GALVESTON, Texas -

It was 66 degrees on a sunny February afternoon, and along the stretch of coast where the seawall ends abruptly, Ellis Pickett was walking and talking nonstop about stewardship of the Texas coast.

"I believe in standing up to the people who are trying to steal the beaches from the people of Texas," he said.

Pickett is a tall, lean man with brown hair tinged in silver. He wore bluejeans, a blue and white striped shirt, sunglasses, and well-worn boots.

The Galveston County Daily News reports he spoke plainly and persuasively in a pleasant native drawl about what's at stake for the state's beaches, then he stopped, lifted his face toward the sun and gazed out over the Gulf.

The tide was high and the sun was sparkling on the water.

"Look at this it's beautiful," Pickett said. "All I want is to be sure that there are safe, clean public beaches for my granddaughters to enjoy."

This particular spot, just beyond the seawall with its pink granite riprap, has special meaning to Pickett. It's where he first drove his 1956 GMC pickup truck onto the beach in 1964.

It's where he learned to surf on a 9-foot polyurethane surfboard rented for $5 a day.

"Back then, in Texas, you could get your driver's license when you were 14 years old; now that was a stupid law," he said.

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Texan has passion for protecting beaches, Gulf coastline