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The thrill is in the ride

What's New	Boarding America salutes those individuals who have had a profound influence on the sport and culture of surfing. Meet the men and women who started it all...	Silver Surfers: Jack "The Raven"
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Jack - nicknamed "The Raven" for the shock of black hair crowning his tall, slim frame helped pioneer the "golden age" of surfing before becoming one of Seal Beach's top civic leaders and businessmen. He was 24 years old when he took top honors in the first surfing championship, at the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. The year was 1959 and Jack was credited with giving the seaside community its nickname: Surf City. In 1960 Jack began his career as a Seal Beach lifeguard. He spearheaded the drive to build a new lifeguard headquarters at the entrance to the Seal Beach Pier. He next opened one of the area's first surf shops, Jack Haley's Surfboards, in 1961. And in 1965 he opened Captain Jack's restaurant, which has become a Sunset Beach institution. Last year he was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame and Walk of Fame both in Huntington Beach. He was also recently inducted into the Seal Beach Surfing Hall of Fame. He is one of Seal Beach's most famous residents due to his caring heart, surfing talents, and being a successful entrepreneur. Haley preferred surfing on the long-boards crafted in the 60's as opposed to the fashionable shorter boards. This was the style that worked best for him. "Haley could almost always be found wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt - untucked - with shorts and flip flops. He boasted a voracious appetite for life and a genuine concern for people", said son Tim Haley. Jack recently passed away at age 65 due to cancer. Haley's ashes will be sprinkled into the ocean off Maui and Cabo San Lucas, where he owned homes nearby. "His ashes will be poured into the sea, so he will continue surfing," said Tim Haley. "It was like he had saltwater running through his veins instead of blood. The sea was his life," as stated by his wife Jeanette. Born Nov 25, 1934 in Long Beach, passed away Mar 25, 2000 in Seal Beach.