Boogie Board Inventor Tom Morey Dead At 86

Carlsbad CA

15 October, 2021

4:56 PM

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SAN CLEMENTE, CA — Longtime San Clemente resident Tom Morey, inventor of the Boogie Board - which was produced for a time in Carlsbad - died Thursday at the age of 86. Morey had been in ill health and his death was confirmed by the Surfing Heritage & Culture Center (SHACC) in San Clemente. The SHACC paid tribute to Morey in a statement. "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we bid a fond farewell to Tom Morey. Gracefully kicking out at 86 years old, Morey's influence, impact and creativity has touched just about every surfer around the world," the SHACC said in a statement. "We've lost a true legend of the sport and culture of surfing. And while Tom Morey may have exited our physical world, his contributions to the high art of wave riding will continue to reverberate across the wave-riding universe for generations to come. Ride easy, Tom." Invented in 1971, the Boogie Board is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Morey was present for an anniversary celebration of his invention at St. Michael's by-the-Sea Church in Carlsbad Village this past July. A spokesperson for the SHACC also confirmed that a monument to the Boogie Board is set to be unveiled on the Big Island in Hawaii next week, near the spot where it was invented. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Morey was a well-known surfer, surf shop owner and surfing contest promoter in Southern California in the 1950s and 60s. He also had a mathematics degree from USC and worked for a time at Douglas Aircrafts. In July 1971, Morey cut a nine-foot piece of closed-cell polyethylene packing foam in half. He then drew the curves and the next day shaped the bodyboard with a square tail, slightly rounded nose and a sharp trailing edge, according to Surfer Today. A new board was born. Originally called the SNAKE, Morey, who was a jazz drummer, changed the name to Boogie Board, after his love for jazz tempos. Morey eventually moved his family from Hawaii to Carlsbad, and set up a factory that produced Boogie Boards. According to the San Jose Mercury News, while surfboards take balance and athleticism, the Boogie Board is something anybody can ride with ease. Morey sold the Boogie Board and the trademark in 1977, and today it is owned by toy manufacturer Wham O. Morey didn't become rich off the invention, and he lived modestly for years in San Clemente before moving to Laguna Woods late in life. Speaking to the Mercury News, surf historian Jim Kempton, the president of the California Surfing Museum, called Morey "the Ben Franklin of surfing." "He probably brought more people to ride waves than any other single person in the history of surfing. That's a huge accomplishment," Kempton said. "He was a pioneer in so many areas." Morey is survived by wife Marchia, daughter Melinda, sons Sol, Moon, Sky and Matteson, and grandchildren Max, Nick and Dane.