Scuba symbol owned by anyone?

[Parysa]

If he does not investigate this further does it make his book fiction? One would think so. If I sell a car does that make me the inventor? That is basically what is being said. I have read the postings at his former dive shop and have no reason to doubt that he and his wife created it. With Sam Miller being so highly respected it is disappointing that he is not interested in finding out all the facts first.

Very well said.

 

[mike_s]

Just curious, has his book been published?

If it is, it's in the FICTION section of the bookstore, or in the Kids Section because you have to play 'connect the dots' to figure out what's really there.


Get your Crayons, some of the pages haven't been colored in yet.

 

[docdockery]

By gum a response or two.... And I apprecate them, thank you very much!

Perhaps it would be well if the recent history of recreational self contained diving in the US was grossly reviewed;

1947-8 --Hans Hass Movie "Under the Red Sea" appeared on the American market.---Homemade Rebreathers became popular..Diving was called "swimdiving."

1948 First of Menfish published by James Dougan, Divers were called Cousteau Divers- used unknow objects called "Aqua lungs."

1949 Arnie Post imports Aqua lungs.

1951 Skin Diver Magazine, (SDM) world's first recreational diving magazine published in Lynwood California.

1951 Rene Bussoz establishes US Divers, Divers were called Aqua Lung Divers or Lung Divers

I953 article on construction of an Aqua lung published in US

1954 article on home made Hookha published in US

1955 article on Home made Scuba published in UK.

1957 "Dive flag" aka "Divers Down Flag" introduced by Ted Nixon, a professional plumber, much correspondence, articles in SDM, controversay and discussions about size, shape color and useage

1958 "Red and white Dive flag" accepted; first useage on a dive club patch.

There are historians of all sorts--some some who lived it, others who have read about it and still others who have heard about it.

And then there are the historians who can recall items that never were, events that never took place and people they never knew..And of course the huge majority of, I heard, I believe, I think, I suspose...

I do not know where Mr. Dockery should be placed, that is for him the individual to decide. I for one have never met him in person or via correspondence; he was not present nor did he step forward when the acceptance of the dive flag was on trial in Long Beach, nor was he mentioned in the trial when the useage of the Dive flag was almost stolen from the diving public.

It is indeed sad...Ted did, so until it is proven conclusively to the contray Ted Nixon IS the Father of the Dive Flag, and will be given full credit due for it's Design, Development, and Acceptance in the US and the world.

I eagerly await your learned responsed, from memory or from the obscure door of a bathroom door(?) of a dive shop

SDM

bar--Interesting that recreational diving is the only sport known to man that has it's own flag recognized through out the world? sdm

Sam, Doc here, I am trying to post to your message but I do not know how. I have sent you a private message that I have pictures of Ted and myself but can not insert them in this web site. I guess I'm just to damn old. Doc

 

[Ed Palma]

Wow. This ought to get interesting! Sir, welcome aboard!

 

[Walter]

Sam, Doc here, I am trying to post to your message but I do not know how. I have sent you a private message that I have pictures of Ted and myself but can not insert them in this web site. I guess I'm just to damn old. Doc

Doc,

Sam will be at DEMA. Perhaps you should meet up there? I'm looking forward to meeting Sam, it would be great to meet you as well.

 

[docdockery]

Sam: I have been trying to send you some pictures without success. I posted to a different thread to Mike and tried to send him pictures of Ted Nixon but failed there also. Post follows:

Mike, Doc Here, O.K. I'll give it a shot. Both pictures were taken about two days apart. It's at the I.M.A. boat show in Flint. About 1953 circa, but we displayed at that show for many years. My company was "Divers Supply Inc." which is now Vortex Spring Inc. soon to be merged with Vortex Innerspace Products Inc. It gets complicated. Ted worked for us after our first flag was discovered to be a flag of Austria and we changed ours to be the diagonal white stripe over a field of red. 5 incremants long, 4 increments wide with one increment white stripe diagonal from top left to bottom right. There were only about a dozen flages being used by the Pescadores club. I was working in a GM plant days and going to GMI nights. Running my little garage Dive shop and working for Etna Life and Marine insurance as a commercial Diver part time. Ted became a member of the club and worked part time as a sales rep. for US Divers and also worked for Divers Supply Inc. as a summer vendor at the "shanks gravel pit" Durand Michigan. His job was to rent Diving equipment, float tubes and fill tanks. When he went full time with US Divers after a couple of years he took our flag with him and sold them clear across the country. He got a 20% commision and did very well. We never tried to protect our creation only promote it. Ted had family problems and finally moved to California and I heard he filed bankruptcy. Doc (Sorry the pictures did not upload......) I'll post this anyway and try another way later, Time for a beer, Doc
__________________

 

[docdockery]

By gum a response or two.... And I apprecate them, thank you very much!

