To be coached by Ken Smith is to be invited into his virtual kitchen for breakfast.

There is conversation, accompanied by lessons passed out as natural and casual as dishes and silverware when setting the table.

There is food, for thought and for the soul.

Bacon and eggs? An interesting choice for the vegan, who celebrated and was celebrated on his 67th birthday Saturday with a pool party and potluck for more than 500 of his closest friends.

What Smith has served up with his metaphorical bacon and eggs is the essence of commitment.

It’s been the key to a tradition of excellence for Smith, hired by Punahou School in 1973 as a physical education teacher and water polo coach. His legacy has spanned oceans and touched nearly every continent, with former players competing collegiately from his alma mater UCLA to Harvard, and at every Olympics from 1988 (Seoul) to 2008 (Beijing).

Yet Saturday’s 40th anniversary celebration focused not on the wins and championships but on the sport of life and the fun one has when playing it well. There were hours of games for all ages and skill levels in and around Waterhouse Pool, followed by hours of songs, testimonies and memories in the school’s cafeteria.

Dozens flew in for the party, including Sean Kern, who led the Buffanblu to three league titles (there still is no state boys championship) and was the top recruit in the country coming out of Punahou in 1997.

"He’s been more of a life teacher than a water polo coach," said Kern, a 2000 Olympic silver medalist and four-time All-American at UCLA. "My water polo career is long gone, but I am still applying that mental teaching I got from him. I fell in love with the sport when I started playing in sixth grade, but I also fell in love with his coaching style.

"The X’s and O’s are one thing, but it’s the way he is able to get kids, especially the younger ones, comfortable in the water, as well as getting them physically and mentally ready … it’s very holistic. I wouldn’t have missed this."

Smith originally had hoped that day would mean pizza and games such as inner tube racing that he has used for decades to keep the fun in practices. It wasn’t going to happen.

"He’s so low-key and humble, but it’s important to recognize and pay tribute to the people who have given so much to the school and to the community," Punahou athletic director Jeaney Garcia said. "Ken and I are on the same page, with the Positive Coaching Alliance. It’s about how the things kids learn now through sports stay with them the rest of their lives.

"You just have to look at the number of his kids who have gone on to play in college, on the national teams, at the Olympics. His kids are so successful in their lives and water polo was the springboard."

Smith’s alumni include three-time Olympic goalie Chris Duplanty, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, Grammy-winning songwriter Tim Fagan and world champion bodyboarder and lifeguard Mark Cunningham.

At least 15 Punahou products are currently on collegiate men’s and women’s rosters. Former Buffanblu standout Maureen Flanagan Cole coaches the University of Hawaii women’s team.

"He has sent more kids to play water polo in college than (anybody except) maybe one or two guys in California," said Aaron Chaney, a member of Smith’s first two teams at Punahou who coached rival ‘Iolani to three league championships against his mentor. "I’ve learned as much coaching with him as I did coaching against him. When I was in California (coaching the U.S. women’s junior national team and high school), I was always thinking, ‘What would Ken do?’ in certain situations. And I would usually pick up the phone.

"Just look at the amount of people who are here. He’s changed their lives. He changed mine."

Chaney, an internationally certified referee who has officiated at two Olympics, said Smith always kept the fun in the sport. Former Punahou player and coach Mark Maretzki agreed.

"This is his legacy, everyone coming here to enjoy each other," Maretzki said. "He influences your style of living and has given you a bunch of values you will use the rest of your life."

Smith’s healthy lifestyle goes beyond his vegan diet, which includes a watermelon-mint smoothie that was available Saturday. It includes his ageless enthusiasm.

"What keeps me going are the kids," he said. "I feed off their energy. It’s great to see them having fun while working hard.

"It is hard to do something for 40 years. It can’t just come from within you. It’s gotta be the people you work with. The kids keep you young. How much longer? I kind of feel like I’m already retired. It’s so much fun."