Doc’s House: Where a team of the South Bay’s best surfers did their chores and were on time to school
by Mike Purpus [Editor’s note: To a generation of Hermosa Beach surfers, Doc’s house overlooking the beach at 15th Street was home to the South Bay’s best surfers, and home away from home to the world’s best surfers. Doc passed away this month, of natural causes at age 92.) It was the summer of ’64 when I first met Doc Ackroyd. He was struggling to get out in two foot surf on a 10-foot balsa surfboard. The pasty skinned, freckle faced, slightly overweight 30 something man had no clue how to surf. His belly was hanging over the tail pushing the nose up into the air. The waves sent him back to shore with every stroke, I was only 14 years old. I managed to turn his board around and shove him into a few small white water waves. I introduced myself and Doc invited me back to his place for a soda. Doc told me he was a doctor and had just moved out from Minnesota. He didn’t know a thing about surfing or have any friends yet. He lived one house behind the Hermosa Beach Strand on 18th Street. I surfed with Sparky Hudson, Mark Roberts and Don Craig who all lived on the same block. We were always looking for a new place to hang out after school. I had Doc over for dinner to meet my parents…
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