jansen
Web Site Guy Bagley
Volunteers
Cramer Jackson • Linda Keck • David Louie
Sue Machata • Frances Rendon • Rick Wilson
Archives & Collections: Jean Keller
Creative Director: Tara Lee Torburn
Membership: Daryl Dick
Newsletter Staff
Jane Schmauss • Jim Kempton • Daryl Dick
David Louie • Tara Torburn • Rick Wilson
Board of Advisors
Fernando Aguerre • Santiago Aguerre • Steve Angus
Larry Balma • Linda Benson • Mike Burner
Royce Cansler • Carl Ekstrom • Jack (Woody) Ekstrom
Herbie Fletcher • Donna Frye • Javier Guerrero
Tom Keck • Jean Keller • Gary Linden • Gary Lynch
Guy Motil • Greg Noll • Steve Pezman • L.J. Richards
Nat Young
Mission Statement
The California Surf Museum serves as an international
repository and resource center on the lifestyle
sport of surfing through capturing, preserving,
and chronicling its art, culture and heritage for the
education and enjoyment of future generations.
2
September
RENEWAL MEMBERS
Rob Abrom, Bob Adams, Tom & Bonnie
Bistline, Roy Crump, Bill & Jan Cunningham,
David Delgado, Anna Ekstrom Deneen, Richard
Dowdy, Keith Eshelman, Lowell Grimaud,
Clayt Iske, Carlton Lund, Steve Muldrew, Tom
& Debbie Sensintaffar, Robbi Simons, Mike
Welby, Cara Smith Wimer
NEW MEMBERS Sam & Paula Bassett,
David & Lisa Miller, Natalie Small, Max
Villalobos, Randolph Watkins
October
RENEWAL MEMBERS
Leslie Cota & Joseph Adlesich, Paul & Sonja
Boch, Jim Cerone, Tom & Peggy Cozens, Glenn
Ericson, Dennis Estabrook, Larry & Gayle
Gordon, David Kissinger, Howard Leonard,
Donald Lindsay, Robert Macfarlane, John
Moore, Larry Nelson, Rod Pruitt, LJ & Kim
Richards, Don Rodgers, Friends of San Marcos
Library, Barclay Sauers, Peggy Vasquez, Visit
Oceanside Inc., Byron Wishnek
NEW MEMBERS
September through December 2014.
Donations
Donations may be made by cash, check
or online at surfmuseum.org/donate/. We
accept payment through PayPal, which
allows for monthly payments.
Rob Abrom, Tom & Bonnie Bistline, Joan &
Kevin Bockman, Jackie Borden, Alida & Stevan
Calvillo, Aubrey Kuepper (Cobian Corporation),
Jim & Lissa Cunningham, David Delgado, Anna
Ekstrom Deneen, Daryl Dick, Skip & Donna
Frye, Hansen’s Surfboards, Victoria Higgins,
Kiku Terasaki & Paul Holmes, Jean & Steve
Josepho, James & Janie Marmack, Terri Murray,
Rob & Liz Pink, Pete & Alda Ravera, Don &
Donna Torburn, Anne & Mark Steinhauer, Dave
Nash (Sun Diego Boardshops), Peggy Vasquez,
Visit Oceanside Inc., Randy Wilkerson
Memorial Donations
See all In Memory Of donations at
surfmuseum.org/memory-donations/
DAN “SKYDOG” HIGHLAND
Jerry & Louise Jefferies, Gene Ramos, Jocelyn
Thom, Tara Lee Torburn
Alfonso “Che” Carbajal, Syndi Goldenson, J.
C. Hill, Tom & Marchia Morey, Dennis Olsen,
Lena Patton, Vicki Stroich
WAYNE O’DONNELL
November
Diane Takayama
RENEWAL MEMBERS
Les Bartlett, Lauren Brown, Larry Cook, Jim &
Lissa Cunningham, Wayne Donaldson, Skip &
Donna Frye, Terry Hall, Victoria Higgins, Susan
Johnson, Dave Nash (Sun Diego Boardshops),
Nick & Sueanne Rorick, Dennis Rumrill, Larry
Templin
December
RENEWAL MEMBERS
Tony Altamirano, Angelika & Jim Arganda,
Gary Arnold, Linda Benson, Kevin & Joan
Bockman, Nigel Butler, Daniel Condrick,
Bill Coughlin, Daryl Dick, Louise Dockerty,
Gary Dodds, Mary Dreibelbis, Hansen’s
Surfboards, John Harrison, Penny Hill, Mary
& Brian Jackson, Robert “Jens” Jensen, Jean
& Steve Josepho, Kevin Kinnear, Carl Knox,
Randy Laine, Kaye Martin, David Matuszak,
Scott Prestie & Alisa Morgan, Terri Murray,
Ira Opper, Bill Philp, Rob & Liz Pink, Mike
Richardson, Dick Saar, Hal Sachs, George
Sicklick, Diane Takayama, Tara Torburn, Gena
& Scott Wilson, Val Wright
NEW MEMBERS
Arriane & Massimo Bettazzi, Janet Burke,
Pauline Condrick, Tom Hanks, Dave & Jodi
Ruby, Ian Thompson
Winter 2015 | Volume 28 Issue 3
Brenda Pulliam
DONALD MOKE TAKAYAMA
Collections Donations
From vintage clothing and magazines to
surfboards and ephemera, we thank all
those who help build CSM’s archives and
collections for future generations.
