1938 – 1993
He was a man full of heart and passion, a little guy among bigger lads – among iron men, in fact. But Dewey Weber learned to use his size to advantage, quick-stepping the first foam longboards at Malibu as gracefully and as surely as if he were dancing up and down a coffee table. With his trademark red trunks, platinum blonde hair, and a definite attitude, Dewey defined the archetype of the Southern California surfer. They dubbed him “the little man on wheels.” A goal-oriented guy with championship standards, he was a great wrestler, a national yo-yo champion, and a young television pitchman for Buster Brown shoes.
But ultimately surfing was what he loved and did best: it allowed the artist, athlete and salesman in him to merge and manifest. One of the first Hermosa Beach surfers to build foam boards, he was well positioned to catch the “Gidget wave” and ride it into the Sixties. Weber’s Performer model boards, with their big hatchet fins, exemplified the noseriding era. And despite his investment in the Old Guard, Dewey was one of the first to adapt to the shortboard revolution. He reveled in free-surf sessions with team riders Nat Young and Mike Tabeling: it gave him another shot at youth.
So long Dewey, You’ll be missed.
- Drew Kampion
