Lorrin "Whitey" Harrison (1913-September 8, 1993) |
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The Pacific Ocean isn't as big as it used to be. Pull into LAX, and you can be sniffing the Honolulu plumeria within five hours. In 1932, Lorrin Harrison stowed away on an ocean liner and got within five miles of Diamond Head before being discovered and sent home to California. Unfazed, he tried again, and after two-and-a-half days on a life raft, he was again caught. But this time, they let him stay, and one of the first links between Hawaii and the mainland was established.
Born in Garden Grove, California, Lorrin "Whitey" Harrison soon moved to Santa Ana Canyon, where he went by horse and wagon through Aliso Canyon to reach the beach at Laguna. In 1920, he set his eyes upon surfers at Redondo Beach and knew what he wanted to do. In fifth grade, he built a 5-foot, 18-inch-wide plank covered with canvas, a foundation on which he would later expand. Most of his early surfs consisted of a 10-mile hike to Corona del Mar. Through the late '20s and '30s, Whitey was one of a handful of Orange County surfers living off the sea and paving the surfing lifestyle for future generations. Harrison began shaping surfboards in earnest in Hawaii at age 18. Back in California, he became one of the first production shapers at Pacific Ready-Cut Homes in Los Angeles, where he crafted planks from various wood types that included the infamous Swastika Model. Harrison experimented with fins in the '30s and later with polyurethane foam. After marrying second wife, Cecilia, in 1940 and moving into her family's historic late 1700s cattle ranch in San Juan Capistrano, he began testing and collecting all forms of surf vehicles. The family barn grew into a museum tracing the evolution of watercraft through the middle of the century. In addition to building surfboards, Harrison served as a lifeguard, commercial diver and outrigger enthusiast. In designing, building and racing outriggers, he was one of the few on the West Coast to embrace the ancient Hawaiian pastime. As one of California's earliest and finest watermen, he spent a lifetime exploring new ways to enjoy the sea. After suffering a 1984 heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery, 70-year-old Harrison was back in the water within months, showing an undying enthusiasm that allowed him to retain his youthful mind. Known to modern surfers as the old guy in the straw hat -- another Hawaiian symbol with of he's permanently linked -- he appeared in the early '90s in a national Armor All commercial, a Life magazine profile and as a guest on the "David Letterman Show". At the age of 80, Harrison suffered a heart attack near his second home on Hawaii's Big Island and passed away. He left behind six children, heaps of grandchildren and the indelible image of eternal youth through surfing. -- Jason Borte, October 2000 Click here to find all the Lorrin "Whitey" Harrison photos and editorial on Surfline.
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