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."
From: Jack Bond <lbmsa.outreach@gmail.com>Subject: Relay for LifeDate: September 30, 2014 at 7:21:46 PM PDTAssociation Members, Friends and Family,
The Laguna Beach Marine Safety Association is participating in the 2014 Relay for Life to raise money for the American Cancer Society. This 24 hour event begins at 9:00 AM on October 11th, 2014 at El Morro Elementary School . We are encouraging all lifeguards, friends, and family to represent the Laguna Beach Marine Safety Association at this amazing event.
Participants are encouraged to sign up for the 24 hour relay. An online sign-up sheet will be emailed your way shortly for those wanting to participate and donate their time. A quick note to all of our lifeguards still in high school…ANY AND ALL OF THE TIME YOU DEDICATE TO THE RELAY FOR LIFE COUNTS TOWARDS YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS! Thats right, I said it; you could knock out 24 hours, like that! If you are interested in donating a few hours of your time, please contact me at lbmsa.outreach@gmail.com. Drop in participants are also welcome.Parking is available at El Morro School first come first serve. El Morro Elementary School is located at: 8681 North Pacific Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651.
If you would like to donate to the American Cancer Society on behalf of the Association, please follow the link below:
One hundred percent of the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society and are tax deductible.
Please contact me if you have any questions. I hope to see you all on October 11th. Forward this email to any potential donors to the American Cancer Society on behalf of The Laguna Beach Marine Safety Association.Thank you,Jack BondCommunity OutreachLaguna Beach Marine Safety Association
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Hello everyone,Once again Mitch has shared a few great photos. This is an event worthy of being remembered and recorded.Dale---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: rwatercolors@netzero.com <rwatercolors@netzero.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 9:34 AM
Subject: Ben's Paddle out
To: ksnow@lagunabeachcity.net
Cc: dmghere@cox.net, kbond@lagunabeachcity.net
Hi Kevin,Here are a few from the paddle out ... I'll have a disk to you with the rest in a few days.Mitch
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Newport Beach lifeguard drowned Sunday during a rescue attempt near the city's pier. Officials said it was the first time a city lifeguard had died in the line of duty.
Ben Carlson, a 15-year veteran Newport Beach lifeguard, was pulled from the ocean by colleagues, officials announced during an evening news conference. They had been frantically searching for him after he disappeared under 10-foot waves while attempting to rescue a swimmer, authorities said. As Carlson, 32, reached the swimmer, both were hit by the waves; the swimmer made it back to shore, but Carlson disappeared.
The loss shocked the close-knit public safety department in Newport Beach.
"It's been a very difficult time," said police Sgt. Penny Freeman.
Newport Beach has experienced dangerous rip currents since Friday, and lifeguards have been busy during the holiday weekend making rescues, Freeman said. There was another near-drowning earlier Sunday, she said.
Carlson "was in the water to effect a rescue and had some distress at that time," Freeman said. More details will be forthcoming as the investigation into what happened gets underway, she said.
Newport Beach Fire Chief Scott Post said Carlson entered the water just after 5 p.m. Lifeguards located him about 8 p.m. and delivered him to waiting paramedics on the pier. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
It was a tragic ending to what had been a crowded and sunny weekend at one of Southern California's most picturesque coastlines. Twitter quickly filled with condolences.
