This year's recipients of the USRowing Medal, Jack Kelly Award, Jack Franklin Service Award, Julian Wolf Award and Joan Zandbergen "Mama Z" Award were honored, along with the previously announced USRowing Athletes of the Year, on December 4 at the USRowing Annual Awards Reception in Tempe, Ariz. row2k would like to join USRowing in congratulating all of the award winners and thank them for their contributions to the sport.
Given to a member of the rowing community in the U.S. who has rendered conspicuous service to or accomplished extraordinary feats in rowing, the highest honor USRowing can bestow is the USRowing Medal. This year's recipients are W. Hart Perry and Gillian Perry. Through their tireless work with the National Rowing Foundation, Hart and Gillian Perry have been instrumental in the success of hundreds of Olympic, senior national team and junior national team rowers for nearly four decades. A rower since high school, Hart began his association with the sport at Noble and Greenough School in 1947. He rowed at Dartmouth College from 1951-52 before moving into the coaching ranks. As a coach, Hart has worked with Dartmouth College, Iolanni School, Kent School, Clare College, Magdalen College, Litchfield Rowing Association and the United States Coast Guard Academy. Hart also has had a decorated career as an official, working 18 World Rowing Junior Championships, 10 World Rowing Championships, and two Olympic Games. In 1974, he became the first non-British Commonwealth citizen to be elected as a steward of the Henley Royal Regatta. Hart became involved with the NRF in 1970 and has held the position of executive director since 1991. In addition, Hart continues to serve as a steward at the Henley Royal Regatta, adjunct curator for rowing at Mystic Seaport, and chairman emeritus of Friends of Dartmouth Rowing. A past president of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen, the predecessor to USRowing, Hart has received numerous awards and honors over the years including USRowing's Jack Kelly, John Carlin and Jack Franklin awards. He has been inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame, Dartmouth Rowing Hall of Fame, Wearers of the Green (Dartmouth Athletics) and the Kent School Athletic Hall of Fame. Born and raised in England, Gillian was introduced to rowing by her grandmother through listening to radio broadcasts of the Oxford-Cambridge race. Married to Hart in 1987, Gillian began working with the NRF in 1991 to help raise funds to send U.S. athletes to the Olympics and other international rowing events. In 2003, she co-founded Old Glory Boat Club with Hart and Stewart MacDonald. While not a rower by trade, Gillian competed in sailing and equestrians, and she enjoys skiing and tennis recreationally.
The Jack Kelly Award is given to outstanding individuals who represent the ideals that Jack Kelly exemplified including superior achievement in rowing, service to amateur athletics and success in their chosen profession, thereby serving as an inspiration to American rowers. This year's recipient is Vincent J. Ventura. Ventura, who was born and raised in Ossining, N.Y., began rowing in 1965 as an undergraduate at Iona College. Presently head coach at New York Athletic Club and chairman of the NYAC Rowing Committee, Ventura joined the organization in 1967. During his career, Ventura has coached more than 100 crews to U.S. National Championships. He has served as a coach on seven world championships teams and was a coach on both the 1980 Olympic Team, which did not participate in the Games due to the U.S. boycott, and the 1984 Olympic Team, where he coached women's single sculler Charlotte Geer to a silver medal. Over the years, Ventura has served on the USRowing Domestic Events Council and on the first USRowing High Performance Committee. Ventura is a member of the Iona College Hall of Fame and received NYAC's "Club Member of the Year" award in 2007. Ventura spent 32 years as an elementary school teacher and is presently employed as Boatwright at Columbia University. He is married and lives with his wife, Cathleen, in the Bronx, N.Y.
The Jack Franklin Service Award is given to a referee for his or her lifetime contribution to the sport. This year's recipient is John Quinn of Norwood, Mass. Quinn was born and raised in Philadelphia and received his bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's University and his MBA from Monmouth University. He began his first association with crew as a coxswain for St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia and later for Vesper Boat Club. Between the Prep and Vesper, he logged 17 years as a competitor. Quinn has served as a USRowing licensed referee since 1967, was a FISA Umpire from 1975 to 2005, and remains an active USRowing referee. He served for many years on the referee commission, the USRowing Safety Committee, and is presently a referee clinician. In 1985, he won the inaugural presentation of the Julian Wolf Award. Quinn has spent his entire work career in healthcare administration. He and his wife, Sue, have been married for 42 years and are the proud parents of three and the grandparents of five.
The Julian Wolf Award pays tribute to the one rowing official that stood apart from the rest in his or her contribution to rowing in the past year. It is based upon the following criteria: outstanding performance, dedication, heroic acts or outstanding contributions to officiating. The winner is selected by the five past Wolf award winners. This year's recipient is Bob Scurria of Pleasanton, Calif. Scurria began his rowing career as a sculler at St. Mary's College in 1965. After two tours of duty in Vietnam as part of the Marine Corps, Scurria returned to St. Mary's to resume a sweep-rowing career in 1969. Upon graduation, he began coaching at Lake Merritt Rowing Club and Mills College, receiving his referee license from Jack Franklin in 1971. Scurria joined the Oakland Police Department and left coaching in 1972, but continued to officiate. In 1984, Scurria was licensed as an international official. He was first appointed to the referee committee in 1984 and was elected chairman in 1990, where he worked with Julian Wolf to establish the referee college. Scurria served three terms on the USRowing Board of Directors starting in 1994. Since retiring from the Board and the Oakland Police Department in 2000, he has continued to be an active referee and a clinician. He currently serves as the Southwest Regional Representative to the Referee Commission.
The Joan Zandbergen "Mama Z" Award for Sustained Superior Performance recognizes an official who has stood apart from the rest of his or her peers for a period of three to 10 years. The inaugural presentation of the award goes to Laura Kunkemueller. A native of the Boston area, Kunkemueller rowed for four years at Princeton University in the mid 1980s. Since then, she has competed at the masters level, coached high school and grad school crews, and served on the board of her local rowing club. Kunkemueller became a referee in 1998 and works high school, collegiate, masters and national team selection regattas nationally. In 2003, she became a clinician and has been an instructor at the Julian Wolf Referee College for the past three years. She earned her FISA international referee license last summer. In 2004, she was elected as the northeast representative to the USRowing Board of Directors and was named secretary in 2006. She chaired the governance task force that recently reviewed and proposed amendments to USRowing's governing documents. Laura and her husband, John, currently live in Connecticut.
Additionally, in November Community Rowing was named 2009 USRowing Club of the Year.
Tremendous congrats to all the award recipients, all are beyond deserving.
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