An email from Jerry to Butch Linden on 10/23/2005.

Bob Feigel gave me your address. 

He's asked me to collaborate for an article on the early days, (early to us and surfing) in the Santa Monica Bay, I think primarily POP and Bay street. I've forgotten all my old Chumash tales.

He sent me a story of the History of MSA with a photo of a bunch of us. What I remember most was all of us in constant effortless effort to make everything as fun and funny as possible. What an absolute riot! I hope for your sake and the rest of this grown up world that attitude has remained the same. I think our generation brought a lot of light and laughter into this mixed up drama. I'm still going for it. Like surfing, no one has shown me a better way of life than to be a good happy person and get in the waves every swell. I feel fortunate to still be in the Islands. I've sat outside the line up on a winters morning in a pair of trunks watching the sun come up over the volcano and marveled on how stoked I am to be warm and wet on a winters day, pulling into some sparkling Island walls.

I chatted with Dave Rochlen a little while back. We were going to get together when he came over to the Big Island, but I was on Maui and we crossed in the channel. He said he's over 300 pounds. Can't paddle, either sinks or rolls off. Hard to imagine. I hope I get to see him soon. He has some health issues. Obviously!
Do you ever come to Hawaii?

You know what would make a great surf story would be the MSA Thanksgiving surfari to Santa Cruz. From the Deauville Club to crashing my brother's new dodge dart in the Oxnard fog, to renting the place in Santa Cruz and you telling the lady we're from the Malibu Surfing Assoc to promote the positive image of surfing or something like that, and someone pulls a sleeping bag out of the back of your woody and a bottle of Jim Beam crashes at her feet. 

Surfing till we're totally frozen and blue and hightailing it back to the rooms and taking hot showers while locking the rest of the guys out in the cold. How about that insane go out coming home at Jalama. The fog came in and it just kept getting bigger and bigger. Everyone got cleaned out except you, Spidermonkey and I, and the sets just kept looming and feathering out of the fog as we stroked for our lives. You spun and dropped in on a heavy, Jim got cleaned up and I was there alone in the fog with monsters.. 

That was pretty heavy. I don't remember what happened or how I got in but think I got drilled big time. I have a lasting visual of the return trip blasting down PCH, seemed like 70 your woody was traveling, then having next to no brakes for a left turn and a 4 wheel drift across the highway into the Refugio park entrance. You are a good driver. Go-carts mini coopers, woodies. What are you driving now?

I went to my Mom's birthday a couple years ago which coincided with the class of 63 samohi reunion. I felt like the aloha guy with all the retired police chiefs and insurance salesmen. I saw Guy Dill, he seemed to be some sort of local celebrity center of attention so we didn't get to hang out much. Louise Tasker was looking good.......... and large, very good vibes. Otherwise I was ready to ditch school and go surfing, but then I realized how cold the water was and settled for a glass of wine.

I saw you're scoring in the old man division at Rincon. Congratulations!

I just got my first Long board in close to 40 years. For the last 20 I've ridden 5 fin bonzers by Malcolm Campbell. Hitting 60 this year and got a 9'6" Billy Hamilton Stylist Surftech epoxy board. I love to knee paddle and glide. It's a big adjustment when it gets double overhead. That's a lot of board. But when I think about the boards we were ridding I know I can make this work with ease. So out of the blue and into the blue.....Staying alive and wishing you well.

Aloha,

Jerry Whitesides
Kona Hawaii

Ps attached a picture of me playing in my front yard. We lived in this classic old Kona beach house for twelve years with "Lymans", the best left point break in Kona in the front yard, and "Banyans" Kona's premier town reef break, (right and left), on the other side of the bay. It was as good as it gets for an Island surf house. Actually I'll attach the sequence shot both taken from our lanai. First with a 200mm lens, then another photographer with a 400mm seconds later. ............. Yahoooooooo!