Re:the story in Hawaii Reporter entitled “Hawaii State Legislature To Honor Polynesian Tribal Surfers” by Thelma Mary Dreyer, on March 8, 2010.
I concur many of the best surfers are of Native Hawaiian ancestry. However, there are many non-Hawaiian surfing greats too.
What of George “Dad” Center, Fred Hemmings, George Downing, Wally
Froiseth, Greg Noll, to name a few?
Let’s not forget Buddy Adolphsen, the man who taught Eddie Aikau rescue
skills. Ret. HPD Sgt. Adolphsen of Wahiawa was one man volunteer rescue
team. He purchased his own equipment and wasn’t paid to patrol and
rescue people on the North Shore during high surf season till he couldn’t
continue due to age.
Wally Froiseth said of Buddy Adolphsen. “He made our team pretty famous
later on for patrolling the North Shore. We went to school together
and all that kind of stuff. He went into the police department.
When he retired, he wouldn’t quit patrolling the North Shore and rescuing guys, just like
he had when he was younger.”
https://www.legendarysurfers.com/surf/legends/ls10.shtml
No doubt surfers of Hawaiian ancestry deserve recognition. However I
find it questionable when their recognition is race based. For it is “the content
of their character and not the color of their skin,” which made them great
to our community.
Anyway it’s to be expected from a legislature that enacted “Islam Day”
and passing a bills to outlaw leaf blowers and not illegal bombs exploding
from Thanksgiving through New Years Day.