Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 12, 1 December 1987 — Huntington Beach Reveres Hawaiian [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Huntington Beach Reveres Hawaiian

By Kenny Haina, Editor Ka Wai Ola o OHA A respected and revered Hawaiian figure occupies a prominent and sometimes lonely position at the entrance to a popular Southern California surfing beach.

While he oftentimes goes unnoticed as people make their way to the Huntington Beach pier, Duke Kahanamoku is sure to be seen when the crowd leaves the pier or the nearby Maxwell's Restaurant. Kahanamoku, Hawaii's gift to surfing, swimming and the 01ympic Games, is held in high esteem by the citizens of this Southern California beach city as a "ehampion of ehampion surfers." For his "great contribution to the sport of surfing," the citizens of Huntington Beach erected a bronze bust of this native Hawaiian ehampion surfer and swimmer. This handsome pieee of art rests on a stone pedestal overlooking the pier and the Pacific Oeean. It shows him with an open collared shirt wearing a plumeria lei. Beneath it is a plaque bearing the inscription:

"Duke Kahanamoku, 01ympic swimmer, public servant, goodwill ambassador of the State of Hawaii, and considered by many to be the father of the United States surfing movement. In the early 20s, the Duke surfed under this very pier; some 50 years later, he returned to this community to help promote the United States surfboard championships. For five consecutive years, until his death, the championships were dedicated in honor of this man's great contributions to the sport of surfing. The citizens of Huntington Beach have erected this monument as a tribute to the ehampion of ehampion surfers. "The image he created, the principles of fair play and

good sportsmanship he advocated should be preserved for all time. Although mortal man has lost this rare human being, he will always be remembered for his long Aloha." Kahanamoku, who also had a long career as sheriff for the City and County of Honolulu, was born in 1890 and died in 1968.

Duke Paoa Kahanamoku