Uncategorized

East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2024

The Class of 2024. Back row, l-r: David Speir, Kem McNair, Darrell Jones, Roy Turner, ECSHOF President Gary Germain, Ricky Carroll, Tom Warnke, MC Hunter Joslin. Front row, l-r: Falina Spires, Bill “Holmesy” Holmes, Noah Snyder, Mark Neustadter and Baron Knowlton.
Duke replica board shaped by craftsman Bill Simon, donated to the ECSHOF by Mike Miggs.

Photos by: Michael Baytoff/Mike Vuocolo

ESA Honors Co-Founder Cecil Lear at the Eastern Surfing Championships

Mary Lou Lear pondering a wonderful and long life with her husband. Photo: Michael Weiss, Cecil and Mary Lou’s great-grandson.

The many dried and browning leis draped across Mary Lou Lear’s dresser mirror attest to the incredible outpouring of East Coast love and respect given to her husband, Cecil Lear, co-founder of the ESA and ECSHOF, who recently passed away at a fulfilling age of 91 years.

The Eastern Surfing Association paid its respects to Cecil on September 19th during the 2022 EASTERNS held at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head NC, hosting a beautiful sunset paddle out ceremony and a celebration of his incredibly fulfilling life.

Site of the 2022 Easterns and the paddle out honoring ESA co-founder, Cecil Lear.

Gary Germain and South Jersey’s Joe Grottola led the paddle out ceremony as over 60 paddlers formed a circle just outside the lineup and said farewell in traditional Hawaiian style while four generations of the Lear family (bedecked in authentic orchid leis direct from Hawaii) and hundreds more watched emotionally from the beach and the pier.

Family and friends In a traditional Hawai’ian circle for a dear friend who has passed.

Mary Lou Lear surrounded by her daughters and family members at the post paddle-out celebration.

The reception was held upstairs in the spacious second story Jennette’s Pier Oceanview Hall with panoramic windows where everyone was watching for traces of the anxiously awaited Hurricane Fiona swell.

The hall was crowded with members of the East Coast community from far and wide, young and old, famous, not famous, and even a few infamous, who came to pay their respects to Mary Lou and the family.  Everyone sat in the darkened room to watch the short but significant video of Cecil’s life curated by Luda Ronky Captures letting out cheers, laughs, tears and hoots as appropriate.

Off on the side of the room stood an oversized brushed metal plaque complete with a classic surf photo of a young, handsome Cecil surrounded by a wide blank space, and a stack of Sharpies nearby.

Mary Lou Lear and family.

That so many signed it was not in itself remarkable, but rather the messages were less about acknowledging a Legend and instead simply referring to Cecil as a greatly missed friend.

Perhaps the most poignant moment of the evening was legendary surf photographer Dick Meseroll’s recorded tribute in the video that had the room cheering. He said “If you met Cecil Lear, you had a friend for life.”

Mary Lou Lear and daughters along with Ricky Carroll, a long-time friend, ESA competitor and surfboard shaper.

The beautiful North Carolina surf from Hurricane Fiona came just in time to honor the ESA co-founder.

ESA Executive Director Michelle Sommers, who organized the paddle out and the video of Cecil’s life, along with Mary Lou and East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame president Gary Germain.

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Cecil’s Beach, Belmar NJ

“There will never be another Cecil”

5.21.2022 – Belmar, New Jersey…..a tight-knit, local seaside community, hardcore surf culture and history, extreme surf conditions, locals tight-lipped about the best breaks when its goin off, and home to some of the best pork roll, egg, and cheese sandwiches on earth.

As a thick early morning veil of fog is melted off by the scorching sun, pale tourists walk towards the beach to stake their space in the sand. Groups of surfers, locals, media, and out-of-towners gather near the 17th Street beach entrance. Traffic is becoming exhaustive and the town is filling up faster than the hot sun can make you squint. Yet through all this summer-like chaos, heat, confusion, fun and laughter, there’s this gate that has a sign on it, in capital letters…NOT LOCALS ONLY. A person’s face peers out with a broad, friendly smile…it’s Cecil, Cecil Lear, welcoming everyone in to his home town, his local turf, his beach, his home, his Rock…..as only Cecil would. Unbeknownst to many, other than Cecil’s wife Mary Lou Lear, almost to this day, 69 years ago, along this very boardwalk, in this same spot, Cecil met Mary Lou for the very first time. Now Mary Lou Lear, with her family, friends, and all near and dear to her and Cecil, come together to pay tribute to Cecil’s life and his contributions to the town of Belmar and to the entire surfing community.

Feeling emotional, with many words not needed, as his actions do speak for themselves, Don Tarrant stands quietly in front of his shop, surveying the local crowd as it grows, softly speaking to friends and taking it all in. Don, owner of Eastern Lines Surf Shop, is the coordinator of this event. Eastern Lines Surf Shop became Cecil’s local shop where he would hang out and talk surf stories; it’s where much of Cecil’s memorabilia currently hangs.

