STAN BOCKO age 74 from Rye, New Hampshire
Let me start this latest LOCAL LEGENDS series off by saying right up front that, Stan Bocko is one of the nicest human beings I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. And I’ve known Stan for most of his 74 years on the planet. In fact, we’re closing in on 50 years of our friendship. That’s a longtime to know someone. But for those of you who don’t know Stan, let me give you some background on Stan.
Stan has been married to Mindy (Fuller) Bocko since 1973. Next year will be their 50th Wedding anniversary. They have two adult children Joel, born in 1983 and Amber born in 1987. Amber is married to James Bebeau (a 13 yr ARMY vet who served in the GWOT) and they have a son Sawyer. Suffice it to say, that both Stan and Mindy love their children and son-in-law James, and they absolutely adore their grandson. *There are two future LOCAL LEGENDS in this Wedding photo. Pat Hogan and Dickie Byrne.
And like most surf families. They all surf. Little Sawyer is still a toddler, so he’s not actually gone surfing just yet, but my guess is, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a member of our tribe. I mean lets face it, if you’re born into this lifestyle, chances are you’re going to at the very least, spend a great deal of time around the ocean and the beaches. But that’s in the future. This month’s LOCAL LEGEND story is mostly about the past and the present, with a hint of the future. So let’s get started here.
Like most surfers in the 60’s, Stan saw surfing for the first time on TV. To be more exact, it was a Disney show. Some Disney Character went surfing on his Black and white TV, and caught Stan’s attention. He thought it looked cool and wanted to try it. This would have been in the early 60’s. But it would be a few years, before he and his friends actually tried it on their own.
The year was 1966 when Stanley finally tried surfing for the first time. And unlike most NH surfers, Stan’s first attempt was at Salisbury Beach. He and his childhood friend Johnny Anotelli tried surfing for the first time in the shorebreak at Salisbury Beach. And like all beginner surfers, they were basically Kooks. Or, as they were called back then, “Gremmies”. But they both basically mean the same. In other words, they didn’t know very much about surfing. They didn’t know how to surf, or where the best waves were, or about the surfboard itself. Stan even confessed to me, that when he and his buddy Johnny first started surfing, they were unsure of where to apply the surfboard wax. Thinking it was much like skiing, they thought, “the surf wax should go on the bottom of the board. After all, skiers put wax on the bottom of their skis to go faster. Well, that obviously didn’t work out too well. Thankfully, that was short lived.
That first attempt at surfing was disastrous. They never caught any waves (slipping off the board with no wax didn’t help.) Stan went to Florida shortly after thinking he could learn to surf down in the warmer climates. Nope. That didn’t work out either. Keep in mind, surfing back in those days was hard. There were no videos or movies to watch. You had to basically watch the kids who had been doing it longer than you and your friends. Or try and figure it out by looking at the surf magazines. And let’s face it, that’s not easy to do.
When Stan came back home, he and his late brother John with Robbie Wilson met some kids on the beach in Salisbury and they suggested they try surfing at Seabrook beach. And it was there that Stan caught his first wave, and actually paralleled along on a wave, and felt that all to familiar sensation that so many of us have felt for the first time, and well, after that day, there was no turning back. Stan was all in as was his brother John. In 1967 Stan bought his first real surfboard, a Greg Noll longboard. Now having a real board, (and knowing where to apply the wax) he started to branch out in the local surf community. He met Dickie Byrne, Pat Hogan, Paul Hamblet, Eddie Cannare, Steve Clark, Michael Van Doren, Steve “Surfer Crow” Watson, and a handful of others here in New Hampshire and Southern Maine. Stan was off and running in the Rye surf scene.
Stan also became a member of the semi secret Drakes Island Surf Club.
