About Duke ‹ Duke Paoa Kahanmoku Duke Kahanamoku The Ambassador of Aloha Era 1934-1960 Elected Sheriff of City and County of Honolulu; re-elected 12 times 1937 Duke Kahanamoku branded aloha wear introduced by Branfleet Sportswear 1940 August 2, married Nadine Alexander 1949 Duke Kahanamoku aloha shirts manufactured by Cisco Casuals 1956 Official Territorial representative at Melbourne Olympics 1957 Featured on hugely popular TV show, Ralph Edwards’ “This is Your Life” 1960 When Hawaii became a State, the Sheriff position was abolished. He was appointed Ambassador of Aloha 1961 Duke Kahanamoku aloha shirts produced and sold by Kahala Sportswear, reflecting increased popularity of aloha attire.

Duke popularized leaving the shirt tail exposed in a relaxed way 1962 Duke Kahanamoku’s Restaurant/nightclub opened in Waikiki’s International Market Place featured famous entertainers, such as Don Ho & the Aliis 1963 Third visit to Australia to judge surf races 1964 Official representative at Tokyo Olympics 1965 Duke Kahanamoku Surf Team made up of Fred Hemmings, Butch Van Artsdale, Paul Strauch Jr., and Joey Cabell participated in the Huntington Beach Surf Contest 1965 Van Doren Shoe Co.

created the Duke Kahanamoku Surfers Collection 1965 First person inducted into both the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the International Surfing Hall of Fame 1965-1984 1965-1984 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Classic, nationally televised event on Oahu’s North Shore 1968 January 22, died in Honolulu; a traditional beachboy funeral returned him to the ocean 1969 Plaque and bust dedicated at Huntington Beach, California 1984 Inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame 1986 Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation established to inspire and encourage Hawaii’s student athletes 1990 Statue dedicated at Waikiki on Centennial of his birth 1994 Statue of Duke as young surfer unveiled by his widow at Freshwater, Sydney, Australia 1994 Biarritz, France Surf Festival named in his honor 1994 First name inscribed in the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame 1995 – 2009 Duke’s Restaurant opened at Waikiki, Kauai, Huntington Beach, Malibu,

 Maui 1999 Named “Surfer of the Century” by Surfer Magazine 1999 Malama Pono Ltd acquired and consolidated all Duke Kahanamoku trademark rights (for US, Japan and Australia ???) 2000 Duke Kahanamoku apparel collections introduced by Malama Pono 2001 Duke’s Oceanfest, an annual multi-day and multi-sport festival inaugurated at Waikiki to honor his legacy and honor his birth 2002 US Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor 2008 Vans introduced the Duke Kahanamoku Surfers Collection 2010 Malibu Shirts introduced Duke Kahanamoku Vintage Shirts Duke Kahanamoku Awards and Honors 1947 Installed as Noble of the Mystic Shrine 1949 Grand Marshal for Aloha Parade, Aloha Week 1952 American of the Week 1953 Member of the Territorial Pacific War Memorial (Pearl Harbor) Commission member 1955 Duke received his 32nd degree status in the Scottish Rite (Masons) 1956 Received the Order of the Splintered Paddle Award

 signed by Gov.

SW King 1956 Duke Kahanamoku Beach and Lagoon dedicated at Kalia 1961 Received Kamehameha Schools highest award, the Order of Ke Alii Pauahi 1962 Waikiki Yacht Club began the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Ocean Regatta 1963 Duke Kahanamoku Foundation – in 1986 merged with the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation 1964 Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex at University of Hawaii Manoa dedicated 1964 First Grand Marshal Merrie Monarch Festival, Hilo 1966 Awarded Outrigger Canoe Club’s Winged O Award 1966 Appointed Honorary District Commodore of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary 1979 Duke Kahanamoku Perpetual Trophy for Bill-fishing begun 1980 National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.

1985 Duke Kahanamoku Challenge Canoe Race begun to benefit Waikiki Community Center 1987 Duke Kahanamoku Paddleboard Race begun 1990 Duke Kahanamoku Way dedicated at Rockaway Beach, New York City 1996 Biarritz, France Surfing Festival named in his honor 1998 First inductee, the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame 1998 Duke Kahanamoku Surfboard Marker at Paoa Lane, Kalia, part of Waikiki Historic Trail 1998 US Water Polo Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Awards inaugurated 1999 Inducted in the Surfboard Builders’ Hall of Fame 2009 Kahanamoku Street dedicated in Waikiki, near his childhood home 2010 First inductee, ODKF’s Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame, on his 120th birthday 2010 Duke’s last boat, NADU-K2, donated to Waikiki Yacht Club by the late John M.

Lind 2011 Duke’s Day inaugurated by Freshwater Surf Lifesaving Club to honor Duke and the environment 2012 Duke Kahanamoku Beach has been named as the #2 beach in America Entries – Kahanamoku Duke – Encyclopedia Of Surfing This page dedicated to Surfing Heritage and Culture Center The long-celebrated father of modern surfing, from Honolulu, Hawaii; an Olympic gold medal swimmer and Hawaii's beloved ambassador to the world through much of the first half of the 20th century. Kahanamoku was a skilled wave-rider, but his real gift to surfing was the way he presented the sport as something that could be practiced with grace, humor, and generosity. "You know," he said in 1965, "there are so many waves coming in all the time, you don't have to worry about that. Take your time—wave come. Let the other guys go; catch another one." The sport's greatest shortcoming may be that surfers have for the most part failed to live up to the Kahanamoku ideal.

