Re: Lifeguard story - Dean Westgaard

Good morning everyone,

Here are two replies to my Westgaard story.

Dale Ghere

guarded 1960 to 1974

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
Date: Wed, Sep 2, 2015 at 12:23 AM
Subject: Re: Lifeguard story - Dean Westgaard
To: Dale and Marilyn Ghere <dmghere@gmail.com>

In 1968 I went to the North Shore to surf for the second time.

It was an interesting time to be there. I considered myself a waterman, having swam and played polo for four years in high school, and surfed at the Huntington Beach Pier since I was 9.

My friends I was staying with on Ke Iki Rd woke me one morning telling me that Sunset was perfect. We gotta go now. I'd surfed Rocky Point, Chun's, Laniakea, etc. never Sunset.

We got there about 9am. It was perfect. About 10 feet and clean. We paddled out,  and I had an 8ft gun that my boss at the time, Joey Cabell had given me. (Joey is still my good friend, and lives several blocks from me in Honolulu). 10 feet Hawaii is a little different than 10 ft Trestles, which was the biggest wave I'd previously surfed.

Anyway, I stroked out into the lineup and as soon as I got out there, the waves began to pop. Within 20 minutes, the waves went to 20 feet. I'd try and take off, but  I'd look down that face and the guys that were scrambling up that face looked like ants. Plus, it was popping and I didn't want to get caught inside. I was scared shitless.

All my friends had already gone in. A couple of them were standing on the top of the car waving at me to come in. I thought to myself that this is really embarrassing. I've been a waterman my whole life. I'm at least as good as the rest of these guys out here. No matter how big the next wave is, I'm gonna take it. 

It was about 20ft. Got to the bottom, started my turn, my fin popped out. I got totally tossed.

We didn't have leashes. When I finally got to the surface (seemed like a minute, probably 10 seconds), I was alive. It wasn't so bad, and my board was 5 yards away. Surfed for another half hour.

Next day, a little smaller, but still really good. Plus now I'm the Master of the universe.

Surfed for about 2 hours, and caught an inside shore break wave on the way in. Not paying attention, trying to show off, and went over the falls on about a 10 ft wave. 

I landed feet first in about 3ft of water. My left leg bent the right way. My right leg bent the wrong way. Destroyed my knee and tore all of my cartilage. Flew back to the mainland, checked into Hoag Hospital and was told "they would try to save my leg", because of hitting the reef, I had also gotten phlebitis. 

I woke up from surgery with a cast from my ankle to my hip. The doctor came in and told me I should be grateful that they were able to save my leg. But my surfing days were over, and I would probably need a cane for the rest of my life.

I, needless to say, was bummed out.

After a period of time feeling sorry for myself, I decided to to Orange Coast College and take some classes. I stopped by to see Jack Fullerton, the head coach of the water polo team.

For some reason, Dean Westgaard was in Jack's office. I think he was working part time as a physical therapist for the football team.  He saw that I was in a pretty big cast and asked me what happened. I gave him my sob story, and he suggested I come over to his office the next afternoon, and bring my X-rays and hospital records.

The next afternoon we met. He looked over everything, and when he was finished, he looked up 

at me with that Westgaard look and said "listen kid. Do everything thing I say for the next 6 months and I'll have you running and surfing. It's going to be hard and painful, but I promise.".

He was right. It was extremely hard and painful. He would meet with me 3-4 afternoons a week for a couple of hours. He would torture me with stretching and lifting. Truthfully, at first, I thought he was a sadistic a**hole. But after the first three months, I had dumped the cane. He told me after 5 months that I should tryout for the Laguna Beach Lifeguards.

I made it.

I know most of you don't remember me. But Dean was a very special man. You all know that.

But now you know a little more.

Mike Hartley

Second reply

Great story, Dale. Thanks. Dean did teach us all a great deal about life, in addition to what he taught us about saving lives. I miss him too and think about him often.

Your story reminded me of the time that you were guarding at St. Ann's and there was a kid body surfing who got into a little trouble. You went out and hooked him up in your rescue tube and started to swim him in. There was good body surf running so you told him, "You know how to surf, so let's just ride this wave in." That was going fine until you were nearly on the beach and he pulled out and practically took your head off with the strap. Do you remember that?

            Thanks again, Dale. All the best.

                                                                                    Jim

footnote from Dale.  No, I do not remember this event.  Memory can be elusive and is definitely selective.  That is why I started collecting stories from all of you before we are all gone and then so will our history.  If we do not write our history all will be forgotten.  There are many stories/memories worthy of being recorded.

