Richard Lawrence "Larry" Stevenson was the inventor of the kicktail, the bent-upwards end of a skateboard, which made most of today's skateboarding tricks possible and essentially revolutionized the sport.
10 Facts About Larry Stevenson
1.
2.
Larry Stevenson served for two years in the Korean War.
3.
Larry Stevenson played water polo and swam for Coach John Josephs.
4.
Larry Stevenson won the all American award for fastest time for the breast stroke.
5.
Larry Stevenson, while visiting Hawaii en route to Korea, during the war noticed a great surfing beach called "Makaha".
6.
Larry Stevenson is credited with being the man who made the first high-quality skateboard.
7.
Larry Stevenson patented the double kicktail in 1969, had the first skate team in 1963, and held the first skateboard contest in 1963.
8.
Larry Stevenson published Surfguide magazine during the 1960s, and Poweredge skateboarding magazine during the 1980s and 1990s.
9.
Larry Stevenson was involved with Makaha and Poweredge; both have been reborn with new editors.
10.
Larry Stevenson died on March 25,2012, from complications of pneumonia due to Parkinson's disease in his Santa Monica home.