A weekly feature from Ocean City Beach Patrol historian Fred Miller:
The Ocean City Beach Patrol won the National Lifeguard Championship 80 years ago on July 26, 1934, on the 10th Street Beach in Ocean City. The lifeguards posed for this picture with their awards: front row from left, Captain Jack G. Jernee, Ed Kelly, Howard McAdoo, and Russ Leary; standing, Marley Fitzgerald, George Hafner, T. John Carey, Bob Stretch, Jim Dougherty, Lew Parlette, Bert Loeper, George Becker, George Dougherty and Al Reichenbach.
This summer 10 local lifeguards traveled to Virginia Beach to compete in the United States Lifesaving Association’s National Lifeguard Championship. They all returned wearing first, second or third place medals: Kneeling left to right, Phil Rogers, Joe Grimes, Jack Brooks; standing, Ann Merrill, John McShane, Paul Sweeney, Bill Pugh, Tom Heist, Joe Schmitt and Jack Devine.