Those days were magical for anyone who was into surfing. Surfing the beaches and point breaks in those early days were just magical. And yet, something even more magical than surfing happened to Stan. He met the girl of his dreams. The beautiful blonde, “Surfer Girl” Mindy Fuller. Talk about a storybook romance. Looking at the photos of Stan and Mindy back in those days, they were both straight out of a Hollywood movie set. They were such an attractive looking couple. They both loved the ocean and surfing. And, as if that wasn’t magical enough, Mindy also loved taking photos. Especially of surfing, and her man Stan. 90% of the photos you see here of Stan were taken by Mindy. *I can certainly relate to them. Back when I was dating Cory she too took so many photos of me and my friends surfing. But that’s for another story.
But as far as Stan and Mindy? Love is very real with the two of them. And in this day and age it’s so inspiring to see such a long lasting loving relationship. I love them both.
Stan’s surfing lifestyle had taken him and Mindy to some of the coolest surf destinations. From the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick in 1968, to the tropical Caribbean Islands of Puerto Rico just a few months after the infamous World Contest in 1968, that was held at Maria's in Rincon, to Barbados and beyond. Stan has surfed extensively in California, Mexico, and the Mecca of surfing, Kauai Hawaii. It was on the island of Kauai where he had one of the worse surfing nightmares of his life, clinging to the side of a cliff while Lenny Nichols and Kevin Grondin had to assist him back to safety. But his worse wipeout was back here at Linky’s where he had a two wave hold down during a big winter swell.
When I asked him where, what, and when was the biggest surf he’d ever surfed, without hesitation, he said Ruggles in Newport RI the summer of 1995. That swell was well documented and indeed there were some 20’ plus sets that rolled into Ruggles that week. I was there for some of it, and to quote Kevin “Doc” Grondin he was calling some of those set waves 25’.
So yeah it was legit.
I had the pleasure of surfing with Stan at the wonderful Hollister Ranch in California one year. Along with ex Southern Mainer, Ron Freeman, Charlie Daley, Brad Henderson, and another local legend, Paul Hamblet. That was such a dream trip for all of us. We had so much fun on that trip.
Photo by Jeff Chamberlain. So was Stan a great surfer? Not really. Few people I know are great surfers. But he was more than capable of holding his own back in the day. And I have seen him drop into his fair share of bombs out there. But one thing is for sure, he was, and still is today, stoked on surfing. In other words, Stan is the REAL DEAL.
One of the interesting things about Stan that most of you might not know is, he’s an actor and a model. It's true. He's the real deal actor/model. He caught the acting bug at an early age. Like surfing, he became obsessed with it. He finally pursued his acting dream by taking acting classes in 1981. He was motivated to learn and study more and as a result of that passion, he became a professional actor. He has appeared in hundreds of print ads and in both magazines and newspapers as well as product merchandise re: Cornflakes box, Dunkin Donuts, and he has appeared in dozens of movies. Which movies? Well for starters he had roles in MERMAIDS and AMISTAD and had a longstanding character role in SPENCER FOR HIRE.
But my favorite role that he played, that was unlike anyone prior, or after, is his incredible adaptation of PIRATE JONAS, at the annual SURF FAMILY ROBINSON Beach party that I ran for 25 years.
Every labor day weekend on the Seacoast Stan would come dressed as a Pirate and basically scare the daylights out of small children who ran in terror when he went through his acting routine with me on the beach. He may have scared a handful of those kids, but to all the other kids and ALL the adults present, he had created a lifetime of memories with his hilarious, but realistic portrayal as PIRATE JONAS.
Let me be perfectly clear here.
Johnny Depp has nothing on Stan Bocko
and his role, as that nastiest, the stinkiest, most despicable pirate who ever sailed the seven Seas, STINKY PIRATE JONAS.
My friends, there is only one Stan Bocko. So, if you see Stan out in the lineup during one of these swells, let him have a wave. He’s certainly earned it. LONG LIVE Pirate Jonas, and SURF FAMILY ROBINSON! And May Stan Bocko and his family live a long, healthy, and happy life.
Please check out the gallery of photos of Stan Bocko surfing, family, and other pics down in the photo section.
"SURFING, FAMILY, and ACTING HEALS ALL WOUNDS."
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This is a pic of me from October of 2008. It was just me and Tony Berardini out that day. It was one of the best sessions I have ever had there. And of course, Ed was there to capture the moment.
Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click the photo above to see a larger version of Ed's Pic.
NOW FOR SOME LOCAL AND NATIONAL NEWS
The Art Of Surfing Exhibit ends this coming Thursday June 30th, 2022. I'll be taking down all my photos, paintings, and graphic design images this Thursday.
Thank you to all who went to the LANE MEMORIAL LIBRARY on 2 Academy Ave in Hampton, NH to See my exhibit. I appreciate you taking the time to see it. CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION .
One Of The BEST Events of the Summer starts this coming Thursday June 30th, 2022! The FIRST SURFING WITH SMILES.
Thanks to the Timmy Sheridan GoFund Me Fundraiser they were able to DONATE $12,000 to SURFING WITH SMILES!
Please Donate to this Timmy Sheridan GO FUND ME page.
THE GO FUND ME PAGE in Memory Of TIM SHERIDAN
*Please click on the image above to read more and to make a donation to this GoFund Me page in memory of Timmy Sheridan. This GO FUND ME page ends June 30th, 2022.
Here's something that's completely stress free. The annual JIMMY DUNN HBCF. Woo hoo! Click on the ad to purchase tickets. Trust me, these tickets will be going fast.
The 14th Annual HIT THE BEACH EVENT is on schedule this year for Friday August 26th, 2022. So mark your calendars.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE A LARGER VERSION.
Dan Lanio Memorial Scholarship Fund
CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR MORE INFO
IN LOVING MEMORY OF EVAN AUSTIN
DIPG THE CURE STARTS NOW
It is with heavy hearts that the people at THE CURE STATS NOW announced the passing of DIPG warrior Evan Austin aged 8.
Evan was a loving friend, an amazing brother and adored by his family. He loved Star Wars, baseball, and superheroes.
He was known to spread joy to everyone around him and will be missed by many. This news really hurts the Hampton Community. On a personal note; my heart goes out to the family of Super Evan Austin. I truly hope and pray, that they find a cure for this disease. This is the second child and family, that I was aware of locally that this disease has affected a whole community.
DIPG has once again taken the life, of another beautiful child.
There needs to be a cure. And it needs to come quick.
Please help us send thoughts and prayers to the his family and our Southern New Hampshire Chapter.
To learn more about Evan and his journey visit https://thecurestartsnow.org/sup.../view-heroes/evan-austin/
KSM Photoshop of the Week
This is a rare photo of Khaliddy when he was a baby terrorist. Rumor has it that KSM's mother wanted to get an abortion when she found out she was pregnant by the neighborhood goat herder/rapist/criminal, but the Taliban and Al Qeada forbid her to do so. Going so far as to threaten her with death, and or imprisonment. If there ever was a case for Pro Choice this certainly fits the bill. I mean, she does not look happy here.
And so my friends, please take advantage of this weekly photo shop of the mastermind who planned 9-11 and resulted in the deaths of 3,000 innocent civilians by KSM (Khalid Sheik Mohammed).
*Note to self -must pick up a case of Home Pregnancy kits at
Home Depot This Week.
REST IN PEACE Dick Brewer Hawaiian Shaper
GREAT NEWS local surfer Mike Keefe actually got to surf this week. He told me he was out in the water for 3 hours! He's still going to need our thoughts and prayers in the next few months
when he starts treatments. So hang in there Mike!
More GREAT NEWS local Surfer/Musician Pete Kowalski also got to surf last week. And again, Pete is not out of the woods just yet, but these are all encouraging signs. What's my mantra boys? SURFING HEALS ALL WOUNDS!
And Please Keep local surfer Bill M. In your thoughts and prayers.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mike Stanek June 27th, 2022!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Cory Fatello June 30th, 2022!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dave "CROP" Cropper June 30th, 2022!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kyle Linseman June 30th, 2022!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mike
Sidebottom June 30th, 2022!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mike Tyson June 30th, 2022!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kevin "DOC" Grondin June 23rd, 2022
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA July 4th, 2022!
PLEASE keep Kim Grondin in your thoughts and prayers this week. She's doing fine, but she could use a few extra prayers.
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Ralph
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