Surfers Walk of Fame

The Beach Boys
Cultural Legend

Formed in Hawthorne, California in the early 1960’s, the Beach Boys and their music embody Southern California’s surf culture. The band signed with Capital Records in 1962 and released their first album, Surfin’ Safari, that same year, which made the group known for their relaxed California style and surf-rock music. Hits such as “Surfin’ USA” and “Catch a Wave” evoked a world of sunny beaches, tanned surfers, and classic cars. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and recipients of The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, the Beach Boys went on to become one of the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful, and influential rock bands of all time, producing over 80 songs and selling more than 100 million records worldwide. Dennis Wilson, their late drummer, surfed often and owned a longboard that came from a surf shop her in Hermosa Beach formerly known as the Outrigger. The yellow-white and blue fiberglass surfboard can be seen on the album covers of both Surfin’ Safari andSurfer Girl. Their fun, upbeat melodies continue to be the soundtrack for all those experiencing good times on the sand and fun under the sun.

Inducted April 2019

Pat Ryan
South Bay Legend

Pat Ryan has been a respected surfboard shaper in the South Bay for over five decades, shaping over 25,000 surfboards. His unique, highly regarded surfboard shaping talents have been acknowledgede by manufacturers around the world while keeping up with the ever-changing trends of the industry. Pat began working in the surf industry at the Greg Noll factory at the age of 15 and has continued to spend his years shaping boards while inspiring and motivating surfers at E.T. Surf Shop. His innovative creations in surfboard design have inspired countless surfers. In addition to his surfboard shaping talents, Pat is well-known for being an excellent surfer, windsurfer and stand up paddler with great respect for designers of all watercraft. Pat is a resident of Hermosa Beach, a devoted father, and an influential figure in the local surfing arena and is still passionate about shaping and spending time in the water.

Inducted April 2019

Ron Garner
Pioneer

Ron Garner began his love of surfing on 30th Street with legendary surfer and fellow inductee Mike Purpus. Ron began to compete in the 1960’s and placed in numerous longboard finals. In 1967, he ranked 15th in Surfer Magazine’s Surfer Poll. In 1968, Ron was drafted into the Army where he transitioned from longboards to shortboards. After completing his service, Ron returned with the same level of enthusiasm for surfing and continued to compete in the 1980’s. He has helped coach Rolf Arness, a World Champion, and Mark Levy, another fellow inductee and U.S. Champion. Ron is an advocate for many surf clubs and was a member of numerous surf teams including the Gordon and Smith, Dewey Weber and Rick Surfboard teams. Known for his friendly and upbeat positive attitude, Ron continues to share his passion for the sport today.

Inducted April 2019

The Hermosa Beach City Council dedicated the Surfers Walk of Fame in March of 2003.

Mayor Sam Edgerton
Mayor Pro Tem Michael Keegan

Council Members
Kathy Dunbabin
J.R. Reviczky
Art Yoon

Coordinating and guiding this project
City Manager Stephen Burrell

Pioneer Members

Doc Ball
Hop Swarts
Leroy Grannis
Jim Bailey
Bill Edgar
Ed Edgar
Bob Bacon
Ward Baker
Mary Kerwin Riehl
Fred Kerwin
John Kerwin
Ted Kerwin
Jim Kerwin
Al Holland
Paul Matthies
Cliff Tucker

Inducted March 2003

Mike Purpus
Charter Member
Surfers Walk of Fame

Hermosa Beach native, U.S. Surfing Association Tours 1969-74. Competed in the Duke Kahanamoku contest for 5 consecutive years in the mid-70’s. Credited with inventing the roundhouse cutback and popularized the 360 degree turn.

Inducted March 2003

Bing Copeland
Charter Member
Surfers Walk of Fame

Began sufing in 1949, sailed to Tahiti and New Zealand in 1958 where he helped introduce modern surfing to the Kiwis. Opened his first surf shop in Hermosa Beach in 1959 and became one of the major surfboard manufacturers of the ’60s and early ’70s.

Inducted March 2003

Rick Stoner
Charter Member
Surfers Walk of Fame

One of the original Hermosa Beach expert surfboard craftsmen and manufacturers. Has surfed in Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand, taught modern surfing techniques to the Kiwis, long time prominent Los Angeles County Lifeguard.

