WHEREAS, William Delancy Frierson III, a legendary surfer and surfboard shaper and beloved member of the Virginia Beach community, died on January 24, 2024; and

WHEREAS, the son of a naval engineer, William "Bill" Delancy Frierson III lived in various ocean towns in his youth before settling in Virginia Beach in 1965, where he graduated from Princess Anne High School; and

WHEREAS, as he became a fixture of the nascent surfing scene in Virginia Beach in the late 1960s, Bill Frierson began to experiment with shaping surfboards, developing a craft that would ultimately bring him world renown; and

WHEREAS, Bill Frierson won the men's surfing division in the East Coast Surfing Championships (ECSC) in 1969 then lived for some time in Hawaii before opening a surf shop in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, Bill Frierson partnered with his friend, Les Shaw, and bought Wave Riding Vehicles (WRV), a Virginia Beach surf shop, in 1974, helping the business grow into the largest surfboard manufacturer on the East Coast over his 25 years with the company; and

WHEREAS, after leaving WRV and going into semi-retirement, Bill Frierson opened Frierson Designs, bringing his rare and well-honed talents to new projects involving custom surfboard shapes and woodworking; and

WHEREAS, Bill Frierson played an instrumental role in the success of the ECSC, the city's annual surf competition and one of the oldest continually run surf competitions in the world, and had an outsized impact on Virginia Beach's reputation as a surfing destination; and

WHEREAS, as a testament to his contributions to the sport of surfing, Bill Frierson was the first Virginian to be inducted into the International Surfboard Builders Hall of Fame, a member of the inaugural class of the ECSC Legends Hall of Fame, and an inductee of the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, beyond surfing and spending time with his family, Bill Frierson was an accomplished musician who enjoyed playing music at local charity events with his band Ray and the Ultraviolets; and

WHEREAS, Bill Frierson will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his loving wife, Grace; his daughter Katherine, and her family; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of William Delancy Frierson III, a cherished member of the Virginia Beach community whose passion and dedication were an inspiration to all who knew him; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of William Delancy Frierson III as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.