Surf City’s own human torch

A LOOK BACK

In the last column, we looked at the life of a very remarkable

lady, Mary Reed, and how she came to Huntington Beach to shape its

history.

Mary and her husband, Jake, had six children. One of these six was

Minnie Reed. This young lady married William R. Higgins, a painting

contractor from Los Angeles. Before he met Minnie, William spent most

of his early days in the Los Angeles and Compton areas.

In 1904, William came to Huntington Beach and, within the year,

courted and married Minnie. The young newlyweds moved to Los Angeles

to live, and it was there that our look back subject was born.

It was on Aug. 27, 1907, that their first son Delbert G. “Bud”

Higgins first saw daylight. For nearly two years, the family lived in

Los Angeles before returning in 1909 to Huntington Beach, where they

spent the rest of their lives.

The family lived in a small house on the corner of 3rd Street and

Olive Avenue, and William continued as a painting contractor to

support his family.

Bud started school at the old elementary school at 5th Street and

Orange Avenue. When the grammar school was moved to its present

location at 14th Street and Palm Avenue in 1915, Bud and his class

moved right in. That school, called Dwyer today, is a middle school,

something that was not around in Bud’s day.

He and his class went on to attend high school here from 1921 to

1925. While in high school and afterward, Bud worked part time in the

summer as a lifeguard at our beach -- from 1924 to 1932.

Between his lifeguard duties, Bud and his good friend Gene Belshe

went down to Corona del Mar to watch that pioneer surfer Duke

Kahanamoku and several of the Duke’s Hawaiian friends introduce

surfing to our coast. After Bud and Gene returned home, they built

Huntington Beach’s first two surfboards, which were made of redwood

and weighed 135 pounds each.

In school, Bud excelled in swimming, basketball, football and

track. He was a member of the last graduating class in the old high

school building. After he graduated, Bud worked full time for the

Southern California Edison Co. as a lineman and a groundman until he

left the company on March 1, 1932. During the winter months, Bud

worked with the O.C. Field Gasoline Co. and the Wilshire Oil Co.,

driving their fire truck.

June of 1933 saw two big events in Bud’s life. He married Eula

Hull from Santa Ana, and they made their home at 2nd Street and

Walnut Avenue. Also that year, Bud was made the city’s first

full-time lifeguard chief.

In 1935, their daughter Darlene was born.

Since 1933, Bud was a member of our Huntington Beach Volunteer

Fire Department. During many of our July Fourth celebrations, he

combined the skills of lifeguard and fireman.

During the evening celebration, Bud would douse with alcohol a

flannel outfit he had made and, after lighting it, would dive off our

pier as a human “flaming torch.”

When one bad storm struck here, Bud, fellow lifeguard Pete Di

Fabio and Bert Harding worked several hours in the storm trying to

pull three people to safety from the huge waves that were hitting our

shore.

While he was lifeguard chief, Bud created many of the lifesaving

techniques that we take for granted today.

One of Bud’s duties in the winter months was to speak to children

in schools throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, using movies

of Huntington Beach to illustrate water safety.

In 1950, Bud transferred to our fire department as fire chief. He

worked many long hours keeping the department in prime condition, as

well as inventing several techniques at putting out oil well fires.

Bud, Eula and Darlene lived in Bud’s folks’ home at 505 Lake St. for

many years.

Bud was a past Noble Grand of the Odd Fellows lodge and a member

of our Lion’s Club. Bud was a member of the Windsor Club, which many

of our more prominent oilmen belonged to in those days.

During World War II, Bud served as chief air raid warden for

Huntington Beach. He also helped the Red Cross and chaired the First

Aid Division of the Civil Defense Corps.

Bud was an early supporter of our Huntington Beach Historical

Society and championed the restoration of the city’s historic Newland

House in the early 1970s.

I still have vivid recollections of seeing Bud and his younger

brother Gordie walking together up Main Street -- two old duffers who

in their younger days watched and participated in the golden era of

Huntington Beach’s past.

Bud passed away in the early 1980s, just before redevelopment

ripped down the buildings he loved so much.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington

Beach resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at

P.O. Box 7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.