Ocean City: 1954 through 1987

Editor’s note: Fred Miller is a local historian, trustee of the Ocean City Historical Museum, trustee of the Ocean City Lifesaving Museum, and a member of the Ocean City Historic Preservation Commission.  Photos courtesy of Fred Miller and the Ocean City Historical Museum.

1954
Grace Kelly returned to Ocean City the first week of September to visit her parents and to be a judge at the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City.

1955
The landmark Playland Amusement Center, located at 6th Street and the Boardwalk, was leveled by a fire on Feb. 9.

1956
April 19, Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco. The famous couple caused much excitement when they came to Ocean City on September 14.

1957
June 23, nearly 2,000 people crowded into the newly built Ocean City Tabernacle for its formal dedication by Bishop Fred Pierce Corson, resident bishop of the Philadelphia area of the Methodist Church.

1958
The August 22 Ocean City Sentinel-Ledger reported, “The most disastrous boating accident in Ocean City waters for a quarter century on Tuesday claimed the lives of three men and hospitalized seven others, including two youths, when a 26-foot pleasure boat broached on a mountainous wave in Great Egg Harbor Inlet and crashed decks down into a churning sea.”

1959
Mayor Edward B. Bowker and Commissioners Harvey W. Adams and Laurence P. Lunny all lost in their bid for reelection on May 14. The winners were Nathaniel C. Smith, D. Allen Stretch and B. Thomas Waldman. The new mayor was Nathaniel C. Smith.

1960
The U. S. Census Bureau reported Ocean City had a population of 7,618 which made it the largest municipality in Cape May County.

1961
The National Bank of Ocean City and the Merchants National Bank of Cape May City consolidated to form the Cape May County National Bank.

1962
The most disastrous storm in Ocean City’s history struck on March 6 and lasted for two days. There was serve damage, but no lives were lost.

1963
On Saturday, August 31, a total of 270 painters took part in the city’s first full-scale outdoor art exhibit. More than 3,000 works were displayed between 5th and 12th streets. The show was organized by James Penland and Dr. Marica V. Smith.

1964
On March 21, the OCHS basketball team won the Group II State Championship defeating North Arlington 76-51. The coach was Fred “Dixie” Howell, and the star players were: John Cranston, Randy Fox, Rick Howell, Ed McClain, Bill Haynes, John Laudenslager, Barry Banks, Craig French, Tom Wimberg, Butch Gleason, Dave Mazzoni, Don Swan, John Steumpfig, Ronnie Fox and Ken Holland.

1965
Wonderland, a new modern amusement center, opened on the Boardwalk at 6th Street. The center, owned by Roy Gillian, advertised: “10 NEW RIDES ALL UNDER ONE ROOF; AMUSEMENTS WITH THE FAMILY IN MIND.”

1966
An Information Center opened on July 30 on the causeway between Ocean City and Somers Point. Three weeks later, Mrs. Edna Brown, executive secretary of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce reported: “A total of 6,300 incoming motorists stopped at the Center for information from July 30 to August 23. This is an average of more than 260 visitors a day seeking information at the Center.”

1967
It was the wettest summer anyone could remember. There were no fully clear weekends from June 17 to September 4. August was a real washout—the U. S. Weather Bureau at Pomona had to go back to August 1882 to find a month that was as wet.

1968
As the year began, 485,000 American soldiers were fighting in Vietnam. By the end of the year, 30,000 Americans had been killed in Vietnam including five from Ocean City: Robert A. Woodrow, Jon Richard Morvay, John C. Martin, Willie Earl Granger and Bruce Michael Miley.

1969
Dr. Charles B. Pierce, superintendent of Ocean City Public Schools since 1950, retired on June 30. He was instrumental in the building projects, which gave Ocean City two new elementary school buildings and two additions to the high school. Michael M. Subotich was the new superintendent.

1970
The Breakers Hotel, Boardwalk at Delancey Place, was torn down during the first week of November. It was the only hotel on the Boardwalk when it opened in 1912.

1971
The lifeguards and their friends had much to celebrate August 27 at the 52nd annual Lifeguard Ball on the Music Pier. The summer of ’71 marked the 11th year in a row the OCBP won both the ocean and pool South Jersey championships. The following were members of the competition team: Hans and Karsten Giescke, Kevin Daly, Bill Dorney, Bruce Wigo, Paul Sweeney, Dennis Carey, Bill Lafferty, John Hellebush, Steve Scibal and Paul McDonald.