Dan Close
Carl Knox
Mark Cheesman
Max Villalobos
Lee Louis
Bank Wright
Brenda Fuller
Bruce King
Josh Pomer
Brian Hickey
Don Craig
Dick Saar
Hal Sachs
Stephen Cosgrove
Byron Jessup
Tim Drover
Phil Kaplan
Debbie Gordon
Garry Cohen
Larry Balma
Jane Schmauss
Alan Papile
Please let us know if your name does
not appear and it should be here.
Member Profile
Vicki Stroich – Drama Queen!
N
ew member Vicki Stroich is the Executive Director of Alberta Theatre
Projects. Yes, Alberta, Canada, about as landlocked as one can be. Historian
Jane Schmauss met Vicki at CSM Gala in October and the two struck up a
conversation. Jane was intrigued with Vicki’s interest in surfing and was curious to
learn how this young Canadian woman had “caught the bug.” Through a series of
subsequent emails, Vicki revealed the following:
“Long ago I saw the documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys,” and I became
intrigued with the surfing footage near the beginning of the film. Then I rented
“Riding Giants,” “Endless Summer,” and “Step into Liquid.” Soon I found myself
purchasing surf documentaries right and left and I began to read Surfer magazine.
The lure of surfing was becoming a
passion, alongside my love for theatre.
“On my 32nd birthday I had a surfthemed party and screened “Endless
Summer” on a bed sheet in my front
yard. At the party friends surprised me
with a gift of a two-day surf clinic in
Tofino, British Columbia, and when I
caught that first wave, I was seriously
hooked!”
“I have learned so much from
surfing, even though I am a beginner:
how it demands that you be in the moment and to trust your instincts. I love the way
it brings together body, mind, and spirit. It is humbling, but I come out of the water
feeling stronger, calmer, and so very grateful.”
“I actually visited CSM for the first time in 2012 and signed up on the email
list so I could keep track of your events. Earlier this year I saw that the Gala was
scheduled during a time that I was going to be in San Diego for a family visit, so I
bought a ticket and booked a room at the Springhill Suites. I had a great time and
met some lovely people, even though I was there on my own. I also decided to
become a proud member right then and there.”
We’re happy to have you on board!
February is Museum Month!
Half-price admissions available to 45 area museums
M
acy’s Department Stores invites
San Diego county residents and
visitors to stop by any of their
stores and take advantage of their FREE
Museum Month Pass, offered in February.
One pass is good for up to four half-price
admissions to any and all 45 participating
museums.
CSM joined this program many years
ago and we have enjoyed the variety of
new visitors that the Macy’s Pass brings in. Brought to the region by the San Diego
Museums Council in 1989, this popular program has grown to become the blueprint
for fostering awareness of top educational, historical, and cultural institutions in the
nation. From the Birch Aquarium to the Museum of Making Music, from the USS
Midway to the San Diego Botanical Gardens, from the San Diego Hall of Champions
to the Women’s Museum in Liberty Station — these and several more fascinating
cultural institutions await your visit!
For more information, please go to www.sandiegomuseumcouncil.org.
Winter 2015 | Volume 28 Issue 3
Welcome
Camille
C
amille Cacas is CSM’s new
Museum Store Manager and
has spent the past several weeks
getting adjusted to her new position. The
Del Mar-area resident brings many years
of retail experience with her. We asked
her how it feels to be a part of CSM:
“I’ve also been around surfing and
surf culture all my life, and when I saw
the ad for a store manager here at CSM,
I was, like — Wow! I didn’t waste any
time filling out my application.
