1930s Waikiki Beach Boys

BEACH BOYS OF WAIKIKI, circa 1930s


Every once in a while, I am surprised by a goodie. Sometimes it's in my research when something obviously significant is first learned. Other times, it might be when I connect two previously unconnected dots to gain further insight into the progression of surfing. Often times, the goodie comes in the form of an email message from someone I've never communicated with before, but which leads to a wealth of information.

A recent goodie came in email form from Karen Cotter, with the assistance of her sister Emily Fradkin. The two sisters had an aunt named Emily Campbell Kauha Davis (1896-1987). A school teacher at 20, Emily sailed away to Honolulu at age 22 to the horror of her parents. She settled in with delight, taught school, and soon after met and married Waikiki beach boy and later captain of the Waikiki lifeguards, John Kauha. After over a decade together, Emily lost John Kauha to cancer in 1939.

"Anyway," wrote Karen Cotter, "from amongst my aunt's books I acquired two old poetry books by Don Blanding, published in 1923 and 1925 respectively, and in the back of one, written in pencil, is a list of "Beach Boys of Waikiki" in my aunt's hand which I thought you might find of interest..."

The listing -- by no means complete, but still the largest list of 1930s Waikiki Beach Boys I have seen anywhere -- is as follows, in the order it was written:


Pua Kealoha
Davd Kahanamoku
Louis Kahanamoku
Sergent Kahanamoku
William Kahanamoku (whom Emily referred elsewhere as "Billy")
Sam Kahanamoku
John Napahu
John D. Kaupiko (who was married to Emily's best friend, Helen)
John Kauha
Hiram Anahu
William Keawemaha (nicknamed "Tough Bill")
"Steamboat" Keawemaha
Paul Tsang
John Liu
Chick Daniel
Jeremiah Lima
Joseph Guerrero
Tony Guererrero
George Harris
Ilima
Abe Umiamaka
Louis Rutherford
Enay MacKinney [see comment by DeSoto Brown]


"For many years," Emily's niece Karen wrote, "my aunt wrote a newsy column in the Honolulu Advertiser in the '30s and '40s called 'Beachwalk Girl.' She often sent my mother columns which she thought my mother would enjoy - not all the columns for sure as I believe they were a daily item - perhaps only weekly, but we have a fat scrapbook full of the daily happenings in the neighborhood. My aunt lived on Seaside Avenue and Kuhio so was in the middle of the action!

"... perhaps the list will be of some use in your ongoing research."

Thank you, Karen and Emily.

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For those of you reading this who may have corrections on the names, more to add, etc., I would very much appreciate hearing from you. Please leave your comments.

DUKE Footage

The only footage I've ever seen with Duke surfing. Kudos to NeoN for the heads-up:

Hawai'i Tourist Video Late 1950s

It was before polyurethane boards caught on. Hawai'i was attracting tourists...

"Hawai'i Calls"

"Hawaii Calls, Inc. traces its origin to July 3, 1935 when the first Hawaii Calls radio program was broadcast from the Moana Hotel on the beach at Waikiki. Hawaii Calls, created and hosted by Island radio pioneer Webley Edwards, successfully showcased top Hawaiian music and artists. In its heyday, the show was heard on over 600 radio stations in North America and scores of other stations in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, South America, Africa, and on Armed Forces Radio throughout the world..."

Thanks to the Internet, you can travel not only to another place on the planet, but also another space in time...



(Image courtesy of www.hawaiian-music.com)


Much Mahalos to Gary Lynch for giving me the heads-up on this site...

"The Cruise of The Snark"

Some of the earliest writings about "The Revival" period of surfing (1988-1910) were done at the hands of the great American novelist Jack London.

In "The Cruise of The Snark," London writes of his travels in Polynesia, his attempt at learning to surf under the guidance of Alexander Hume Ford, and of Twentieth Century's first surfing great, George Freeth.

Recently, I discovered the book is free, as a download from Project Gutenberg (please consider donating to the project - There are many more titles available). Please go to:

"The Cruise of The Snark"

It can also be purchased via Amazon for a little over $10 USD:

Bobby Ah Choy (continued)

[ Excerpt of: "Beachboy Ah Choy returning to waters he loved," By Catherine E. Toth, Honolulu Advertiser, June 6, 2007 ]


WAIKIKI — When Waikiki beachboy Robert "Bobby" Ah Choy was diagnosed with liver cancer in October 2006, he was told he had a month to live.

But he wasn't about to let someone dictate the length of his life.

It didn't take long for Ah Choy to get back on the beach, teaching surf lessons and steering outrigger canoes in the waters off Waikiki.

He lived for another seven months before succumbing to the cancer that had spread to his lungs.

Ah Choy died in his bed on the afternoon of May 21. He was 66...

"He was just a beautiful, loving, kind, generous person," said girlfriend Karen Schmidt, 56, who had been with Ah Choy for 20 years. "People will remember his love for the beach, his aloha and how he tried to help everybody."

Ah Choy was born in 'O'okala, Hawai'i, in 1941. He moved to O'ahu as a youngster, spending most of his time on Waikiki Beach.