1972
The lifeguards were in an excellent position to watch the building of the city’s first high-rise condominium, the Garden Plaza at 3rd Street and the Boardwalk.
1973
On January 27, a cease-fire agreement was signed that ended the American combat role in Vietnam. The following local men lost their lives in Vietnam: William R. Godfrey, Willie Earl Granger, John C. Martin, Bruce Michael Miley, Jon Richard Morvay, Charles Wesley Sterling and Robert A. Woodrow.

1974
As the year began, America and Ocean City were dealing with the shortage of gasoline. Long lines were the norm at gas stations and Americans were forced to conserve resources. Mark Soifer, Ocean City’s public relations director, encouraged vacationers to come to Ocean City with the following press release: “Almost 25% of the families living in the United States can reach Ocean City on a tank full of gasoline or less. Should gasoline be expensive or scarce this season, this may be a major factor to consider when planning your vacation.”

1975
On April 29, John Warrington, a resident of Ocean City and one of the nation’s leading musical arrangers and conductors, was named new conductor of the City’s Municipal Orchestra. He succeeded Clarence Fuhrman.

1976
For the first time, beach users were required to wear a beach tag. The cost of a seasonal tag was $3 if purchased before the end of May; $5 after May 31. The weekly rate, Saturday to Saturday, was $1.50. The City anticipated $440,000 from the sale of the beach tags. At the end of the summer, beach fee supervisor Clifford Phifer reported $761,240 had been collected.

1977
Voters, after months of discussion on the Sunday closing ordinance, went to the polls on November 8 to vote to either retain the Sunday ordinance or replace it with a more liberal law. In heavy voting—more than 63% of 8,902 registered voters turned out—the proposal to relax the blue law failed to meet approval by a margin of 2,747 to 2,068.

1978
On March 1, 1977, Ocean City citizens voted to change their form of government. Since 1911, the city operated under the city commission form of government. Under this system three commissioners govern the city, sharing its administrative duties, and one of them is chosen to be mayor. As 1978 began Mayor B. Thomas Waldman and Commissioners Luther L. Wallace and Chester J. Wimberg were in control, but the new mayor-council form of government would take over on July 1. The winners of the election held on May 9 were: mayor—Chester J. Wimberg; council-at-large—Henry S. Knight, Herbert J. Brownlee and Nicholas Trofa Jr.; ward council—first ward William H. Woods, second ward Jeanne M. Clunn, third ward William “Bill” Meis, and the fourth ward Jack Jones.

1979
On Sunday, June 24, Howard S. Stainton, Ocean City’s best known merchant and philanthropist, died at the age of 93.

1980
A runaway 150-foot long barge caused an estimated $100,000 damage to the Ocean City Fishing Club’s 14th Street pier during the early morning hours of August 12.

1981
The lifeguards’ efforts to save the old Peck’s Beach Life Saving Station, known as Jernee Manor, failed and the building was demolished.

1982
The death of Princess Grace was reported in the September 17 issue of the Sentinel-Ledger under this front-page headline, “City mourns death of friend.” The article, written by Margie Bowen, began “As the entire world is mourning the death of a princess, people here in this ocean community where many fondly remember Grace Kelly as a skinny kid playing on the beach are grieving over the loss of a friend.” Princess Grace died on September 14 at the age of 52.

1983
The new firehouse on the corner of 6th Street and Asbury Avenue was dedicated on June 25.

1984
The old firehouse at 612 Asbury Avenue was sold at auction. It was built in 1902 for the Reliance Fire Company #2.

1985
“Sunday sales are allowed here for now” was the headline across the front page of the June 14 issue of the Sentinel-Ledger.
Ocean City’s century-old blue law was being challenged in court and Superior Court Judge Philip Gruccio declared the city could not enforce its blue law ordinance until he heard the case.

1986
In the May 13 municipal election, Roy Gillian unseated incumbent Mayor Jack Bittner by a 2-1 margin. Councilwoman Jeanne Clunn was returned to the governing body along with former Councilman Nickolas “Chick” Trofa and political newcomer Gary Jessel.

1987
Seaside Baths, one of the Boardwalk’s oldest businesses did not open for the summer season. The 9th Street bathhouse was the first stop for day-trippers since 1917. The demolition of the two-story building in October marked the end of the big bathhouses.