Paddle-out tributes planned for Boogie Board inventor Tom Morey

It’ll beryllium a accidental to boogie with the waves and wage tribute to 1 of surfing’s top icons, a antheral whose instauration allowed countless radical to bask the ocean.

Paddle-out memorials are being planned connected Saturday, Nov. 6, crossed the globe to grant Tom Morey, inventor of the Boogie Board, arsenic good arsenic respective different surfing innovations.

“He was an ambassador for the ocean,” Morey’s son, Sol, said. “We conscionable promote radical to get connected committee and spell retired determination successful each consciousness of the signifier and collaborate with each other.”

That’s what Morey, who died connected Oct. 14 astatine the property of 86, was each about, radical coming unneurotic to make and innovate, to link with 1 different and bask the thrill of the ocean.

Tom Morey signs an autograph during the induction ceremonial for the 21st Annual International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 successful Huntington Beach. Morey died a fewer days aboriginal connected Oct. 14, 2021. Morey volition beryllium honored with a paddle-out memorial astatine T-Street successful San Clemente for his invention that helped countless radical provender the thrill of the ride.(Photo by Michael Fernandez, Contributing Photographer)

Locally, the largest gathering volition beryllium held astatine 10 a.m. connected Saturday astatine the T-Street formation successful San Clemente; different is planned astatine the Newport Beach Pier and different further southbound successful Oceanside, which precocious gave Morey a commendation for his interaction connected the water community.

Jay Reale, a erstwhile pro bodyboarder who was adjacent friends with Morey and Morey’s wife, Marchia, is organizing the San Clemente gathering. Nov. 6 is aforesaid time that was declared International Bodyboarding Day successful 2017.

“We thought it would beryllium cleanable timing,” said Reale, who owns e-bodyboarding.com based successful San Clemente. “Tom had a monolithic transportation successful the surfing world, we wholly expect radical from each forms of wave-riding sports to amusement up.”

Morey was of the hot-doggin’ stylists of the ’50s and ’60s who grew up successful Laguna Beach earlier the large surge successful the sport.

While helium was astir known for his instauration of the Boogie Board, which turned 50 this year, helium had wide power successful the surfing world. His archetypal large invention was the “wing-tip” surfboard plan and he’s crediting with popularizing the removable fin, which was large for travel. He besides founded a surf contest.

Since Morey’s passing past month, tributes person flooded online and planetary quality outlets person been penning astir his monolithic interaction connected ocean-enthusiasts crossed the globe.

Patti Serrano, who helped enactment connected caller 50th day events honoring Morey for his invention, said she’s heard of paddle-outs planned for Nov. 6 arsenic acold arsenic Germany and Australia, arsenic good arsenic astatine the birthplace of the Boogie Board astatine Honl’s Beach successful Hawaii.

Tribute events are adjacent planned inland, successful places specified arsenic Colorado and North Carolina, wherever “river bodyboarders” are popular.

“It’s everywhere,” Serrano said of Morey’s influence, noting there’s astir apt much radical utilizing bodyboards successful lakes, rivers and adjacent the snowfall than determination are astatine the coast.

Young formation goers transportation their assemblage boards on the San Clemente Pedestrian Beach Trail successful San Clemente connected Saturday, July 4, 2020. The inventor of the Boogie Board, Tom Morey, volition beryllium honored with a paddle-out memorial astatine T-Street successful San Clemente for his invention that helped countless radical provender the thrill of the ride. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Serrano was acceptable to spell to instrumentality schoolhouse erstwhile Morey gave her a Boogie Board to effort out. Her beingness everlastingly changed the infinitesimal she felt the thrill of the wave, she said.

“This contraption changed my life,” she said. “When you get that stoke, you privation to stock it with different people.”

Instead of going to instrumentality schoolhouse arsenic planned, she became 1 of Morey’s aboriginal employees successful the ’70s, traveling the state introducing kids to the Boogie Board.

“People’s lives person been pivoted disconnected this product,” said Sol Morey, who has encountered people, particularly successful caller weeks arsenic quality of his father’s decease spread, who teardrop up arsenic they deliberation astir however the Boogie Board brought joyousness to their lives.

“It’s a large playground, a large formation playground, and the Boogie Boards allowed them to get a sensation of the salt, the salty air,” helium said.

Sol Morey said helium wants to support his father’s bequest alive, with talks of creating a Tom Morey Foundation that could beryllium a spot wherever radical are encouraged to prosecute entrepreneurial endeavors, oregon “garagemanship,” arsenic his begetter utilized to telephone it.

Reale said his life, too, was changed by the Boogie Board, not lone giving him an aboriginal pro vocation successful the water, but besides the quality to make his online institution distributing bodyboards that scope the world.

He was glad, helium said, that Morey, who sold the trademark successful 1977, was capable to articulation successful during the caller 50th day celebrations and spot first-hand however overmuch helium touched people’s lives.

“Whether oregon not helium ever intended to person specified a monolithic impact, the information is helium did,” Reale said, “and we are each ace thankful and we conscionable privation to springiness acknowledgment to him 1 past time.”

All kinds of wave-riding boards are invited astatine the upcoming paddle-out solemnisation successful San Clemente.

“Just bring your stoke,” Sol Morey said.