Inducted March 2003

Dru Harrison
Honorary Award

A legendary surfer from Hermosa Beach, Dru began surfing at 10 years of age. By 15 he was rated number one surfer in the U.S.A., Junior Division. Dru invented Hang Heels instead of Hang Ten Toes over the front of his surfboard. At 16 his peers voted him number one surfer in the world.

Inducted March 2003

Eddie Talbot
Honorary Award

Enthusiastic goodwill ambasador to the surfing community and everyone else. Has owned E.T. Surfboards, the longest running surfboard shop in Hermosa Beach, since 1972. Customers are able to watch their surfboards being shaped, highly respected custom long board and short board manufacturer, with a skateboard and snowboard division. Quoted by Greg Noll, “Eddie Talbot is the be surfboard shop operator I have ever met.

Inducted July 2003

Linda Benson
Honorary Award

Linda, a former Hermosa Beach resident, dominated women’s competitive surfing for a period of ten years, winning over 20 first place surfing titles between 1959 and 1969. As the age of 15 she was the youngest contestant to enter and win the International Championship at Makaha. She was the first woman to surf Waimea Bay and was the U.S. Women’s Surfing Champion in 1959, ’60, ’61, ’64, and ’68. This dynamic surfer gained respect for fearless big wave riding and her ability to charge.

Inducted August 2004

John Joseph
Honorary Award

John is a lifetime South Bay and former Hermosa Beach resident who began surfing the beaches of Hermosa in 1955. His credentials include membership to the original Greg Noll Surf Team and the Dewey Weber Jacobs competition teams. His 50 year surfing career includes 200 event finals and several contest wins. He has served to coordinate both local and national surf events. He is responsible for the administration of many high school surf programs and surf camps.

Inducted August 2004

George Freeeth
1883 – 1919
Honorary Award

George Freeth, considered to be the “Father of Surfing” in Southern California, was hired by the Pacific Electrical Railroad company in 1907 to introduce surfing to the public, which the company hoped to lure the seashore in its railway carriages. He was well known for his wave-riing demonstrations and was the State of California’s first professional lifeguard.

Inducted July 2005

Chris Bredesen
Honorary Award

Born and raised in the South Bay, voted Best Surfer and Palos Verdes High School, Chris has been competing since 1960 in surfin contests, winning numerous surfing competitions, including Legends and Masters contests., He was a member of Hap Jacobs’ original surf team starting in 1962, and he was also a member of the Rick Vardeman and Greg Noll surf teams. Chris is a member of Haggerty’, Dapper Dan’s, and Windansea Surfing Clubs. He has been the surfing coach at Peninsula High School for many years and a former full-time L.A. County Lifeguard stationed on the Hermosa Beach Pier. Chris was awarded the L.A. County Lifeguard Medal of Valor and the U.S. Lifesaving Association’s Heroic Act Award in 2002.

Inducted July 2005

Mike “Bones” Bright
Honorary Award

Legendary waterman and Hermosa Beach native, Mike Bright, was also a three time Olympian in surfin, paddling and volleyball. He helped pioneer the surfing industry that was centered in Hermosa Beach in the 1960’s and was a founding member of the “17th Street Seals” surf club. He has fond memories of placing 3rd in the Hermosa Beach Surf Mat Race, as a child.

Inducted July 2006

John Baker
Honorary Award

John Baker’s surfing career began at the age of five in Hermosa Beach in 1963. He co-founded the original Beach Cities Surf Club. At the young age of 18 he competed in the biggest contest of them all, the Makaha Championships. John has competed in over 300 surf contests, winning many, including Malibu. He was a Los Angeles County Lifeguard for 37 years and retired as Captain. He competed in 34 Judge Irving Taplin Relay Championships. His passion for and dedication to surfing coupled with his love of the ocean made John and outstanding ambassador for the sport of surfing.

Inducted July 2006

John “Whitney” Guild
Honorary Award

John “Whitney” Guild, a third generation Hermosan, was born into a surfing family. As a pro surfer he had a top 16 AAAA ranking and his contest victories span five decades with over 30 wins. He was a team rider for Greg Noll, Bing and Jacobs Surfboards. He is one of the early tow-in surfers and rode a fifty foot wave in Maui at age fifty. Guild set the Utah Hang Gliding altitude record at 12,000 feet and has saved lives in the mountains and oceans of the world.

