International Surfing Hall of Fame
Dewey Weber was one of the first inductees into the International Surfing Hall of Fame. This inset portrait was taken of him the night of his induction in 1966. He was 27 years old. His peers and the selection committee honored him as surfing’s “first hotdogger.” This photo is from one of the pages from the issue International Surfing Magazine published in 1966 which featured the first Hall of Fame Selections.
Flashy, bleach-blond surfer and board manufacturer of the late ‘50’s and ‘60’s, Dewey founded surf industry powerhouse Dewey Weber Surfboards, opening his first store in Venice in 1960.
Early in his surfing life, Weber became friends with surfboard-maker Dale Velzy and it was the new wide-backed Velzy “pig” design, developed in the mid-‘50’s that Weber adapted to his boards that developed his prototypical hot-dog style. He was often referred to as “the Little Man on Wheels” for his hot-dogging style, especially at Malibu with his trademark red board and trunks.
Best remembered for his small-wave performances, Weber also rode well in the bigger Hawaiian surf. Weber was featured in nearly every surf movie of the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s, including Slippery When Wet (1958), Cat on a Hot Foam Board(1959) and Walk on the Wet Side (1963).
He was a force as a competitive surfer as well, placing second in the 1964 United States Surfing Championships, earned a slot in the 1965 Duke Kahanamoku invitational, made the finals of the 1965 and 1967 Malibu Invitational, and won the seniors division of the 1969 U.S. Championships.
