Jack O’Neill, Surfer Who Made the Wetsuit Famous, Dies at 94

[JSngry]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/business/jack-oneill-dead-popularized-the-wet-suit.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fobituaries&action=click&contentCollection=obituaries&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0

Like every successful product, the wetsuit had multiple fathers.

Hugh Bradner, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and a former Manhattan Project physicist, originated a synthetic rubber version in 1951 as insulation for deep-sea and scuba diving.

Bill and Bob Meistrell began making wetsuits in Southern California around 1952, about the same time Mr. O’Neill launched his label. The Meistrells’ company still markets them under the Body Glove brand.

But “The Encyclopedia of Surfing” (2005), among other sources, credits Mr. O’Neill as the wetsuit’s commercial pioneer.

His technical innovations, marketing acumen and swashbuckling mien transformed his business from a humble store into the international leader in wetsuit sales.