Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk donated his first skateboard to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in tandem with a festival celebrating the culture of skateboarding.
Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center is hosted the Innoskate Skateboarding Festival this past week, inviting Hawk, Rodney Mullen, and Cindy Whitehead to participate in a panel discussion and offer skateboarding lessons outside of the museum.
According to MSN , Hawk donated a 1975 Bahne skateboard he received from his brother, whose permission he needed to donate the board.
"I am happy to give it to the Smithsonian, but I had to get my brother's blessing first," Hawk added. "He told me, 'That's where I think it belongs.' So he is coming with me to share the honor."
"I remember trying it for the first time in our driveway [in 1977]," Hawk said of the board. "My brother [Steve] had gotten a newer skateboard, so his old one was near the garage. I picked it up and started riding, having no idea how to turn. I went to the end of the alley, ran into the fence, and then picked it up and turned it around. My brother was laughing that I couldn't figure out how to turn. ... Somehow I managed to hold on to it through all the years, though."
ESPN reports that in edition to donating the skateboard, Hawk will screen a 90 minute documentary about his experience with the Powell Peralta skate team throughout the 1980’s.
Hawk’s board joins an existing collection of sports paraphernalia that includes "items that show how Americans engage in sporting life." The exhibit features equipment from other famous sports stars such as Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. Hawk says he is honored to have his board in the company of equipment and memorabilia from such sports greats.
"I can't believe skateboarding has come this far, or that an esteemed museum would even be interested in my skateboard," Hawk said. "It is truly a new era."
Image: Wikimedia Commons