Oscar van der Kirk (b. c.a. 1911) was a Stanford graduate, a California native, surfer and social dropout in living in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1941. His family had sent him to the islands as a graduation present. There, van der Kirk had fallen in love with surfing. He soon became very skilled at it, and earned a living teaching tourists. Some months into 1942, van der Kirk crossed paths with Higgins again. They took their relationship back up, although on far more friendly terms this time. Eventually, the relationship blossomed into a more substantive and loving one.