© 2010 California Surf Museum SURFING LEGENDS - Duke Kahanamoku Commemorative Stamp August 2002 Duke stamp 03 This stamp honors Hawaiian swimmer, surfer and Olympic Games gold medalist Duke Kahanamoku, who was renowned not only for his athletic prowess but also for his grace, humility and good sportsmanship. The portrait on the stamp, an oil painting by Michael J. Deas, is based on a 1918 photograph from the collection of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. DUKE KAHANAMOKU FATHER OF SURFING To those who know of Duke Kahanamoku's fantastic athletic accomplishments, his charm, and his integrity, this pure Hawaiian symbolized all that is best in Hawai'i. To his friends he was a warm, simple man of great dignity and courage. He had a massive gentleness that comes only from an inner sureness of strength. The two-time Olympic swimming winner lived a life of excitement, tension, mind-boggling successes -- and heartbreak. He knew the disciplines and demands of being a competitive athlete and demonstrated the great heart it takes to be a world champion. At Duke's funeral, Hawai'i's revered and respected Reverend Abraham Akaka spoke with tear-filled eyes and a face twisted in sorrow: "Duke Kahanamoku represented the ali'i nobility in the highest and truest sense - concern for others, humility in victory, courage in adversity, good sportsmanship in defeat. He had a quality of life we are all challenged and inspired to emulate." Today, years after Duke's 1968 death, he remains the patron saint to surfers and swimmers throughout the world. His stature and fame have grown in quantum jumps since he was first crowned world's aquatic winner in the 1912 Olympiad by the King of Sweden and again, in the 1920 Olympic Games, by the King of Belgium. His magical feats filled the minds of cheering fans. Kahanamoku was wined, dined, and feted by royalty, celebrities, and sports aficionados wherever he went. Not until he lost to Johnny Weissmuller in the 1924 Paris Olympics was he uncrowned. He was then 34 and Weissmuller was 20. Original Painting by Glenn Gravett In the ensuing years he toured much of the world as ambassador-at-large for all of Hawai'i, demonstrating his swimming and surfing prowess. He served as Sheriff of Honolulu for 26 years and for decades officiated at major national and international surfing contests. Duke made some 30 movies opposed stars such as John Wayne, Ronald Coleman, Anita Stewart, Wallace Beery, George Brancoft, and others - mute testimony to the world's desire to see him in the water, on the water, and out of the water. Today, when TV and movies make surfing regular international fare, Duke's name is still known to spectators and participants thronging the beaches of California, Hawai'i, Australia, and elsewhere. If anything, DukebrosonbchDuke's fame has increased. He is in the Swimming Halls of Fame at both Honolulu and Fort Lauderdale. In 1984 Duke was inducted in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame with a lavish ceremony in Los Angeles. Along with his athletic accomplishments, it was Duke's character and personality that truly generated his golden image. To know Duke was a privilege. (excerpt from...DUKE... The Life story of Duke Kahanamoku by Joseph L. Brennan)