Larson, George "Peanuts"

Quirky pre–World War II surfer and boardmaker from Laguna Beach, California; a model for the irrepressible and irresponsible Southern California surfer. "He was the buffed, blond, attractive, intelligent California-surfer prototype," surf historian Craig Lockwood wrote. "A skilled shaper and designer, a free and adventurous spirit, a kind of surf-shaman, with an enduring nickname 'Peanuts.'"

Larson was born (1916) and raised in Laguna, and began surfing in the late '20s. During the depressio...