Thomas Edward Blake, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 8, 1902 and died in 1994 at the age of 92.
image: surfing heritage foundation
Here’s a roll call for starters…
1922 – set the world swimming record in the ten mile open
1926 – first person to surf Malibu, along with Sam Reid
1926 – invented the hollow surfboard
1928 – won the first Pacific Coast Surfriding Championship
1928 – invented the hollow paddleboard
1929 – invented the water-proof camera housing
1931 – invented the sailboard
1931 – patented & manufactured the first production surfboard
1932 – won the Catalina Paddleboard Race
1935 – invented the surfboard fin, aka skeg or keel
1935 – published the first book solely devoted to surfing, Hawaiian Surfboard
1937 – produced & patented the first torpedo buoy and rescue ring, both made of “dua-aluminum”
1940s – first production sailboards, leader in physical fitness, natural foods and healthy diet and virtually began the surfing lifestyle as we know it