Ocean City Fishing Club Elects New President
Paul Keuerleber will serve as the club and its 14th Street Pier celebrate a 100th anniversary.
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When Paul Keuerleber was a teenager visiting Ocean City many years ago, he had a dream of becoming a member of the Ocean City Fishing Club (OCFC).
That dream was fulfilled in 1992, and last month the 69-year-old Keuerleber was elected president of the oldest, continuously operating fishing club in the United States — one that will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2013 with its iconic 14th Street pier undamaged by Hurricane Sandy.
“This is an exciting time for our 216 members of the Ocean City Fishing Club, for the City of Ocean City, and for the many local merchants who support our efforts” said Keuerleber, who will preside over a series of events planned for the club’s centennial. Those activities include a three-day surf fishing tournament, an exhibition at the Ocean City Historical Museum and a banquet at The Flanders Hotel.
To help kick off the celebration, the Ocean City Arts Center will host a January 2013 art exhibit of “plein air” paintings of the club’s fishing pier.
In 2013, OCFC will conduct its 38th annual Boys and Girls Surf Fishing Tournament, which is co-sponsored by the city’s Department of Recreation. The 100th Anniversary Surf Fishing Tournament on October 17-19 will mark the 46th consecutive year that the club has held a fall surf tourney. And, for the sixth consecutive year, the club will award a $500 scholarship to an Ocean City High School graduating senior who plans to seek a career in such fields as biology, oceanography, environmental sciences or related fields.
When he’s in Ocean City, Keuerleber doesn’t have to travel far to cast a line into the surf. That’s because, in addition to having a residence in Hatboro, Pa., he and his wife Darlene own a unit at The Beaches condominium at 14th Street and Ocean Avenue, across the Boardwalk from the pier.
Known to club members by the abbreviated moniker of “Paul K,” the new president has been a club trustee for a total of 16 years. In addition, he has served as a vice president, club secretary, tournament coordinator, co-chair of the annual Hatteras (NC) Tournament, and chair of the Finance and House Committees.
Keuerleber is a member of the Ocean City Beach Buggy Association, the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club, and the Langhorne (PA) Rod and Gun Club. He has won numerous trophies and plaques in pier and surf fishing tournaments throughout New Jersey and North Carolina. From 1982 to 2006, Keuerleber owned a manufacturing company that made machine parts. He is still self-employed as a manufacturer’s representative on a part-time basis, and serves as treasurer of The Beaches Condo Association and CFO of Fat Kid Motor Sports, a repair shop specializing in race cars and drag motorcycles.
