California State Parks Celebrates 75 Years of Lifeguard Service with Multi-Day Event
Contact:
Justin McHenry,
justin.mchenry@parks.ca.gov
760-392-1482
HUNTINGTON BEACH — California State Parks, in partnership with the California State Lifeguard Association, is proud to celebrate 75 years of lifeguard service with a three-day event at Huntington State Beach from Aug. 3-5. The celebration, the first and largest of its kind in the history of the association, will honor the brave lifeguards who have stood watch on the shores of California’s oceanside, lakes and rivers to protect visitors and save lives for generations.
“This celebration honors the legacy of our lifeguards and the incredible impact they’ve made protecting California’s visitors and natural resources for three quarters of a century,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “I could not be prouder to celebrate 75 years of excellence with the men and women who have risked their lives while saving thousands of others.”
The celebration, hosted by the California State Lifeguard Association and open to anyone who purchases a ticket, includes a variety of activities and events, including a short film, live music and opportunities to surf, hike and swim. The highlight of the event will be a formal awards ceremony on Aug. 4 recognizing State Parks lifeguards for extraordinary acts of heroism, leadership and lifetime service.
Among those being honored are:
- MaryAnn Lughermo, a trailblazing lifeguard who over her 30-year career embodied the department’s highest standards of courage and commitment, shaped the next generation as a revered field training officer, and broke barriers by becoming the first woman to retire in the lifeguard classification as a California State Park peace officer.
- Ken Kramer, whose 47-year career with State Parks spans lifeguarding, law enforcement, public safety diving, and park leadership. From joining one of the first junior lifeguard cohorts at San Clemente State Beach to leading the Orange Coast District as superintendent, Kramer helped shape aquatic safety in State Parks. He is a pioneer in underwater park management and has logged nearly 2,000 dives, trained hundreds of public safety divers, served on the department’s Diving Safety Board and continues to serve part-time as its lead diving instructor.
- Emily Hagen, a 31-year veteran of State Parks. From saving children swept out by rip currents to reviving surfers in cardiac arrest, Hagen’s quick thinking has saved countless lives and earned her a place among the most respected lifeguards in the department’s history. In one unforgettable rescue, she raced into freezing, high-surf conditions at San Clemente State Beach to save a bodyboarder who was thrown violently from a wave. As the massive surf pounded them both, she dragged his limp body to the shore, where backup revived him with oxygen.
- Tim Harvey, whose 50 years of service make him one of the longest-serving lifeguards in State Parks’ history. Harvey earned a reputation as a fearless surfer, diver, and rescue expert and went on to win eight national lifeguard titles in events such as the Ironman, paddleboard and 1,000-meter swim. But his legacy goes beyond competition. He led the Junior Lifeguard Program at Leo Carrillo State Beach for 15 years, later founding programs at both the Sonoma and Mendocino Coasts and laying the foundation for lifeguard education in some of California’s most rugged waters.
State Parks’ lifeguard service has its roots in the early 20th century, when growing beach attendance led to widespread drownings. As the Division of Beaches and Parks (now California State Parks) began acquiring iconic coastal properties like Doheny, Huntington and Silver Strand, the need for a dedicated, in-house lifeguard team became clear.
That team has since evolved into a modern, highly trained rescue force, responsible for patrolling over 340 miles of coastline and over 970 miles of lake and river frontage within California’s State Park System. Each year, State Parks lifeguards respond to thousands of emergencies, often risking their own lives to save others from rip currents, powerful surf and extreme weather. Since 1950, California State Lifeguards have carried out more than 500,000 rescues.
For more information on the 75th anniversary celebration event, click here.
For more information on the history of the state lifeguard service, click here.
Top photo: California State Parks lifeguards in a formation off Bolsa Chica State Beach (SB). Bottom row (left to right): Lifeguards MaryAnn Lughermo on patrol at Huntington SB in 1989; Ken Kramer as a dive instructor at a public safety diver class in Orange County in 2023; Emily Hagen responding to an ocean rescue at Huntington SB in 2001; Tim Harvey as a rookie lifeguard (with back to camera) rescuing a swimmer at San Clemente SB in 1972. Photos from California State Parks.
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