The Boy's of Summer
During the middle of the 19th century, vacationing became an essential part of American life. Increasing numbers of city dwellers were "taking a holiday", flocking to seaside resorts for health and relaxation. Mother, Father, Children, and Grandparents enjoyed splashing in the surf with carefree abandon all summer long. Yet however delightful the water was at times, it could also be powerful and treacherous. Numerous accounts of drownings up and down the New Jersey Coast were being reported in newspapers, and the need for organized lifesaving services became a priority in coastal communities.
Long Beach Island was probably the first seaside resort in New Jersey, and the well-established communities of Beach Arlington (Ship Bottom) and Beach Haven had organized beach patrols by the early 1930s. However, the area of Long Beach Township that lay between was just beginning to be developed. In 1933 Township Mayor Howard E. Schifler as well as others recognized the need for beach protection for the growing summer population, and several young men were recruited as volunteer lifeguards. Eighteen year old Bill Noonan took the lead as the first captain of the guard, and the young men under his direction, including his brother Earl and friend Tom Ryan, were assigned to guard beaches closest to their homes in Beach Haven Park, Spray Beach, Beach Haven Terrace, and Brant Beach.
As the fledgling beach patrol was not yet officially sanctioned by the Township, these young men worked only for the glory of being a lifeguard. When beach patrons discovered the guards were not being paid, they asked for guidance on tipping the boys, and a contribution of fifty cents per family per week was established. The need for proper and organized funding for the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol would lead to creative means to compensate the guards.
In an era when prohibition had been repealed and songs like "We're in the Money," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" played on the radio, when Jack Armstrong was the All-American boy, and President Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the nation in his fireside chats, Americans were building themselves back up from the depression. The average worker earned $1,193. a year, and many families in the tr-state area found that a Long Beach Island vacation was affordable. A small 2-3 room bungalow could be rented for $50. a month will all utilities, and a Cape Cod home in Beach Haven Park could be purchased for $2,475.
With the 1934-35 season came a new way to raise money for the guard. Fundraising dances were held for the Beach Patrol in July and August with Martin Wida donating his Brant Beach Hotel for the occasion. The tickets at fifty-cents apiece went quickly, but only about 25% of the ticket buyers actually showed up at the dance. The proceeds were pooled and divided equally between the guards.
The Long Beach Township guards worked their shifts without relief from 9 in the morning to 5 in the evening in a 7-day work week. The volunteer lifeguards met at Pettybone's Store, just south of the old Brant Beach railroad station that served as the Township's municipal building. Despite little equipment and training, low pay and long hours, the position of lifeguard appeared full of adventure and glamour, so much so, in fact, that other young men in the Township hearing of the guard wanted to join, thereby expanding the original Beach Patrol. The Long Beach Township Beach Patrol was off and running, and from this modest and unofficial beginning, it expanded and improved with every year.
By the summer of 1936, Long Beach Township officially sanctioned the Beach Patrol under the Department of Public Safety, headed by Mayor Howard E. Schifler and Township Clerk William Penn Lodge. William J. Noonan, Jr. was made the first Captain of the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol. Funds for the guard that year were raised during a two-day campaign, with the young men going from house to house collecting donations. A goal of $150. was set to purchase lifesaving equipment and for maintenance of the guards, yet a total of $200. was raised through the contributions of grateful residents. Already having participated in 3 rescues within 10 days, the guard was increased from its original 7 members to 14 by August.
Lifeguarding was, in fact, a glamorous as well as dangerous job in those days. The adoration of the ever-present young ladies, the respect of the summer residents, the pride in their athletic abilities, and the potential for heroism inspired the young men. However, in sharp contrast, real risks accompanied the job. The presence of pound boats just off-shore caused frequent shark sightings, and the powerful undertow could suck even a strong swimmer under a crushing breaker and quickly out to sea. Lifesaving equipment was limited and certainly not sophisticated by today's standards, yet with little more than a diamond shape cork float and a tow rope, these young men risked their lives every day to save others. To the great credit of these young guards was the low rate of incidence at only about 20-25 rescues per summer. With a watchful eye, their foremost objective was to keep bathers close to shore in order to prevent a minor situation from evolving into a crisis. And to that end, they did a remarkable job.
