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Philatelic News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2002
Stamp Release #02-048
Father Of International Surfing To Be Honored
On New Postage Stamp
On New Postage Stamp
WASHINGTON - "Aloha," the Hawaiian greeting of love, will be riding the wave of letters and packages handled daily by the U.S. Postal Service when a new commemorative stamp is issued Aug. 24 in honor of Duke Kahanamoku, the legendary swimmer and Olympian who is best known as the father of international surfing.The dedication of the 37-cent Duke Kahanamoku stamp will be the centerpiece of a daylong public festival featuring water sports activities and a luau held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa, 2005 Kalia Road, Honolulu, Hawaii. The first day of issue ceremony for the stamp begins at 1:30 p.m. and will take place on the beachside of the resort on Duke Kahanamoku Beach.
The ceremony starts with the arrival of the Bishop Museum's vessel "Hawaii Loa," sailed by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, which will bring the first day ceremony delegation into Kalia Bay. Participants are expected to include Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Robert Rider, chairman of the Postal Service Board of Governors, and representatives from the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation and the Kahanamoku family. The Bishop Museum is Hawaii's museum of cultural and natural history.
"The Duke Kahanamoku stamp reminds us of the lasting, positive influence a talented individual and relatively unknown hero can have on our culture," said Rider.
"That is one of the wonderful benefits of our nation's commemorative stamp program. When this stamp appears on letters and packages arriving at households and businesses throughout the country and across the Pacific, Duke's story of ingenuity and dedication can be told again and again," he said.
Duke Paoa Kahanamoku was born Aug. 24, 1890, in Honolulu. As a swimmer, he first caught the attention of the public in 1911 when he broke the record for the 100-yard freestyle during an Amateur Athletic Union swim meet in Honolulu. Such an impressive performance by an unknown swimmer prompted speculation that he must have benefited from favorable currents in Honolulu Harbor, and the record was not accepted. Nonetheless, Kahanamoku subsequently proved his amazing swimming prowess, especially in several international competitions from 1912 to 1932.
As a swimmer on the U.S. team during the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, Kahanamoku won a gold medal for the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 1:03.4 and a silver medal for the 800-meter relay. He also won medals in the 1920, 1924 and 1932 Olympic Games.
Kahanamoku was particularly well known as a surfer. He is credited with popularizing the Polynesian sport by surfing throughout the world, especially on visits to the U.S. in 1912 and Australia from late 1914 to early 1915. In 1994 his name was placed on the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach, Calif. In October 1999 Surfer magazine named him "Surfer of the Century" and his picture appeared on the cover of that month's issue.
For most of his career, Kahanamoku was generally seen as Hawaii's unofficial goodwill ambassador to the rest of the world. He was an international celebrity and appeared in several Hollywood films. In 1934 he was elected sheriff of the city and county of Honolulu and was subsequently reelected until the position itself was discontinued in 1960. Thereafter, from 1961 until his death on Jan. 22, 1968, Kahanamoku served as Honolulu's official greeter.
Kahanamoku's life gave rise to a number of fascinating stories and legends. In 1913 a California newspaper, the Long Beach Press, reported that he had wrestled a giant eel to death and lost the index finger on his right hand in the process. (However, photos of Kahanamoku taken throughout his life clearly show ten intact fingers.) In 1925, Kahanamoku became a true hero: When he saw a boat capsize off the coast of California, he bravely leapt into the ocean with his surfboard and saved the lives of eight people. Other stories about Kahanamoku attest to his surfing prowess: He is said to have ridden a tremendous wave more than a mile while surfing at Waikiki in 1929 or 1930, possibly one of the longest rides in surfing history.
Among his many honors, Kahanamoku was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 1965, and was posthumously inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984. Various centers, foundations and competitions have been named for him, including the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation, the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex at the University of Hawaii and the Duke Kahanamoku Long Distance Canoe Race.
The portrait of Kahanamoku in the stamp art, an oil painting by Michael J. Deas of New Orleans, La., is based on a 1918 photograph from the collection of the Bishop Museum. Behind Kahanamoku two surfers are depicted riding a wave at Waikiki Beach; Diamond Head is visible in the background. Carl Herrman, of Carlsbad, Calif., was the art director for the stamp.
To see the Duke Kahanamoku stamp, visit www.usps.com and locate the online version of this press release by clicking on "News and Events" then "Philatelic News."
Current U.S. stamps, as well as a free comprehensive catalog, are available toll free by calling 1 800 STAMP-24. In addition, a selection of stamps and other philatelic items are available in the Postal Store at www.usps.com.
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TECHNICAL DETAILS
Issue: Duke Kahanamoku
Item Number: 453400
Denomination & Type of Issue: 37-cent Commemorative Semi Jumbo
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: August 24, 2002, Honolulu, HI 96820
Designer: Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, CA
Engraver: Southern Graphics System, Inc.
Art Director: Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, CA
Illustrator: Michael J. Deas, New Orleans, LA
Modeler: Avery Dennison, Security Printing Division
Manufacturing Process: Gravure
Printer: Avery Dennison (AVR)
Printed at: AVR, Clinton, SC
Press Type: Dia Nippon Kiko (DNK)
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 62.8 million stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored, Type III
Gum Type: Pressure Sensitive
Processed at: AVR, Clinton, SC
Colors: Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 1.075 x 1.410 in./27.305 x 35.814 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.225 x 1.560 in./31.115 x 39.624 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 6.25 x 7.25 in./158.75 x 184.15 mm
Plate Size: 200 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: "V" followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings: " © 2001 USPS" " Price " Plate position diagram
Plate numbers in all four corners" 2 barcodes
Catalog Item Number(s): 453440 Pane of 20 w/plate no. - $7.40
453430 Block of 10 - $3.70
453420 Block of 4 - $1.48
453461 First Day Cover - $0.75
453493 Pane of 20 & First Day Cover - $8.15
HOW TO ORDER THE FIRST DAY OF ISSUE POSTMARK
Customers have 30 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, by telephone at 1 800 STAMP-24, and at the Postal Store at www.usps.com. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
DUKE KAHANAMOKU COMMEMORATIVE STAMP
POSTMASTER
3600 AOLELE ST
HONOLULU HI 96820-9991
After applying the first day of issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by Sept. 23, 2002.
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Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 137 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $65 billion, it is the world's leading provider of postal services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume-some 207 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year-and serves 7 million customers each day at its 40,000 retail locations nationwide.
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