Hawai‘i Pacific Health Bone & Joint Centers Celebrates Courage, Care, and Community at Duke’s Night
Published June 1, 2026
On a May Monday evening, the Outrigger Canoe Club came alive as the Hawaiʻi Pacific Health Bone & Joint Centers proudly sponsored the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation's Duke's Night 2026, an event celebrating Hawaiʻi's next generation of scholar athletes.
The program honored students who embody Duke Kahanamoku's values of excellence, leadership, and aloha.
The event also featured the presentation of the Duke Lifesaver Award to Spencer Allen. Created in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Water Safety Coalition, this honor recognizes a young person who has performed a meritorious act in or around the water to prevent drowning or injury.
On Nov. 22, 2025, Spencer was foiling and jet skiing near Hanauma Bay when a 12-foot vessel carrying two men was struck by a large wave and swamped. After being flagged down by a bystander, he rode nearly a mile offshore to locate one of the missing men and safely brought him back to shore.
His swift action saved a life.
Spencer is a patient of Dr. Edward Weldon, a Hawaiʻi Pacific Health Medical Group orthopedic surgeon based at Straub Benioff Medical Center.
During the event, HPH Bone & Joint Centers Director Dara Shelton congratulated Spencer, who shared that Dr. Weldon played a key role in helping him overcome years of shoulder and elbow pain from paddling and kayaking.
Spencer Allen (right) received the Duke Lifesaver Award during the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation's Duke's Night 2026. HPH Bone & Joint Centers Director Dara Shelton (left) was in attendance and congratulated Spencer on this honor.
Today, Spencer is an ILH kayaking champion, has competed internationally in kayaking and canoe paddling, and is a member of the U.S. Olympic Development Program for kayaking. He is now pursuing a spot on the U.S. Olympic Kayaking Team for the 2028 LA Olympics and credits Dr. Weldon for helping him remain a competitive athlete.