Kahanamoku was born (1890) and raised in Honolulu, a full-blooded Hawaiian, and the first-born son of a delivery clerk. Five male siblings followed; all were first-rate surfers, swimmers, and paddlers. Surfing, along with other native Hawaiian forms of recreation, had all but vanished at the time of Kahanamoku's birth, partly because the indigenous population had been decimated by a century's worth of Western-borne disease, and partly due to the work-not-play influence of homesteading Calvinist missionaries. By the time Kahanamoku was in school, however, agricultural and tourist interests had replaced the missionaries in setting the political and cultural tone in Hawaii, and surfing began to flourish in Waikiki. It soon became the romantic symbol of America's newest vacation destination. Kahanamoku, a high school dropout, was a natural at virtually all water-related activities—bodysurfing, board-surfing, diving, sailing, and outrigger canoe paddling—but he first came to prominence as a short-distance swimmer.

In the summer of 1911, at age 20, he broke the American 50-yard record by more than a second, and beat the 100-yard world record by more than four seconds. (Kahanamoku had earlier that year cofounded the Hui Nalu Club, the world's second surfing organization following the 1908-formed Outrigger Canoe Club.) In the 1912 Olympics, held in Stockholm, Sweden, the 6'1" 190-pound Duke used the already-famous "Kahanamoku Kick" to set another world record on his way to a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle; he also won a silver medal in the 200-meter freestyle relay. In the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium (World War I forced the cancellation of the 1916 Games), Kahanamoku won gold medals in both the 100-meter freestyle and the 400-meter freestyle relay; in the 1924 Olympics in Paris, the 34-year-old won a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle.

He was called the "human fish" and the "Bronzed Duke," and at age 42 Kahanamoku swam sprints as fast as when he was 21. In 1925, he made what the Honolulu Star-Bulletin described as a "superhuman rescue act," pulling eight fishermen out of heavy seas at Newport Beach, California. Kahanamoku was by then the world's best-known surfer. In 1910, when virtually all Waikiki surfers were riding near the beach on six- or seven-foot boards, he'd made himself a smooth-riding 10-footer that he could take further offshore to pick up bigger, longer waves. He rode for the most part in an elegant, straight-backed stance, but played to onlookers at times by standing on his head as he approached the beach.

In 1912, while returning from the Olympics, he brought surfing to the American East Coast, with exhibitions in New Jersey's Atlantic City; in late 1914 and early 1915, Kahanamoku introduced the Hawaiian form of surfing to Australia and New Zealand with demonstrations that attracted thousands; from 1915 to the early '30s, he helped popularize surfing in Southern California. It was Kahanamoku who inspired Wisconsin-born swimmer Tom Blake to move to California and learn how to surf; Blake later had a profound effect on the sport, inventing the surfboard fin, the hollow board, and surf photography. Kahanamoku was celebrated for decades as a swimming and surfing hero (one female admirer described him as "the most magnificent human male God ever put on the earth"), and socialized with Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, Babe Ruth, and other sports and entertainment giants. In 1957, Kahanamoku appeared on the popular NBC show This is Your Life. But he also knew financial and emotional hardship.

He was a quiet, guileless ninth-grade dropout who at various times in his life worked as a stevedore, surveyor, gas-station owner, and City Hall janitor. While traveling across America in 1912, the dark-skinned Kahanamoku was regularly denied service at restaurants and hotels. He was given small roles in Hollywood films from the '20s through the '50s, but always as an impassive foreigner—a Sioux chief or Turkish sultan or Hindu servant. Kahanamoku served as the largely ceremonial "Sheriff of Honolulu" from 1934 to 1960. Always, Kahanamoku sought and found solace in the ocean; Tom Blake later noted that "Duke attained his greatest surfing satisfactions and some of his greatest achievements as a rider after his 40th year." Surfing almost exclusively at Waikiki, he continued to ride into his late 60s, then sailed and swam into his mid-70s.

Although he never made a job of it, as did dozens of renowned Waikiki surfers in the first half of the 20th century, Kahanamoku has nonetheless been called the ultimate beachboy. After Honolulu disc jockey Kimo Wilder McVay became Kahanamoku's manager in 1961, the aging and dignified Hawaiian was suddenly the frontman for a small commercial empire that included Duke Kahanamoku's Restaurant, the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championships, and an array of Duke Kahanamoku signature merchandise, including floral-print tennis shoes, aloha shirts, surfboards, bellyboards, skateboards, ukuleles, and table glasses. Fred Hemmings, Joey Cabell, Paul Strauch and Butch van Artsdalen were among the memebers of the Duke Kahanamoku surf team. Kahanamoku died of a heart attack in 1968 at age 77. He was married, but had no children. Kahanamoku was the first inductee into the International Surfing Magazine Hall of Fame (in 1966), as well as the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame (1994).

