Old surfers never die, they just keep telling their stories
By Linda McIntosh
OCEANSIDE There are many legendary surfing stories, and a lot are told at the California Surf Museum in Oceanside. But it's one thing to see history laid out in an exhibit and another to meet the people who were there and helped shape it.
The museum is having an event to bring together surfers, some who made history and others who saw it unfold, so they can share their stories.
The event, called Old Timers Day, doesn't so much refer to the age of the participants as to the times they'll reminisce about back to the 1950s.
Guests of honor are Larry Gordon and Floyd Smith, founders of the G&S brand of surfboards, skateboards and clothing.
It'll be like a big family reunion of old surfing friends, said Gordon, 67, who lives in Pacific Beach.
Gordon and Smith started their company in the late 1950s out of a garage in Pacific Beach. They were surfing buddies and classmates at Mission Bay High School.
Gordon was a 19-year-old chemistry major at San Diego State University when he started experimenting with foam chemicals in a corner of his father's factory, Gordon Plastics, in hopes of making his own surfboard.
It was hard to come by surfboards, and the ones out there were mostly made out of balsa wood and were heavy and hard to maneuver, Gordon said. So we made a mold and blew foam to build our own boards.
Polyurethane foam was an innovative material for making surfboards, and Gordon and Smith caught the first wave.
By 1959, the pair had moved their business out of the garage to a shop in Pacific Beach to meet the growing demand for their foam boards, which were ridden by big-name surfers such as Skip Frye, Barry Kanaiaupuni, Mike Hynson, Dale Dobson and Butch Van Artsdalen.
The company developed an international following, and the G&S label was surfed around the world.
In the mid-1960s, Smith moved to Australia and established the brand there, making it one of the largest global surfboard manufacturers.
G&S started producing shortboards during the '60s and went on to make skateboards, snowboards and sailboards. In the early 1980s, the company moved into surf wear.
Smith sold his portion of the business in the early 1970s. He plans to come to the event from his home in Rescue near Folsom in Northern California.
A lot of people haven't seen Floyd for a long time, Gordon said.
The main thing is people should come and see each other, said Gordon's wife, Gayle.
The event, which includes a luau and entertainment by the Moonlight Beach Strummers and dancers, is expected to draw old employees and customers of the G&S Brand.
Anyone who brings a G&S surfboard gets a free luau ticket. Prizes will be given for the oldest board, the most unusual and the one that comes the farthest.
It's all about camaraderie, and that's what surfing was originally all about, Gordon said.
Where: California Surf Museum 223 N. Coast Highway, Oceanside
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Information: (760) 721-6876 or www.surfmuseum.org
Old Timers' Day
When: 1 to 4 p.m. tomorrow
Where: Oceanside Civic Center Library community rooms, 330 N. Coast Highway
Cost: Free
Buffet: $12; $5 for those 12 and younger; reservations required.
Information: (760) 721-6876 or www.surfmuseum.org