Early Life: A Chinese-Hawaiian Spark

Born on April 14, 1917, in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaiʻi, Francis Brown Wai was the product of two worlds: his father, Kim Wai, had immigrated from China and become a banker/property man , and his mother, Rosina, was Native Hawaiian.

From a young age, Wai was not content simply to watch the waves—he wanted to ride them. He grew up among surf legends. Some accounts say he paddled for the Hui Nalu Canoe Club; others say he hung with the likes of Duke Kahanamoku and even actor‐turned-waterman Buster Crabbe.

Wai attended Punahou School in Honolulu, graduating in 1935, where he lettered in track, football, and baseball. He then spent two years at Sacramento Junior College before transferring to the University of California, Los

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