They were the everyday heroes of the beach, some with just basic swimming skills and courage, and others well schooled in rescue techniques. One highly skilled guard in 1936 was Carl Parker, who had received extensive lifesaving training in the United States Coast Guard. It was this training that prepared him to execute a very successful rescue. As the Beach Haven Times recounts, the ocean was especially treacherous that year and the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol had warned vacationers that the ocean was for bathing and not for swimming. One Saturday in August, a young lady in Beach Haven Terrace, not heeding this warning, ventured out into the waves and quickly found herself in trouble. Douglas Wright, a less experienced 16 year old guard, dove into the water and attempted to swim straight out to the victim, instead of going down beach first, in order to swim out with the current. He soon became exhausted in the heavy undertow and lost his wind, gasping for help. Keeping a keen eye on the situation, Carl Parker knew in an instant what had happened. Dashing into the water and diving into the turbulent surf, he swam to the rescue of the female victim and his fellow lifeguard. An expert swimmer, Carl was able to bring both safely to shore.
Long Beach Island, with the help of the Long Beach Board of Trade, was welcoming more and more vacationers to its beaches from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Long Beach Boulevard was two lanes, and although gravel side streets were few and far between, automobiles were a common sight. The beach was wider then, with large expanses of dunes between the occasional ocean front home. The Township, in order to service a growing community, began to install new roads and repair existing ones.
Real estate developers were quickly discovering the opportunities that lay in store: land was cheap and the potential for profit was great. Some enterprising fellows even went so far as to hire their own lifeguards to protect the beaches in the areas in which they were building. One such entrepreneur was Charles Durborow, an avid swimmer known as "The Polar Bear." Realizing the value of a well-protected beach, he hired Al Eckert, to guard an area he was developing at 44th Street in Brant Beach. Then about 25 years old, Mr. Eckert enjoyed lunches at Wida's Brant Beach Hotel, on Mr. Durborow's tab, and a comfortable pavilion in which to take breaks, making this a most attractive position.
In 1937 America was on the move: San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge opened, the first turbojet engine was built, and the automatic transmission was introduced by General Motors. That summer couples danced to "Harbor Lights," "sail Along," "Silvery Moon," and "The Nearness of You," while audiences delighted at Walt Disney's new animated feature "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
It was in that year that Wilson "Bud" Peck became captain of the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol. A junior national college champion swimmer, Bud Peck was an outstanding candidate for captain as demonstrated by this recount of an early morning rescue: Dressed in his uniform of a red woolen top with dark bathing trunks, Bud was setting up the boundary flags 100 feet on either side of his lifeguard stand. Fellow lifeguard Fred Bell was taking his daily jog with his dog from Beach Haven Crest to Bud's beach. But on this particular morning something was wrong. About a half from Bud's stand, Fred began whistling and waving, running in and out of the water. Reacting swiftly, Bud raced down the beach where his friend pointed to a women's body floating face down in the water. He swam out and, turning the women over, found her foaming from the mouth and nose. Bud shouted for Fred to go to Burnett's house to call for help (as the president of Bell of Pennsylvania, Mr. Burnett had one of the few phones in the area), but he changed his mind as the current swept him further out waved Fred back into the water. The undertow was so severe that it was a struggle for the two men working together to bring the women to shore. Seeing signs of life, Bud started artificial respiration. Neighbors soon knew of the incident and hurried to the beach with blankets and liquor to help out. By the time Dr. Dodd arrived at the scene, Bud had brought the north Jersey women around, and she was rushed to the closest hospital which was in Lakewood, where she made a full recovery.
Bud's responsibilities didn't end at saving lives. The problem of operating funds was ever-present, and with the guidance of Mayor Schifler, young Bud sent a letter to Township residents asking for contributions of $5. for the ten-week season. The letter stated that this donation was to help cover the costs of "Lifesaving Equipment (which has already been ordered and is of the latest scientific type), First Aid Kits, Uniforms, Relief and Part-time Guards, Stands, and many other miscellaneous items that must be included in the costs of operation of a first-class and 'Beach-worthy' patrol." A total of $467.47 was collected from appreciative patrons.
