INDIANAPOLIS - USRowing is pleased to announce that Eugene Perry and Robert Walton have been awarded this year's Jack Franklin and Julian Wolf awards, respectively.
The Franklin and Wolf awards are given annually by USRowing and the Referee Commission to recognize the work of officials across the country. The Franklin Award is given to a referee for his or her lifetime contributions to the sport, while the Wolf Award is given annually to a referee for his or her contributions to officiating for that year.
At 77, Perry has been involved in rowing as a competitor, coach, or referee for more than 50 years. In college, Perry rowed at Syracuse University, serving as team captain in 1950. Later, he went on to coach freshmen at both Syracuse and Brown. Perry began officiating in the 1970s and became a fully licensed referee in the mid-1980s. Still officiating today, he not only referees championship events like the Eastern Sprints and IRA Championships but is a mainstay at the grass-roots level as well. In addition to his work on the water, Perry was instrumental in helping to recruit referees for both the Eastern Sprints and IRA Championships during Clayton Chapman's time with the ECAC.
A native of Ohio, Walton represents the epitome of the Julian Wolf Award. During 2003, rowers could see Walton working a regatta almost every weekend. He refereed at several national regattas, but his focus was on high school races, regional college regattas, and dual meets - events that have trouble finding officials. Walton is a leader in the training of referees. He organizes several clinics each year and spends extra time hosting clinics and tutorials at the regattas he attends.
Perry and Walton join Lynn Shannon (John J. Carlin Award), Lee West (Clayton W. Chapman Award), Jon Watling (USRowing Male Athlete of the Year), and Rachel Anderson (USRowing Female Athlete of the Year) as the winners of USRowing's annual awards. The group will be honored on December 6 at the 2003 USRowing Awards Banquet in Palm Springs, Calif.