A Look Back
By Fred Miller
Anniversaries are a good time to look back, and that is what the Ocean City lifeguards will be doing during the summer of 2023. They will be celebrating their 125th anniversary.
One of the many unforgettable moments in the history of the Ocean City Beach Patrol is Jack Kelly Jr. winning the 1947 James E. Sullivan Award. The award has been presented annually since 1930 to the amateur athlete who did the most to advance the cause of good sportsmanship during the year.
Kelly, who earned his fame as a sculling champion, honed his rowing skills as a member of the OCBP during the 1940s while propelling his lifeboat through the ocean waves either on his way to rescue a drowning swimmer, or training for the lifeguard boat races.
In 1943 he won the Ocean City doubles rowing championship while teamed with Sims Drain. In 1944, Kelly and Joe Regan, won the South Jersey championship.
Kelly attained rowing’s equivalent of the “Triple Crown” in 1947 by sweeping the United States and Canadian championships in addition to England’s Henley Regatta.
