Guide to the Surfing Collection
© Copyright 2011 Special Collections & University Archives. All rights reserved.
2011-07-29
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: askscua@mail.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Guide to the Surfing Collection
1963/2011
Special Collections & University Archives
Overview of the Collection
Collection Title: Surfing Collection
Dates: 1963-2011
Identification: MS-0246
Creator:
Surfing
Physical Description: 21.16 linear ft
Repository:
Special Collections & University Archives
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: askscua@mail.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Biographical Information:
Although surfing existed for hundreds of years before it was embraced by American culture, the sport did not receive national
recognition until the mid-Twentieth Century. The "royal sport for the natural kings" as Jack London called it in 1907, was
quickly popularized by the onset on American film, music, and the dedication of professional surfers. Beach themed movies
like
Gidget (1959) and surf music from the Beach Boys and Dick Dale contributed to the Californian allure, and San Diego saw a major increase
of surfers out in the water.
Though much of San Diego's early surf history has gone undocumented, most historians agree that the modern age of surfing
began in California with the arrival of George Freeth in 1907 and Duke Kahanamoku in 1912. The end of the Second World War
saw a marked change in the jovial, communal environment that surfers once embraced. During the war, the military procured
major stretches of beach for training grounds, closing many of the best breaks in the process. Technological advancements
like foam boards and wetsuits aided the accessibility of the sport, and more and more people were able to get out into the
water without discomfort.
In the late 1950's, Southern California saw an explosion in the surf scene, causing more experienced, older surfers to seek
out unfound breaks along the coast and into Mexico. The
Gidget phenomenon drew people from the mainland toward the coast to pursue unrealistic expectations about surf culture. By the 1960's
surfing had become part of the American identity.The sport was embraced by the masses on a grand scale.
Whereas surfing was once influenced by the relaxed Hawaiian cultural practices of hula, the ukulele, and the "aloha" spirit,
the younger generation of surfers became more interested in slashing and destroying waves, shorter foam boards, and establishing
surfing as a youthful counterculture. Cultural transitions during the 1960's also added to the appeal of California beaches,
as surfers were seen as individualistic athletes uninterested in corporate city life. The prominence of the short board, coupled
with a global interest in competitive surfing marked the departure from the "golden years" of Freeth and the famous Duke Kahanamoku.
San Diego arguably has some of the most consistent surf in the continental US, and several spots are sought out by prominent
professional surfers. In 2001, Cortez Bank was discovered one hundred miles west of San Diego, yielding some of the largest
waves ever ridden. The discovery of the spot has firmly planted San Diego in the world of big wave surfing, and the county
is still a vibrant center for surf culture and art.
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use:
The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with
the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections
is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be
submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Preferred Citation:
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Surfing Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Library
and Information Access, San Diego State University.
Related Materials:
A significant portion of this collection has been cataloged, and can be accessed via the PAC.
Information about related materials is available at http://libpac.sdsu.edu/search~S0?/tsurfing+collection/tsurfing+collection/1%2C2%2C752%2CB/exact&FF=tsurfing+collection&1%2C751%2C
Scope and Contents
The
Surfing Collection documents surfing and surf culture through article clippings and documents, as well as ephemera and media that describe surf
culture, surfing's history, and information about surfing.
Series I: Documents contain various articles, bibliographies, and syllabi related to surfing.
Series II: Media and Ephemera contains ephemera such as toys, stickers, postcards, playing cards, advertisements, menus, fliers, clippings, as well as
several pieces of audiovisual material.
Series III: Periodicals includes various surfing periodicals from 1963 to the present. A portion of the Surfing Collection is cataloged, and can
be accessed via the library catalog: http://libpac.sdsu.edu/search~S0?/tsurfing+collection/tsurfing+collection/1%2C2%2C752%2CB/exact&FF=tsurfing+collection&1%2C751%2C".
Articles and Bibliographies
Box 1, Folder 1
Ambrose, Greg. "Yo, Dudette, Surfing Life Knows No Gender Boundaries."
San Francisco Chronicle 9/1/2000
Box 1, Folder 2
Anderson, Bruce. "Getting Amped on the Coast
." Sports Illustrated, 9/8/1986
Box 1, Folder 3
Coleman, Stuart. "Duke's World."
Honolulu Weekly, Nov. 15, 1995
Box 1, Folder 4
Carless, Will. "Legends of Windansea."
La Jolla Light vol. 92 issue 30. July 22, 2004
Box 1, Folder 5
Dixon, Chris. "Catching a Cultural Wave."
