Up to his death, Perry held the role of executive
director for the National Rowing Foundation and
was instrumental in fundraising considerable
amounts of money which helped to fund large
numbers of US national team members. Every
national team member thus felt the effect of Perry.
Perry’s involvement in rowing earned him many
accolades, including USRowing’s Medal of Honour
in 2009, the Jack Kelly, John Carlin and Jack Franklin
awards. He was inducted into the US National
Rowing Hall of Fame, the Dartmouth (University)
Rowing Hall of Fame and the Kent School Athletic
Hall of Fame.
Hart Perry accepts the
World Rowing Distinguished
Services to Rowing Award,
presented to him in January
2010, at the River and
Rowing Museum, in Henley-on-Thames (GBR). FISA
President Denis Oswald
pictured left.
Youth rowing became one of his focuses
and Perry went on to be part of FISA’s youth
commission for nearly 20 years. He was also an
advocate of women’s rowing and established
girls rowing at Kent School. Carie Graves, who
medalled for the United States at the first Olympics
that included women’s rowing, Montreal 1976,
commented that Perry was the first male of his
generation that acknowledged Graves as a rower.
>
Perry’s influence was not just limited to the
United States. As well as serving as a FISA
commission member, Perry spent 1971 to
1999 as an international umpire. In this time he
officiated at two Olympic Games, 10 World Rowing
Championships and 18 World Junior regattas. In
1974 he became the first non-British national to
be appointed as a Henley Steward for the Henley
Royal Regatta and he was invited to join London’s
prestigious Leander Club.
A memorial service was held for Perry at Kent
School two months after his death with over
400 people in attendance covering the full range
of age groups. The memorial coincided with the
annual Kent/Andover race with the women’s crews
racing for the Hart Perry Cup.
● M.S.B.
Issue 17 – August 2011
© Peter Spurrier/Intersport Images
