San Onofre Surfing Club Rice Paper Surfboard Laminate
ClassificationsMiscellaneous
Object numberMSC.155
DescriptionSan Onofre Surfing Club Rice Paper Surfboard Laminate.The San Onofre Surfing Club was loosely formed in 1951. Membership included a key to the swinging iron gate that was established for entry control. That system was short-lived, though, as copies of the keys made their way up and down the coast within months. In early ’52, the Club tightened up its program by hiring paid gate guards, who checked the official Club windshield decal (the logo of which was fashioned by artist Don Smith, a machinist for Disney) and membership ID card against the Club’s roster list. The SOSC was officially off and running with its exclusive beach and soon-to-be, well-entrenched “big family” lifestyle. This era was the beginning of a tradition that had its roots firmly planted by the early-'50s, but in many respects would continue to represent the overall style of life at San‘O for decades to come.
“It was a kid’s Nirvana,” says 53 –year-old Don Craig. “Every Friday, after school, we’d load our converted panel van with all the weekend’s supplies, except the boards, because we were too little to get them on the roof. We’d wait for Dad to get home then head down to San ‘O from the south Bay. We’d camp at the San Clemente State Park and be out of there before sunrise to get a prime parking spot. If we weren’t in the water, we were up hiking and exploring the finger canyons behind the bluffs. We’d come back and Mom would have lunch ready. I couldn’t imagine a more ideal way to grow up.”
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