From 1964 to 1972, the Duke Kahanamoku Award was given to the best all-around surfer at the annual United States Surfing Championships. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965 and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984. He's the only surfer to appear in portraiture on the covers of both Surfer and Surfing magazines; Surfer named him the "Surfer of the Century" in 1999. At Kuhio Beach in Waikiki, a 17-and-a-half- foot bronze statue of Kahanamoku standing in front of a surfboard was dedicated in 1990; a bronze statue of him surfing was unveiled at Sydney's Freshwater Beach in 1994 as the centerpiece of the Duke Kahanamoku Commemorative Park. The U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp honoring Kahanamoku in 2002. In 2013, The Inertia website named him the most influential surfer of all time.

In 2014, a photo of Kahanamoku was used in National Portrait Gallery's "American Cool" exhibit, along with images of Fred Astaire, Deberah Harry, Steve McQueen, Miles Davis, and others. Kahanamoku Biographies include Duke of Hawaii (1968), Duke Kahanamoku: Hawaii's Golden Man (1974), Duke: The Life Story of Duke Kahanamoku (1994), Memories of Duke: The Legend Comes to Life (1995), and Waterman: the Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku (2015). A small chain of Duke-themed restaurant/bars opened in Hawaii and California in the 1990s. Huna Wisdom - Duke Kahanamoku Duke Kahanamoku Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 - January 22, 1968) "The Big Kahuna" Duke Kahanamoku is generally regarded as the inventor of the modern sport of surfing. He was also an Olympic champion in swimming.

He was widely recognized as a "Kupuna" or "master teacher" of the type known as "Kumu O He'e Nalu" meaning "one who has mastered the art of riding the waves". This was anciently a name given to a class of kahuna priests who were legendary for their mastery of this skill. Because Duke was a strong man who surfed using a board that weighed more than most people could easily carry, he came to be known as "the big kahuna", a name that was popularized in the 1960's with the surfing movies starring Annette Funicello. The name "Duke" is not a title, but a given name. His father was named "Duke" in honor of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who was visiting Hawaii at the time of the elder man's birth in 1869. The younger "Duke", as eldest son, inherited the name. In his youth, Kahanamoku preferred an old-school board, which he called his "papa nui", constructed after the fashion of ancient Hawaiian "olo" boards.

Made from the wood of a koa tree, it was sixteen feet (4.8 m) long and weight 114 pounds (52 kg). The board was without a skeg, which had yet to be invented. In his later career, he would often use smaller boards, but always preferred those made of wood. On August 11, 1911, in an amateur swim meet, Kahanamoku was clocked at 55.4 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle, beating the existing world record by 4.6 seconds, in the salt water of Honolulu Harbor. He also broke the record in the 220 and equaled it in the 50, but the Amateur Athletic Union, in disbelief, would not recognize these feats until many years later. Nevertheless, Kahanamoku easily qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming team in 1912, breaking the record for the 200 meter freestyle in his trial heat for the 4�200 relay. He went on to win a gold medal in the 100 yard freestyle in Stockholm, and a silver with the relay team.

In Antwerp in 1920, he won gold medals both in the 100 (bettering fellow Hawaiian Pua Kealoha) and in the relay. He finished the 100 with a silver medal in Paris in 1924, the gold going to Johnny Weissmuller and the bronze to Duke's brother, Samuel Kahanamoku. Between Olympic competitions, and after retiring from the Olympics, Kahanamoku traveled to different places in the world, particularly Australia and the United States, to give swimming exhibitions. It was during this period that he popularized the sport of surfing, previously known only in Hawaii, by incorporating surfing exhibitions into these visits as well. During his time in southern California, Kahanamoku also performed in Hollywood as an extra and a character actor in several films. In this way, he made connections with people who could further publicity for the sport of surfing. Duke Kahanamoku was the first person to be inducted into both the Swimming Hall of Fame and the Surfing Hall of Fame. The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championships are named in his honor.

He served as sheriff of Honolulu, Hawaii from 1932 to 1961. Become A Member Here Duke - Mangrove Monkey Duke Home / Duke The name “Duke” is not a title, but a given name. His father was named “Duke” in honor of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who was visiting Hawaii at the time of the elder man’s birth in 1869. The younger “Duke”, as eldest son, inherited the name. In his youth, Kahanamoku preferred an old-school (traditional) surf board, which he called his “papa nui”, constructed after the fashion of ancient Hawaiian “olo” boards. Made from the wood of a koa tree, it was sixteen feet (4.8 m) long and weighed 114 pounds (52 kg). The board was without a skeg, which had yet to be invented. In his later career, he would often use smaller boards, but always preferred those made of wood.

