More than once yesterday in a poignant beachside memorial to the late Les Keiter, someone invoked his signature "... so long for now" Channel 2 sign-off.

But while dozens of friends and fans gathered to say goodbye and his family scattered the ashes of the iconic sportscaster in the waves off the Outrigger Canoe Club, it was clear a little of Keiter endures in today's sportscasters.

Not only in the stories they tell about him but in the impact he's had on a couple generations of those who shared the same stage locally. Keiter, until his death last week at age 89, instructed and inspired local sportscasters who follow in his footsteps.

His legacy, even more than the big ticket events he worked, is in the passion and dedication of those whose faces and voices are now on your TV and radio.

Yesterday, amid the lapping of the waves, there was a procession of heartfelt and, at times, teary testimony from those who benefitted from the time he generously took to pass on encouragement and the compliments he showered over the years. A line so lengthy and outpouring of appreciation so profuse that his family professed surprise. "It is just overwhelming to see and hear from all the people he touched," daughter Cindy said. Said wife Lila: "We were touched by the words of people who knew him."

For a man who rubbed elbows with the elite of his profession and was on a first-name basis with stars of the sports and entertainment worlds in New York and Philadelphia, Keiter was amazingly down-to-earth. He remained approach-friendly and keen to pass on acquired knowledge to almost anyone willing to inquire.

Keiter's heart was, as KGMB sportscaster Liz Chun noted, "as golden as his voice" for the support and compliments he regularly passed out.

That someone who could count Howard Cosell and Frank Sinatra among his acquaintances would take the time to speak to an intern on the same level still resonates with KHON anchor Jai Cunningham. "I was a 20-year-old kid writing scripts for (Keiter) and he treated me no differently than he treated them," Cunningham recalled.

Keiter began the "Stadium Stars" program at Aloha Stadium for aspiring sportscasters and a few Walter Mittys. Whether they went on to bigger things or not, they left the program richer for the opportunity to have worked with him.

KHON's Ron Mizutani said, "every time I jump in my canoe, I will visit my hero (Keiter) out there."

When Kanoa Leahey, the third generation of the Leahey clan to know Keiter, was going to work for Channel 2 and preparing to sit in the sports anchor chair once occupied by Keiter, he sought out the veteran's counsel. "He (Keiter) told me, 'You're gonna do good, but remember one thing — don't take anything from (anchor) Joe (Moore),' " Leahey said.

To be sure Keiter will be missed. By those for whom he once brought alive sports on radio and TV, definitely. For those in the media fortunate to have grown up around him, of course.

Keiter's departure should be mourned even more, however, by a new generation of sports broadcast and media hopefuls too young to have been blessed with the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by him.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.