“Today’s Google Doodle honoree may be one of the coolest to date,” one online source said earlier today.

The Google Doodle referred to honors the legendary Duke Kahanamoku on what would have been his 125th birthday.

Google comments:

Today, on his 125th birthday, Matt Cruickshank recalls the legend of the “Ambassador of Aloha” with a Doodle of his iconic, 16-foot wooden surfboard and his warm, blithe smile. “Most importantly,” a reverent surfer remarks in a documentary about The Duke, “he was pure Hawaiian”.

Given the occasion, I collected a few of the photos of Duke that can be found strewn across the years of this site. Most of the photos came from my dad’s collection of surfing memorabilia.

The first photos are publicity shots for the Outrigger Canoe Club’s July 4, 1943 “Water Carnival”, an event later renamed the Walter J. MacFarlane Canoe Regatta. The event is still held every July 4 on Waikiki Beach. Standing, left to right, Duke Kahanamoku, beachboy Buddy Young, and Gene “Tarzan” Smith. I haven’t identified the women.

From the same collection:

Click on either photo to see others posted at the same time.

Then a photo from February 1949, in which Duke and other legendary figures honored another fallen beachboy, 54-year old Hiram Anahu. The photo is a gem.

In the lead, a group of legends in surfing, paddling, and ocean sports. Second from the left looks like it could be “Toots” Minville, founder of the Molokai-Oahu canoe race in 1952, or perhaps Hui Nalu’s John D. Kaupiko. I’m just comparing to available old photos and trying to make a “match”.

Joe Akana carries the urn in a folded American flag. In the background, 4th from left, legendary swimming and canoe coach George “Dad” Center. Then, of course, there’s Duke Kahanamoku. All barefooted, bare chested, and ready to go into the water, followed by women in long dresses and several other men, at least on in a suit and tie.

According to an article in Paradise of the Pacific Magazine at the time: “Anahu’s daughter, Mrs. Earl Fernandez, and her husband, were there. Members of the Waikiki Surf Club carried the lead canoe into the water. Music was by Splash Lyons’ group.”

Then a couple from 1959 during a visit to Hawaii by Miss and Mr. Australian Surf 1959, Jan Carmody and Colin McFarlane, who were friends of Duke.

When then-Advertiser sports writer, Red McQueen, heard that Duke had received a letter from the Australian pair about an island visit, accompanied by Australian model June Dally-Watkins, he typed out a newspaper column under the headline, “Paging John Lind.”

McQueen wrote:

Here’s the pitch: Duke’s Aussie friends thought it would be nice if a reception or some kind of exhibition, possibly for some charity, can be arranged during their stay.

Duke and yours truly readily agreed that your live-wire Waikiki Surf Club would be the logical organization to carry the ball.

And my dad, a co-founder and longtime president of the Waikiki Surf Club, was the guy who answered the call.

The next day, another McQueen column announced: “No sooner said than done.”

No sooner had The Advertiser hit the street yesterday with word that Miss and Mr. Australian Surf would pause here for four days on a world tour than the handsome WSC prexy had plans in motion to entertain the visitors and also show them in an exhibition….

Moving with the swiftness of a Makaha wave, Lind had a meeting with Duke Kahanaomku yesterday and if initial plans are carried out, the visitors from Down Under will have something to write home about.

And it seems that they did.

At the top, a photo of Kahanamoku with his Australian guests on the beach at Makapuu. The photo below was taken at a reception honoring the guests. Left to right, John Lind, Duke Kahanamoku, unknown woman, and George “Dad” Center.

Finally, I was there on Waikiki Beach on January 27, 1968, when thousands gathered to say farewell to Duke Kahanamoku in another traditional beachboy funeral.

This last photo shows a canoe of Waikiki Surf Club old timers leaving the beach to join the many other canoes offshore where Duke’s ashes were to be scattered. My dad is on the left, towards the front of the canoe, looking back towards the camera.

Click on the photo for more shots from the day of Duke’s funeral.