In 1938 the Beach Patrol had grown from a handful of young men to 25 fully-trained lifeguards who were proud of their athletic abilities. A friendly competition grew between the Long Beach Township and the Beach Arlington (Ship Bottom) Beach Patrols that culminated in informal races run by the lifeguards with trophies donated by local merchants.
By the end of the decade, Long Beach Township had a brand new municipal building that replaced the tiny wooden town hall that served the Township for 20 years. The modern, flat roofed structure measuring 152 ft. x 82 ft. and constructed with the help of President Roosevelt's Work Projects Administration funds, included nine tennis courts, streets surrounding the municipal center, and landscaping from bay to ocean. After the first official commissioners meeting on August 11, 1939 in the new building, the Beach Patrol at last had an official headquarters and a place to hold their lifeguard dances.
The summer of 1940 saw the first peacetime draft call in the nation's history. President Roosevelt vowed that we would not get involved in the war in Europe, yet politicians and the American public alike were still seeking to keep our armed forces strong. But for many the war was far away across the Atlantic Ocean and life went on as normal.
The year of 1941 brought drastic changes to Long Beach Island. The dedication of the traffic circle and dual highway presentation by the Ocean County Freeholders in June would be a boon to the island communities. The new addition was celebrated with the ceremonial ribbon cutting and christened with a bottle of seawater. Despite the impending war, the island was still buzzing with activity. Long Beach Township homes were being constructed rapidly, resulting in unprotected beaches and two near-fatalities. In July Mayor Schifler requested that bathers swim only in protected areas. Boasting no drownings on the protected Township beaches since being established, the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol endeavored to maintain its fine record.
While the mood of vacationers was still as jolly and active as ever that summer, the war was quickly creeping into every corner of their lives. The Brant Beach Colony Theatre was charging an admission of 36 cents plus 4 cents Defense Tax, and by September the New Jersey coast was patrolled daily by blimps from the U.S. Naval Air Station in Lakehurst. Stories of the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol vanished from the pages of the Beach Haven Times during the war years, replaced by news of the conflict overseas. By the end of 1941, America was at war with Germany, Itlay, and Japan.
U.S. oil tankers silhouetted against a well-lit coastline were an easy target to German submarines along the eastern coast of the United States. A blackout was called, requiring all oceanfront homes to be equipped with impenetrable drapes. Five thousand troops representing all branches of the service were stationed on Long Beach Island, outnumbering the year-round population 2-1. The coastline was constantly protected by air patrol, and armed soldiers on horseback and with canine patrols guarded the beaches nightly. From September 7, 1942 to June 16, 1944, an Army restriction prohibited visitors to the beach between sunset and sunrise, and also forbade the use of cameras, binoculars or field glasses by unauthorized persons within 100 yards of the ocean.
The affect of the war was also felt by the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol, and the Township commissioners found themselves in a difficult situation. It was still the town's responsibility to see that the public could swim under the watchful eye of a lifeguard, but the young men who would normally have been candidates for the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol had received letters from the government that began with "Greetings. You have been selected." The result was the Beach Patrol was cut back in staff and the few lifeguard stands were manned by students who had received 4F status. Although gas rationing reduced the summer population of vacationers essentially to only those who were homeowners, these young lifeguards were compelled to contend with some uncommon adversities that their peacetime counterparts did not: A film of oil from downed tankers frequently coated the ocean waters, and tar and wreckage floated ashore to litter the beach, making the lifeguard drills that were performed twice weekly difficult and unpleasant.
Although the war in Europe had ended in May of 1945, the U.S. was not officially at peace until the Japanese surrendered the following August. The high emotions and ardent patriotism that Americans experienced during the war, helped spark the wave of prosperity for the post-war nation. Ektachrome film was invented by Kodak and Tide laundry detergent, Timex watches, and the electric blanket by Simmons all became available to the average consumer. Youth was commercially catered to as never before. Between 1947 and 1950, 2000 drive-in movie theatres were built. Cosmetic firms and youth magazines targeted young audiences. It was the era of beach parties, pep rallies, ponytails and bobbysoxers. The youth culture was beginning to emerge.
