Known as “Squirmin’ Herman” when he was a running back in his college football days, Wedemeyer was named an all-American in 1945. Grabbed by the Los Angeles Dons in the first round draft, his football career was cut short by an injury, so Wedemeyer returned to his native Hawaii where he served on the Honolulu City Council and later in the state House of Representatives.
But people from all over the world remember him best as Edward “Duke” Lukela, a tough, smart cop who did the footwork for Jack Lord’s “Steve McGarrett” from 1971 to 1980 on the popular Hawaii Five-O TV series. Wedemeyer died January 25 in Honolulu. He was 74.