Char Harris; Goleta Surfer

This article was originally posted on Goleta Surfing

Char Harris has been an integral part of the local surf culture for quite a while. Personally, she has helped me out with surf profiles and history stories in the past, providing photos and valuable information. So now, we are honored to share her story.

Char was born Charlene Lockerbie, and she spent her youngest days as a farm girl in Lancaster, California. Her father grew alfalfa and had 100 head of cattle, along with hogs and chickens. Her and her sister Chris were like two peas in a pod, in a hog pen.

As this photo shows, they were just a nice little Swiss family, here enjoying a visit to the Santa Barbara breakwater. Char can be seen wiggling out of her dad’s arms next to her sister Chris.

Char’s grandparents moved to Santa Barbara in the 1950s and all six of her aunts followed, so Char and her sister spent a lot of time in this area before they moved here. Here the sisters are again in their matching outfits, checking out the Botanic Garden.

The Lockerbie sisters loved visiting their Grandma in Santa Barbara, so they were thrilled when their dad decided it was time to sell the farm. The young family moved to Goleta in 1961, and her dad worked as a bricklayer while he took night classes and then he eventually got a job at Delco Electronics. Here they are matching again at Fiesta.

Of all the activities in Santa Barbara, Char’s favorite was the beach. Their grandma would take them to the Pit to play in the sun and the sand. She had seen the surfers out the car window as they passed through Ventura and she knew at an early age that was the place to be. She also knew that drop knee stance was going to come in handy later in life…

Classic old school Goleta. Char with sister Chris and her mom take a moment to pose, in their matching outfits, on Easter morning, 1961. Like so many young families, the Lockerbies moved into a brand new tract house in the heart of Goleta.

Char dropped right into the good life in the good land. She attended Fairview School in 4th and 5th grade and then transferred to a brand new Kellogg School when it opened. She loved living in the midst of the rural farmlands and lemon orchards of the Goleta Valley, but this innocent little farm girl was about to be injected with a big dose of California cool.

Char’s next door neighbor was a guy named Mark Livingston. Mark was an accomplished surfer, and his passion for the sport would ignite the dormant stoke in Char’s soul. Loving the beach and the ocean since early childhood, Char spent her days at the local beaches. When she was very young, she would retrieve the surfers’ boards and give them back to them, until 1965….

Char was camping with her family at Refugio State Beach when she borrowed her cousin’s Doug Roth surfboard, a local Goleta shaper, and caught a few of the easy peelers in the cove. After that, she was hooked, and she had to get a board of her own. Char became one of the first female surfers in the Santa Barbara/Goleta area.

She got a pop out, which is a cheap, mass produced board, but it was enough to get her out there. Char immediately started paddling out at College Point, that’s what they called Campus, and she quickly taught herself to surf. She was the only female in the lineup, but she was not intimidated, and the guys were pretty cool to her, even giving her some pointers. Char says some of her female friends tried surfing with her, but none of them stuck with it.

After that there was no turning back, Char was certified beach bum, spending all her spare time on the beach or in the surf. Here are some of her girlfriends, L to R- Sharon Carson, Debbie Breedon, Janis Williams and her sister Chris, soaking up the rays at the El Capitan beach break.

With a happening scene like this, who wouldn’t want to spend every day at the beach? Sometimes a whole gang of kids would come up from Devereaux School with their counselors for summer surf field trips. Howard Haley is the kiddo up front in the middle. Howard never surfed, he was just a happy kid and he liked hanging around with the teenagers on the beach. Also looks like Donna Varbel, sister Chris, Hud Cobb, Valerie Vaughn, Steve Kramer and Char among others. Notice the old bathrooms in the background that have since been demolished.

Possibly the same day with Donna Varbell, Valerie Vaughan, Chris Lockerbie, Steve Kramer, “Babs” and Howard enjoying a typical summer  day with friends at the beach in 1969. Donna remembers, “Sandy beaches, warm sunny days, the sound of waves breaking. You’ll find surfers and bodies tanning. Char Lockerbie Harris was a great surfer and fun to hang out with. Miss those days a lot!”

Char looking content with her Talley Flash, a local shape by the Talley brothers, this one was shaped by Jim Talley. Longtime friend Casey Hart writes, ” I grew up with Char most of my life. She was and is a great person and a fantastic surfer. I really think she is a great role model for all women surfers. I used to see her running amongst the palm trees at palm park for a long time.  She was always a fixture at El Cap, hanging with all of us.”

Another day, another sunburn in 1969. Here we find Chis Lockerbie, Valerie Vaughan, Joyce Bickmore, Debbie Thomas and Char, soaking up rays at again, El Capitan. These ladies held a commanding presence over the young surfer boys, for obvious reasons. One of the best local surfers at the time, Rolland Yarnell writes, “I remember giving Char and her sister Chris a ride home from school, I thought I had just won the jackpot.”

