Robert Ebert, a former Honolulu Star-Bulletin photographer who was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1946 for his famed photo of a man hugging his son just back from World War II, has died. He was 98.

Ebert died Wednesday after being taken to the Queen’s Medical Center because he was not feeling well, friends said.

As a photographer in the Army and later for several publications, including the Star-Bulletin, Ebert took hundreds of photos of everything from war scenes to celebrities visiting the islands.

His most enduring image—of Hawaii resident Iuemon Kiyama tearfully embracing his son, Sgt. Howard Kiyama of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team upon the son’s return from Europe—garnered national attention and earned him the Pulitzer nomination. The photo ran in the Star-Bulletin and other publications, including Life magazine and the New York Daily News, where it took up the entire front page, according to one news account.

"He was very proud" of the photo, said his friend Alice Clark, chairwoman of the Pacific War Memorial Association. "It was a real treasure to him."

A native of Wisconsin, Ebert volunteered for the Army during World War II and served for a time as U.S. Gen. "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell’s combat photographer in Burma. He was wounded in the hand during his tour and subsequently relocated to Hawaii.

During the latter years of the war, Ebert became chief photographer for the Pacific division of the Stars and Stripes and photographed Japan’s surrender on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945.

He was chief photographer at the Star-Bulletin when he took the father-son reunion photo the following year.

Friends said the photo was nominated for journalism’s highest honor but was pulled from contention before the judging because of anti-Japanese sentiment at the time. He later got an apology letter from the contest, friends said.

Former University of Hawaii professor Donald Lubitz, 76, who knew Ebert since the 1950s, said his friend had many interests besides photography, but taking pictures of people was among his passions.

That passion paired well with his kindness and desire to help people, his friends said.

As a founding member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church here, they said, he often took photos of people at weddings, confirmations and other events and gave the prints to them at no cost.

"He was just one of the most remarkable people you would ever meet," Lubitz said.

Lubitz and others described Ebert as a personable man who was devoted to his church and fun to be around.

"He never lost his sense of humor," said Carol White, who met Ebert through the church.

After his war duty, Ebert opened a camera business in Honolulu and also served as a director of safety with the city. He was on the board that founded Hawaii Pacific University, friends said.

In his later years, they said, he enjoyed discussing his photography and took pride in the people he met and the places he visited because of his camera.

"He liked talking about his history," Park said. "He was a great American."

Arrangements for services are pending.