Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Books | September/October 2002

Adventures in Dining
By Bob Dye

Embodiment of Athleticism and Aloha

Reissued to coincide with the release of the Duke Kahanamoku commemorative postage stamp, Memories of Duke: The Legend Comes to Life salutes Hawai'i's most beloved athlete

Having a copy of Memories of Duke: The Legend Comes to Life is the next best thing to owning an adoring wife's scrapbook of highlights and light moments from the life of
Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, Hawai'i's most renowned athlete.

The reader meets Duke through newspaper clippings, anecdotes told by friends and acquaintances, and reminiscences from his wife, Nadine. But it is the collection of more than 130 photographs that is most revealing of
the great Olympic swimmer, "father" of modern surfing, Hollywood actor and Honolulu sheriff.

The photos take us from Duke's 1912 Olympic gold medal victory in Stockholm to the golden years of celebrity, and the scattering of his ashes off Waikiki Beach on Jan. 27, 1968. Viewer-friendly for lovers of old photographs, the format of the book is large-9 inches by 12 inches.

In 1934, Duke was elected sheriff of Honolulu as a Democrat. In 1940, he switched to the Republican Party and won re-election, serving until 1960, when that office was abolished. In most elections, he was unopposed.

So beloved was he that inhabitants of the prison crafted him an ornate desk. The desk, which was later used by Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi, was returned to Nadine in 1980.

As the friendliest sheriff in the country, Duke greeted the celebrities who visited the Islands. His official duties were broadly interpreted to allow Duke to be Duke.

The reissue of this 160-page paperback volume by Sandra Kimberley Hall and Greg Ambrose was timed to coincide with the issuance of the long-awaited Duke Kahanamoku commemorative U.S. postage stamp in August. The book was originally released in 1995.

Ambrose, also author of Surfer's Guide to Hawai'i, writes: "Working on this book has been a rare treat, to travel back in time with people who were fortunate to ride the waves with Duke, people who walked and talked with the man who more than anyone embodies aloha and what it means to be Hawaiian."

Memories of Duke: The Legend Comes to Life by Sandra Kimberley Hall and Greg Ambrose; foreword by Nadine Kahanamoku; designed by Bryant Fukutomi. The Bess Press, Honolulu, 2002. $9.95.

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