Inducted July 2007

Mike Stevenson
Honorary Award

An extraordinary ocean athlete and Hermosa Beach native, Mike is part of a revered surfer-lifeguarding legacy which began with his father, Chief Lifeguard Bud Stevendon. Mike, an outstanding surfer, has won contests in California and Hawaii. He was a member of the original Jacobs Surf Team and a co-founder of Bay Cities Surf Club in the 1960’s. He also represented the L.A. County Lifeguards in both national and international competitions, winning the National Paddleboard Championship 7 times and the National Lifeguard Ironman Championship 4 times.

Inducted July 2007

Henry Ford
Honorary Award

A legend for more than five decades, Henry Ford is an original member of Hermosa Beach’s “Double Deuce Danglers”. Henry served 23 years as an L.A. County Lifeguard, participating in every competition from 1958-1981 and was on several winning teams. He is recognized for his generous and ongoing contributions to the world of longboarding as well as starring in many early surf films. Henry continues surfing at a skilled level and promotes the future of surfing by assisting with fundraisers and organizing numerous surf contests.

Inducted April 2008

Richard Mobley
Honorary Award

A third generation Hermosa Beach native, Richard “Fox” Mobley, began surfing as a youngster and shaped his first surfboard at age 13. Richard shaped boards for many of the top manufacturers for over 17 years which led him to the design of his own Mobley Boards. He owned and operated Ski Surf Shop in Manhattan Beach for 40 years affording him the opportunity to hire, train and instill a positive work ethic in many South Bay teens. Richard is an expert surfer, sailor, skier and fisherman. He is best known for his kind, helpful, caring ways and overall “love of life” and the great outdoors.

Inducted April 2011

Steve Wilkings
Honorary Award

Steve Wilkings, a Hermosa Beach native, began surfing in 1958 and photographing fellow surfers in 1964. Steve immortalized the surfing stars of the day, with a particular focus on the evolving surfing scene in Hermosa Beach. He isbest known as one of the early practitioners of shots from the water. He also developed a camera system to take photographs with a camera mounted on the tail of a surfboard. This camera system captured the first photographs of tube riding from a perspective behind the surfer. Steve has provided a steady stream of photos for many well-known surfing magazines. Steve Wilkings is a world class surfing photographer with a career that spans several decades.

Inducted April 2012

Mark Levy
Honorary Award

Mark Levy is a native Hermosa Beach surfer who became the Junior Men’s Champion at the 1974 United States Surfing Championships held at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Mark was a top ranked California surfer throughout the 1970’s who had is own signature model surfboard, the “Mark Levy Tiger Tail”, made by Jacobs, a lifelong waterman. Mark has kayaked the entire California coastline from Oregon to Mexico. He also competed in numerous open-ocean paddleboard races including the Catalina Classic and the Molokai Channel Race with a team of fellow paddlers. Mark also earned three Guiness World Records which included crossings of the English Channel and Irish Sea, though he has ridden waves across five continents of the world. Mark still proudly considers the South Bay his favorite place to surf.

Inducted April 2012

Derek Levy
Honorary Award

Hermosa Beach native Derek Levy is a true Waterman. Derek has excelled as a surfer, paddleboarder, bodysurfer, volleyball player and at almost anything else that relates to our beach and ocean. As a winning competitive surfer since he 1970’s, Derek continues to shine in huge waves or small waves and on short boards or long boards. Derek is a multi-World Record holding paddleboarder completing notable crossings of the English Channel, the Irish Sea, plus many more. Derek co-founded the Southern California Paddleboard Club which was key in re-introducing the sport of paddleboarding to the world. He also co-founded the South Bay Boardriders Club, where he enjoys teaching young surfers the ways of the ocean As a respected Chiropractor and active leader in the community, Derek is always first to generously share his time, expertise, creativity and positive energy for the greater good.

Inducted April 2015

Chris Frohoff
Champion

Chris “Fro” Frohoff, born and raised in Hermosa Beach, has an unmatched competitive record for a South Bay surfer. He dominated the amateur ranks by winning the Juniors and Men’s National Titles in 1981 at the age of 15. Chris also won the United States Championships in 1982, followed by another men’s National Title in 1983. After graduating Mira Costa and turning 18, Chris traveled the world for 10 years as a professional surfer with most of that time spent on the Association of Surfing (ASP) World Surf League Tour. Fro won 5 evens as a professional and graced the cover of Surfing Magazine 3 times. Chris excelled in the powerful surf on the North Shore, especially at Pipeline where he placed 3rd in the finals of the Pipeline Masters in 1986. Chris then became a Los Angeles County Ocean (LACC) Lifeguard and Junior Guard instructor for 10 years, receiving the Medal of Valor in 1999. Chris accepted the challenge to become an LACO firefighter paramedic for the next 20 years. Chris is a devoted husband to wife Ann and father to daughter Rio. His love of surfinghas never faded and he continues to surf, shape and design Frohoff Surfboards here in Hermosa Beach.

