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.
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.
LIFEGUARD MECHANICS
By Jon Brick LBLG 1975-1984
August 28, 2015
This story is not about lifeguard heroics. Like anyone who has guarded a number of years I have plenty of those stories, but I wanted to share a recollection that was about mentoring, trust and developing self reliance.
The year was probably 1982 or 1983. I was working the unit with Steve McCormick back when we had those beautiful yellow Jeeps. We were assigned the area from Emerald Bay all the way up to the edge of Cameo Shores. The State had acquired the section of beaches from El Moro up to Cameo shores, but was unable to manage guarding it yet, so they contracted with the City of Laguna Beach to handle it.
It was a great place to work. Back then there was no such thing as Newport Coast nor was there a single traffic signal between Corona Del Mar and Laguna. There were no State parking lots on the bluffs, just wide open hills. At the north end near Corona Del Mar, there were some horse stables between PCH and the bluffs above the beach. As part of our daily rounds we would drive along the dirt road to the stables and say hello to the girls tending to their horses. Riders would often times ride their horses along the beach splashing through the shallow water.
Working the unit back in the city area, we rarely drove the Jeeps in the sand. However in this north area we were always either in the sand, or on the dirt paths on the bluffs. This change brings us to the heart of this story. Since we were driving in the sand so much, and going down the steep unpaved paths to the beach all the time, the brakes wore out much faster than normal.
One day when Steve was driving he turned to me and said that the brakes felt a little squishy and that we should probably get them checked. We radioed to HQ that we were heading to Main Beach. We got to the Main and saw Bruce Baird our Chief coming out of the Main Tower just as we pulled up. We walked over to him and explained our dilemma with the brakes. He looked at us for a moment, scratched his chin and said, " Well you better go and change the brake pads then". With that he turned and walked toward PCH. Before he got too far away I asked,
" Where do we get brake pads?" He turned his head and replied over his shoulder, " LM&P". That was it. No further details.
We shrugged our shoulders and climbed back in the Jeep. I knew LM&P was the little auto parts store at the corner of Pearl St., so I directed Steve in that direction. Beyond that I had no idea what we were going to do. Neither of us had any money to buy brake pads, and neither of us had any experience working on automobiles. I was training to be a pilot at the time so I knew a bit about airplane engines, but I was clueless when it came to cars. Steve was sort of a brainiac egghead from UCI and knew next to nothing about automobiles.
We headed south on PCH and radioed dispatch that we would be out of service for awhile so the other units would know to cover our area. As we drove I contemplated our next step.
One of the things you learn early on as a Laguna Beach Lifeguard, is the requirement to be self reliant, creative and adaptable. I remember even during initial training that being a guard here was not like anywhere else. We were told that unlike Newport or Huntington, a guard here does not have the luxury of having supervising guards patrolling in Jeeps up and down the beach as back-up. You could always call for back-up. But often the most critical part of the incident you had to handle on your own until help arrived. The concept of contingency planning for emergencies was emphasized by our trainers and mentors. Bruce Baird, Jack Linke, Chuck Ware, Dick Johnson, Mike Dwinell and Jim Stauffer guided us early on, followed by many others as the years passed.
Lifeguards in Laguna designed and built their own towers. We repaired our own paddle boards and dories. We fashioned our own oar locks for competition. Somebody either showed us how or we figured it out ourselves. And now I was coming to understand, guards also fixed their own Jeeps.
So we walked up to the counter at LM&P and told the guy we needed brake pads for our Jeep, oh and by the way we have no money. He looked us up and down standing there bare chested in our lifeguard trunks, then looked outside at our Jeep. Without saying anything he turned and disappeared into the parts room, then returned with some brake pads. He wrote up a bill of sale and said, " Just sign here on the bottom". I remember thinking that step one of this project was too easy. Free parts just because I had red trunks on. We took the pads and left.
Back then the Jeeps were always parked at the end of the day in some garages behind city hall. We went there figuring we could get in the shade, plus we might be able to bum some tools from one of the real mechanics that worked on the fire trucks, police cars and buses. The lifeguards only had three jeeps at the time, so we came to find out that we were way down the priority list compared to the rest of the city vehicles.
