A Look Back
By Fred Miller
Eighty-eight years ago, the 1936 Democratic National Convention was held in Philadelphia. The chairman of the huge event was John B. Kelly, a longtime supporter of the Ocean City Beach Patrol. Kelly used the national stage as a place to show off the OCBP’s lifesaving skills. Captain Jack G. Jernee accepted the invitation from Kelly to be in charge of a special half-mile race for United States lifeguards. The race took place on Sunday, June 28, 1936, on the Schuylkill River.
The results of the race were covered by newspapers all across the country. The June 29, 1936, Ocean City Daily Sentinel-Ledger reported the news under the front-page headline: “Ocean City Sweeps All Four Places in Schuylkill River National Half-Mile Contest; Resort Life Guards Thrill 25,000 With Exhibition of Rescues–Parlette and Dougherty Nose Out Carey and Drozdov.”
The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin reported the lifeguard event under the headline: “Colorful Boat Races Feature Schuylkill Navy on Parade: Ocean City Life Guards Star.” The article began, “Ocean City’s bronzed life guards, in charge of Captain Jack G. Jernee, put on a magnificent show, not only winning the life guard boat championship race but also in demonstrating life saving methods, with boats, can buoys and surf boards. In a field of eight crews, the Ocean City pair of Lew Parlettte and Jim Dougherty carried off the honors, three other lifeboats from the same resort finishing ahead of those manned by Wildwood and Cape May huskies.”