And in those days, we got real tan… Debbie Thomas, Chris, Char and Bond Hansen. In the 1960s we didn’t worry too much about sunburns. The girls would use baby oil to burn intentionally, and I personally remember my skin peeling off from repeated sunburns.

The Summer of Love, 1969, El Cap beach and all the gang was there. Don Merry, Char, Tony Allison, Debbie Breeden, Ledbetter, Chris and Zucco.

Char’s stunning graduation photo from Dos Pueblos in 1970. What surfer would object to her paddling out? Fellow surfer Rob Evans remembers, ” I first met her in Junior High, she was the queen of El Cap beach break. Char was the best woman surfer around, so smooth. I used to tease her in the water by saying “nice butt dip” because she was a goofy foot.”

Mom and Dad Lockerbie at home in the Good Land with their two beautiful daughters.

Char was well liked in all the lineups around town, and her surf skills improved quickly. When she wasn’t in class at Dos Pueblos or working on her tan, she was catching waves. The El Cap beach break used to have a lot more sand and it was a legitimate wave. That was her favorite  spot, but she also surfed El Cap point, Campus, Devereaux, IV beach break, Sands and Depressions. Later she expanded down to Rincon, front and back, C-Street and an occasional foray down to Malibu. So basically, she surfed everywhere! This photo is at El Cap riding her favorite John Bradbury board in the early 1970s.

In 1968, her sister Chris got Char a job working at a popular surf shop on Carrillo called Surf ‘N’ Wear. More than just a surf shop, they had a lot of clothing and bikinis and everything beach related. Chris knew this would be pretty much a dream job for Char, since she knew all about surfing and most of the surfers. Here she is sitting on the counter with a Brooks photography student and sister Chris. Surf ‘N’ Wear was the go-to surf shop in town, and they were frequently asked by Brooks students to borrow surfboards for photo shoots.

Having the Lockerbie sisters working at this shop was a wise business decision, as a large number of young surfer boys were infatuated by them! More than one surfer told me they were blown away by Char’s surfer girl beauty and relaxed character whenever they visited the shop. Shop owner and legendary shaper Jeff White liked to tease Char, especially when she had her wisdom teeth pulled out, calling her a chipmunk.

Tom Keeler says, “Every red blooded junior high surfer kid was in love with Char. Whenever my mom drove downtown to shop, I begged her to drop me off at Surf ‘n’ Wear. Char was so kind and patient with us kooky kids.” Char worked at Surf ‘n’ Wear for about 10 years, then in 1975 she got a job working in a lab as a phlebotomist at Santa Barbara Medical Clinic. (Which makes perfect sense in light of Keeler’s comment about red blooded kids!)

Obsessed with surfing and the culture, Char hung out with other surfers full time. Here she is camping with friends at El Cap around 1970. L to R- Valerie Vaughan , Tom Horne, sister Chris, Steve Desmond, Char and Hud Cobb. Back then, the beach break could get just as good as the cove, which meant there were a lot more surfable days at El Cap. Check out Hud Cob styling in a sport coat and enjoying a ciggie while camping. Hud and Tom Horne were a couple of the most skilled local surfers at this time.

According to friends, Char never got hassled by guys in the water. Her surfing ability was widely respected. She was a goofy foot with great style, very smooth & functional and beautiful to watch. Plus, she worked at the main surf shop in town, so most everybody knew her and liked her. Another local surfer, Bart Boyle recalls, “I met Char when she worked at Surf n Wear, when I was 10 or 11, around 71 or 72. My brother bought a board from her, a Donald Takayama “Surfings New Image” board, a really nice swallow tail. She wrote down a list of spots to check out on a trip to San Diego, and always had the right answer to my many questions. Char is one of Santa Barbara’s best surfers ever, and could have done well as a pro.”

Char became a certified surf  junkie, and part of becoming a surf junkie is a board addiction. One of the premier shapers in Goleta at the time was John Bradbury and some of his boards were Char’s favorites.

Working at Surf N Wear was a huge perk because she got boards at cost! She rode Marc Andreini‘s boards when he shaped for Owl Surfboards. Char always surfed both short and longboards.

As mentioned, El Cap beach break was a legit wave back then. We had way more sand that helped create rideable waves, even with just a summer wind swell. Char took this photo of her favorite break in 1980. That’s either Dave Ziemer or Tommy Keeler getting it all to themselves.

C-Street surf contest shenanigans. L to R- Fred Bukowski, Char, Tom Bionde, Bart Boyle, Chris, Brad Blue and Randall Rodstoker.

Here Char’s admiring her brand new Bradbury Creative Freedom board on Mike Furner‘s front lawn. Furner met Char around 1986 while surfing the backside Rincon beach break and they became good friends. They would meet mornings for coffee and surf check at Butterfly Beach before heading out to surf together at a lot of different local spots.

Mike says, “I really enjoyed surfing with Char although we did bump heads a couple of times because we liked the same kind of waves, we would have to be somewhat separated in the lineup. After I met her, I found out that she had hung out with my ex-wife, was good friends with my cousin in junior high, and she had dated my friend in high school! Later, Char and her family moved across the street from me in the 90’s and then it was surf central. ” Goleta was really a small town back then.