“I can tell it’s going to be a great
place to work – I can feel the dedication
of the staff, board members, and even
the volunteers that I’ve met. I’d like to
have our store reflect that passion for
surf culture.”
Revenues from the Museum Store
support the operations of CSM. Camille
is on duty Monday through Friday – stop
by and introduce yourself to our dynamic
new staff person!
CSM Manager
Sam Moves On
A
fter three years as the Manager
at the California Surf Museum,
Sam Zuegner left CSM with
plans to move to northern California
with his fiancé.
In his tenure at CSM, besides
running the Museum Store, Sam had a
big hand in overseeing many of the Big
Wednesday evening presentations and
film screenings, and helped in producing
the Annual Gala.
Sam’s interest in video editing was put
to good use as he compiled several video
clips for use in exhibits and presentations.
He spent time working with a number
of potential donors and cultivating
relationships with surf industry brands.
Sam worked closely with Cobian in their
development of a CSM-branded sandal
from which CSM receives royalties with
each pair sold worldwide.
He organized many events at
CSM including a “Restore the Shore”
fundraiser for the East Coast, where he
grew up, following Hurricane Sandy.
We wish Sam all the luck in the world
and hope to see him back for a visit!
3
John Severson Signs SURF at CSM
T
he line stretched out the door and extended more than two blocks
to the top of Pier View Way. When surfing great John Severson
showed up to hold a book signing at CSM on September 27, the
word had spread so rapidly that our preparation was almost overwhelmed.
His newest book SURF (a retrospective of his life work) proved to be
a huge hit and John spent nearly four hours signing autographs for the fans
who had waited so many years for an opportunity to meet him.
Everyone seemed to have a “Severson story” and John listened politely
to each and every one. The room was filled with men and women whose
lives had forever been influenced by his early surfing films and the launch of
Surfer magazine in 1960.
Above: Severson fans wait patiently for their turn to meet John and have him sign their
books. At left, Gabe Burris, CSM Customer Service, is all smiles meeting John.
John was gracious, endlessly patient, and humbly blown away by the
response from the public on his book signing tour. Accompanied by his niece
Alize de Rosnay, and her beau artist and the book’s editor Nathan Howe,
the event was a San Diego kickoff to a world wide tour of the new book.
For CSM it was a dream come true: John Severson was in the house!
The Museum store sold out of all 99 copies available and left back orders to
be filled. It was a magical evening, one that will be long remembered.
Gems from the Vault: Unique Boards from
CSM’s Collection
G
ems from the Vault is a new exhibit
opening at the Museum in February.
With so many unique pieces and so many
great stories, we decided it was time to break out
some of our unseen artifacts which are rarely on
put on view.
Following the Bodysurfing exhibit, which
is scheduled to travel to the Huntington Beach
International Surfing Museum at the end of
January, Gems from the Vault will be a display
of unique surfboards from deep in CSM’s
collection.
4
Winter 2015 | Volume 28 Issue 3
Our rare motorized jet-board is scheduled
to make an appearance, as is San Onofre
Surfing Club founder Eddie McBride’s solid
155-pound redwood board, and pictured at left,
Al Nelson’s two-part traveling surfboard —
with its own suitcase! An old wooden ironing
board, a homemade backyard board, a hydrofoil
body board – what else we will dust off and put
on display? Stop on by and find out!
A Man Ahead of His Time?
R
etired Brigadier General Homer Johnstone, visiting from Petaluma,
posed next to a Velzy “Pig,” similar to the one he purchased from Velzy’s
shop in the 1950s. (Editor’s note: Yes, he still has the board). When Homer
attended Manhattan Beach High School, he was classmates and surfing buddies
with Bing Copeland, Greg Noll, and Dewey Weber. Carlsbad resident Sharon
McCourt Hamilton, also a MBHS alum and a tandem surfer herself, brought
Homer in to see the museum. It was a trip back in time for a serious surfer who
ultimately decided upon a career in the army.
In 1964, Shore and Beach magazine published Homer’s master’s thesis on
“California Surfing,” which included a brief history of the sport, and the fundamentals
and physics involved with wave riding. He noted “an ever-growing number of people
to whom the arrival of large waves is a matter of pleasure.” His conclusion: if surfing’s
popularity continued to grow, then it was conceivable that “man may change bottom
topography to create waves artificially.” A man ahead of his time?
Surfing South Wales
W
hat motivates a South
Wales man living in the
United Kingdom to become
a surfer? Apparently, surf music.
