For those who knew him, local Hermosa Beach lifeguard and surfer Tim Kelly epitomized the unique surfing culture and beach lifestyle synonymous with Southern California.

Kelly, who was born in 1941, grew up in Hermosa Beach on 30th Street and loved to surf the breakwater. Later in life, he worked with children via the county’s junior lifeguard program and the Hermosa Beach Parks and Recreation Department.

Life was good for Kelly who became a well-known lifeguard in his early 20s and married his girlfriend, Vicki (Bunkley, who has since remarried), in 1963. However, after only several months as a newlywed, Kelly died in a car accident in August of 1964. He was 23.

Following his untimely death, local artist William Maloney erected a memorial statue that most residents and visitors who have seen the city’s pier know as a landmark tourist spot and a meeting place in downtown.

Thanks to the assistance of City Councilman Peter Tucker, the Kelly memorial is now the focus of a fund-raising event that will pay for its new bronze face lift. At the time of its production, the 40-year-old statue was made out of fiberglass.

Due to budget constraints, the effort eventually fell into the hands of a private committee of community members who wish to restore the historical memorial with money out of their own pockets and through a fund-raiser slated for June 27 at Sangria restaurant in downtown Hermosa Beach.

According to Los Angeles County Lifeguard Capt. Mike Cunningham, who is based in Hermosa Beach, the response among community members to fund this effort for an individual he feels represents the dedication and courage of all Los Angeles County lifeguards has been tremendous.

“This statue is in a state of disrepair through basically 40 years of sun, wind and the elements. It’s falling apart,” said Cunningham. “Tim had a lot of leadership potential and he was on the (Hap) Jacobs Surf Team during its heyday in the 1960s.”

Kelly was the passenger in a car driven by 26-year-old Gary Stevers of Manhattan Beach that collided head-on with another car on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. Paramedics transported Kelly to Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach where he died. Kelly was on his way home from a surfing trip with three carloads of fellow lifeguards when the accident occurred. Kelly competed in many surfing contests and championships including one in Peru. He was expected to surf in a contest in Ventura County the week he died.

Last May, then-Planning Commissioner Tucker approached city officials about restoring the popular statue that was originally placed at the old lifeguard headquarters at First Street near the Redondo Beach breakwater. The statue was later moved to downtown Hermosa Beach following the construction of the new lifeguard headquarters in 1969 just southwest of the city’s pier.

“We are planning to dedicate the new statue as a memorial to all of the lifeguards who have gone through the ranks,” added Cunningham. “It will always be a statue of Tim Kelly but we are going to rededicate it to the professionalism and courage of all lifeguards who have worked the beaches of Los Angeles County. What we have found out is that this is the only lifeguard memorial on the West Coast so it’s something that we are proud of.”

Tucker expects that between 200 and 300 people will attend the event that the planners hope will generate between $8,000 and $9,000. Thus far, the committee has raised between $18,000 and $19,000, and needs about $27,000 for the project. Local artist Mike Cunningham (no relation to Capt. Cunningham) will bronze the memorial.

“I’m hoping for a really big crowd,” said Tucker. “It’s on a Sunday afternoon that goes into the evening so it gives people something to do at the end of a weekend. It should be a fun little event.”

Kelly’s former wife, Bunkley, expressed her gratitude to the statue renovation in which Kelly by extension represents the life of many young surfers around the South Bay.

“I feel very strongly that the statue is not just a memorial to Tim, but a symbol of all young men who love to surf, who spend their free time in a healthy, athletic environment,” she said. “Many people have donated their time, effort and money through these years to maintain the statue.”

Keeping with the surfing theme, the luau fund-raiser is an evening of dinner, dancing, live entertainment and a silent auction. The event is scheduled from 5 p.m. to midnight with tickets purchased before June 20 costing $20, and $25 at the door. Chefs at the restaurant will cook up 400 pounds of ahi tuna, which was donated for the event.

Some of the items that are expected to be auctioned off are framed and matted historic lifeguard photos, new surfboards, gift certificates from local retailers and restaurants, gift baskets, vacation rentals and local art. Organizers will also raffle off an 18-foot paddleboard at 9:30 p.m.

The Who Show, a cover band of music by The Who, and local talent Norton Wisdom will perform at the event, along with a group of Hawaiian and Tahitian hula dancers.

Tickets are available at the county lifeguard headquarters in Hermosa Beach. For more information, call 372-2166. Organizers of the event are still accepting donations for its auction from those residents or merchants who wish to contribute to the cause.