New York Times, July 28, 2002
Box 1, Folder 6
Funnell, Ronald. "Surf Riding on the Atlantic Coast."
Box 1, Folder 7
Gable, Mona. "Same Surf, New Waves."
Los Angeles Times Magazine 8/4/2002
Box 1, Folder 8
Gurrey, A.R. Jr. "The Surf Riders of Hawaii" 1915
Box 1, Folder 9
Himmelspach, Darlene. "Seniors of the Surf Relieve Big-Board Days in Oceanside."
San Diego Union Tribune 1996
Box 1, Folder 10
Koehler, Steve. "Students Hit Surf on Web."
Box 1, Folder 11
Lewis, Jordana. "New Wave of Surf Girls" from
Newsweek. July 19, 2004.
Box 1, Folder 12
Lim, James. "Surfs up on the Web"
LLR Bits & Bytes
Box 1, Folder 13
"The Waterman Collecteth" from
Swim Magazine; Jan/Feb 2004
Box 1, Folder 14
Letters to the Editor regarding
Annual Surf for CF contest, Michelle Poppe
Box 1, Folder 15
Marsh, David. "The Water Log" (an annotated bibliography of surfing)
Box 1, Folder 16
Reno, Jamie. "The Endless Summer, Then and Now"
San Diego Magazine. July, 2001
Box 1, Folder 17
Reynolds, Christopher. "Seriously, Dude"
Los Angeles Times Calendar, July 28, 2001
Box 1, Folder 18
Reyes, David. "The Thrill of the Film Pulls New Wave of Surfers Into Theatres"
Box 1, Folder 19
Robertson, Jordan. "Chairman of the Boards"
San Francisco Chronicle September 1, 2000
Box 1, Folder 20
Rodgers, Terry. "Archivist Hopes Collection Makes Waves."
San Diego Union Tribune, Oct. 15, 2002
Box 1, Folder 21
Rodgers, Terry. "Blake, biography-both originals"
San Diego Union Tribune. Oct. 2, 2001
Box 1, Folder 22
Rodgers, Terry. "Catching the Wave."
San Diego Union. July 15, 1999
Box 1, Folder 23
Rodgers, Terry. "Gidget's Big Wave."
San Diego Union. August 20, 2000
Box 1, Folder 24
Rodgers, Terry. "Teen could put OB back on map"
San Diego Union, March 5, 2002
Box 1, Folder 25
Rodgers, Terry "Time Warp on the Water"
The San Diego union Tribune. February 4, 2003
Box 1, Folder 26
Schinto, Jeanne. "Wave Collector: History of Surfing" San Diego Reader, January 2, 2003
Box 1, Folder 27
Troxler, A.T. "Surfing a Tropical Storm at a Carolina Beach"
The Beach Weekly News. September 18, 2002
Box 1, Folder 28
Warshaw, Matt. "A Century of Surf"
Hemispheres. November, 2003.
Box 1, Folder 29
Waldner, Erin. "The Big Dreams of Big-Wave Rider."
Half Moon Bay Review. February 2, 2000.
Box 1, Folder 30
Willis, Michael and Milton. "Old Surfers Can Always Learn Some New Tricks."
La Jolla Light. July 22, 2004.
Box 1, Folder 31
Articles and Ephemera Regarding Duke Kahanamoku Postage Stamp. 2002
Box 1, Folder 32
Paddleboards and Hollowboards
Box 1, Folder 34
Surfing: American Culture or Subculture? Course Syllabus for HNRS211
Box 1, Folder 35
Siren: A Surf Trip- Surfing 1996 Swimsuit Preview
Box 1, Folder 37
"Dan Reynolds: First Chapter" Quicksilver.
Box 1, Folder 38
South Texas Institute for Art Presents Surfing Art (exhibit brochure)
1999
Box 1, Folder 39
Surfing Heritage Foundation, Preserving Surfing's Roots Brochure
Box 1, Folder 40
Ron Drummond, July 30, 1988
Box 1, Folder 41
Mary Ann Hawkins- Midkiff, March 15, 1989 (2)
Box 1, Folder 42
Thomas Edward Blake, April 16, 1989
Box 1, Folder 43
Andy Andersen, May 9, 1990
Box 1, Folder 45
Dudley Whitman, May 10, 2000
Box 2, Folder 1
Toys, games, flyers, handbills, postcards ,stickers
Box 3, Folder 1
Toys, games, flyers, handbills, postcards ,stickers
Box 4, Folder 1
Posters, calendars, and oversize materials
