Dick Bacon (September 9, 1932 – August 18, 2000) was a
nudist
Naturism is a lifestyle of practicing non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...
or
naturist
Naturism is a lifestyle of practicing non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms a ...
from
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
who was known for outdoor tanning every day of the year. He worked at
Pabst Brewery in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, Wisconsin. He
sun tanned
Sun tanning or tanning is the process whereby skin color is darkened or tanned. It is most often a result of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight or from artificial sources, such as a tanning lamp found in indoor tanning beds. ...
year-round at
Milwaukee's Bradford Beach
Bradford Beach is a public beach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The beach which was constructed in the 1920s is part of Lake Park; a mile (1.6 km)-long park on a bluff above Lake Michigan. Lake Park was listed on the National Register ...
on
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
. Bacon also frequented a nude beach in Milwaukee called Paradise Beach.
Tanning
Bacon could be seen tanning at Bradford Beach from the 1960s through the 1990s,
including in freezing weather. If the beach was covered in snow, Bacon would have a path cleared to his tanning spot.
Bacon said that he only wanted to work enough to support himself. He claimed to be planning for retirement from the time he was a child.
In addition to tanning at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, Bacon also tanned at the nude beach in Milwaukee, Paradise Beach which closed in 1993.
Newspapers called him a crusader for nude beaches. Bacon claimed that he fell in love with nudity while modeling for artists at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
.
When Bacon died, the ''
Madison, Wisconsin State Journal'' deemed him a "Beach Legend".
Arrests
*In 1977, he was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior for bathing in the nude at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee on New Year's Day.
*In 1979 he and three other men were arrested for nudity on Paradise Beach.
*In 1991, Bacon was arrested for appearing nude just north of Bradford Beach in Milwaukee.
*In 1993, he was cited for indecent exposure in the vicinity of Paradise Beach in Milwaukee.
Awards
1973 in Indiana, Bacon won the Mr. Nude America contest. One of the judges of the contest was a
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...
,
Erskine Caldwell
Erskine Preston Caldwell (December 17, 1903 – April 11, 1987) was an American novelist and short story writer. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native Southern United States, in novels such as '' Tobacco Road'' (19 ...
.
The prize for winning the contest was $500.
Bacon was very proud to be a nudist and he owned a white van emblazoned with his nickname, “The Nude Dude.” He won three nude modeling contests during the mid-1970's.
Death
Bacon died in his South Side (Milwaukee) home on August 18, 2000, at age 67, from a heart attack.
Bacon was survived by his three siblings: Howard Bacon II, and Mary Rose Reid and Roger Bacon.
See also
*
List of clothing-free events
*
Nude beach
A nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allowed to us ...
*
Nude recreation
Nude recreation consists of Recreation#Recreational activities, recreational activities which some people engage in while Nudity, nude. Historically, the ancient Olympic Games were nude events. There remain some societies in Africa, Oceania, and ...
*
Nude swimming
Nude swimming is the practice of swimming nudity, without clothing, whether in Body of water, natural bodies of water or in swimming pools. A colloquial term for nude swimming is "wikt:skinny dip, skinny dipping".
In both British and American E ...
*
Nudity
Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and not ...
*
Sun tanning
Sun tanning or tanning is the process whereby skin color is darkened or tanned. It is most often a result of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight or from artificial sources, such as a tanning lamp found in indoor tanning b ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacon, Dick
1932 births
2000 deaths
American naturists
Social nudity advocates
People from Milwaukee
Male models from Wisconsin