Hubert “Sprad” Spradling, who was an Orange cultural icon as a founder of an acrobatic water skiing team in the 1950s, has died. He was a few weeks short of his 88th birthday.
He also was a boat dealer for decades and owned Sprad’s Boat Town on MacArthur Drive along Adams Bayou.
He and the late Charles Webb made wooden water skis in 1950 after seeing a design in the magazine Popular Mechanics. They not only built themselves skis, they taught themselves how to ski.
They formed the Aqua Demons and Debs ski group that performed daredevil acts. Their shows drew hundreds of people lining the Sabine River banks in downtown to watch the performances. A ski jump for many years was permanently in the river by the old Jack Tar Hotel (now the Riverfront Pavilion).
Spradling’s wife, Margaret, was part of the original group. She passed away in 2016. They had been married 66 years. Margaret even skied when she was pregnant. The couple had three children.
When Webb married, his wife Joette became a member. The women often did balletic moves and would stand on the men’s shoulders in a pyramid.
In a 2009 interview, Spradling recalled skiing from Orange to Galveston in 1956. The Webbs, the Spradlings and Lee Roy Boehme Jr. made the 100 mile trip in less than four hours.
Spradling recalled that during skiing, their arms got tired holding the tow ropes, plus their feet fell asleep and they got thirsty. For the trip to Galveston, they rigged belts for their waists to hold the tow lines, so their arms could rest. They made the ski foot holds big enough so they could wear tennis shoes. A second boat had people to pass them water.
Spradling and Webb worked at DuPont Sabine River Works in those days. Spradling said in 2009 that he would take his two weeks of vacation and the family would go to Cypress Gardens in Florida. He and Margaret performed in the famous ski shows there. She was dubbed “Little Esther” because of her resemblance to the movie star and swimmer Esther Williams.
Spradling started a boat company and became a full-time dealerwith Sprad’s Boat Town. His first location was so successful he built a new on MacArthur Drive along Adams Bayou where customers could take a new boat for a test drive.
He is survived by two daughters and a granddaughter. A funeral service is planned for Saturday, April 28, at Claybar Funeral Home.
-Margaret Toal, KOGT-
Will miss you laugh, your smile, and your stories. Rest in Heaven and ski the billowing clouds.
I worked for Sprad in the mid 70’s, was a great place to work and started a life kind love for boating
My son also worked for Sprad in th 90’s and on Sprads 70th Birthday he wanted my son to bring him skiing to show my son he could still ski at the age of 70
Lots of great memory’s thanks Sprad
Sprad worked for me at DuPont. I remember he told me that he paid the manager of his boat shop more than he made at DuPont.