On August 11, 1911, in an amateur swim meet, Kahanamoku was timed at 55.4 seconds in the 100 yard (91 m) freestyle, beating the existing world record by 4.6 seconds, in the salt water of Honolulu Harbor. He also broke the record in the 220 yd (201 m) and equaled it in the 50 yd (46 m), but the Amateur Athletic Union, in disbelief, would not recognize these feats until many years later. Nevertheless, Kahanamoku easily qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming team in 1912, breaking the record for the 200 meter freestyle in his trial heat for the 4*200 relay. He went on to win a gold medal in the 100 meter freestyle in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, and a silver with the relay team. During the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, he won gold medals both in the 100 meters, bettering fellow Hawaiian Pua Kealoha, and in the relay.

He finished the 100 meters with a silver medal during the 1924 Olympics in Paris, the gold going to Johnny Weissmuller and the bronze to Duke’s brother, Samuel Kahanamoku. Between Olympic competitions, and after retiring from the Olympics, Kahanamoku traveled to different places in the world, particularly Australia and the United States, to give swimming exhibitions. It was during this period that he popularized the sport of surfing, previously known only in Hawaii, by incorporating surfing exhibitions into these visits as well. His surfing exhibition at Sydney’s Freshwater Beach on December 23, 1914 is widely regarded as the most significant day in the development of surfing in Australia. The board Kahanamoku used is retained by the Freshwater Surf Club and can be viewed if the caretaker is approached respectfully. There is a statue of Kahanamoku on the headland at Freshwater. Duke was also known as the Father of Surfing. During his time living in Southern California, Kahanamoku also performed in Hollywood as an extra and a character actor in several films. In this way, he made connections with people who could further publicity for the sport of surfing.

Kahanamoku was also involved with the Los Angeles Athletic Club, acting as lifeguard and competing on both swimming and water polo teams. While living in Newport Beach, California on June 14, 1925, Kahanamoku rescued eight men from a fishing vessel that capsized in heavy surf while attempting to enter the city’s harbor. Twenty-nine fishermen went into the water and seventeen perished. Using his surfboard, he was able to make quick trips back and forth to shore to increase the number of sailors rescued. Two other surfers saved four more fishermen. Newport’s police chief at the time called Duke’s efforts “the most superhuman surfboard rescue act the world has ever seen.” Thus was born the tradition of lifeguards having rescue surfboards at the ready. Duke Kahanamoku was the first person to be inducted into both the Swimming Hall of Fame and the Surfing Hall of Fame. The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championships are named in his honor. He served as sheriff of Honolulu, Hawaii from 1932 to 1961. There is also a chain of restaurants named after him in California and Hawaii called Duke’s.

Duke Kahanamoku | Article about Duke Kahanamoku by The Free Dictionary Duke Kahanamoku | Article about Duke Kahanamoku by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Wikipedia . Kahanamoku, Duke, 1890–1968, American swimmer and surfer, b. Honolulu. A native Hawaiian, he was an excellent swimmer, surfer, and canoeist, and by 1911 he was setting Amateur Athletic Union swimming records, some of which were not recognized until years later. He won the gold medal in the 100-m freestyle and a silver medal in the freestyle relay at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic games, gold medals in both events in 1920 at Antwerp, and silver in the 100-m freestyle in 1924 at Paris. Kahanamoku also traveled widely, giving swimming and surfing demonstrations and popularizing the latter, which had been little known outside Hawaii. Kahanamoku moved to California in 1923 and appeared in movies, then returned to Hawaii, where he served as sheriff of Honolulu (1934–60).

Kahanamoku, Duke (Paoa) (1890–1968) swimmer, surfer; born in Hawaii. He revolutionized sprint swimming by introducing the flutter kick, and for 20 years was an international freestyle champion. A member of Olympic teams from 1912 to 1932, he won gold medals in 1912 and 1920. In addition, he is generally regarded as having introduced surfboarding (practiced for centuries by Pacific islanders) to the West, starting with Australia and California about 1912. After a brief movie career, he was sheriff of Honolulu (1932–61). Duke Kahanamoku facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Duke Kahanamoku COPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group Inc. Duke Kahanamoku Considered the father of modern surfing, Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968) developed the skills that would gain him international fame as an Olympic champion, swimmer, and surfer.

Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku was born into an old Hawaiian family and was one of the last full-blooded Hawaiians. His grandfather was a Hawaiian high chief. As the eldest of six sons, he was named Duke after his father, who had been born during a visit by the Duke of Edinburgh and had been named in his honor. Kahanamoku was raised in the Royal Palace, although his father was a policeman. Kahanamoku's father and uncle taught him how to swim when he was a small boy in the traditional Hawaiian way—by throwing him over the side of an outrigger canoe into the surf. He learned quickly and was fearless in the water. Growing up, Kahanamoku spent all his free time on the beach. As noted in Great Athletes, "he could swim as easily as walk." In his teens, he dropped out of high school to swim, surf, canoe, shape surfboards, and live on the beach. He and his friends were among the first to be called "beach boys." A tall, trim man, Kahanamoku was a leader among his peers. He never drank or smoked, rarely fought, and trained consistently.