The Township Beach Patrol was back in full swing. In 1947, there were 9 full-time guards, though the growth of the Township made it necessary to increase the number to 12 by 1949. Under the leadership of Norman F. Frommer, Beach Patrol Supervisor, the Township guards were organized into a well-trained and tested 12 man force. Applicants came from the University of Pennsylvania, Lafayette College, Gettysburg College, Temple University, Muhlenberg and Ursinus, at an average height of 6 ft. and average weight of 180 lbs. All had obtained Senior Red Cross Lifesaving Certificates. The prospective guards were put through their paces with two stages of rigorous testing conducted by Frommer and Commissioner Robert E. Fritsch. The indoor tests performed at the Long Beach Township Municipal Building included artificial respiration and emergency treatment. The actual swimming tests were held at the Brant Beach Yacht Club dock, where rescue work in the water was performed with one man posing as the victim and the other engaging in the rescue operation. Each man was required to demonstrate his skills at bringing his victim to shore. Frommer and Fritsch continued to rate the applicants on knowledge and performance. At the conclusion of the tests, the two judges studied the results of the examinations and chose the twelve best young men for the job. Each man was well qualified for the position and the Township had a perfect record of safety. Said Mr. Frommer, "The aim of the patrol this year will be not only to keep its fine record intact, but also to be more efficient and safety-minded than ever before."
Lifeguarding, however, was far from being all work and no play. The Beach Patrol dances were still being held at the Township Municipal Building to raise money as a bonus for the lifeguards. Two successful dances were sponsored during the 1949 season, one in July and the other in early September. The dance committee that included Dallas B. Sowden, D. B. Flint, Theo Leinbach, Robert Moore, Donald West, and Curtis Kelley as chairman, hired the popular Freddie Herman Band. With an entrance fee of $2. per couple, everyone was guaranteed "an evening of swell entertainment."
The dance committee, eager for a successful affair, ambitiously promoted the beauty contest that had its beginnings the previous year. A queen was to be selected from a court of 12 girls nominated by lifeguards in each section of the Township. The contestants, appearing once in bathing suits and once in evening gowns, were questioned by Master of Ceremonies Jack Lamping so they could be judged on poise and personality. The judges included Dr. Richard Gove, Dr. Green, Mrs. Sue Cooney, Ben McManus, and Miss Allaire Errickson of Point Pleasant, Ocean County Seafood Princess. On the dot of midnight, Miss June Stephens was crowned as Miss Long Beach Township, representing Peahala Park. She went on to become Miss New Jersey and a runner-up in the Miss America Contest. Miss Stephens later married a lifeguard and had five sons; several of whom became lifeguards.
The Miss Long Beach Township Beauty Contest had the desired effect, and the lifeguard dances became quite an event, with over 400 people attending the September 1949 affair. The beauty contest later became known as the Miss Magic Long Beach Island Beauty Pageant when it was discontinued by the Beach Patrol and came under the auspices of the Board of Trade.
At the end of the summer of 1949, Norman Frommer, Director of Beachfront Safety praised the twelve-man beachfront squad of lifeguards for having done an excellent job at patrolling the strand and preventing loss of life. In a lengthy report to Mayor Howard E. Schifler and Commissioners Benjamin T. Hartman and Robert E. Fritsch, Frommer said that the Beach Patrol had effected a total of only 28 rescues and praised bathers for their caution and good common sense in the use of beaches and bathing privileges. Recognizing the increasing popularity of Long Beach Island's beaches, Commissioner Fritsch had said, "We shall need 2 or 3 additional guards next summer to adequately provide maximum safety to bathers using the 12 miles of Township beaches".
To the close-knit Long Beach Township residents, the guards were the best of the neighborhood boys and were treated as such. They were always included in community parties and barbecues where long-lasting friendships and romances grew. During this time a real sense of family flourished, and many of the young men returned to the guard year after year. A special camaraderie also grew between the patrol members themselves, and as the 1949 season came to a close, plans were made for a Chrismastime reunion at Widener's Pine Ranch in Warren Grove.
The new decade would bring changing roles and attitudes that greatly diverged from mores and conventions of the 1940's. Lifeguarding would change, lifesaving equipment would improve, and the Beach Patrol would have a vigorous new supervisor.