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Captain William Johns - 1929 - 1943 JBLC Founder
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Post Captain William Johns - 1929 - 1943 JBLC Founder Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 3:27 pm
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I found this article in an August 1929 article from the Nassau Daily Review. It had a photo of Johnny Weissmuller and Captain William Johns with the following caption;

Johnny Weissmuller, the human fish from Chicago, who defeated Bill Noonan of Cork Ireland, in a handicap sprint swim at Long Beach last night, and his friend Captain William Johns, leader of the Valley Stream State Park lifeguards, who was there to renew their long acquaintance.

CAPTAIN JOHNS, STATE PARK LIFE GUARD LEADER, NOTED FOR INTERESTING CAREER.

Friend Of Weissmuller, Has Sparred With Tunney and Dempsey, Trained Ruth, Fought For Villa, And Travelled The World.

Watching Johnny Weissmuller perform at the Olympia pool last night was a husky but lithe young man who was recognized by many as the head life guard at Valley Stream State park, but few among them who had a nodding acquaintance with Captain Bill Johns knew of his varied and most interesting career among the sports celebreties of the western hemisphere.

Trainer and sparring partner of Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney, hunter of big game in Madagascar, sailor on the seven seas, rebel soldier in Mexico, surfer, lifeguard, swimming coach and personal friend of practically every noted swimmer in the world. Captain Johns is without a doubt one of the most picturesque and interesting men in the Sports world.

Born in Berlin Germany, he ran away from home at age 15 and went to sea. On the German ship Patmos, after the steering gear broke down, there was a mutiny and until the crew of which Captain Johns was a member, was picked up by a British tramp steamer, the Patmos drifted aimlessly about in the Mediterranean. Captain Johns was one of the few members of the crew who escaped courtmartial in the mutiny.

Many ports saw him in the succeding years and finally an offer of twenty-five dollars a day and 160 acres of land tempted him to join Villa's bandit forces in Mexico. He made the twenty-five dollars a day for about a week, then the payroll ran out and there was little sign of the promised 160 acres, so this German sailor took his leave of the column of General Francisco Quijada to which he was attached and came north to the United States. Arrested at the border as a bandit he proved that he had taken out first papers and had enlisted in the American navy where he spent the next four years.

After his naval career he became a member of the U.S. Coast Guards on the Pacific coast and so being an exceptionally able swimmer, turned to life-saving and life-guarding as a profession. In this capacity he has commanded forces of lifeguards at Coronado Beach and Ocean City, California; Miami, Florida; Waikiki, Honolulu; Manhatten Beach, New York; Asbury Park, New Jersey and many other beaches.

In between seasons as lifeguard if his north-in-summer, south-in-winter could have a season he renewed his acquaintance with Jack Dempsey whom he met in Coronado Beach and acted as one of Dempsey's sparring partners and as physical trainer for Jack's fight in Philadelphia in which he lost his crown. He also gave Babe Ruth valuable assistance last year in coming down to batting weight.

Later when he was working in Florida at the Roman pool, Miami he met Gene Tunney, the new champion and trained with Tunney for Gene's scrap with Tom Heeney. Although not of the bulging-muscle type of strong man. Captain Johns is unusually powerful and has taken part in many long distance events.
Post Re: Captain William Johns - 1929 - 1943 JBLC Founder Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:37 am
James Rooney
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I found out a few more tid-bits on the LIFE of our founder and original Summerboy. Captain William Carl Johns.

He was born on December 2, 1888 in Potsdam Germany a suburb of Berlin.

He was in the US from 1907 and was a member of the Naval Guard of California in San Diego for 3 years around 1911-1914.

He lived and worked as a Lifeguard at Tent City in San Diego a community of Thatch Roofed tents south of the Famed Hotel Del Coranado on Coranado Beach.

He was living in Papeete Tahiti in the South Seas in the early 1920's, and returned to New York in 1922 via Havana, Cuba to work the summer as a Lifeguard at Manhattan Beach and lived in Coney Island.

Throughout the 1920's he spent summers in Manhattan Beach and later Valley Stream State Park before moving over to Jones Beach in May of 1929 as it was being built.

He wintered in Miami Beach working as a lifeguard and swimming instructor at Carl Fischers casino and swimming palace the Roman Pools. All of the top swimming and Diving stars of the 1920's performed in swimming and diving exhibitions here including Johhny Weissmuller and Peter Desjardin.
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Post Re: Captain William Johns - 1929 - 1943 JBLC Founder Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:42 am
James Rooney
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He also travelled out to Honolulu Hawaii in 1925 via Los Angeles to work as a lifeguard and swimming instructor at Waikiki Beach.

He took a return trip to Papeete Tahiti in the South Seas in 1933 at the end of the summer season. He became naturalized into the USA in Miami Beach in 1933.

He was living in South Miami Beach in 1945 with his wife Anna and children Robert and Carlotta John working as a Lifeguard and swimming instructor.
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Post Re: Captain William Johns - 1929 - 1943 JBLC Founder Posted: Sun May 11, 2014 11:15 pm
James Rooney
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I recently found a video on you tube called Kings of the Ring a BBC documentary on boxers from Jack Dempsey to Mike Tyson. At the 16 minute mark of this video you can view a heavyweight boxing training camp at the Roman Pools Casino in Miami Beach Florida and view Jones Beach Captain William Carl Johns throwing the medicine ball with the heavyweight contenders. Captain Johns sparred and trained with Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney and I guess the German Max Schmelling.
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