Particularly interested in surfing, he had the biggest board of anyone. His 16-foot board weighed 114 pounds and was patterned after ancient Hawaiian designs. Around 1910, he persuaded others to try using longer surfboards; theirs were around eight or nine feet, while his was now a much shorter ten feet. To propel his long board smoothly through the surf required power. A scissor kick followed with a flutter kick gave him that power. His "Kahanamoku kick" would later be adopted by freestyle swimmers after he began shattering world swimming records. The "Human Fish" Kahanamoku developed a swimming style along with his famous kick that made him nearly unbeatable in the water, especially at long distances. He swam with his head out of the water and achieved maximum push with each stroke. His brother boasted to Malcolm Gault-Williams, writing for Legendary Surfers, that "when he swam, his Kahanamoku kick was so powerful that his body actually rose up out of the water, like a speed boat with its prow up." His large hands and feet probably helped him too.

It was also noted in Legendary Surfers that Kahanamoku "had fins for feet." In 1911, William T. Rawlins, who would later become Kahanamoku's first coach, timed him in a 100-yard sprint at the beach off Diamond Head. Impressed, Rawlins encouraged him to enter the first sanctioned Hawaiian Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) swimming and diving championship. In his first race, on a course across Honolulu Harbor, he shaved 4.6 seconds off the 100-yard freestyle world record. Despite the race being officiated by five certified judges and the course being measured four times, including once by a professional surveyor, AAU officials questioned the unbelievable result and would not recognize it. They even asked if an alarm clock had been used as the stopwatch. Later they would retract that position. Local fans knew that if Kahanamoku went to the mainland and swam competitively, he would prove the judges wrong. His friends raised the money for him to go to the United States and compete in the Olympic trials.

He beat records in the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard freestyle and won a spot on the 1912 U.S. Olympic team. New fans called him "The Human Fish" and "The Swimming Duke," labels that were especially appropriate since, according to the New York Times, he would "at one time [hold] every freestyle record up to a half-mile." Olympic Champion Kahanamoku was 21-years-old when he participated in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. He won his first gold medal and set a world record twice in the 100-meter freestyle race. He also brought home a silver medal as a participant in the 200-meter relay. The accomplishments of Kahanamoku and outstanding all-around athlete Jim Thorpe caught the attention of King Gustaf, who presented them their medals and Olympic wreaths on the Royal Victory Stand. There was no Olympiad in 1916 because of World War I. During this time, Kahanamoku trained American Red Cross volunteers in water lifesaving techniques and toured the nation with other American aquatic champions to raise funds for the Red Cross.

At the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, Kahanamoku equaled his own world record in the semifinals, then set a new record in the final of the 100-meter freestyle on his 30th birthday. He had to swim twice to win the gold medal, because the Australian swimmer claimed he had been fouled. The outcome of the second race was the same, a victory for Kahanamoku. As the 34-year-old defending champion, Kahanamoku came in second in the 100-meter freestyle after Johnny Weissmuller (the first Hollywood Tarzan) at the 1924 Paris Olympiad. According to Legendary Surfers, he would joke in later life that "it took Tarzan to beat me." Though he was on the 1928 Olympic team, he did not win a medal. He participated in the Olympics for the last time in 1932 in Los Angeles. He won a bronze medal as an alternate on the water polo team. As reported in the New York Times, Kahanamoku commented, "I was 42 then.

You begin to slow down a little when you get around 40. That's why I switched to water polo." Kahanamoku continued to swim and enjoy water sports. He never formally trained anyone, but he often gave advice to young swimmers on how to improve their style. Father of Surfing Following the Olympics, Kahanamoku cast about for something to do. He read water meters, worked in a drafting office, and did surveying. None of these occupations measured up to his stature as an Olympic gold medalist. He began accepting invitations to exhibitions and swimming meets throughout the United States and Europe, and eventually New Zealand and Australia. Wherever he went, he would demonstrate surfing as well as swimming. Thereby, he became an unofficial ambassador for Hawaii and for surfing. According to Kings of the Surf, Kahanamoku was "the first to exhibit tandem surfing and the first to demonstrate wake surfing." His long board surfing was recorded on newsreels. In 1915, Kahanamoku introduced board surfing to Australia. He had brought no board with him from Hawaii, so he constructed one there from sugar pine. The concave design of this board gave it greater stability in the rough surf.

On January 15, he rode the board for three hours at Freshwater beach, while demonstrating various tricks. Before the demonstration, the lifeguards had tried to convince him not to surf in the shark-infested waters. Afterward they asked him if he had seen any sharks. As related in Legendary Surfers, Duke said, "Yeah, I saw plenty." When asked if the sharks had bothered him, his response was "No, and I didn't bother them." He showed the Australians how to build boards before he left. Some of the surf rides Kahanamoku took are legendary. Perhaps his most famous occurred in 1917, on a monster wave generated by the aftermath of an earthquake in Japan. The sight of the wave caused many people to run for shelter. Kahanamoku propelled his surfboard to catch the wave, despite its apparent danger. According to Legendary Surfers, he later related: "Sliding left along the watery monster's face, I didn't know I was at the beginning of a ride that would become a celebrated and memoried thing.

