Fred Kahele

Though it is known that Fred Kahele was born in Kipahulu on the island of Maui, Hawai’i, information about his early life and family remains elusive and unclear. He was raised in Honolulu and enrolled in the United States Naval Reserve at a recruiting station in San Francisco in 1917; his service would see him stationed for stints in New York as well as California over the next few years. He was a member of the Central YMCA in Brooklyn, New York, and in 1920 he finished fourth in 400 free and third in the 1,500 free at the United Stares Olympic Trials which earned a spot on the American swimming delegation to the Antwerpen Olympics. There, he swam the 400 and 1,500 freestyles, finishing an unfortunate fourth in both events. Upon his return from the Olympics, Kahele returned to his residence in Brooklyn and continued to compete in events with the Central YMCA swimming club.

In early 1921, he embarked on a tour of the midwestern United States where he competed in and won titles at various swimming meets under the banner of the Central YMCA. In an unfortunate event, his home was burglarized and all of his medals, trophies and swim equipment were stolen shortly after his return home, on February 3, 1921. His bad luck continued next month after he was confined to a naval hospital for the entire month with a bad case of influenza. He later moved to California by October and took up residence in Long Beach where he joined the Long Beach Bath House aquatic team.

Kahele married Katherine Bellew at the municipal building in Chico, California in July 1922, and eventually moved there where he continued to swim and also found a side gig in a Hawai’ian entertainers’ group. He was a member of swimming clubs in Stockton and Pacific City over the next few years. A warrant for his arrest was issued in March 1923 on an allegation of desertion by his then-pregnant wife; he was later arrested in April and eventually released after a financial arrangement was struck. His only son, Fred Jr. was born in Oroville, California on June 8, 1923. Kahele found himself in custody on charges of desertion once again in October of that year, this time arrested in the midst of a swim meet at Sutro Baths.

It would seem, however, that he eventually made amends with his family, as by 1924 the couple was residing in Oakland, with Fred now retired from competitive swimming. Here, he was a member of an entertainment group, the Mid-Pacific Quartet in which he played the guitar. Kahele changed the family surname to “Kalune” sometime between 1925 and 1928 and continued to reside in Oakland, working in various jobs including as a stevedore on the docks as well as a foreman at a fruit ranch. By the 1940s, the family relocated to Lodi, California. His son, by then known as Fred George Kalune, went on to serve overseas in World War II with the United States Army Air Corps.

Fred Kulanui Kalune died in Stockton, California at the age of 74.