OB Hist. Society to Feature a Village Original
Volume 49, Issue 10
By David Crohn

Anna Pickard was desperate.

It was December, 1941, and several weeks had passed since she received a telegram from the U.S. Government saying her son, Wally, had been seriously injured and was in critical condition after an early morning attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii.

She had heard nothing since December 11 and, running out of options, she contacted a close friend, Katherine Marshall, whom she knew from years of vacationing in Ocean Beach.

Could Katherine’s husband, George, help?

He could: a telegram sent directly to the commanding general in Pearl Harbor was answered promptly. Wally, his body riddled with shrapnel and his right hand mangled, would make it.

Twenty-six operations and more than five decades later, the former Air Force pilot hasn’t missed a summer on Ocean Beach — this summer is his 86th. And in what could only be described as a mixed blessing after years of hindsight and with a defiantly cheerful disposition, Wally has his injuries to thank for his flawless record.

“I was here in the summer of ’41 and in December of ’41 I was severely wounded. Because of the war, because of my injuries, I was able to get here at least three or four weeks every summer.”

Pickard will be the subject of an exhibit at the Ocean Beach Historical Society (OBHS) gallery, tentatively titled “As It Was: The Wally Pickard Collection.”

Historical Society director Sarah Morgan explained Pickard’s rich contribution to the village: “He’s by far one of our most interesting residents. He’s seen a tremendous amount of change and has been active in a lot of it.”

His first job was delivering telegrams on his bike during the week (riding a bike in town on the weekends was illegal even then). In the early and mid 30s he can remember a time before electricity and before each home had its own phone.

And what kind of ferries did they use to get on and off the island? “Slow boats,” he said, “Slow boats.”

Over the years Wally has worn just about every hat a civic-minded citizen can in Ocean Beach. He has been a lifeguard, commissioner of police, fire chief, village trustee and deputy mayor. And, he has assiduously maintained a collection of Ocean Beach artifacts: pictures, memorabilia, furniture and more, dating back to his earliest years spent here. Hundreds of these treasures will be featured in the show, and hundreds more are being cataloged.

Look for the exhibition to kick off the 2006 season at the newly remodeled community house.