Lifeguard story - Dean Westgaard

Dean Westgaard

By Dale Ghere

2005

The day I was hired to be a lifeguard for Laguna was the first step into a lifestyle I had never imagined.  In the beginning I thought I would go to work on the beach somewhere, get off work at six and do a little surfing in the evening.  Beyond that I really didn't have any other plans.  I only knew one other person in the whole city and he planned to do the same thing I was going to do.  As far I was concerned life was looking pretty good.

First year guards made about $12.00 a day in the summer of 1960. I thought I was about to become wealthy.   Before the first day of work Kiwi, Bill Haines, and I found housing in an old restaurant that was located at the entrance to Three Arch Bay.  Today the north half of the building is a dental office. The other half became a parking lot.  Four of us went together to rent the restaurant.  We each paid $30.00 a month.  How much better could life get than to live on the beach with three other guards, get paid for going to the beach all day and surfing as much as I wanted?

On the first day of work I was assigned Woods Cove, but when I told them I didn't know where it was they decided to place me at a beach they could just point to.  So off I went to St. Ann's.  I didn't know it, but my life was about to take a whole knew direction.  I would meet people over the next few months and years that would help me to mature, to gain confidence, to set life long goals and develop a career.  Dean Westgaard would become the catalyst for many of the changes that finally stuck.  When I became a guard I thought of the beach as a place to work.  Dean taught me it was a place to develop a life style.  There was never a doubt in my mind that he took lifeguarding seriously.  He was the one who taught everyone how to improve their guarding skills.  Everyday started with him telling stories or getting someone else to tell a story about how a rescue or first aid was handled the day before.  He would walk us through every event and reinforce what had been done right and what might have been done to improve the situation.  Dean's primary objective during the day was guarding lives, everything else was secondary.  

What began to excite me most about guarding was what people did before and after guarding all day.  As days turned into weeks and weeks into months my life ambitions were taking some dramatic alterations.  I had come to Laguna for summer employment.  At the end of summer I would then return to college.  As the summer progressed my goals started to change.  All of the other guys were doing such exciting things.  I was ready to make some changes.

The door to diving was opened for me.  I could not believe what could be acquired with just a short dive.  At St. Ann's beach abs, lobsters, and halibut were abundant. Dean and his family lived just above my beach.  He would come down almost nightly and go for a short dive if there were calm surf conditions.  I couldn't believe what he was taking home for dinner.  I started diving right away.  I found he made it look a lot easier than it really was. When he watched me collect my first ab he knew I didn't know what I was doing because it was a black.  He patiently explained the difference between good and bad abalone.  I next learned to dive for halibut and then I moved to lobsters.  After a while I even found a few scallops.

Dean saw I wanted to learn all of the beach skills.  He next moved me into the old dory that was left near the Main Beach tower.  I couldn't believe the bounty that could be produced with a short row down the coast.  This beach life just kept getting better.  I got paid for going to the beach; I could surf before and after work and I could collect a free dinner on the way home--lovely.

Before the end of summer I had my new life mapped out.  I would guard until October.  Then with my pockets full of money I would buy a new rhino board and go to the north shore and ride big surf until January.  I would then go to the mountains and learn to ski well enough to get on the ski patrol.  I planned to work in the mountains until the snow went away and then I would buy a woody and surf up and down the coast until summer returned.  I was on a roll.

When I shared this dream with Dean he started spending more time on my beach.  He also invited me home for dinner a few times.  Each time we would wind up talking about where I was headed.  He asked if I liked what I was doing.  I said that this was the perfect life.  He then said I needed to go back to college and get a teaching degree so I could guard during the summers.  We had a lot of very long discussions about my goals.

Dean lost the first round of discussions.  I didn't go back to school and I did go to the islands with some other guards.  It was an incredible winter.  It was my first experience with waves well over twenty feet.  I did come home and buy a 1948 woody for $200.  I did take off and surf from Rincon south to Mexico, but in the end Dean's influence was just too great.  I went back to school and got a teaching credential.  I guarded summers until 1974 and after 34 years of teaching I retired in 2000.  

During the first few years in Laguna I thought I was the 'chosen one' that Dean had selected to mentor, but as the years passed by I realized I was really just one of many who was given that privilege.  We all gained from his influence.  Each one of us that guarded with Dean felt fortunate to have known a man of his character.  That is why the Laguna Beach Lifeguard Headquarters carries his name.

Hopefully every young person has a hero, someone to emulate and follow.  The night I discovered he had died I went to the beach and cried uncontrollably.  A friend and a mentor had been lost.  I have been comforted to know that his influence on my life would touch both my children and grand children.  I miss him a lot.