He was a natural in the water, quickly learning the beachboy traditions of hospitality and stand-up paddle surfing.

"He's like the beachboy's beachboy," said longtime paddler and surfer Todd Bradley, 48, who wrote a story about Ah Choy published in Surfer's Journal in December 2006. "He was the epitome of aloha. Whether you were a haole from the Mainland or a visitor from China, he would embrace you and teach you what it meant to be part of the water."

Waikiki regulars will remember Ah Choy raking the sand on Kuhio Beach every morning or standing on a longboard in the water, a canoe paddle in one hand and a camera around his neck.

"One time I saw him sitting on a stool on his board, paddling around and barking at people," laughed Bradley.


RESPECTED STEERSMAN

Ah Choy was one of the most respected canoe steersmen in Waikiki.

Just two weeks before he died, Ah Choy had steered an escort canoe of beachboy legends out to the site where entertainer Don Ho's ashes were scattered off Waikiki.

"He was one of the top steersmen," said legendary surfer George Downing, 77. "He really cared about the people he took out in the canoe. And he was really good at it."

Though most people will remember him as a veteran surfer, skilled steersman and beloved beachboy, Ah Choy had recently developed a following of stand-up paddle surfers.

He and his brother, Leroy, have been credited with carrying on the tradition of paddle surfing, which helped lead to its surge in popularity around the world.

Fittingly, Ah Choy competed in the first stand-up paddle surf contests in Waikiki last July. He made it to the finals but lost to veteran waterman Brian Keaulana, who presented the title and trophy to Ah Choy as a tribute during the awards ceremony.

Everything Ah Choy knew he taught to others, Schmidt said.

"I was just so honored to be able to learn from him," said Schmidt, who met Ah Choy in Waikiki in 1986. "He was always broke, but he still would give as much as he could (to others)."

In October 2006, Ah Choy collapsed on the beach and went to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with liver cancer.

Though he lived, worked and surfed for seven more months, he weakened in the last two before the disease forced him to remain in bed.

"I was at home with him, watching his last breaths," Schmidt said. "When he died, I swear I felt this warmth all over, this life come up through me. He was just looking up at the sky, like he was saying, 'I'm ready' ... I felt privileged to be there."


FILLING HIS SHOES

Some worry that his passing will continue to change the landscape in Waikiki, where luxury hotels and high-end retailers have started to replace the once simple and laid-back beach lifestyle.

But others believe beachboys like Ah Choy will always be a part of Waikiki, even if just in spirit alone.

"When you lose one artist like Bobby, it doesn't mean he's gone forever," Downing said. "He set a standard, and someone else will fill those shoes ... (Waikiki) is not going to change. The spirits are still there, all the people we've laid to rest. That's not going to change."

Bobby Ah Choy (1941-2007)

The following is from www.C4Waterman.com:

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ALOHA 'OE BOBBY AH CHOY

Honolulu - (Monday, June 4, 2007) - It is with great sadness that we recognize the passing of legendary Waikiki Beachboy and standup paddle (SUP) surfing pioneer Robert "Bobby" John Ah Choy. Ah Choy, 66, passed away on Monday, May 21st, 2007. It was little more than a month ago that Ah Choy steered an escort canoe of Beachboy legends out at Waikiki for a tribute and scattering of ashes of famous Hawaii singer Don Ho.

News of Ah Choy's death will be particularly hard-felt by the rapidly growing world-wide community of standup paddle surfers (SUP). Many newcomers to the sport, especially those outside Hawaii, have only recently discovered the story of Bobby and his contributions to the sport of SUP.

Ah Choy and his brother Leroy were pioneers of SUP at Waikiki in the early '60s. They developed the unique method of catching and riding waves with a canoe-style paddle while searching for ways to get closer to Waikiki surfers in order to take their photos. What started out as a photographer's platform evolved into a unique way of enjoying the waves.

Today, SUP is currently enjoying a major revival in all surfing communities around the world. The sport is reaching new heights, exploring new wave-riding methods, and is gaining impressive international participation and attention.

"We are only glad that Bobby was able to witness and enjoy the fruits of his contributions to the world of standup surfing," said Todd Bradley, of C4Waterman, who wrote a recent article about SUP and Bobby in Surfer's Journal, titled "Upright", in Volume 16, No. 6. "I think it was a real joy and great source of satisfaction for him to see new generations embrace a form of surfing that he has enjoyed for decades."

On the heels of SUP's revival, Ah Choy competed in the very first SUP contest held in Waikiki last July. Fittingly, he made it to the final. While the final was won on paper by Brian Keaulana, the victory will go down as Ah Choy's. Keaulana presented the title and trophy to Ah Choy during a moving tribute at the official awards ceremony.

Born in 'O'okala, Hawai'i, Ah Choy was an outrigger canoe captain and Waikiki beachboy. He is survived by his son, Robert Dutcher; father, John; stepmother, Thelma; brothers, Ricky, David and Michael; sister, Susanne Young; stepsisters, Judy Bell, Elaine Wong and Linda Chelewski; and his girlfriend, Karen Schmidt...