If I had to think of a "Quintessential Renaissance Man", one person immediately comes to mind. Dr. José Rizal, who hailed from Calamba, Laguna, Philippines, was and continues to be an inspiration and hero to Filipinos. Born Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Alonso Realondo on June 19, 1861, he was the seventh of 11 children. His father was a Filipino, his mother of Filipino/Chinese decent (and, according to recent genealogical research, Dr. Rizal is also purported to have traces of Spanish and Japanese ancestry).
Dr. Rizal had quite an extensive and impressive educational background, having gone to the University of St. Thomas in Manila, did his post graduate work at the University of Madrid, and studied medicine at the University of Heidelberg. Throughout his studies and travels around Europe, America and Asia, he mastered 22 languages. He filled many illustrious hats along the journey of his life as well, such as physician, novelist, poet, botanist, just to name a few.
He was also a man who believed in his country, his heritage and his people. While in Heidelberg, he wrote a novel entitled Noli me Tangere (Touch Me Not), which condemned the promotion of Spanish colonization by the Catholic Church in the Philippines. In 1892, he created Liga Filipina, a civic organization, calling for peace change. Because of this, he was exiled by Spanish officials to the island of Mindanao for four years. During this time he practiced medicine, taught students and practiced botany.
Dr. Rizal was against violent opposition, having renounced the ongoing revolution, and truly believed the way to the Filipinos' freedom was through education. Nevertheless, he was arrested and ultimately executed for treason by the Spaniards at Bagumbayan Field on December 30, 1896.
As one of many memorials, Seattle in 1912, honored Dr. Rizal by building and naming a bridge after him (one of the city's original steel bridges and top viewpoints from the adjacent park of which is also named Jose Rizal). Spanning 420 feet, it is appropriately a gateway from the city into the International District.
Duke Kahanamoku by Frank Y Pak Agostinelli
Duke Kahanamoku was born August 24, 1890 in Honolulu. He is the father of surfing and an Olympic swimmer. The Duke is responsible for kick starting the art of surfing in Australia and New Zealand. His swimming and surfing exhibitions help push the two sports further in California. He also introduced surfing to the East Coast. He was such an advocate of surfing, in 1920 he recommended surfing to be added as an Olympic event. “Even as early as... [1918], I was already thinking of surfing in terms of how it could someday become one of the events in the Olympic Games. Why not? Skiing and tobogganing have taken their rightful place as official Games events. I still believe surfing will one day be recognized, voted in and accepted.”♠ The Duke is most recognized for his Olympic accomplishments. His appearances at Stockholm 1912, Antwerp 1920, Paris 1924 and Los Angeles 1932 at the age of 42 garnered him 3 gold, 2 silver and 1bronze medal respectively. Of the 6 medals, he was awarded a bronze medal for being an alternate of the U.S. Olympic polo team after failing to qualify as a swimmer. The other 5 came on the strength of his swimming (100m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay).
The Duke’s notoriety afforded him the opportunity to meet a great many people, famous and the regular everyday person. The Duke was one of President John F. Kennedy’s heroes so on a visit to Hawai’i in 1962, President Kennedy had the pleasure of meeting him. Hollywood cast him in many bit roles but only once disappointingly, representing a Hawaiian. In 1965, he was the first ever to be inducted into the swimming and surfing Hall of Fame. Three years later, he passed away in Honolulu. The Duke was and still is a hero to many, Hawaiian or not. He touched many lives with his aloha spirit. In addition to the countless busts and plaques honoring the Duke, on his birthday 2002 the US Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in his honor. It is hard to imagine Waikiki Beach, so commercialized now, was once the place you could hear the Duke yell, “Coming down!”♦