Being an integral part of the local surf community meant being involved with keeping the ocean clean, and Char was one of the charter members of Heal the Ocean. This photo was taken at a Miramar Beach celebration for Hillary Hauser’s birthday with Mike Furner and others.

While most every local surfer had a crush on Char, she never chose one to settle down with until she met Sam Harris. They met at the Feed Store, a popular nightclub that was downtown in what would be called the Funk Zone today. “Big Sam” was a 6’5″ stud that was born and raised in Hawaii where his father was a police officer in Waikiki. He was an All-American football player at the University of Colorado and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints but his career was cut short by injuries. Locally, he worked in the construction trade.

In 1976 Char and Sam got married and they would share a very happy life together. They had two daughters and five grandchildren before Sam passed away too early in 2022, after a battle with Dementia.

In 1979, Steve Bissell took this photo of the Lockerbie sisters for a feature in Surfing Magazine. The sisters still wore matching outfits!

Char is very popular in the surf community and everyone still has a healthy respect for her surfing skills. David Puu is a big fan of Char, and he said this-“Her era spanned the transition from long to short board and she is definitely a standout in the lineup, wherever she surfs.”

“Char has a feminine approach to surfing which defines hers as being quite different than the typical male of the era.” Look at this beautiful cheater 5.

Another prominent female surfer, Miranda Joseph, says, “In the early 80s, I spent a lot of time surfing perfect Goleta reefs and points. There were a couple of women who were staples in the lineup, but none more stylish and focused on the Goleta points than Char Harris. You just couldn’t miss her stylish backside layback rail grab. A true originator of style and grace. I was always stoked to run into Char, and it seemed she was there whenever the waves were really firing.”

“Char always let her surfing do the talking. She was graceful and soft-spoken in and out of the water, but always one of the best and most stylish surfers in the lineup, hands down. I really appreciated her friendly smile and soulful sister demeanor— pure natural talent and appreciation of the ocean.” Char holding her own against a potential drop in.

Char’s friend Debbie Sukiasian says- “Back in the late eighties early 90’s I met Char Harris when I was surfing Rincon. She stood out like a sparkle in the sea with her smooth style long-boarding. Back then there were only a handful of women surfing longboards with a graceful style. She was always happy to share waves. ”

“Char always had a smile and the aloha spirit to go with it. She was my inspiration to switch board lengths and start riding long boards. I bought my first used longboard from her. I always looked forward to the days of riding waves with her. I consider Char a true surfer with a heart of gold!” You can’t get much higher praise from a fellow surfer than that!

When there isn’t surf, Char enjoys beachcombing, and she has an incomparable collection of sea glass, shells and old bottles.

Char gave Mike Furner this framed photo of her surfing in Honolulu at a spot called Canoes, with a custom frame made from things she found on the beach.

Here’s artist Ron Croci’s beautiful rendition of Char’s classic style in that same photo.

Everyone that knows Char has nothing but praise for her. Longtime friend Bruce Raph says, “I met Char some fifty years ago . She and her friends would come up to El Capitan beach and hang out . Of course she drove all of us mad with her surfer girl good looks and surfing abilities. She surfed as good as anyone and always had such a smooth style. I had a best friend who had a mad crush on her and we would often go to Surf’n’Wear, where she worked and sort of hang out so he could visit Char.”

Bruce continues, “Much later on in my life I joined the Santa Barbara Surf Club and Char was one of many people who graced our meetings and made them fun. She is always soft spoken, humble and supportive which seems to be our local community of surfers style of going through this blessed life. Years ago she developed some back pain which has kept her out of the water and we all dearly miss not being with her in the line-up.”

Longtime friend and surf buddy Debra Trauntvein writes, “Char and I had many morning sessions at Rincon together, along with about 4-5 other ‘moms’ that surfed while their kids were in school. Char has the best graceful, backside style of anyone in the lineup, on any given day. Char never liked surf competitions or contests, but everyone out surfing with her would tell you, she was one of the best out in the water!” A true soul surfer.

On a personal note, I had only met Char once or twice at the beach through the years. Then one day in 2020, she got in touch with me because she wanted to give me some perfect condition old Goleta dairy bottles! Obviously, I was thrilled, and one of the bottles fit perfectly into a history story I had been working on about the San Marcos Dairy.  So thank you again for that Char.

Goleta and Santa Barbara have a strong surf community, and Char is a big part of that community. Her generous spirit and helpful nature have touched countless people through the years. We are all better for having known Char Harris.

Thanks to all the surfers that helped make this page with their heartfelt words. Some photo credits are due to Jon Shafer, Mike Furner, Elliot Crowley, and especially thanks to Tom Keeler for suggesting I do this page and providing a lot of the classic photos. Goletaloha.

Read more surf stories at GoletaSurfing.com