Thacker, Tony

Richard Karl Koch began his architecture career while still a university student. He abruptly transitioned to photography and spent the next 12 years as a successful architecture and lifestyle photographer. While shooting a story about the Santa Monica Pier, he decided to create the West Wind Sailing Club and School there in the summer of 1975. For the next five years he was involved with West Wind and with the Pier Promotion Program. He also ran (unsuccessfully) for Santa Monica City Council on his own "Save the Pier" platform, and following a major storm that washed away his sailboat fleet a...