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The Panther Newspaper: Foundation honors first Newport Beach lifeguard to die in the line of duty

The Panther Newspaper: Foundation honors first Newport Beach lifeguard to die in the line of duty

Newport Beach lifeguard Ben Carlson died doing the job he loved.

Carlson drowned July 6 while helping save a swimmer in distress.

Red flags advised beachgoers to stay out of the ocean that tumultuous day, and rescues were being made all along the coast.

The swimmer Carlson saved told Newport Beach Fire Chief Scott Poster that he would have died if Carlson hadn’t jumped in to help him.

“Even though Ben gave his life to save him, it was a righteous life saved,” Poster said.

The 32-year-old Carlson had 15 years of lifeguard experience and was the first lifeguard in Newport’s history to die in the line of duty.

A statue that would honor Carlson was proposed to the City Arts Commission on Aug. 14 by Josh Yocam, Carlson’s friend, and Jake Janz, Carlson’s brother-in-law, on behalf of the Ben Carlson Memorial and Scholarship Foundation.

The Ben Carlson Memorial Statue was set to be discussed by the commission Sept. 11, but the meeting was postponed because officials “need to review the vision for the project and in light of the City’s overall plans to memorialize Ben Carlson,” according to draft meeting minutes.

Last week, the city council voted to name the lifeguard headquarters after him.

The Ben Carlson Foundation was established by his family and closest friends. It is headed by his parents Teri and Chris Carlson and is being funded by contributions from businesses and private households.

“The intent is to really just carry out Ben’s legacy and to do some neat things in his honor,” Janz said. “He died a hero and it was just an incredible outpouring from the community.”

The Ben Carlson Foundation also plans to provide an annual scholarship to deserving students and aid local, under-resourced children’s programs.

“Everybody has fulfilled a different role and has different talents and skills they’ve brought to the table to form this strong foundation that we feel is going to have some great longevity,” Janz said.

Janz, who designed the memorial statue dedicated to Carlson, said that they’re talking about raising the statue near the junior lifeguard headquarters at Balboa Pier.

“It’s not just to remember Ben, but I feel like Ben has become legendary and iconic in the sense that we want to promote ocean water safety,” Janz said. “I think about 1,400 kids visit the junior guard’s headquarters every summer and we just wanted it to be a humbling reminder to them that the ocean is a serious place to be.”

If everything goes as planned, the Ben Carlson Foundation hopes to unveil the statue around July 2, 2015 which would have been Carlson’s 33rd birthday.

Chris Conway, adviser to the board for the Ben Carlson Memorial Foundation and Carlson’s best friend of 19 years, said he thinks the statue will help the community remember Carlson.

“He’s our town’s notable hero and the story has grabbed ahold of so many people’s thoughts,” Conway said. “It will be a landmark for Newport.”

Poster said that Carlson’s untimely death has brought a heightened awareness to the dangers of the ocean.

“After that weekend, seeing what can happen to someone with his skill set, people think twice (before going in the water),” Poster said.

Poster also said that Carlson’s passing caused the community to bond during its mourning.

“I’ve never seen an event that brought this community together as much as (Carlson’s death) did,” Poster said.

Conway said everybody in the community was there for each other after this tragic loss.

“The whole community lost something there equally,” Conway said. “Whether you were his best friend or you met him one time, everybody was hurt, everybody was missing something, everybody got robbed of Ben.”

A paddle-out was held in Carlson’s honor July 13. Poster said 2,500 people paddled out into the water and an additional 5,000 people watched from the beach and the pier.

“People were parking on Pacific Coast Highway and walking seven or 10 blocks with their surfboards just to get there,” Poster said.

Carlson’s memorial service in Newport Beach accommodated another few thousand people.

Poster said that Carlson was well-respected by the community because of his giving nature.

“Ben was the kind of guy that would do things for other people all the time,” Poster said. “He liked helping other people, that’s why he was a lifeguard.

“People have contacted us from all over the world. We’re getting messages from New Zealand, Honolulu; every place there’s a lifeguard, they’re calling us.”

Janz said that Carlson was loved by the people in his personal life as well.

“He was a great friend, he was a great uncle and he was a great son,” Janz said. “He lived such a full life in 32 years. He did more than a lot of people probably did in their entire life.”

Janz said that he and the rest of the Ben Carlson Foundation are working hard to make a lot of impactful things happen in Carlson’s honor.

“We’re doing all that we can in the aftermath of this tragedy to make some positive things come of it,” Janz said. “And hopefully prevent this tragedy from happening to anyone else."

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

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