We parked the Jeep and then went searching for some tools. We found a mechanic who gave us a couple simple tools and we got to work. We jacked up the Jeep and took off a wheel. Then we just started taking pieces off from where we thought the brakes might be, and carefully lined them up on the ground in the same order we took them off. We continued this process until we got to the brake pad and replaced it with a new one. Then we replaced all the parts in the order they came off and replaced the wheel. I was hot, sweaty, greasy and had little pebbles imbedded in my knees and back from the asphalt. I remember thinking I was glad I was a lifeguard and not a mechanic.
We did the same with the other pads which took us a few hours. We did not do anything like bleed brake lines, and to this day I don't know if we should have.
When we were done we were a mess. Our bodies and trunks were covered in dirt and grease. However we both had big smiles on our faces and proudly drove back to the Main with a sense of accomplishment. And that was what it was really all about. When Chief Baird stood there looking at us earlier that day scratching his chin, he had a choice. He could have told Mike Dwinell, who was sort of a genius at fixing things, to change the brake pads for us. Or he could have put the Jeep on the waiting list with the city mechanics and be short a unit for a few days. But instead he assigned the task with minimal instruction to two members of his "extended family". Bruce truly cared about each and every one of the young men and women on the department. It was with little events like this that he helped us develop into problem solvers in life, not just observers. We learned that obstacles were not roadblocks. We just needed to figure a solution around them. JB
Here you go Dale. There's only one guard I'm not 100% on... between Frank Browne & Jon Brick (2nd from right to left). Perhaps Wade Grindle??
Great story Dale. Interesting, what Jacobson taught Lincke... that's exactly what Lincke and Ware instilled in myself and my follow Rooksters. All the great guards before us, including yourself Dale, and after us... have kept a rich tradition going that truly defines a Laguna guard.
Circa - 1975 Rookies. From left to right: Jack Lincke, Charlie Ware, Blake Summers, Rob Newton, Frank Browne, ??, Jon Brick.
Bottom row left to right: Doug Bunting, Phil Morreale, Mike Newton, Brian O'Hara (Knots), Al Mendez.
Sent from my iPhoneHello everyone,Here is another story Sent from my iPhoneDale Ghereguarded 1960-1974---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mary Jo Lincke
Date: Thu, Aug 20, 2015 at 11:09 AM
Subject: Jake Article and Photo
To: Dale Ghere <dmghere@gmail.com><LBLG 1961.jpg><Lieutenant Jake Jacobson.doc>
Hello everyone,I have been trying to find the name of the guard second from the far right in the top line. He is not Bob Malone nor is he Wade Grindle. Who is he? Help!!!!!!Dale Ghereguarded 1960 to 1974---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Al Mendez
Date: Fri, Aug 21, 2015 at 10:44 AM
Subject: FW: Jake Article and Photo
To: Dale Ghere <dmghere@gmail.com>
Here you go Dale. There's only one guard I'm not 100% on... between Frank Brown & Jon Brick (2nd from right to left). Perhaps Wade Grindle??
Great story Dale. Interesting, what Jacobson taught Lincke... that's exactly what Lincke and Ware instilled in myself and my follow Rooksters. All the great guards before us, including yourself Dale, and after us... have kept a rich tradition going that truly defines a Laguna guard.
Circa - 1975 Rookies. From left to right: Jack Lincke, Charlie Ware, Blake Summers, Rob Newton, Frank Brown, ??, Jon Brick.
Bottom row left to right: Doug Bunting, Phil Morreale, Mike Newton, Brian O'Hara (Knots), Al Mendez.
