Find Gale on Social Media Widely known as the Skateboarding Mom, Gale Webb was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1944. At age 12 in 1956, she found a pair of old roller skates and hammered the steel wheels on a 2” x 4”. That was her first time skateboarding–falling, having fun and acquiring “plenty of scabs. It …
Find Desiree on Social Media One of the most prominent female skateboarders of the mid-1970s, Desiree Von Essen was born in Huntington, Long Island, New York in 1958. After moving to Ventura, California in 1968, she started skating on a Black Knight down a big driveway with her brother. In 1974, Desiree started getting product flowed …
Find Val Surf on Social Media When Mark Richards and his family first opened the doors of Val Surf in North Hollywood, California on October 6, 1962, it was the very first skateboard shop in the world. (Yes, in addition to surfboards, they’ve carried skateboards since the beginning!) Open continuously since then, Val Surf is …
Follow Ray on Instagram Sponsored by Powell Corporation in early 1978 before George Powell joined forces with Stacy Peralta to forge Powell-Peralta, Ray “Bones” Rodriguez was by default the very first member of the legendary Bones Brigade. (In fact, it was Ray’s idea to round off the edges of the distinctive white wheels from which …
Find Edie in Social Media Edie Robertson was one of the most accomplished pro female skateboarders of the 1970s, with a stellar competitive record and sponsorship deals that speak for themselves. Born in 1962, Edie’s first skateboard ride went down at age 10 on a friend’s Black Night with clay wheels. She dug it so …
Jeff Phillips is widely recognized as one of the most powerful vertical skateboarders of the 1980s. More beast than man, he relentlessly shook the ramp, pounded the coping and launched way above it with the utmost force. Starting out buttboarding in Dallas, Texas at age 10 on a 4” x 10” Shark skateboard with steel …
Follow Jason on Instagram A native of Southern California residing in Texas since 2015, Jason Lee (born 1970) is a film photographer, actor, and director. Having established a successful career as a professional skateboarder during the sport’s pivotal late-1980s and early-’90s period, Lee would go on to pursue acting in 1994, which lead to work …
Find Kona on Social Media Few skateparks have experienced the stratospheric highs and subterranean lows that compare to those of the storied Kona Skatepark in Jacksonville, Florida. Opened by Martin Ramos II and his wife Helen with investors on June 4, 1977, the park promptly went bankrupt twice in its first year, and then sat …
Find Tom on Social Media If you were serious about skateboarding in the second half of the 1970s, the name Tom “Wally” Inouye is forever stamped into your mind. Simply stated, he was one of the most prominent pros of the time. Who can forget Wally’s three classic Skateboarder covers (two of them in a …
Find Cris on Social Media None other than the legendary CR Stecyk III accurately described Cris Dawson as “one of the premier ’60s stylists.” Born in Santa Monica, California in 1948, Cris started skating in 1959 on a 2” x 4” with roller skate wheels nailed on. From 1963 through ’66, he progressed to a solid oak board with …
Follow Kevin on Instagram What becomes a legend most? How about early vertical pioneer Kevin “The Worm” Anderson! Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1955, Kevin was a military brat whose family moved constantly. Ending up in Hermosa Beach, California, Kevin started skating in 1959 on a 2” x 4” with his sister’s roller skates nailed …
Follow Micke on Social Media Born in the Badlands of Southern California, Michael “Micke” Alba enjoyed a career as one of the top vert pros from the late 1970s to the late-’80s. Starting out skating freestyle around 1975, Micke switched over to vert at the Bel Air Pool, the Central Pool, the famous L Pool …
