http://www.ocean-institute.org
Whitey Harrison
The Ocean Institute is pleased to kick off an exhibition honoring surf legend Lorrin “Whitey” Harrison on Sunday, May 29, at 10 a.m. The exhibition will include original photographs, Whitey’s homemade surfboards, an outrigger canoe and other memorabilia from Whitey’s life and the early California coastal culture. Following the kick-off celebration, the exhibition will be open to the public on weekends, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., through the end of August. Viewing is included in the price of admission to the Institute.
“Whitey is an Orange County surf legend, who did much to popularize the sport in Southern California,” observed Barry Haun, Curator/Creative Director of the Surfing Heritage Foundation in San Clemente. “We’re pleased to honor his memory, and hopefully inspire others to share in his love and appreciation of our oceans.”
The kick-off celebration will include a presentation on surf history by Jennifer Harrison Van Swae and J.P. Van Swae, Whitey’s daughter and grandson. Haun will also make a presentation. The day will feature ukulele music and children’s crafts, along with a silent auction of J.P. Van Swae’s surfing and ocean photographs. Van Swae is a professional photographer and assistant photo editor of Surfer Magazine.
Whitey Harrison (1913-1993) was born in Garden Grove and grew up in the Santa Ana Canyon area. He traveled by horse and wagon to Laguna Beach, and surfed on a homemade surfboard in the 1920s and 30s. He created surf equipment as a side business, and spent time in Hawaii surfing with such legends as Duke Kahanamoku, “the Father of Surfing.” Whitey also worked as a lifeguard and commercial diver, and brought the outrigger canoe to the West Coast as a sport. He surfed throughout his life, and was featured in the media, including “Late Night with David Letterman” and Life magazine.
The exhibition is featured in collaboration with the Surfing Heritage Foundation and the Van Swae family.
Founded in 1977, the Ocean Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean preservation through education, setting the standard for educational excellence and serving as a leading resource for universities, museums, teachers and all others seeking to increase their knowledge of the ocean. The Ocean Institute is open to the general public on weekends, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cost: $6.50 adults, $4.50 children (ages 4-12), Ocean Institute members free. Unique maritime and ocean-themed items are available in the Chambers Gallery everyday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Institute address: 24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr., Dana Point. Website: www.ocean-institute.org. Phone: (949) 496-2274.