Professional carpenter Keith Rogers
admits listening to music by The Beach
Boys inspired him to make his first
surfboard even though he lived inland
and miles from the coast. In 1968 he
obtained design plans for a paddleboard
from a woodworking magazine. The
project involved purchasing large
sheets marine plywood almost 10 feet
in length, nails, tacks and water-based
glue to hold it together, and a can of
yacht varnish to give his masterpiece a
nice, high-gloss finish.
“There was one surf shop on the
coast. No one knew anything about wind
direction or swell, we drove 35 miles
for a surf check, and not 35 easy miles,
either. First we had VW Beetles, and we
piled 4 boards on top — now that was a
sight! Then, when we could afford them,
the VW camper bus became our vehicle
of choice.”
Keith and his wife visited CSM in
late September. “We’ll be back!” they
assured us.
Surfing China
E
xcerpts from an email from young Charlie Musser, a
former intern here at CSM who now teaches English
in Harbin, China:
“I finally made it to the sea for the first time in 8 months,
to the coastal city of Qingdao in the Shandong Province. The
second I got off the train I ran down to the beach, threw my
clothes off and jumped right in. It was pretty polluted, but it
was the ocean and I was ‘home.’ The next day we headed north
to a beach known for its rock formations called Shi Lao Ren
(translates to Old Stone Man) where I noticed one surfer out on
a big green foam board. I swam out to him to ask if there was
any place I could rent a board. With nothing available nearby,
he loaned me his.
“Apparently, the concept of wax has yet to reach this
part of China, and the moment I started paddling out it was
an immediate struggle just trying to stay on his super slippery
sponge board. Also, 8 months out of the water with very little
physical exercise had rendered me out of shape and out of breath
within five minutes. Still, there were some 2-3’ kickers with
slight offshore winds that lasted about an hour, and I managed
to catch some sweet rides — not counting the times I slipped.
But, as I said, I was in the ocean, and it was awesome!
“I later encountered two more Chinese surfers who
informed me they were part of the area’s small surf crew. It was
a nice town – clean air, fresh waves, tasty seafood and a couple
of surfboards. I’ll be back.”
Winter 2015 | Volume 28 Issue 3
5
In Memory…
Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz
1921-2014
Born in Galveston in 1921, young Dorian Paskowitz was called “Tex” by his
surfing pals in San Diego in the 1930s. It wasn’t until he earned his MD at Stanford
in 1946 that he claimed the moniker “Doc,” which served him well for nearly 60
years. Much has been written about this larger-than-life individual, for, like many
true surfing innovators he preferred to carve his own unconventional journey through
life. He was far ahead if his time in advocating a balanced lifestyle that called upon
nutrition, physical fitness, and mental acuity. Fathering nine children with his wife
Juliette, he raised them with a bare-bones philosophy, usually near the sea, and the
world was their classroom.
“When he’s away from the ocean he’s an old man,” Juliette Paskowitz was known
to say about her beloved husband. “He’s a boy when he surfs.”
Aloha, Doc. Surf strong. Surf well.
Kimball Daun
1923-2014
He rode heavy, rough wood planks at the Tijuana Sloughs
and fished the Pacific from Mexico to Alaska. He was a
waterman from a bygone era. Surfing captured his fancy in the
mid-1930s, and he and a handful of other grom tagalongs were
nicknamed “The Vandals” by early San Diego surf pioneer
Emil Sigler.
“I learned to accept myself for what I
was a long time ago – not good or bad,
not a hero or a coward. Just a surfer. I
figured that was good enough.”
— Doc Paskowitz
Mike Tabeling
1949-2014
From Surfer magazine, 1969. Photo Art Brewer.
Sunset Cliffs regulars pose with their boards, from left: Kimball Daun, Rob
Nelson, Bill Sayles, Joe Tody, Lloyd Baker, and Bill “Hadji” Hein.
“We had limited transportation and very heavy boards, so
my first choices to surf were at Sunset Cliffs or PB Point. In the
early 1940s I built a surfboard rack in high school metal shop
and put it in the rumble seat of my 1928 Chevy. That way I
was able to get to the Sloughs or Windansea, and even as far as
Cardiff,” said Daun in a 2006 interview.
Kimball McQueen Daun was born in Ocean Beach and
graduated from OB High School in 1941. He enlisted in the
Merchant Marines after graduation, and that was followed by a
14-year stint as a county lifeguard. He wound up his career as a
lieutenant in the U.S. Marshalls office.
6
East Coast surfing legend Mike
Tabeling passed away at age 65
after a long struggle with cancer.
