Dozens of friends and fans paid poignant final respects to sportscaster Les Keiter this morning in a free-flowing memorial tribute on the beach at the Outrigger Canoe Club in Waikiki.

Keiter, 89, died last week at Castle Medical Center.

In a career that spanned more than 60 years, much of it in Hawaii after stops in New York and Philadelphia, Keiter is well remembered for unique accounts and vivid descriptions of University of Hawaii sports, Hawaii Islanders baseball and other events.

"Les was really, really a unique, wonderful human being and we should all be grateful that he was part of our lives," said sportscaster Don Robbs, one of the speakers.

"When he introduced you, you became better than you were," recalled sportscaster Jim Leahey, whose first remembrances of Keiter came from a transistor radio.

KHON-TV anchor Jai Cunningham recalled beginning his career and working with Keiter, who had worked alongside Howard Cosell and other legendary broadcast figures.

"I was a 20-year-old kid writing scripts for him and he treated me no differently than he treated them," Cunningham said.

Kanoa Leahey remembers the encouragement he received from Keiter in his beginnings as a young sportscaster.

"He told me, 'You're gonna do good, but remember one thing — don't take nothing from (anchor) Joe (Moore).' "

Keiter's family scattered his ashes off Waikiki from a canoe procession.