OCBP History: Lafferty Appointed Captain of Beach Patrol

“Lafferty Will Be Boss of Guards” was the front page headline of the March 29, 1962 Ocean City Sentinel-Ledger.

The article reported George T. Lafferty was appointed captain of the Ocean City Beach Patrol, replacing Captain Thomas A. Williams, who was retiring after 40 years on the OCBP.

Lafferty, an Ocean City lifeguard in the 1930s and a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, faced a monumental challenge getting ready for the summer of 1962. Three weeks before his appointment, a huge northeast storm hit Ocean City causing serious beach erosion and destroying three of the four beach patrol headquarters.