Dick Bacon
Male nudist from Wisconsin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dick Bacon (September 9, 1932 – August 18, 2000) was a nudist or naturist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who was known for outdoor tanning every day of the year. He worked at Pabst Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He sun tanned year-round at Milwaukee's Bradford Beach on Lake Michigan.[1] 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,[2] including in freezing weather. If the beach was covered in snow, Bacon would have a path cleared to his tanning spot.[3]
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.[2]
In addition to tanning at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, Bacon also tanned at the nude beach in Milwaukee, Paradise Beach which closed in 1993.[4] 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.[5]
When Bacon died, the Madison, Wisconsin State Journal deemed him a "Beach Legend".[6]
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.[7]
- In 1979 he and three other men were arrested for nudity on Paradise Beach.[8]
- In 1991, Bacon was arrested for appearing nude just north of Bradford Beach in Milwaukee.[7]
- In 1993, he was cited for indecent exposure in the vicinity of Paradise Beach in Milwaukee.[7]
Awards
1973 in Indiana, Bacon won the Mr. Nude America contest. One of the judges of the contest was a novelist, Erskine Caldwell.[9] The prize for winning the contest was $500.[10] 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.[2]