A. Lee Brown, Jr. describes being rocked in the cradle of the emerging surf culture by his mentors while growing up in Point Loma and Ocean Beach during the ’50s and ’60s in “Cradle of Bitchin: A Story of Mentors, Watermen, and The Sea.”
A retired professor emeritus with a Ph.D., Brown’s latest work is a firsthand account of what he characterizes as “one of the most wonderful decades in human history to be young and alive.”
Joking that he is “not just a geezer,” the octogenarian said his new work is a remembrance celebrating the theme of “growing up back in the day in a Southern California coastal community emphasizing the many mentors – older beach boys, lifeguards, and watermen – who taught us invaluable life lessons.”
To capture the timeless moments of his youth, Brown draws upon personal experience offering anecdotal incidents, oceanic adventures, interaction with older mentors, friends, and lifeguarding to illustrate his points. In so doing, he provides a humorous and enlightening portrait of the beach culture of those times.
In “Cradle,” the author stresses the importance of mentoring in the development of a just and moral culture. He praises the Polynesian tradition of respecting experienced elders for their water skills and willingness to guide and direct a younger generation.
“They were prominent people, a good 10 years older than the rest of us then,” said Brown of his mentors adding, under their guidance, he and his pals learned to surf, dive, sail, and explore the sea’s extensive bounty as well as acquiring a deep respect for the sea’s power and moods.
“It is a tale of how such an alternative curriculum broadened the traditional lessons of family, school, and religion resulting in a rich and rewarding life,” Brown added.
“Cradle explains how growing up on Point Loma, in the village of OB, instilled a sense of awe, joy, and self-confidence, emotions that served as beacons throughout life,” concludes Brown on his website, www.aleebrown.com. “It is a story chock full of humor, successes, and blunders, not to mention quirky characters whose attire, music, and values created an infectious way of life influencing the rest of America beyond Southern California.”
Brown recounts surfing in OB during the formative days of the sport, riding waves on a 10-foot wooden Redwood plank he paid $10 for, which took two people to carry to the beach because it was so heavy.
Concerning the term bitchin’ in his book title, Brown noted, “It was a very common word in the contrarianism (cultural rejection) of the ’50s and ’60s that meant ‘good.”
Noting the post-World War II era was characterized by more prosperous economic times and opportunity, Brown praised his watermen mentors for “educating us into the code of the sea and its moods. It was more than just surfing. It was learning ethics and a sense of values, as well as learning how to dive to get abalones and lobsters. It was a whole way of life.”
Asked what he’d like readers to take away from reading the book, Brown said there are two things. “One is just the sense of the history of the times of OB and other similar coastal communities. The other is the real role that mentors can play in helping youth navigate the treacherous shoals of adolescence. That is really what these mentors did.”
