Alexander Hume Ford, born on April 3, 1868 in Charleston, South Carolina, founded the Outrigger Canoe Club in 1908. Ford wanted to preserve surfing and other Hawaiian sports which seemed to be dying out, and to provide a place where those who wanted to surf and paddle canoes would have a place to leave those boards close to the ocean.
Ford was a brilliant man who arrived in Hawaii in 1907 at age 39. He enjoyed watching the surfers in Waikiki and soon was learning to surf himself. He founded the Outrigger Canoe Club and leased the land for the early Club, before taking off the same year on a trip to promote Hawaii and surfing. He traveled around the world and eventually returned to Hawaii where he died on October 14, 1945.
Several articles have appeared in the Outrigger magazine about Ford. He was clearly a character and his adventures were recounted by several members in their oral histories.
You may enjoy these stories that have appeared in the magazine.
The Adventures of Alexander Hume Ford
What you Didn’t Know About Alexander Hume Ford