11/24/2023 0 Comments 2019 hawaiian tropic models“I knew that whatever I (made) I could sell myself and sell bottle by bottle,” Rice said. Plus, there was the pleasant smell and the customer belief that the oil actually came from Hawaii. We were growing like crazy.”īut what made people flock to this new product? Part of the answer, Rice said, is that he had the right idea at the right time. “I paid them big money to do that work because I needed them, and I needed it done quick,” Rice said. And when it came time to apply labels to bottles, 11-year-old kids became incredibly resourceful. He wasn’t qualified to make lotions but called upon someone who could. ![]() He rubbed his concoctions on beachgoers to get a feel for what worked best. He mixed oil in the can and came up with his own formulas - a little “A, B, C” with “X, Y, Z,” Rice said. His father always thought Rice would work for a corporation and taught him that the last four years of life would be his most productive and prosperous. The possibility of being drafted in the Vietnam War loomed over him after graduation in 1964. I was strictly trying to get my education and get that graduation certificate and get out and get moving.” … I didn’t have any dates in school, or very few at all. “I love Tennessee I love Knoxville,” he said. And I learned a lot being around him - watching him being taken advantage of by this, that and the other.”Īttending UT was an opportunity for Rice to build his own life. “His entire life and career was building buildings,” he said. He learned a lot from watching his father, a dedicated company man who didn't care so much about money, Rice said. “I would run around the mountain like you wouldn’t believe. He would mix mortar during the day to help build his dad’s dream home on top of the mountain. Growing up in Asheville, North Carolina, Rice could do only three things: hunt game for Sunday morning meals, play defensive end and build a house.īefore he made his way to the top, Rice climbed from his family’s home on the side of a mountain toward the peak carrying rocks. ![]() Keep scrolling for the original story documenting Rice's life, from "mountain boy" to beach tan tycoon. Obit: Notorious Hawaiian Tropic founder and UT grad Ron Rice dies at 81 “Tennessee gave me more credit than I was really worth,” he told Knox News in 2020. When you use a Hawaiian Tropic product, you want to look good and have fun at the same time.His life has been filled with fast cars, celebrity encounters and “so much money we were rolling in it.”īut before his fame and fortune, Rice was just a student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville looking to capitalize on a unique opportunity after flunking out of nearly every school he attended. ![]() It’s not always the contestant with the best-looking figure. “The winner always has a pretty face and a pretty smile. “Ron’s always had a clear vision of the pageant,” Berlin said. He used Jennifer Campbell’s belly button, Monica Buck’s hair, Theresa Blake’s face and Bridget Gurson’s legs and buttocks. He had four former contestants pose for parts of his and Rice’s “perfect woman” trophy. His creation – a nude, winged woman standing atop the world and holding the sun – was done in three months and is 19 inches tall and plated in 18-carat gold. This is the second-largest beauty pageant in the world.” He liked my ideas and we began exchanging sketches and designs. “I had an idea about what the trophy should represent, that it should be really special,” he said. ![]() He came up with the idea about three years ago after meeting Ron Rice, Hawaiian Tropic’s founder and owner, in Los Angeles. The trophy Wood received was designed by Berlin. His choice, Heidi Booras of Montana, was third runner-up. Among her prizes are her choice of either a Jeep Wrangler or Eagle Talon, a ski boat, several pieces of art, a one-carat diamond necklace, modeling opportunities with Hawaiian Tropic’s national ads, and international travel to Hawaiian Tropic promotions, including the Cannes Film Festival and the 24 hours of LeMans.īerlin said after the pageant he had picked Wood to finish second.
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