SEA ISLE CITY – Each summer, the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol (SICBP) Alumni Association inducts new members into their Hall of Fall, which was first organized in 2001 to honor exemplary lifeguards from yesteryear. Since 2001, 26 former guards have been welcomed as Hall of Fame members – including the group’s first two female inductees in 2011. On Aug. 11, during the association’s annual Induction Ceremony at the Lobster Loft Restaurant in Sea Isle City, three 2012 inductees were honored: Tom Fitzpatrick, Dr. Edward Kozakowski and Tim McNamara.
Fitzpatrick, a resident of New York City, was a SICBP lifeguard for four years. A 1982 graduate of LaSalle College High School, he won nearly every imaginable award a regional runner can hope to earn, including being “All Catholic” during each year of high school. He won the City’s running title in 1980 and 1981, and he also placed first in the Pennsylvania All-State Cross Country Competition, the Catholic League Outdoor Mile, the Cape May County 2-Mile Run, the Margate Memorial 2-Mile Run and the SICBP’s Island Run. He currently works in the apparel industry.
Ocean City resident Kozakowski was an SICBP “Mascot” swim champion at age 12, who later served as an SICBP lieutenant for three years. He was a four-time Sea Isle City Doubles Rowing Champion and, in 1967, he was a member of the University of Pennsylvania’s “Lightweight Eight” national championship crew team during his freshman year of college. Now a retired medical physician, Kozakowski’s career with the SICBP spanned from 1964 to 1974, during which time he was a member of the SICBP’s Surf Bash Relay A-Team.
McNamara, a teacher at the West Winesor / Plainsboro NJ School District, is a Jenkintown resident who has summered in Sea Isle City each year of his life. A 1985 LaSalle College High School graduate, he had a 12-year career with the SICBP between 1982 and 2001, taking time off along the way to earn his master’s degree and serve in the U.S. Navy. While a lifeguard, he won the Sea Isle City Doubles Title four times with four different partners on the bow – the only oarsman to do so in history. An accomplished runner who won the SICBP’s Island Run Team title in 1988, McNamara became an SICBP lieutenant in 1989. He is currently the alumni association’s secretary, and he owns and operates the “Bubba Dogs” hot dog stand on Sea Isle’s 59th Street during the summer months.
To learn more about the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol Alumni Association, email sicbpalumni@gmail.com.
