There are many people who work second jobs but few maintain double careers for most of their adult lives.  However what makes William “Bill” Ditchkus even more unique is the difference between the two professions that occupy a majority of his time between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Dr. Ditchkus can be found most weekdays at West Dover Family Dentistry on Route 37 West in Toms River where he is the owner and only practicing dentist.  In the summer he cuts his hours a bit and also spends every weekend as a Lieutenant in the Seaside Heights Beach Patrol.  Yes Dr. Ditchkus is also a lifeguard and this is his 51st consecutive summer helping protect swimmers at one of New Jersey’s busiest beaches.

An Island Heights native Bill began working the Seaside Heights beaches under the legendary Boyd Brothers in 1965 and spent much of his first 25 years sitting on a stand watching over the water.  Since 1990 he has worked in Beach Patrol headquarters (now located on Webster Avenue) as an officer and currently works under Chief Jay Boyd and Captain Rob Connor helping supervise the large number of lifeguards.

Once the summer is over Dr. Ditchkus devotes all his time to his dental practice. That is when he’s not working as a football official on the weekends.

Bill has worked high school and college games for many years and even reached the NFL when in 2001 he worked as a replacement official for a season-opening game between the Bills and Saints.

On an unrelated note congratulations to the Holbrook Little League All-Stars for winning the District 18 Tournament last night with a 15-5 rout of rival Jackson.

Jayden Toucher’s grand slam in the 4th inning ended the game via the ten-run rule and sends Holbrook into the Section 3 Tournament beginning this weekend in Freehold Township.

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