Chain of Custody

Origin stories are compelling and all—and can occasionally make for entertaining comic-book flicks—but how many adolescents do you know who have the prescience to hang on to the artifacts marking their entry into a way of life? The fact that John E.O. Larronde tucked away the shipping manifest and order form (above) from his father, and kept his Dad Center custom (right) from age 6 until his own death, underlines the sense that he was operating as not only a surfer but an archivist. Read “Capsules in Monochrome” for more of his collection.

[Photos by Grant Ellis/all artifacts courtesy of the Museum of Ventura County Larronde Collection]