1870: Captain Samuel Dunnells
Fearless mariner who successfully steered the Vaquero steamer through the treacherous, uncharted bay sandbars

1913: Waterman Will Morton
Formed the city’s early volunteer lifesaving corps, pulling drowning victims from heavy coastal shorebreak

1925: Olympian Duke Kahanamoku
Legendary surfer who used his wooden board to rescue eight fishermen whose boat had capsized at the harbor entrance

1944: Veteran Don Miyada
Newport Harbor High alumnus who served in World War II’s historic Japanese American 442nd Regiment after his internment

1953: Olympian Dr. Sammy Lee
Two-time gold medal-winning diving champion who served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during the Korean War.

1960s: Civic leader Nancy Gardner
Bodysurfer who successfully led the effort to save The Wedge

1970: Sgt. Maj. Allan Kellogg
Local military legend who earned the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry during the Vietnam War

1985: Firefighter Robert Hoey
Local first responder recognized by the city for pulling an unconscious resident from a blaze

2014: Lifeguard Ben Carlson
Veteran lifeguard who made the ultimate sacrifice saving a distressed swimmer in massive summer surf

2022: Hero Fairuz Jane Schlecht
Awarded the national Carnegie Medal for running into a burning building to pull three children to safety