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Corky: Laguna Beach is a dream of a cool beach town

September 6, 2024

For some unknown reason, well at least unknown to me, I had a dream last night about sitting on the beach at Oak Street in Laguna Beach.

It was a warm sunny summer day, and by the look of the people and surfboards it was sometime in the late ’60s. I have no idea what I was doing there or pretty much anything that was going on, just that I woke up and had the image in my head. It made me start thinking about how much I have always loved that town and brought back a ton of memories.

Laguna Beach, like most beach towns that have surf, has a rich history of legendary surfers who grew up there and pioneered the different surf spots. My first memories of the area is doing surf checks at Brooks Street on the way south.

I lived in North O.C. Normally the destination was San Onofre or one of the spots in that area. But we always had to stop and check out Brooks Street. Hobie Alter lived right there. While checking the surf, it was also customary to point that out: “Yep, there’s Hobies’ house.” Part of the deal.

The early surf heroes of the area, at least that I know of, would have included Hevs McClelland, Dick Metz, Dave Whitegon, Barney Wilks and Corky Smith.

Hevs became one of the all-time great surf contest announcers. He was also one of the funniest dudes and best storytellers that I ever knew. Dick Metz owned a bunch of Hobie surf shops, including the one in Honolulu. He also started the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente. The dude turns 95 this week and is still going strong.

I started hanging out in Laguna Beach during the early 1960s. I had a girlfriend, Banzai Betty, who lived there and went to Laguna Beach High. She lived across the street from the famous Calhoun girl surfing family. Marge Calhoun had been one of the best women surfers in the world and her daughters, Candy and Robin, both surfed. Candy was great, too, she won a number of events. Great all-around water person, too.

Ron Sizemore won the United States Championship in Huntington Beach at the age of 16. He entered the mens division, shot the pier standing backward, and became an overnight sensation. He is part of the Sizemore surfing family, big time in Laguna Beach and also San Onofre.

There were a number of great surfers in town during the 1960s. There was a dude, John Parlette, who could bodysurf feet first. He was another great all-around water person, like Candy Calhoun.

There was also Pat Tobin. Pat rode some radical speed-type shaped boards. Narrow, pointy and with extreme “down” rails. He wound up living on mainland Mexico and discovered and pioneered many surf spots that are well known today. There is legend of him paddling 10 miles into a spot that had no roads. He had a backpack with some supplies and would camp out for weeks surfing really extreme waves all by himself. He became very well-known for his paintings. Really good artist.

Probably the best surfer to ever come out of that town was Billy Hamilton. Billy grew up in South Laguna, just above Thousand Steps Beach. He was one of my best friends during high school.

He and I, along with Mark Martinson, went to most of the surfing contests together. Billy had, I should say “has,” because he still does, one of the most beautiful and elegant surfing styles, ever.

Our surfing developed pretty opposite. He got style and I had moves.

I think it was about the time we both hit 17 or 18 that the two met for both of us. To this day I consider him one of the greatest surfers ever.

There was a younger kid who was called “Brother.” Another infamous local surfing family. He surfed like Billy Hamilton, super good style. He got the name from his sister, who was a known surf girl in the area.

I got to briefly live in Laguna Beach twice. Once in 1965 in South Laguna with Allan Seymour. But they condemned our house so I had to move. I then lived in Gaylord Vermelya’s kitchen for a few months, on Glenneyre Street, near Denny’s. I had to sleep with my head out the window because the stove leaked gas and would almost asphyxiate me every night.

Lastly, that town has always produced some of the greatest musicians anywhere. The HONK band is still to this day one of two fav bands, along with the Rolling Stones. I could go on for days talking music stuff, but no space for that.

Needless to say. I love Laguna Beach.

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