Tony Hawk has donated his first skateboard to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Hawk and 1970s professional skateboarder Cindy Whitehead both donated their personal equipment to the Washington D.C. museum.
Hawk and Whitehead's donations to the Smithsonian's Division of Culture and the Arts will be honored in a ceremony highlighting Innoskate, an event that will document the invention of and the growth in popularity of skateboarding. The event will be held at the Lemelson Center for the Study of Innovation & Invention, which will kick off with the screening of "Bones Brigade: An Autobiography," a documentary which includes Hawk's time with the seminal Powell Peralta skate team during the 1980s.
"I remember trying it for the first time in our driveway [in 1977]," Hawk said. "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."
"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."
The world's most famous skateboarder and regarded by many as the greatest of all-time, Hawk is considered a living legend and a major contributor to the growth in skateboarding over the years. His series of video games and dominance of the X-Games has helped propel skateboarding to its current popularity.
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