All I knew was that I had come to grips with the tallest, bulkiest, fastest wave I had ever seen." Though legend has lengthened the ride to many more miles, he rode the wave for more than a mile as it cut across several beaches. In 1925, Kahanamoku demonstrated another use for the surfboard—as a lifesaving device. He and a party of actors and actresses were camped on a beach when a yacht capsized off Newport Beach, California. Grabbing his surfboard, Kahanamoku took off into the wild surf. Of the 12 passengers rescued from the yacht, he was able to rescue eight. Kahanamoku was instrumental in the development and manufacture of the giant hollow surfboards of the 1920s and 1930s and their adaptation to lifesaving work. His book, World of Surfing, written with Joe Brennan, was published in 1968. Movie Roles Hollywood took notice of Kahanamoku when he gave surfing demonstrations in southern California after the 1912 Olympics. Soon afterward, he began a career as a Hollywood extra and supporting actor.

He made more than 30 motion pictures, both silent films and "talkies." The films he appeared in included Adventure and Lord Jim (1925), Old Ironsides (1926), Isle of Sunken Gold (1927), Woman Wise (1928), The Rescue (1929), Girl of the Port and Isle of Escape (1930), Gone With the Wind (1939), Wake of the Red Witch (1948), and Mr. Roberts (1955). He played opposite John Wayne and many other stars. Of his movie roles, Kahanamoku once said: "I played chiefs—Polynesian chiefs, Aztec chiefs, Indian chiefs, all kinds of chiefs." He also was cast as a Hindu thief and an Arab prince. Rodney D. Keller noted in Great Athletes that Kahanamoku "was physically well qualified for these chief roles because he was 6 feet 3 inches tall and had a majestic bearing and posture." Ambassador of Hawaii For a short time, after his early years in Hollywood, Kahanamoku operated two Union Oil Company gas stations.

In 1932, he ran unopposed for sheriff of the City and County of Honolulu as a Democrat. Several years later, he switched to the Republican Party, but his political popularity remained undiminished. As sheriff, he acted as an unofficial greeter for the island. When he left his sheriff's post in 1961, Kahanamoku was paid to greet film stars, politicians, and royalty. As noted on the "Planet-Hawaii" website, the Duke Kahanamoku Foundation was founded in 1963 "to assist young people in [Duke's] areas of interest—water sports, police work, and international relations." In his last years, he also was involved in water sports endorsements, contests, and a restaurant. In the 19th century, King Kamehameha prophesized that Hawaii would one day be overrun by white men. Before that happened, one Hawaiian man would bring fame to the islands. To many in his generation, Kahanamoku was that man. He died of a heart attack in Honolulu on January 22, 1968. His ashes were placed in the sea, from which he believed he had come.

Further Reading The Big Book of Halls of Fame in the United States and Canada, edited by Paul Soderberg and Helen Washington, Bowker, 1977. Great Athletes, Salem Press, 1992. Olney, Ross R. and Richard W. Graham, Kings of the Surf, G.P.Putnam's Sons, 1969. Truitt, Evelyn Mack, Who Was Who on Screen, Bowker, 1983. Wallechinsky, David, The Complete Book of the Olympics, Penguin, 1984. New York Times, January 23, 1968. "Duke Kahanamoku, Father of Surfing," Watermen, Surf Culture website, (October 27, 1999). "Legendary Surfer Duke Paoa Kahanamoku," Legendary Surfers, Volume 1, Chapter 5, (October 27, 1999). "Memories of Duke," Planet Hawaii … website (October 17, 1999). "The Outrigger Duke Kahanmoku Foundation," Planet Hawaii … website (October 17, 1999).

□ Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA Diversity before Diversity: Duke Kahanamoku | VDARE - premier news outlet for patriotic immigration reform Diversity before Diversity: Duke Kahanamoku > July 6, 2012, 5:19 pm A+ | a- Warning Oops! Please log in to use this feature. Exactly a century ago, Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968) became a celebrated Olympic swimmer and the single most important individual ever in surfing. From a history of surfing : In 1912, Hawaiian beach boy Duke Paoa Kahanamoku was already famous as a surfer and swimmer. He was credited with developing the flutter kick to replace the scissor kick in freestyle swimming [he may have picked it up from visiting Australians] and was the three-time world record holder in the 100-meter freestyle. As a surfer, Duke was one of Hawai`i`s best ocean watermen, a beach boy and one of the founders of the Hui Nalu Club.

Duke was a fine figure of a Polynesian, slim and muscular and built for speed, blessed with extraordinarily long hands and feet. In 1912, Duke passed through southern California en route to the summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. His surfing demonstrations at Corona del Mar and Santa Monica caused a sensation much greater than Freeth`s. Duke became world famous by winning an Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle in Stockholm and again in Antwerp in 1920. Touted as the fastest swimmer alive, Duke was on the road constantly, giving swimming exhibitions around Europe, the United States and the world. He also became a favorite of Hollywood casting directors, playing Aztec chiefs, Hindu thiefs and Arab princes. On weekends he would take his Hollywood friends surfing, and everywhere he could, Duke used his fame to introduce the world to the sport of surfing. Most notably, he galvanized Australia with a visit in 1914, launching that country`s great tradition of surfing. Other trivia: He won a silver medal at his third Olympics in 1924, losing to Johnny Weismuller (who went on to play Tarzan), while his brother won bronze.