Perhaps it would be well if the recent history of recreational self contained diving in the US was grossly reviewed;

1947-8 --Hans Hass Movie "Under the Red Sea" appeared on the American market.---Homemade Rebreathers became popular..Diving was called "swimdiving."

1948 First of Menfish published by James Dougan, Divers were called Cousteau Divers- used unknow objects called "Aqua lungs."

1949 Arnie Post imports Aqua lungs.

1951 Skin Diver Magazine, (SDM) world's first recreational diving magazine published in Lynwood California.

1951 Rene Bussoz establishes US Divers, Divers were called Aqua Lung Divers or Lung Divers

I953 article on construction of an Aqua lung published in US

1954 article on home made Hookha published in US

1955 article on Home made Scuba published in UK.

1957 "Dive flag" aka "Divers Down Flag" introduced by Ted Nixon, a professional plumber, much correspondence, articles in SDM, controversay and discussions about size, shape color and useage

1958 "Red and white Dive flag" accepted; first useage on a dive club patch.

There are historians of all sorts--some some who lived it, others who have read about it and still others who have heard about it.

And then there are the historians who can recall items that never were, events that never took place and people they never knew..And of course the huge majority of, I heard, I believe, I think, I suspose...

I do not know where Mr. Dockery should be placed, that is for him the individual to decide. I for one have never met him in person or via correspondence; he was not present nor did he step forward when the acceptance of the dive flag was on trial in Long Beach, nor was he mentioned in the trial when the useage of the Dive flag was almost stolen from the diving public.

It is indeed sad...Ted did, so until it is proven conclusively to the contray Ted Nixon IS the Father of the Dive Flag, and will be given full credit due for it's Design, Development, and Acceptance in the US and the world.

I eagerly await your learned responsed, from memory or from the obscure door of a bathroom door(?) of a dive shop

SDM

A side bar--Interesting that recreational diving is the only sport known to man that has it's own flag recognized through out the world? sdm

Sam, Doc Dockery here. I'm new to the board and don't really know what I'm doing but I am trying to get this to you.

Both pictures were taken about two days apart. It's at the I.M.A. boat show in Flint. About 1953 circa, but we displayed at that show for many years. My company was "Divers Supply Inc." which is now Vortex Spring Inc. soon to be merged with Vortex Innerspace Products Inc. It gets complicated. Ted worked for us after the first flag was discovered to be a flag of Austria and we changed ours to be the diagonal white stripe over a field of red. 5 incremants long, 4 increments wide with one increment white stripe diagonal from top left to bottom right. There were only about a dozen flages being used by the Pescadores club. I was working in a GM plant days and going to GMI nights. Running my little garage Dive shop and working for Etna Life and Marine insurance as a commercial Diver part time. Ted became a member of the club and worked part time as a sales rep. for US Divers and also worked for Divers Supply Inc. as a summer vendor at the "shanks gravel pit" Durand Michigan. His job was to rent Diving equipment, float tubes and fill tanks. When he went full time with US Divers after a couple of years he took our flag with him and sold them clear across the country. He got a 20% commision and did very well. We never tried to protect our creation only promote it. Ted had family problems and finally moved to California and I heard he filed bankruptcy. Ted was not an ardent diver but just wanted to be around us till his job with US Divers would make him a living. I heard some time later also that he had written an article in S.D.Mag. looking for a new flag design. Our flag just stuck and we quite making them in the early 60's to take care of our family and the five little dive shops we had in Michigan. We purchased the Vortex Spring property in 1972 and moved our Vortex Innerspace Products Plant and the whole family to Ponce de Leon, Fl. Got the Vortex Spring flowing and made more history. Ted played a big part in getting the flag known but he did not create it. Doc And Ruth Dockery

 

[PhilEllis]

Sam?

Phil Ellis

 

[PePaw]

Sam?

Phil Ellis

Seems Sam's left the building.
Thanks Doc for the history lesson.

Someone let us know when the "book" will be published.

 

[mike_s]

Seems Sam's left the building.
Thanks Doc for the history lesson.

Someone let us know when the "book" will be published.

Doesn't look like "Elvis" has left the building yet

sam miller
Scuba Instructor
Join Date: January 23rd, 2003
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