Duke

During his lifetime Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968) a full-blooded Hawaiian was known worldwide simply as The Duke. His name was synonymous with Hawai‘i. He is remembered today for his Olympic medals and as the Father of Modern Surfing. In 2002, the US Postal Service described him as the greatest aquatic athlete the world has ever seen. The thousands who place lei on his statue in Waikīkī honor him as Hawai‘i's legendary Ambassador of Aloha, for his strength of character and the Hawaiian ideals of humility and dignity he exemplified. In this moving tribute, filled with photographs, his story and Hawai‘i's are intertwined. Growing up at the famous Australian beach where Hawai‘i's Duke Kahanamoku taught Aussies in 1914 how to ride the waves, Sandra Hall heard stories from childhood about The Duke. Always adventurous she lived in Arizona for two decades, working at the Arizona Daily Star and as a community activist. She fortuitously arrived in Hawai‘i during Dukes centennial and statue unveiling and launched a new career as a freelance writer. She has written dozens of articles for newspapers and surfing magazines about Duke, surfing history and Himalayan adventure travel.