Then he played on the U.S. water polo team at the 1932 L.A. Olympics. His 1925 rescue using his surfboard of eight drowning men from a ship sinking off Newport Beach, CA was big news nationally. “Duke” was his given name, not his feudal title, although his parents were from well-known (but not royal) Native Hawaiian families. One of the points I`m trying to make with this Diversity Before Diversity series is that when thinking about the past, we shouldn`t project how African-Americans were treated to other minorities. It`s not accurate, and it`s not fair to blacks. Here are some Long Beach, CA newspaper accounts from 99 years ago, which I doubt would have been written in the same tone about a black sportsman: 1913 July 11.

Long Beach Press HAWAIIAN SWIMMER IS GUEST OF CITY Duke Kahanamoku, the wonderful Hawaiian swimmer, who equaled the world`s record for swimming fifty yards at the Los Angeles Athletic Club last night enjoyed luncheon at the Hotel Virginia, spent the day in Long Beach and was shown about the city by Lorne Middough and other members of the Poly High Water Polo team. … He is a remarkable athlete and called forth the admiration of a large audience when he tied the world`s fifty-yard mark last night. 1913 July 12. Daily Telegram LOCAL BOY RACES HAWAIIAN CHAMP The great Hawaiian swimmer and six members of the Hawaiian team spent several hours in Long Beach yesterday. They came upon the invitation of Pete Lenz. They couldn`t resist the surf and the Duke gave a thrilling exhibition of surfboard riding. Thousands of people enjoyed watching him. Many people here have expressed a wish that the Bath House company would present frequent surfboard riding exhibitions such as was offered yesterday. It is believed they would prove a big card. 1913 January 29.

Long Beach Press HAWAIIAN SWIMMER BATTLES WITH BIG EEL As a result of a battle to the death with a ten-foot eel, the largest ever seen here. Duke Kahanamoku, who won the world`s championship at Stockholm, is today minus the index finger on his right hand and his swimming prowess may be permanently impaired. The swimmer encountered the eel while practicing for the Australian swimming championships off here, and after a fight lasting several minutes, choked it to death. He was exhausted when he reached the shore, with the eel`s body in tow. I suspect, now that I think about it, that Kahanamoku played a role in the slow change in racial attitudes in Southern California, which became more Hawaiian over the course of the 20th Century. Northeastern Yankee adventurers had married into Hawaiian aristocratic families, which created a ruling class that was part mixed race.

(For example, George Clooney`s character in The Descendants is 1/32nd Hawaiian.) To water-oriented young Southern California fellows like the Poly High water polo team, Kahanamoku — swimmer, surfer, and eel-battler extraordinaire — must have seemed like the coolest guy in the whole world. (What did California proto-surfers in 1913 say instead of “the coolest?” The keenest? The 23-Skidooest?) By the way, a key figure in the revival of the old Hawaiian sport, who paved the way for Kahanamoku`s exhibitions, was the great writer Jack London (Call of the Wild). London wrote extensively about surfing from 1907 to 1911 (here`s an extract ), creating global excitement. Mark Twain had tried surfing in Hawaii decades before, but immediately wiped out. His short description of the sport in Roughing It did not generate much intrigue, although this picture from the first edition of Twain`s book has a fairly contemporary-sounding caption: In one place we came upon a large company of naked natives, of both sexes and all ages, amusing themselves with the national pastime of surf- bathing.

Each heathen would paddle three or four hundred yards out to sea (taking a short board with him), then face the shore and wait for a particularly prodigious billow to come along; at the right moment he would fling his board upon its foamy crest and himself upon the board, and here he would come whizzing by like a bombshell! It did not seem that a lightning express-train could shoot along at a more hair-lifting speed. I tried surf-bathing once, subsequently, but made a failure of it. I got the board placed right, and at the right moment, too; but missed the connection myself. The board struck the shore in three-quarters of a second, without any cargo, and I struck the bottom about the same time, with a couple of barrels of water in me. None but natives ever master the art of surf-bathing thoroughly. Aloha and Welcome to Waikiki.com : Duke Kahanamoku Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 � January 22, 1968), was born in Hawaii on August 24, 1890.

He is generally regarded as the father of modern surfing, Olympic champion and legendary waterman. The name "Duke" is not a title, but a given name. He was named after his father, Halapu Kahanamoku, who was christened "Duke" by Bernice Pauahi Bishop in honor of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who was visiting Hawaii at the time of the elder man's birth in 1869. The younger "Duke," as eldest son, inherited the name. Growing up on the outskirts of Waikiki (near the present site of the Hilton Hawaiian Village ), Kahanamoku spent his youth as a bronzed beach boy. It was at Waikiki Beach where he developed his surfing and swimming skills. Duke along with his teenage surfer friends formed one of the first surf clubs known as Hui Nalu or 'Club Of The Waves'. They were also known as the 'Beach Boys of Waikiki'. At that time in Hawaii the missionaries had stamped out all native traditions, through fear of the unknown, surfing or wave-sliding as it was known at the time was one of these. Duke and his friends are credited with the rebirth of surfing in Hawaii.

