On Sept. 7, legendary Maui waterman, swimmer and coach Keo Nakama died at the age of 91.
Maui's Keo Nakama (photo courtesy ISHOF)
As two of the “original ditch boys from Camp 5,” Nakama and schoolboy friend and fellow swimming legend Halo Hirose learned to compete in Maui irrigation ditches under future Olympic swim coach Soichi Sakamoto. In college, Nakama swam for national championship teams at Ohio State University. He went on to capture the world record for the 100-meter freestyle and won five Pan Am Games gold medals. At age 41, Nakama was the first person to swim the Molokai Channel. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1946, the inaugural Keo Nakama Invitational was held in the salt water of the War Memorial Natatorium, drawing thousands of spectators. It is considered the longest-running annual invitational meet in the country. The photo above, circa 1955, shows the Natatorium lanes installed and flags flying for the famous meet.
Here is an obituary that appeared on the website of Swimming World Magazine.
Here’s a slideshow of a commemoration Aug. 24 marking the 84th anniversary of the ceremonial opening of one of the state’s cultural and historic icons, the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium. It was the Nat’s 84th birthday!
Kahu Manu Mook offered the blowing of the Pu and Kahu Bradford Kaiwi Lum performed the Oli for those gathered at the Ewa end of Kaimana Beach, next to the Natatorium.
The Natatorium is the state’s official memorial to more than 10,000 from Hawai’i who volunteered to serve in World War I and to 101 of them who died in the war. It was dedicated Aug. 24, 1927, at the opening of that year’s men’s national swimming championships, held in the new pool. The dedication included music, a speech and tribute to the war dead by territorial Gov. Wallace R. Farrington, and the playing of “Taps.”
The climax of the event was the ceremonial first swim, a 100-meter freestyle exhibition by Duke Kahanamoku, native hero and former Olympic gold medalist. That day was Duke’s 37th birthday!
In his remarks, Gov. Farrington said that the natatorium “would stand not only as a monument to the memory of Hawaii’s heroic dead but also to the present and future youth of the territory.” *
The Friends of the Natatorium, now celebrating its 25th anniversary year, is dedicated to ensuring that Hawai’i stands by that promise Gov. Farrington made 84 years ago to those who died in World War I, to the war’s veterans and to the people of Hawai’i. The Friends are dedicated to the preservation, restoration and reopening of a facility that – far more than just a historic ocean pool – is a sacred war memorial and a critical part of the state’s cultural legacy.
(* From pages 453-454, Hawaii in the World War by Ralph S. Kuykendall and Lorin Tarr Gill, Honolulu: The Historical Commission, 1928.)
A great natatorium opens in the 1920s. It’s a wonderful community resource; people from all across town come together there and enjoy swimming together.
But there are years of deferred maintenance and neglect; eventually, it’s closed as unsafe.
Same story; happy ending
For once, we’re not talking about the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium. This is the story of the Municipal Natatorium in Richmond, Calif., better known there as The Plunge.
Is the story of the Richmond, Calif., natatorium a model for Honolulu and Hawaii?
In Richmond, as this article on the New York Times websiteattests, there was a happy ending! Citizens groups rallied to support the local natatorium. The city, the state and private funders worked together.
The pool has been restored and reopened. According to the story, it’s “open seven days a week for swimming, aquatic fitness programs and water sports like kayaking.”
If Richmond can do it, we can, too!
What can you do?
Write to Mayor Carlisle and members of the Honolulu City Council. Tell them about the Municipal Natatorium in Richmond, Calif. Tell them you think Richmond’s story should be a model for our own. Tell them that you favor stabilizing the Natatorium and preserving it while financing comes together for full renewal and reopening. Thank them in advance for their support for what will eventually be another success story worthy of New York Times coverage.