Inducted April 2017

Mary Lou McGinnis-Drummy
Female Legend

Mary Lou McGinnis-Drummy is undoubtedly one of the top female surfing pioneers of her generation. Her surfing history began in the early 1950’s as she spent her summers and school vacations learning how to surf while visiting her grandparent’s home in Hermosa Beach. She became an avide surfer, and by the time she was 16 she was traveling up and down the California coast to surf. Mary Lou began competitive surfing in 1959 and continued to compete throughout the 1970’s and into the early 1980’s. She possessed a smooth and graceful surfin style. Her surfing skill catapulted her to notoriety and soon she was hired for major move and TV roles as a woman surfing and stunt double. Mary Lou also starred in the 1969 Stanley Ross scribed documentary Follow Me. She was featured on the cover of the first Los Angeles Times West Magazine in September, 1966. Hoppy Swartz taught Mary Lou how to judge in the 1970’s. She was considered an excellent judge on an amateur and professional level. In the75, it became clear that women surfers needed a voice, so Mary Lou helped create the Women’s International Surfing Association (WISA), which was an all-women’s competitive surf series in California. Mary Lou served as the executive director for this organization for more than 15 years. In the 1990’s WISA became part of the Western Surfing Association (WSA). Mary Lou has served as the WSA Executive Director for over 25 years. Today, Mary Lou is recognized as a key player in the success of the WSA. She continues to organize and run events up and down the west coast of California. Over the last 40 years, Mary Lou’s positive attitude and genuine commitment to the sport of surfing has impacted many in the surfing world. She is a true surfer who has worked tirelessly to bring the competitive sport of surfing to the forefront.

Inducted April 2017

Jim Graham
Pioneer

Jim Graham, Hermosa Beach native and respected waterman, is a beach lifestyle ambassador and promoter. Jim served as Associate Producer, Technical Advisor and occasionally as Co-Host of RKO General’s “SURF’S UP” television show from 1963-1966. As well as a Technical Advisor and “on screen Accouncer” in Paramount Pictures’ “LIFEGUARD” starring Sam Elliot. A former JACOB’S Surfboard Shop Manager and Surf Team Member, Jim also competed in international surfing, body surfing, tandem surfing, and paddling contests. He also notably served as the head of the USA Surf Delegation at the 1965 World Surfing Championships in Lima, Peru where he placed 2nd place in open tandem. In addition to his time in the water, Jim has served as the announcer of major surfing and lifeguard competitions on the west coast including the annual Lifeguard taplin Relay. He also was a member of numerous organizations, including former Director of the L.A. County Junior Lifeguard Program (Zuma Beach), President of the Long Beach Surf Club (1963-65), and a Charter Member of the United States Surfing Association (USSA) in 1960, in addition to his form membership on the International Surf Festival (ISF) Committee.

Inducted April 2017

Dennis Jarvis
Honorary Award

Dennis Jarvis has displayed his passion and commitment to the sport of surfing both in and out of the water for decades. His progressive style embodied California surfing in the late 70’s and well into the 80’s as highlighted on numerous covers and features in surfing magazines. It was his tireless commitment to the sport of surfing as well as curiosity that led him to pick up a planer early on and began creating the boards that would be used throughout his career. In 1983, the culmination of Dennis’ vision became Spyder Surf, his flagship store firmly planted on PCH in Hermosa Beach. During the 90’s, with the same attitude and approach that brought him success as a professional surfer, Dennis became one of the top surfboard shapers/manufacturers in the world and garnered a team of world’s best surfers to ride for his Spyder label. He enthusiasm and dedication to the city where he learned to surf has spawned integral community events, specifically the Surf Fest and Snow Fest. Dennis’ forward thinking has put him at the forefront of surfing and surf culture for decades and will carry on for a generation to come.

Inducted April 2015