Jimmy's Legacy
On August 7, 2004 Jimmy Miller took his life and forever changed the lives of those who knew and loved him.
Jimmy's Legacy
A generation of surfers wear navy blue hats with Jimmy’s image on them, compete in “The Jimmy” Surf Fiesta contest every October, or take surf lessons at Camp Surf in Manhattan Beach, CA. Thousands of participants, volunteers, donors, sponsors and friends have taken part in our Ocean Therapy sessions, attended a fundraiser or contributed to Jimmy’s legacy through their time, talents and treasure. You may have heard Jimmy’s name mentioned at the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race, where athletes paddle 32 miles from Catalina Island to the Manhattan Beach Pier, and where the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation had the first relay team ever, comprised of Marines from JMMF’s Ocean Therapy program at Camp Pendleton, CA. You or your children may have joined the JMMF clubs at our local high schools or have helped in the many service clubs that support JMMF such as Amigos Unidos, National Charity League or Sandpipers. Today, there are researchers and scientists who have studied the model of the JMMF Ocean Therapy program and have continued to help grow our unique concept through emerging science and international cooperation.
We could not save Jimmy, but by sharing his life and passion for surfing with the world, we have been able to save countless lives through Ocean Therapy. This is the legacy of Jimmy Miller and the foundation in his name.
We could not save Jimmy, but by sharing his life and passion for surfing with the world, we have been able to save countless lives through Ocean Therapy. This is the legacy of Jimmy Miller and the foundation in his name.
We could not save Jimmy, but by sharing his life and passion for surfing with the world, we have been able to save countless lives through Ocean Therapy. This is the legacy of Jimmy Miller and the foundation in his name.
Through our world-leading therapeutic surf program, we have been privileged to hear how our therapist-led talking circles coupled with surfing has saved many Marines from suicide, how the lessons learned on and off the board have given a depressed child a positive experience to draw upon when life gets tough, how veterans finally have a positive experience as they desperately seek help for their decades of neglect, how healthcare workers are recharged about emotional burnout from caring for our community, and how those with special needs or are developmentally disabled achieve their dreams of learning how to surf and creative memories that last a lifetime.
Jimmy's Story
Jimmy attended La Marina, Pacific and Robinson elementary schools (as the family moved closer to the beach) and Center Middle School. Jimmy was a graduate of Mira Costa High School (1987) where he played volleyball and surfed every day. He was a four-year scholar/athlete and an honor student. He received his BA degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991, where he organized the first ever Cal Surf Club and surfed all over Northern California. Following Andy Dellenbach (JMMF’s CEO), Jimmy studied and surfed in San Sebastian, Spain for a semester and then went on to surf throughout Europe. After Andy and Jimmy, a tidal wave of Berkeley students and Manhattan Beach residents followed their path to “San Saby,” including Jimmy’s brother, Jeff.
Jimmy served as a L.A. County Lifeguard for fifteen years, most of those years spent in Manhattan Beach working with the children he loved so much in the Junior Lifeguard Program. One of his great joys in life was taking young hands and guiding them into the water for the first time, and keeping them safe while showing them the adventures and lessons of the Ocean. He also competed and was on winning Lifeguard Taplin teams for both Manhattan and Hermosa Beach. As a waterman, he competed in the 32-mile Catalina Classic Paddle Board Race five times.
When not running Camp Surf, Jimmy was an avid adventurer, traveling most of the globe in search of great waves, wonderful people and new friendships. From Tahiti to Fiji to Bali and Australia, into the Caribbean and throughout most of Latin and South America, and onto Europe and South Africa, Jimmy spread the joy of the pure experience of surfing. His adventures and his philosophy of surfing became the subject of regular columns in local newspapers and blogs. An extensive number of people he met on his travels ended up on the family couches and at the dinner table. He was always “open” for his friends from near and far.
In 2004, a shoulder injury kept Jimmy out of the water for months. This injury, coupled with an impending divorce and the rapid onset of undiagnosed mental illness, tragically led Jimmy to take his own life in August 2004. Jimmy’s family and friends from around the world were stunned. Disbelief… that someone who appeared to have it all, “Living The Dream” could be gone so young, too soon. Jimmy’s passing led the Miller family to create a foundation in his honor – to continue his legacy of sharing Jimmy’s pure love of surfing and the ocean with those suffering from mental and physical illness around the world. The Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation was created in early 2005 and has developed into the leading Ocean/Surf Therapy organization in the world today. Jimmy’s legacy and memory lives on in all that we do.
