Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz facts for kids

Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz (born March 3, 1921 – died November 10, 2014) was an American surfer and physician. He decided to leave his job as a doctor to become a professional surfer. In 1972, he started a special surf camp with his family. People could live and surf with the Paskowitz family there. Because of their unique lifestyle, he and his family were often called the "First Family of Surfing."

Doc Paskowitz's Early Life

Dorian Paskowitz was born on March 3, 1921, in Galveston, Texas. His parents were from Russia. He went to Point Loma High School and later studied at San Diego State University and Stanford University. He graduated from Stanford Medical School in 1946.

In 1946, he visited Hawaii for the first time. There, he went surfing with the famous Hawaiian surfer, Duke Kahanamoku. After some time, Doc realized that being a doctor didn't make him happy. He spent a year in Israel and felt much better. When he returned to the United States, he decided to focus completely on surfing.

Living Life on the Waves

After marrying his third wife, Juliette, Doc Paskowitz and his family lived a special life. For about 25 years, they traveled around in different used camper vans. Doc and Juliette had nine children together. The whole family lived and traveled in these vans.

Doc Paskowitz had strong ideas about how to live. He believed that real-world experiences were more important than traditional school. He thought that true wisdom came from meeting people and learning from life itself. Even though he was a Stanford graduate, he believed formal education could be harmful to young minds.

Health was also very important to the Paskowitz family. Most mornings, they ate a healthy breakfast. Everyone was expected to improve their surfing skills every day. Several of Doc's children became very good surfers. They won contests and earned money from surfing. Some of his children, like Salvador Paskowitz, became a screenwriter, and Adam and Josh Paskowitz were in the band The Flys.

Surfing for Peace Project

In August 2007, Doc Paskowitz started a project called Surfing For Peace. His goal was to deliver surfboards to the small surfing community in Gaza. It was hard to get the surfboards into Gaza because of rules about what could enter.

Doc Paskowitz worked with his son David Paskowitz, Arthur Rashovan, and famous surfer Kelly Slater. They started the project after reading about the lack of surfboards in Gaza. Surfing For Peace worked with a group called OneVoice Movement. They successfully delivered the surfboards. This project showed how surfing could bring people together and help bridge differences.

A Focus on Health

Doc Paskowitz was known for his interest in health. He believed in natural diets that were low in fat and combined with lots of exercise. In 1997, he wrote a book called Surfing and Health. It shared his ideas about health and other parts of his life.

The Surfwise Documentary

A documentary film about the Paskowitz family, called Surfwise, came out in 2007. It was directed by Doug Pray. The movie showed how the family lived together for over two decades. It also showed some of the challenges of living so closely.

The film explained that some of the children left the family to find their own way. However, by the time the movie was made, all the children had reconnected with their parents. Doc Paskowitz attended many screenings of the film but never actually watched it himself.

Achievements and Later Years

In 2000, Doc Paskowitz was honored for his achievements. He was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Dorian Paskowitz passed away on November 10, 2014, in Newport Beach, California. He was 93 years old.