Drexel business professor Robert Morier, of Philadelphia, on his lifeguard stand with his stand partner, John Feraco, on the beach in Wildwood Crest, Saturday, his last weekend stint of the summer. Morier has been moonlighting as a Wildwood Crest lifeguard all summer and "exploring how lifeguarding fosters innovation and leadership.Wildwood Crest, N.J.
Morier, who grew up in Wildwood Crest and lifeguarded there decades ago, returned this summer for hands-on research on how the beach patrol there“You know, I had a very successful career in finance and there’s lifeguards who’ve become orthopedic surgeons and generals,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll be in academia for a long time and can follow some of these 16-year-olds this year and follow them for decades to see how they develop.
“When I was 16, I wanted to make money more than anything. That’s all that I cared about,” he said. “My dad filled out the application for me and basically said ‘just go take the test, that’s all that you need.’ I cried the last day of the year because I loved it. This has taught me more than I will ever, ever know ever.”
“I told him if he can pass the fitness test, he can come back,” said Bud Johnson, 76, Wildwood Crest’s longtime beach patrol chief.