Sent from my iPhoneHello everyone,Here is another story Sent from my iPhoneDale Ghereguarded 1960-1974---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mary Jo Lincke
Date: Thu, Aug 20, 2015 at 11:09 AM
Subject: Jake Article and Photo
To: Dale Ghere <dmghere@gmail.com><LBLG 1961.jpg><Lieutenant Jake Jacobson.doc>
Hello everyone,Here is another story Sent from my iPhoneDale Ghereguarded 1960-1974---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mary Jo Lincke
Date: Thu, Aug 20, 2015 at 11:09 AM
Subject: Jake Article and Photo
To: Dale Ghere <dmghere@gmail.com>
<LBLG 1961.jpg>
<Lieutenant Jake Jacobson.doc>
Eugene de Paulis' Story
Lifeguard in Laguna Beach from 1959 to 1972
Profile of the Laguna Beach Lifeguard Department
Upon my employment with the Laguna Beach Lifeguard Department in 1959 we found ourselves under the Laguna Beach Police Department. Vic Stuart was the acting administrator and Chief of Police. In March of 1959 a seasonal Chief Lifeguard position was created and this position was filled by Mr. Art Fisette. He was aided by Captains Rod Reihl and Dean Westgaard. Approximately 26 recurrent lifeguards were used to staff the beaches throughout the year.
The Lifeguard Department operated approximately three miles of beaches, coves and rocky areas. Area coverage included Crescent Bay, Shaws Cove Boat Canyon, Diver's Cove, Picnic Beach, Rockpile, Main Beach, Sleepy Hollow, St. Ann's, Oak Street, Mountain Road, Agate Street, Arch Cove, Woods Cove, Moss Street, and Victoria Beach. Laguna also provided guard service to private beaches: Emerald Bay, Lagunita and Treasure Island. Over the years millions of locals and visitors had visited these beaches from January 1 to December 31 without a single recorded drowning on a guarded public beach.
Upon being hired by the Department in March of 1959 my first season's job was as an assistant to Captain Dean Westgaard, riding shotgun in the emergency jeep rescue vehicle and beach relief guard. The beach lifeguard was paid $1.75 per hour for a 40 hour week. A total of 18 beaches and 1 Main Beach Headquarter station were manned by approximately 26 lifeguards during Easter week and peak summer season, protecting the three miles of Laguna's coastline.
The beach lifeguards were divided into two divisions. One north of Main Beach Headquarters and one south. Each station was manned by a guard equipped with a rescue tube, fins, first aid kit and a telephone which was hooked up to the Main Tower pbx switchboard. Radio communication was maintained with the emergency jeep which was communicated through the Laguna Beach Police dispatcher. The radio was recharged each night and replaced in the jeep the next day. Needless to say, the three miles of city and private beaches were guarded by well trained and courageous lifeguards.
Services rendered to the public included beach rescues, first aid, underwater search and rescue, cliff rescues, assisting disabled boats and aircraft and enforcement of city ordinances pertaining to beach rules and regulations. The Junior Lifeguard, Sea Cub and Mermaid programs were originated by Art Fisette and administered by guards John Cunningham and Dale Ghere. Beach lore, swimming skills, first aid, rescue systems and beach awareness were employed to teach preventative and life saving techniques to boys and girls 8 to 15 years of age in our community.
Incidences
"Lifeguard Saves Drowning Victim" was the headline in the News Post, Laguna's local paper. Lifeguard John Creed had dropped me off at Diver's Cove to give the beach guard Mike Vogel his relief at approximately 5 pm. Diver's Cove is a small rocky enclosed area at the north end of Heisler Park. The area is popular with the locals mostly. Adjacent to the south is Picnic Beach, approximately 200 yards long and ending at Table Rock, a rocky point below the VFW War Memorial.
