Williams (Flaxman), Vicki (1932 – )

Strong and graceful Malibu surfer from the 1950s; part of a small group of young women in their teens and early 20s who rode what were called "girl boards"—thinner, lighter, easier-turning balsa boards, forerunners to the Malibu chip, which led to the development of the high-performance climb-and-drop style of surfing.

Flaxman was born (1932) in Los Angeles, raised in Santa Monica, and began surfing in 1950, at Malibu, on a custom-made Joe Quigg balsa. "Vicki was athletic and aggressive," Qu...