Project Freeth: Volume 2: The Father of Modern Surfing, Lifeguards, and Nanation

By J. Francis Quigley

Here it is, Project Freeth Volume 2. Not only does this book cover the rest of George Freeth's colorful life, but it also reveals some hidden treasures from past articles in both Hawaii and California.

At various points, while I was doing research for Volume 2, the word natation came up, which George happened to be a leading authority on during his lifetime. The dictionary defines this term as the science of human movement in water. Finding this term to be relevant at many levels, I've deemed the third book in this trilogy to be titled Natation.

Two maps on the book cover represent the plan, (map # 1), and the fruition, (map #2), in the golden age of Redondo Beach as a city.

The first map, drawn up by California's first state engineer, William H. Hall, was presented to the Dominguez sisters at the sales meeting between them and the Redondo Beach company headed by Danial Freeman. (Complete story in Project Freeth Volume 1.)

It's a mystery when the second map was rendered. Even though it's used in the 1913 ad to promote Freeth's swim lessons, (shown on the cover), evidence indicates that the age of this map was already over ten years old by 1913. Wharf #3 is present, dating this map after 1903. But the lack of Redondo High School on this map means it was made before 1905. That narrows it down to a workable timeframe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638810858

Book preview

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Project Freeth: Volume 2

The Father of Modern Surfing, Lifeguards, and Nanation

J. Francis Quigley

Copyright © 2022 J. Francis Quigley

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-63881-084-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63881-085-8 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Special Thanks

Well, here we are, a place where I wasn’t certain if I’d ever get to—the second volume of the first that I have already written. And I give all the thanks to Gabi Bottura. She and her husband, Ricardo, own a production company; and because of this, she’s a bit of a wizard with getting research and the necessary legwork to secure such information. She also started a regiment of swimming lessons with me in the pool late last summer that has presently (in November 2019) advanced to include weekly swims in the Pacific Ocean, covering distances anywhere from 600 yards to 1,500 meters. That’s no typo. I have to jump from standard to metric regularly, so should everyone else.

In any event, after Gabi finished up with all her past projects, she very quickly (in less than a week) managed to compile enough new articles to me on George D. Freeth Jr. (mostly from the LA Times but in no way exclusive; other papers are also included) to create a new skeletal timeline similar to what the Redondo Reflex has in volume 1. In volume 2, though, the goal is to make the articles more of the main line, thus eliminating extra material but still using periods of time to divide up this book’s chapters.

Amongst other information in the conclusion of volume 1, there are at least ten topics that I refer to as pots of gold, for volume 2 to address and elaborate on. I’m going to make an abridged copy of these objectives below to keep on task toward the goal of completing this final book, which continues to chronicle George Freeth’s entire life and philosophies.

Ironically, this first objective isn’t found where the others are. This is at the end of chapter 1, volume 1, and it’s more information about George’s life before he left for California in 1907. Presently we have a couple of articles from Hawaiian newspapers dealing with this topic.

Information on the crash Freeth and Mitchell had while driving the motorcycle to a rescue on September 11, 1913. So far, we have some material on this. Looking for more.

Break down the title of Father of Modern Surfing given to George. What makes this title so right for him and what makes it not so right as well. More on facts to bring to light. Interesting article support.

To gain as much material that can be found concerning the professional relationship between George Freeth and the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC).

It’s at LAAC where George starts writing articles in their club paper, The Mercury. Still haven’t a source for this information yet, but apparently George wrote about his philosophy behind making swim lessons a part of the required curriculum for all public elementary schools. Of course, this never came to fruition. But is that something that could still be possible in the future?

Find any information on the relationship between George Freeth and Henry Huntington or any other famous men or women around SoCal during this time, like Duke Kahanamoku, Johnny Weissmuller, Alexander Hume Ford, and Mack Sennett, to name a few. In most cases, unfortunately, no public information means no relationship whatsoever. We’ll see what pans out here.

Expound upon George Freeth’s acting debut in the Latest in Life Saving by Mack Sennett Films in 1913.

Any additional information on coastal celebrations or special activities that would require a waterman of George’s caliber to be involved with (example, the grand reopening of the Huntington Beach Pier in 1914).

As much information that can be found about George’s tenure in San Diego from 1916 on.

The Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918–1919. It finished off most twenty- to forty-year-olds who contracted it within ten days or less. George was infected on December 8, 1918, and died 116 days later, in April of 1919.

The majority of these topics have at least one newspaper article to support it in the volume 2 collection. A couple even have more than one, and yet a couple of more have nothing as of yet. So skeleton timeline for sure. More resources to gather before overall completion, inevitable. If not here, then in volume 3.

Keep these ten topics in the back of your mind while reading this. You’ll find me referring to them often. Thank you and enjoy!

November 2019

The new George Freeth bust at Redondo Pier, to replace the one that was stolen in 2008. (Struck from the original mold. Now on display at the Redondo Beach Historical Museum. See the curator Tike. He’ll take you right to it.) Tike is yet another treasure of Redondo Beach. He’s going for the centenarian club. Don’t know exactly how close he is, but I know one thing for sure: he takes care of himself better than anyone else I know.

Chapter 1

Before California

It’s good to have come up with a few articles from newspapers in Hawaii on George Freeth Jr. while he still resided there before late June of 1907. Presently we have three articles to initially examine. The oldest of them is from the Hawaiian Star dated on Tuesday, October 11, 1906, on page 6, with the headline reading There Will Be Senior Football . It’s obvious that this is not about George the waterman; rather, this feature story on him is centered on what almost appears (at least at the time that this article was written) to be his sport of choice during the autumn season, football. This isn’t too big of a shock after reading the Redondo Reflex articles in volume 1.

But what I find interesting here is the fact that playing football games on Thanksgiving Day has been placed together, creating a traditional event for such a long period of time. According to this article, one would almost think that football has been around as long as the Thanksgiving feast itself. Of course, we all know for the better. And this is what caught my attention, the fact that literally football is still in its infancy at this time. Put two and two together, and the next logical question comes to mind.

Could George, at twenty-one years of age, be instrumental with inventing the Thanksgiving Day football tradition that we in the US enjoy to this very day? If he didn’t, he certainly is among the first to implement and have success putting it together in Hawaii. This sparked my interest to find out exactly where George is at in regards to not just the act of the Thanksgiving Day football game but the American football on the whole as he plays and coaches this dangerous, innovative new sport both in Hawaii and, later, in Redondo Beach. In order to accomplish this, we need to learn a little bit more about both topics, the changing of the rules that make today’s football game, and the history of the Thanksgiving Day football games themselves.

During George’s tenure, playing with the rules at the intercollegiate level means being involved at the game’s highest and most dangerous level of play. These rules change annually, starting with a handful of Ivy League schools in 1873. From this point forward, rules changed as the intercollegiate football rules committee would have their conference meeting, usually just prior to the beginning of each upcoming season.

Now mind you, on October 20, 1873, when representatives from four university football clubs meet in New York City, the ball is still round (although the pigskin itself is now wrapped with thicker cowhide and stitched tight with a single leather lace). Points are only awarded when the ball passes through the opponent’s goal by either kicking or throwing through the said mark. Squads for open play have twenty-five members a side (this rule, as well as others, would vary from school to school).

In this football game of 1873, there are no coaches, no pads, and no helmets. No rules against any lethal or dangerous forms of contact. Players did whatever they had to do to