Shortly after I had called in my relief of guard Vogel, I noticed two individuals standing on the point of Table Rock. The surf was running about 6 to 8 feet and the tide was at its highest point. Out of nowhere came a huge set of waves on the horizon. Instinctively knowing the waves would wash the people off the rock I immediately called in for backup and proceeded running down Picnic Beach to Heisler Point. The huge waves had indeed swept the two victims off the rock into heavy soup and one victim was was floating unconscious within the basin. Proceeding over and through the rocks to the water's edge I then entered the churning surf with my rescue tube trailing behind me. I swam to the floating victim who turned out to be a 13 year old girl. Another set of huge breakers broke over us and she disappeared beneath the frothy surface. Wham!!!! I felt a bone crushing jar as we were slammed into the bottom edge of the cliff. Fortunately the lanyard strap on my rescue tube had held me and the victim in close proximity. The next wave washed us further into the rock laden shoreline where bystanders assisted us into the grotto area of Heisler Park. We were both covered with blood from the numerous cuts and abrasions from being bashed around and into the rocks. Upon coming to grips with the situation, I began giving her mouth to mouth resuscitation. By now lifeguards John Creed and Captain Rod Reihl had arrived at the scene. Continuing mouth to mouth, Reihl began pulmonary resuscitation to the victim. What seemed to be an eternity, the victim finally responded to our efforts and began breathing on her own. Wow, what a rush! Her companion was fortunate in that she was able to somehow scramble up out of the ocean and over the rocks to safety with only minor cuts and abrasions. Reihl and guard Creed placed the victim into a Stokes Basket and she was rushed via ambulance to South Coast Hospital.
She eventually recovered and we were pleased when she and her family came down to the Lifeguard Headquarters and thanked us for saving her life. Fortunately through the outstanding training we all had received and the tremendous job effected by lifeguards Reihl and Creed a beautiful young gal was given a second chance to enjoy Laguna's beaches again.
Another incident which merits mention was the time the Laguna Beach Lifeguard Department became a member of the Long Island State Parkway Police Sergeants Benevolent Association of the State of New York. In June of 1971 Mr. Richard Caldwell and Mr. Frank Champ from the state of New York contacted me while I was at the Lifeguard Headquarters. They were looking for help in training new recruits or substitute guards to protect the the citizens who frequented the Long Island State Beaches. Contacting our National Surf Association (The NSLSA), which was "organized in 1964 by lifeguard agencies along the California coast who saw the need for cooperation in the advancement of lifesaving techniques and public education," the Laguna Beach Lifeguard Department became a member in 1968 when permanent lifeguards were staffed at the headquarters guarding the beaches year round. The training program and training techniques were well received by the Long Island staff. We, as members of this seaside community, can take pride in the men and women of the California Coastal Lifeguard Association and NSLSA.
Another area of interest may well be the statistics on services rendered. This is an important function for the lifeguard budget and planning. In 1970 for instance the June-July-August statistics for the department were: Rescues 914, Medical Aids 3,663, Boat Rescue 29, Lost Children 52, Resuscitations 1, Ambulance Transports 9, Drowning 0, Body Recovery 0, Attendance 1,258,000.
Over the years numerous projects were completed with the help of the merchants and individual members of our community. One such project was the procuring of a Orange County Harbor Department skiff. The Lifeguard Association successfully raised money, materials and obtained donated labor to renovate the old skiff into a beautiful rescue craft. With the monies donated we were able to purchase a 135 h.p. Mercury outboard motor to power the craft.
The rescue boat was placed into service in June of 1970 and was invaluable in its service to the Lifeguard Department, those that it rescued and to the boats assisted in the open ocean.
This rescue boat would not have been possible had it not been for the generous contributions from: Emerald Bay Association, Lagunita Community Association, Mr. Don Houseman - Manager at Security National Bank, Junior Chamber of Commerce, Mrs. Gaede of Irvine Cove and Mr. Pat McGuinness - News Director for KBIG Radio Catalina and their many listeners who gave generously. What a marvelous comradeship and support our Lifeguard Department has maintained with our beach community. "A Post Toast!" to all involved.
In a Lighter Vein
Local business patrons and friends would visit the Main Beach Lifeguard Headquarters during lunch hour. On one such day I met two dear friends, the Robert Herpics. Bob was a broker for Dean Witter and Co. and his lovely wife worked for the Laguna Federal Savings. This meeting occurred during the Easter Week in 1964. I had seen a gorgeous blonde gal working as a teller at Laguna Federal. Since she came down to Main Beach by the Main Lifeguard Tower, I asked Bee Herpic to introduce me to her. Little did I know she came from a well known and admired family of 17. Her Mom being Billy Lu Quam - Mother of the Year. Cindy was tall with blonde hair and she wore a white, orange polkadot, one piece swimsuit which just drove me bonkers, along with her curvaceous figure to boot…. moving right along ………. late November of '64 we were married. After leaving the Lifeguard Department in 1972 we eventually moved to Rathdrum, Idaho, raising 2 sons and 3 daughters.
