George Freeth (November 8, 1883-April 7, 1919) |
 The Largest Surfing EncyclopediaA-Z: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Advertisement
|
|
|
It doesn't take much to be a pro surfer these days. With the ASP's World Qualifying Series ratings a mile long, it's clear that every half-grown fish from every small pond calls himself a pro. But who was the true pro surfing pioneer? Don't let Peter Townend and the boys tell you it was the Bronzed Aussies in 1976. In order to find the Prodigal Pro, you have to turn the clock back -- way back.
In a 1907 travel piece in Woman's Home Companion -- of all places -- Jack London tipped the world off to a secret. He depicted a small group of Hawaiian beach boys who took part in what he called, "a royal sport for the natural kings of earth." Through journalist and Outrigger Canoe Club founder Alexander Hume Ford, London was introduced to a 23-year-old Irish-Hawaiian named George Freeth. London recollects his first vision of Freeth: "Shaking the water from my eyes as I emerged from one wave and peered ahead to see what the next one looked like, I saw him tearing in on the back of it, standing upright with his board, carelessly poised, a young god bronzed with sunburn." Thanks to London's grandiose promotion, Freeth soon made history. California's Pacific Electric Railway and Henry E. Huntington needed a gimmick. They were having trouble selling seats on the Los Angeles-Redondo route that boasted a new saltwater plunge at its terminus. After reading London's Hawaiian encounters, they hired Freeth as the world's first professional surfer. He conducted demonstrations at Redondo Beach during the spring of 1907, establishing himself as Southern California's first surfer. (A trio of Hawaiian princes, attending military school in San Mateo, had surfed Santa Cruz in 1885). He continued to amaze spectators along the coast at spots from Balboa Beach to Palos Verdes. Freeth stayed in California, becoming the first official lifeguard in the United States and inventing a lifesaving device still used today. He saved countless lives with his bravery, including seven Japanese fishermen whose boat was being swept to sea during a winter storm in the Santa Monica Bay. In recognition, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Carnegie Medal for Bravery and the U.S. Life Saving Corps Gold Medal. A fishing village near Port Angeles in Washington was even named after him. Freeth's life came to an abrupt end after several rescues during a winter storm in Oceanside in 1919. He contracted influenza and died at 35. A small bust of Freeth rests along the boardwalk in Redondo Beach. Although it hails him as one who "revived the lost Polynesian art of surfing," Freeth's surfer-for-hire roots have grown into the million-dollar fruits that surfers such as Kelly Slater are enjoying today. -- Jason Borte, October 2000 Click here to find all the George Freeth photos and editorial on Surfline.
|
|