In his youth, Kahanamoku preferred an old-school (traditional) surf board, which he called his "papa nui", constructed after the fashion of ancient Hawaiian "olo" boards. Made from the wood of a koa tree, it was sixteen feet (4.8 m) long and weighed 114 pounds (52 kg). The board was without a skeg, which had yet to be invented. In his later career, he would often use smaller boards, but always preferred those made of wood. On August 11, 1911, in an amateur swim meet, Kahanamoku was timed at 55.4 seconds in the 100 yard (91 m) freestyle, beating the existing world record by 4.6 seconds, in the salt water of Honolulu Harbor. He also broke the record in the 220 yd (201 m) and equaled it in the 50 yd (46 m), but the Amateur Athletic Union, in disbelief, would not recognize these feats until many years later.

They initially claimed that the judges must have been using alarm clocks rather than stopwatches, and later claimed that ocean currents aided Kahanamoku. Kahanamoku easily qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming team in 1912, breaking the record for the 200 meter freestyle in his trial heat for the 4x200 relay. He went on to win a gold medal in the 100 meter freestyle in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, and a silver with the relay team, catapulting him into international stardom. Eight years later he repeated this, during the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, he won gold medals both in the 100 meters, bettering fellow Hawaiian Pua Kealoha, and in the relay. He finished the 100 meters with a silver medal during the 1924 Olympics in Paris, the gold going to Johnny Weissmuller and the bronze to Duke's brother, Samuel Kahanamoku. He also showed up on the U.S. Water Polo team at the 1932 Summer Olympics. All told, Duke won three gold and two silver medals in four Olympic games.

Between Olympic competitions, and after retiring from the Olympics, Kahanamoku traveled internationally, particularly Australia and the United States, to give swimming exhibitions. It was during this period that he popularized the sport of surfing, previously known only in Hawaii, by incorporating surfing exhibitions into these visits as well. His surfing exhibition at Sydney's Freshwater Beach on December 23, 1914 is widely regarded as the most significant day in the development of surfing in Australia. The board Kahanamoku used is retained by the Freshwater Surf Club and can be viewed if the caretaker is approached respectfully. There is a statue of Kahanamoku on the headland at Freshwater. He also made surfing popular in mainland America first in Santa Cruz, California. This is where surfing first started in California. During his time living in Southern California, Kahanamoku also performed in Hollywood as an extra and a character actor in several films, in which he usually played a native chief or a Hawaiian king. In this way, he made connections with people who could further publicity for the sport of surfing. Kahanamoku was also involved with the Los Angeles Athletic Club, acting as lifeguard and competing on both swimming and water polo teams.

While living in Newport Beach, California on June 14, 1925, Kahanamoku rescued eight men from a fishing vessel that capsized in heavy surf while attempting to enter the city's harbor. Twenty-nine fishermen went into the water and seventeen perished. Using his surfboard, he was able to make quick trips back and forth to shore to increase the number of sailors rescued. Two other surfers saved four more fishermen. Newport's police chief at the time called Duke's efforts "the most superhuman surfboard rescue act the world has ever seen." Thus was born the tradition of lifeguards having rescue surfboards at the ready. In 1940, he married the love of his life, Nadine Alexander. She accompanied him when he traveled all over the world. He also served as sheriff of Honolulu, Hawaii from 1932 to 1961, serving 13 consecutive terms. Hawaii music promoter Kimo Wilder McVay capitalized on Duke's popularity by naming his Waikiki showroom Duke Kahanamoku's, and giving Duke a piece of the financial action in exchange for the use of his name.

Duke's was a major Waikiki showroom in the 1960s and is best remembered as the home of Don Ho & The Aliis from 1964 through 1969. Duke's name is currently being used by another business establishment, Duke's Canoe Club & Barefoot Bar, a beachfront bar and restaurant in the Outrigger Waikiki On The Beach Hotel. The decor includes many poster-size photos of Duke � with his brothers in Waikiki, and on his travels in other parts of the world. There is a chain of restaurants named after him in California and Hawaii called Duke's. A monument at Waikiki beach in Honolulu also honors his memory. It shows Duke Kahanamoku standing in front of his surfboard with his arms outstretched. Many honor him by placing leis on his statue. Do not miss visiting this Waikiki landmark! In 2002, Kahanamoku was featured on a first class letter rate postage stamp of the United States Postal Service. Pictured on a USA 37� commemorative postage stamp issued 24 August 2002 (112th anniversary of his birth).

He was elected to the International Swimming Hall of Fame & Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1965. Duke Kahanamoku was the first person to be inducted into both the Swimming Hall of Fame and the Surfing Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984. The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championships are named in his honor. The Duke died aged 78 and to this day remains a symbol of Hawaii, one of the greatest surfers and most important men in surfing history. "The father of modern surfing," was Hawaii's first ambassador of goodwill.

Question: Duke Kahanamoku, who won Olympic gold in Swimming (100 m freestyle) in 1912 at Stockholm and 1920 at Antwerp popularised what sport?
Answer: Surfing