Miklos S. Dora / Artist of the Secound Kind

Miklos S. Dora.  1934 - 2002

"Da Cat" Surfed Malibu in the 50's. "Most Graceful Man on a Board"


Mickey was a good friend who I met when I moved next door to him in 1968 on a small Street in Brentwood, CA, Gretna Green just below Montana. I was just out of High School and this was my first Apartment. The place was cheap because it was to be torn down and as a Artist I would ditch Santa Monica City Collage and rummage through trash cans to find objects to collage my Apartment with. Meeting Mickey in passing and having him over sealed the bond. I think he was taken by free thinking and anti-establishment rederect. He was also taken with my artistic endeavors and saw them on the level of freedom he was familar with, just a different medium. I had of course heard of him from Palisades High School and Bruce Brown Surfing Movies at the Santa Monica Civic. He lived in a small one bedroom apartment filled with memorabilia from his adventures including The Hollywood and Vine Street Sign, Surf Boards, African Statues, A Brass Bed draped in Costume Jewelry and bangles, and a Desk where he forged passes to the Oscars and other effects. There was so much stuff, all interesting that you literally had to climb under and over stuff to get to one room to other. He wasn't a hoarder, he just had a small Apt. and a garage with a vintage Lotus 1 seater Race Car and Porsche Speedster and of course his VW Bus which he told me on numerous occasions was set with car bombs at Malibu for cutting people off on waves. He watched the news at night and had the occasional Girl over but other than that stayed pretty much to himself. He would on occasions take off to Biarritz or South Africa and ask me along but being so young the prospect seemed risky so I passed. He had Beautiful Girlfriend who I met on several occasions who had a small but beautiful house just off San Vicente below 20th street. He was a charmer.


I latter moved to Venice Beach and set up a sculpture studio which comprised of 2 store fronts. He rented a mail box from me obviously for his personal business and even gave me a New 360 Yamaha Enduro Dirt Bike. I was sceptical but he said he didn't have the space to store it and to enjoy it which I did. He would come down to Venice and we would have breakfast on the days he checked his mail. He called me Eagle Eye. Whenever he would tell me his wild adventures one of my eye brows would go up. I remember one morning we were eating our eggs and toast and in walks this muscle man all greased up, we looked at each other like what the heck is this guy. It was a young Arnold Schwarzenegger who had just appeared on the scene. We had a good laugh and I latter hired Arnold and some of his muscle friends to help move some of my concrete sculptures. Arnold was building concrete block walls at the time in 1968.


I had seen Mickey surf and used to hang out with him at Lifeguard Station 5 at the bottom of Santa Monica Canyon. He introduced me to Wilt Chamberlain who hung out there among his other casual acquaintances. We had a easy repore. Mickey was not all that complicated like people say. He was kind, generous, a loyal friend and did what he had to do to Surf. I mean can you see Dora working? I think not. I knew about his scams but it was during the Viet Nam Years and I saw what he did as No More Criminal than the Government and Politicians of the time. This was the 60's. I have no idea what was going on the back ground with Mickey but I would always catch that Dora Grin and Unusual Mannerisms cluing me that he had just pulled something off. It was second nature to him and he lived by his wits to Surf. I totally respected him for it. I hear people talk about what a scammer he was but in the Big Picture he was a Artist and did what he had to do for his Craft.


One day he split the country and I didn't hear from him for a year or so. I believe he was jailed and afterwards split for Marrakesh or something like that. He left the Country at this point in time, and I never saw him again. I would get calls from him on a Black Box a device used to make free calls that were untraceable every 3 or 4 months and he would give me some clues to his wear abouts and Waves. He stayed in touch with me till around 1995 and I never heard from him again till I heard he died through the grapevine. It was a shock that a guy in such great physical shape could be taken down by Cancer at 67. I miss his originality and talent. I still love watching old clips of him and remember his endorsed Surf Board with Da Cat on it.


He was a original and did what he had to do to Surf. He was no Black Knight but a guy who was 2 steps ahead of the next guy. The last clip I saw of Dora was on a PBS Movie In Search of Mickey Dora. The finally found him in the south of France most likely living off some 
Frenchman's dime. The only shot they got of him was him standing behind his long board stuck in the sand with his hand sticking out giving the Finger. Classic Dora Style. He did not care and was finished with Hollywood Tensile and was living his last years doing what he loved, chasing the next great wave living out of his Mercedes Van. I will always have his face etched in my brain, and feel Lucky to have been friends with one of the True Great Artists of Surfing in our Lives. Honestly to to me he was just Mickey with that Impeccable Smile and Hand Mannerisms that were Memorizing.


One day Mickey invited me to the Movie Studio's for a audition to try out for a surf movie. They were casting 18 year old which I fit the bill but Dora was 14 years older. The casting director knew Mickey and I couldn't surf good enough so they kicked the 2 of us out of the office. Mickey pulled out Cherry Bombs and M80's and through them down the hall as we made a mad dash out of the studio parking lot in his Maroon Speedster.

As much as I miss Mickey now, his humor always brings a smile back to my face. In one of his last Interviews he was to sick to come to the table for Lunch, but met outside on a bench in Sunshine. The Interviewer asked if he spent much time there. Mickey Replied, "Ah Yeah, You know, Cant Die without a Sun Tan", with sarcasm and smile. This is how I will remember him.