Then, without any hesitation, Don starts off heading to the beach, leading a flock of surfers – smiling young groms, ripped 20-30 yr olds, mid-aged males and females, and old bald headed surf gurus. It is Jersey hot, the ocean is Jersey cold….onto the boardwalk then the beach, but first to listen to words from wise men and women who knew and loved Cecil. Harry Harsin, Chief of Belmar Lifeguards, speaks of Cecil and his contribution to the patrol. Cecil was a Belmar lifeguard for over 20 years. Dr. Bill Rosenblatt, a near and dear friend to Cecil, speaks of all the lives that Cecil touched, and how it affected them. Frank Keuma, of Hawaii, stands tall in front of the crowd and tells stories of early days with Cecil, and how at a young age, being homeless, Cecil took him in after befriending him on the beach. He then offers a prayer for Cecil. Mary Lou Lear speaks with soft loving words in front of the crowd….. holding back tears, while expressing deep thanks to all.

Cecil and Mary Lou’s three daughters, Nancy, Jeannie, and Sue, are in attendance. Mary Lou Lear, “This is all just so wonderful. Cecil is truly smiling down on us today.” To top all the speeches and as a surprise to all in attendance, the Mayor of Belmar, speaking of his personal relationship with Cecil, speaking of all of Cecil’s contributions to the Belmar community, and how without Cecil’s prodding, he may never have even become a Belmar resident, declared and proclaimed thru his office, that May 21st will forever be known as Cecil Lear Day in Belmar, New Jersey.

Speeches, tears, smiles and laughter all die down, but the sun gets hotter and hotter…..surfers pull on their baked rubber fullsuits in the midday sun, then scramble like ants to sugar as they jump on their boards into the chilled Jersey surf….paddling 100 yards into the Atlantic to pay final respects to an icon, an innovator, a historian, a friend, a father and a loving husband who was graciously shared by his wife to the entire surfing world.

As ESA South Jersey Director Lisa Roselli said, “Cecil’s family had to share him with all of us. That’s not easy. Loved the dude,….Cecil and Mary Lou. I couldn’t speak out there, I would have just cried.” Gary Germain, former competitive ESA surfer and current president of The East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame, “Cecil enabled surfing to be better in every way, shape and form, not only on the East Coast, but all over the world.” Brian Heritage, president of  The New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame, remarks on the words spoken during the paddleout, “Words were spoken of how Cecil was always giving and guiding to all of us, especially the younger up and coming crew. That Cecil so wanted to get rid of the stigma surrounding surfers and have them treated as world class athletes as they are.”

Speaking to many surfers in attendance, from Jersey and afar, the theme is the same, Cecil took the time and the effort to care, make them feel comfortable, to help them understand what being a surfer means, and how to respectfully represent, not just in the present, but more importantly for and in the future….in surfing and in life.

As Don Tarrant slowly walks back to his beachfront shop, his brow beading with sweat, he pauses and reflects on the day, sighs a bit of relief, and quietly yet emphatically says, “There will never be another Cecil.”

Words and photos by Michael Baytoff

The East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame is saddened to announce the passing of Cecil Lear at 91 years of age. Cecil most recently participated in the Induction Ceremony for the Class of 2022 into the Hall of Fame at Surf Expo in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, January 5, 2022.

Cecil was born in 1930 in Irvington, New Jersey and raised in Caldwell, NJ before moving to Belmar, NJ in 1946. In 1952 Cecil graduated from Drew University with a BA in Economics and worked mostly in advertising sales during his professional career, which included a stint working for Petersen’s Surfing magazine in the early 1960s. Several years after moving to Belmar, Cecil took up surfing and thereafter began his dedication to better surfing for East Coast surfers and beyond.

Cecil was co-founder of the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) along with Rudy Huber and served as its Competition Director from 1967-70. From 1971 to 2017 he was the ESA’s Secretary and Historian, providing invaluable advice to the organization’s Board as it developed into the largest surfing competition organization in the world, where it developed many champions including 4x World Champion Lisa Andersen, 3x World Champion Frieda Zamba and who many consider the greatest surfer of all time, 11x World Champion Kelly Slater.

In 1996 he co-founded the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame along with Greg “Da Bull” Noll, and served as its president from then until 2017, when he stepped aside to become President Emeritus while still retaining a key position on the Board. He is also a member of the Hall of Fame’s initial Class of 1996 alongside many of the great pioneers of East Coast Surfing. Cecil is also a member of the New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Long before his passing, both organizations launched the Cecil Lear President’s Award to honor individuals whose leadership and mentorship helped to advance New Jersey and East Coast Surfing.

In 1969 Cecil was given the Surfer magazine, Surfer’s Cup award. In 1974 he received the coveted Nancy Katin Recognition Award, and in 2015 Lear was presented the Surfing Heritage And Cultural Center (SHACC) prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award during a formal ceremony held at The Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

In October 2021, Lear was inducted into the Huntington Beach Surfers Walk of Fame under the Surf Culture category along with his mentor, Lewis Earl “Hoppy” Swarts, who founded the United States Surfing Association, USSA, in the early 1960s, and who advised Cecil on launching the ESA.

Lear will always be remembered for his lifetime of dedication to better the sport of surfing for East Coast surfers and surfers everywhere. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mary Lou, and two daughters, Nancy Lear, who resides in Dallas, Texas, and Jeanne Peck, who lives in Michigan.

The East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame Board of Directors sends its deepest sympathies to the Lear Family.

Aloha and much respect, Cecil.

Photo Credits: Tom Dugan / ESM , Bruce Chisner, Mike Vuocolo, Dick Graham, Joe McGovern, Laurin Walker, Mez / ESM, Roger Scruggs, Courtesy Lear Family