I was saddened by the loss of Dean Westgaard, LaVern Dugger, Lifeguards Bill Haines and Peter Young whose untimely deaths remain dear to me to this day.
Respectfully,
Captain Eugene de Paulis
Ah, summer. Seventy degrees of cloudless sunshine toasting the breeze. The smell of sea salt and cocoa butter and bologna sandwiches wafting over the sand. Bare bodies, or nearly bare, shooting basketballs in the city hoops at Main Beach.
Maybe you can't go home again, but it sure looked like home again Sunday for much of the Laguna Beach lifeguard ranks, old and new, when the city lifeguard association sponsored a fund-raiser for its 1,200-square-foot headquarters scheduled for completion in October.
Donating to the Cause
It was a day for architects and doctors and salesmen--the lifeguards of a decade ago--to pull huaraches and OPs from the back of the closet and drive to Laguna Beach for a return to their old summer haunts, at least for an afternoon.
On Sunday, anyone who donated $10 to the cause--the cause in this case being the $2,000 still needed to complete the $50,000 building--could sign the plywood inside walls, chomp down tacos and guacamole and mingle for a while with that special breed that spends eight hours a day, five days a week, three months a year, on the beach.
It was billed as a "stud signing party," and true to promise, several of lifeguarding's more estimable members allowed their silhouettes to be traced in crayon along the floor and walls of the new building for signing later. By midday, several hundred dollars had been raised and the walls were nearly covered with autographs proclaiming everything from "Rookies Rule" to, simply, "Bob French. Oak Street. 48-54."
Bob French today is Dr. Robert French, dentist. But starting back in 1948 and continuing during his high school and college years, he was king of Oak Street Beach.
Today he carries a lifeguard association membership card in his wallet proclaiming him a member of the "Old Guard," and he has been one of the most regular contributors to the lifeguard headquarters fund, writing out checks whenever funds were low.
'Chuck Toast'
Because the 60-member summer lifeguard force uses a small tower on the Main Beach as headquarters, he said, "You've got lifeguards using public restrooms, no room for dispatching, for support vehicles, for good central communications. They really need this."
Charles Ware, a Mission Viejo Co. executive, arrived with his wife and two children and proclaimed in crayon along the north wall that, yes, "Chuck Toast" was back.
Ware worked the beach every summer from 1968 to 1978, when he finished college. "Then I got married and had to find a full-time job and, I guess, face the reality of it all," he said.
For him, Sunday was a chance to catch up with old buddies and "see their children growing up. It's pretty dramatic, the way our life styles have changed," he said.
"But it's been a good change. It's part of the pattern of living, I guess. But I think lifeguarding probably helped prepare me for being a family man, having a wife and children . . . . I mean, basically it's the same, good old summertime profession that a lot of guys envy, but I wish every teen-age guy growing up would have that same kind of responsibility.
"Being disciplined, working hard, being competitive, having a goal and trying to attain it, understanding life-and-death situations, which do happen on the beach. Many people go all through life and never have to deal with anything like that, and so they never understand what it is."
Brent Jacobson, 18, of Corona del Mar, son of Newport Beach's lifeguard chief, said, "I love it. It's the best thing I've ever done."
Help From Former Guards
Lifeguard Capt. Mike Dwinell, who has worked almost full time on the headquarters project in recent years, said local contractors and businessmen have supplied a great deal of free labor during construction, but much of the help has come from former lifeguards as well.
Former lifeguard Tom Redwitz, now an Irvine Co. architect, drew up the plans in 1973 during the wintry months while he was away from the beach, at UC Berkeley. Ex-lifeguard Marty Madison showed up recently to do the electrical work. Vernie Gregg laid the cement.
"The good thing is they didn't just sit around and bitch about it and say, city, where's the money for our building," said Lifeguard Lt. Mark Klosterman, who credited Dwinell with most of the effort. "Here's a guy who said, OK, you're short on money, we're going to go out and build it ourselves. And that's what happened."
