Harold "Iggy" Ige

[PPK]

These, are some of the comments from the SurferMag Forum. Harold was an old friend, shaped my boards when I rode for Dewey Weber. I Lived with Dewey, Iggy & Donald Takayama in Hermosa beach in the 60’s. 

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Im hearing sad news that longtime shaper Harold Iggy passed away yesterday. Harold was the main shaper for the late 60's Weber Performer model. Since then, he was a leading shaper of sailboards and SUP's.

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I don't have the vocabulary to speak high enough about Iggy. He was a few years ahead of me. There had already been Hawaiian surfers on the West Coast looking for better jobs, working as stevedore's, movie extras, college, and making California there new home. Growing up in Waikiki and surfing Queens, Canoes, #3's, Ala Moana and the spots in-between, you'd eventually run into guys that you'd see in the water and become friends or at least give a nod and a smile, a "how zit brah" and paddle out together. Arriving on the West Coast in 1960 and ending up in the Manhattan Beach, eventually getting a job at the Hibachi Restaurant, living under the Manhattan Beach Pier and eventually moving in with "Chubby Mitchill & Kimo Hollinger in Manhattan, I began surfing , meeting some of the more notorized California locals up and down the coast of California. I drifted around the new Jacobs shop up on PCH, Greg Noll's just down the way on PCH & Pier Avenue, Jack Pollards Glassing Shop, down on Lincoln Blvd, just before Washington Blvd, heading into Venice. I was trying to go to high school but wasn't doing a very good job of it. Surfing had consumed me and I was in the genesis of surfing, and would just go, with the flow. I eventually ran into Donald Takayama & Harold Iggy who were then shaping boards for Dewey Weber. Dewey had taken over Jack Pollards Glassing Shop on Lincoln Blvd and I had found a home. We all hung around together, surf'd with Dewey in his old woodie up and down the coast. Iggy was a bit more reserved, not the party guy, but would hang. Iggy's presents in the water always brought a, "who's that guy in the water" question at Malibu or Rincon, because those type of waves, just suited his Hawaiian style. I tried high school again, it just didn't suit me. I was living with Dewey, Donald & Iggy in Hermosa. Donald bought a 40 Ford, I got a few bucks from home and went out and bought a 40 Ford too. Iggy was just the quiet, more reserved person, not the party animals that Donald & I were. I met a couple of gals from Culver High School and they'd come party with us. I had an eye on one gal, beautiful, sweet wahine.  It seems, that she didn't have the same eye, and was looking at Harold and things seemed to move quietly and smoothly for the both of them. I went home for a bit, but her senior graduation was coming up and I sent her and her girlfriend two fat, carnation lei's for the prom. Her name was Sue, and later, Harold and Sue were married, stayed in California for some years and then moved back to Hawaii. Harold continued shaping and was sought out by the folks that knew of his skills. He eventually began making most of Robby's Naish's windsurfing boards for year and for other's as well. I haven't seen Iggy in 40 years, but the grapevine always has a way of at least keeping one in touch on your friends in places around the world. Harold, was a quiet individual, went about his business and took care of it. Married and raised a Family like most of us do. My love & aloha goes out to this special Hawaiian, who represented the surfing community very quietly yet, continued to always up the ante with his shaping capability's and his always open kindness, to his fellow man. Love and Aloha to His, Ohana. Aloha noooo, Iggy.. You will be sorely missed, by your peers!!!  PPK

 

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From Paul Strauch's, Facebook Page & a first hand account, from Randy Naish. Paul Strauch I just learned my close, childhood friend, Harold Iggy, just passed. FYI, here's my reply to another childhood pal and bruddah to Harold, Kenny Tilton, which I just sent...  Kenny, I'm so sad to learn about Harold Iggy's passing yesterday. I really can't believe it and I'm still reeling from shock. Here's the report I found on facebook posted by Randy Naish... Bad day! Harold Ige,,,,, shaper, friend, and mentor, died in my arms today,,,,,We were testing new 18ft sup prototypes,,,, everything was fine,,,,Harold took a good one,,,, rode it a couple hundred yards.I was about 50 yards behind,when I whatched him collapse into the water. I got there as fast as I could.He'd been under 1 min or maybe 2,,,,,, time gets funny when one is put in this position.A passing kayak instructor helped out,had a phone on him and called 911.Kai Santos (good old friend and waterman) saw the pilikia and swam out with fins and together we tried to resuscitate Harold, we were towed in by an instructor from Kailua sailboards and kayaks(. Thanks Leo!) and a C&C lifeguard.Response time from Honolulu C&C was super,,,,,, when we got to the beach, the ambulance was pulling in. When I saw Harold go under,,, I knew something was up,,,,very unlike Harold,,,,,,,when he didn't come up after a few seconds,,,,,,,,I knew something was bad,,,,,,,We fought hard all the way to the beach to bring him back.Called out to Harold,,,, God, and anyone else who may have been listening to help us.I've never felt so helpless!I did all I could,,,, WE, did all we couldI'm sorry ,,,,I'll never forget this day even if I want toThe surfing world lost an icon, a legend, and a friend to many, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and,,,, a mentor. Love you uncle Harold.Aloha--------Randy Naish

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Harold was Dewey Weber’s shaping machine in the late 1960s, right in the heyday of Weber Performers. Dewey was selling thousands of them each year, and he was putting boards out of his South Bay factory like a demon. I recall one surf shop in Houston selling 600 of Performers in one summer. For me, I was beginning to try and figure shaping out. I had worked on shaping a thousand second blanks for Foss Foam and had an idea of task sequence, but pattern sweeping, blending skills, and an overall sense of philosophy and method were still to come. I walked into Dewey’s shop and asked him for a shaping job to which he simply said,“Sure,” and put me on the fire to see if I could actually cook, the fire being a shaping stand next to Harold Iggy, his star. Iggy was sweet to me. He gave me a quick primer on what he did, what was special about Weber boards, shape signatures and so forth, and then turned back to mowing foam. He had his own style. Most shaper banded rails, matching the bands on both sides for angle and taper, then blended them into smooth matching curves. Not Iggy. He curved the decks down to about a two-inch square on the sides that represented the outline. Then he took ahold of the end of the board, lifted it from one end and began rounding one rail, front to back with a sureform, then went back to front on the other side. Did each complete rail separately. Sanded it out, screened the rails. Viola! Done. I’d never seen it done so fast and easy. No painstaking side to side methodology to have the rails match. When he was done, the board was right. I was in shock. I did it my way for two weeks then moved south. But all my life I’ve remembered Iggy’s shaping technique as a life lesson. “Bra! Don’t make problem where no is.” He was a true classic, and a good surfer too. –S.P. http://www.surfersjournal.com/journal_entry/remembrance-harold-iggy-ige “Bra! Don’t make problem where no is.**

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[/image]  Donald Takayama, Peter Pope Kahapea, Harold Iggy

 

 

Aloha Nooo, Iggy…Aloha Nooo, braddah!!