He started surfing in Cocoa Beach,
Florida, at age 12 and was a top
junior, eventually becoming the first Nancy and Mike Tabeling,
‘Right Coaster’ to win an event on the CSM Gala, 2011.
West Coast when he captured the 1967 Laguna Masters. He
competed in the World Contests of 1966, 1968, and 1970 and
was considered by many to be one of the world’s top surfers of
the early 1970s. Surfer magazine rewarded him with a cover in
1971, the first East Coaster to attain that honor. Widely traveled,
Mike also lived for several years in South Africa and Mexico.
In the early 1970s an article Mike wrote for Surfer
magazine helped put the media spotlight on Cocoa Beach, an
area that would soon become famous for producing top-rated
talent, including Kelly Slater. Mike was one of the group of
original inductees into the East Coast Surf Legends Hall of
Fame in 1996.
Winter 2015 | Volume 28 Issue 3
Shelley Merrick
1946-2015
Woman’s surfing pioneer Shelley Merrick, 68, passed away
in Georgia, where she had been living and working for the past
13 years. Instrumental in contests and women’s organizations
since the mid-1950s the Malibu-honed waterwoman was the
daughter of John J. Merrick, a prominent local judge and fitness
advocate, who would get her up at dawn for a surf check before
school. Though trained as a competitive swimmer, Shelley
found that surfing opened up whole new worlds for her, and
she was at the forefront of women’s issues in a male-dominated
sport.
Shelley was a featured personality in CSM’s “Women on
Waves” exhibit in 2009, and was one of a handful of outstanding
female surfers honored at Pepperdine University’s “Girls in the
Curl” recognition event in 2010.
The Journey of “I Will…”
M
embers of the Martin Luther King
Jr. Middle School Book Club
began their “I Will…” journey
by spending a special evening at CSM in
January 2014 with Shaun Tomson as he
shared the ups and downs of his life and
the impact that the “I Will…” statements
have had on his life. Filled with inspiration,
members of our book club left that evening
with Shaun’s book in hand, The Code.
them had so much fun viewing the exhibits and reading about
bodysurfing and the history of surf boards. After the scavenger
hunts were completed, we walked down to the beach and the
students sat quietly and designed a surf board on paper… that
represented their own personal “I Will…” statement – they
came out beautifully!
Thank you to Shaun Tomson and to the team at California
Surf Museum for providing such an enriching experience for
our students!
— Darcy Webb
Several weeks later, members of the Book Club and their
families reconvened to share their thoughts about the book and
how Shaun’s experiences related to their own lives. The students
then went on to create “I Will…” statements for themselves and
we shared them amongst the group.
Our culminating event to this journey was a visit to the
California Surf Museum. The students had a scavenger hunt to
complete while visiting the museum and each and every one of
Winter 2015 | Volume 28 Issue 3
7
Bodysurfing Champ Visits CSM
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From left: CSM volunteer Rick Wilson, Calla, and Cecille.
resh off her victory in the 2014 World Bodysurfing Champion-ships, Calla
Allison, a 5-time Women’s Grand Champion, returned to CSM with her
mother Cecille Allison in tow. Cecille, a long-time Wedge regular, first
introduced her daughter to Newport’s hallowed break when she was just 12
years old, allowing Calla to parlay her body whomping skills into several world
titles. Cecille was visiting from Santa Cruz and the two spent hours admiring the
bodysurfing exhibit.
Newlyweds Wiley and Kayla drop in CSM they
tied the knot in Las Vegas two nights earlier, then
drove straight to Oceanside and we were their
random first activity. I guess we could consider
them on their Honeymoon at CSM
Fellow Encinitans Woody Ekstrom and Ian
Thompson take time out for a chat at CSM’s
John Severson booksigning in Sept. 2014.
Thompson, who started surfing in the U.K. at
age 12, surfed throughout the world, and can
be found crafting boards in his garage, said:
“Mine has been a comic book of experience
when compared to the libraries of experience
and contribution that the likes of Woody and
John have amassed.”
12-year-old competitive
surfer Ella CatalanoDockins and her sister Lily,
from Half Moon Bay, enjoyed
their first look at CSM in
April 2014. On a later visit,
and prompted by Historian
Jane Schmauss, Ella donated
her science fair project to
the CSM archives. The title
of her project is “Why Fins?”
and her hypothesis was that a board with three fins would work best for her. It is a study on how
the number of fins on one’s surfboard affects the ride. The result? You’ll have to stop by CSM and
see her storyboard.
Now on Instagram! Like and follow CSM at CAsurfmuseum
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Winter 2015 | Volume 28 Issue 3