THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602220140
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 140 lines
THE WRITING IS still on the wall.
``Surfboards. Trunks.''
Bob Holland and Pete Smith painted those words on the outside of their new Smith and Holland Surf Shop on 22nd Street back in 1963. That shop's long gone, but the faded, hand-painted message can still be seen.
For Beach surfing greats - Smith and Holland - a recent visit to the old site dredged up a wave of memories. But then, they've been taking a lot of trips down memory lane lately - ever since they and fellow Beach surfer Bob White were inducted into the first Greg Noll East Coast Surf Legends Hall of Fame in Orlando, Fla., last month.
When they went into the surf shop business as young men, they had no idea that the surfing scene would become the multi-million dollar industry that it is today, with shops on many Oceanfront corners and the trendy clothing popular with young people everywhere.
And they definitely had no notion that they would someday be mentioned and honored in the same breath with the founding fathers of East Coast surfing.
The Beach trio was among the first 23 inductees into the hall of fame during ceremonies - replete with puka shell necklaces, sandles and Hawaiian shirts - at the Surf Expo in Orlando, Jan. 11-14.
It was a long weekend of rekindling old friendships and making new ones.
``I had heard of some of these people, but I'd never met them before,'' said Smith, 57, and now a city employee. ``Even though I had just met some of them for the first time, it was like family coming together. It was a very special feeling, just amazing.
``And being part of the first ceremony was, I think, something very special for all of us,'' he added.
Others included were surfers such as Mimi Munro (the only woman inducted) and surf names like Peter Pan, Jack ``Murph the Surf'' Murphy, Rudy Huber, Skip Savage and Bill Wise.
A thrill for Bob Holland, Pete Smith and Bob White was being named right up there with the big names from the early days of East Coast surfing. And although their lives may have changed over the years, they still like to look for, and talk about, the next good swell.
Holland, 67 and now retired, was surfing with the regulars and working a little surf shop around 19th Street when he and Smith decided to open their place on 22nd Street between Atlantic and Pacific avenues in 1963.
``Some other places in town were carrying surfboards, but this was the first really serious surf shop in town,'' Holland said. ``We sold boards and decals and T-shirts.
``T-shirts were undershirts back then, though, and they didn't sell too good. I ended up giving a bunch of them away.''
Holland got out of the business end of surfing in the late 1960s and guided his interests toward the competitive side of the sport.
He worked as a harbor pilot for the Virginia Pilot Association for 43 years while earning a reputation as one of the best competitive surfers in the country. He instilled the same love of surfing in his family - creating other well-known East Coast surfers.
Through the years, Holland won seven United States championships in several age groups and won Eastern Surfing Association titles 12 times. He won the legends age division national title a couple of years ago.
Holland, and a handful of other locals, were instrumental in bringing the East Coast Surfing Championships from New York to Virginia Beach in the '60s.
And to this day, he is one of the top surfers in his age group in the country.
``If there's a good swell, I'll get out there,'' he said, noting he is leaving soon for a surfing trip in Costa Rica. ``Winning my first national championship in Huntington Beach, Calif., is probably my best memory. There were 25,000 people on the beach and it was the biggest thing going back then.''
When Holland left the business, Smith changed the name to Pete Smith's Surf Shop and moved it to 28th Street and Pacific where it quickly became the most recognized name in the surf shop business.
The few logo T-shirts still around are cherished keepsakes.
For about nine years, the gregarious Smith ran the little shop that became more of a meeting place than anything else - a pit stop for surfers to come and see what was new and talk about the waves they got yesterday and the ones they hoped would come today.
But inside, Smith was battling personal problems that eventually got the best of him.
``They started along the way and snowballed,'' Smith 57, said. ``I got divorced and didn't handle that well. I was drinking and taking Valiums and I was always really depressed.''
Smith dropped out of the scene, selling his shop in 1976. He said he slept by day and drank at night until the late 1970s when he emerged from his darkness and formed a bond with God. The shop, which has passed through several hands and transitions, is now called Beach Outfitters.
``I thank God every day that I didn't end up killing myself or somebody else,'' Smith said. ``I'm a very fortunate, lucky guy.''
Smith went to work for the city of Virginia Beach in 1980, married Dottie three years ago, made a new friendship with his 28-year-old son Pete Jr. and saw his new wife give birth to their daughter Sarah.
``I've been blessed that I survived it all,'' he said. ``I've been slowly getting my self-esteem back.''
Smith's fondest memories of the old days come from the shop he and Holland had and from his own place, where many friendships were made. Getting in on the ground floor of the ECSC, which he emceed for many years, ranks right up there.
``I was never the competitor Bob was,'' he said of Holland. ``He's a true hall of famer. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the old days and surfing with all the really neat guys that were around. The friendships we made; people still come up to me and say they remember coming in the shop.
``That's special.''
Bob White was the only member of the Beach trio who didn't make it to the induction ceremony in Orlando. Now living in Hawaii, he played as large a role as the others in setting up what is now local surfing folklore.
White was one of the few locals who actually made surfboards instead of buying or selling imports. Originally known for Bob White Surfboards, he was a founder of Wave Riding Vehicles - a surf name now known all around the world.
``He was way ahead of his time,'' Holland said. ``It's too bad he couldn't come to the ceremony, but he is well-known and very well-regarded for the things he's done for surfing.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos, including color cover, by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Pete Smith, left, and Bob Holland stand beside the original building
on 22nd Street where they opened a surf shop in 1963. The shop is
long gone, but the sign they painted on the wall is still visible.
Former business partners Pete Smith, left, and Bob Holland were
inducted into the first Greg Noll East Coast Surf Legends Hall of
Fame in Orlando, Fla. Also inducted was Bob White, who now lives in
Hawaii.
Bob Holland, left, and Pete Smith opened this ``first really serious
surf shop'' in 1963.
Smith and Holland reminisce in front of the same 22nd street
building, now Island Imports.
Holland, 67, a retired harbor pilot, still competes successfully in
seniors events. Smith, 57, now a city employee, has overcome
personal problems to start a new family.
by CNB