It is a great honor to be recognized by the Harvard sports community, but I am deeply indebted to so many other individuals and institutions that it is I that must do the recognizing. First, I recognize and honor the legions of Harvard oarsmen who blazed trails before me establishing in their wake a heritage and standard of excellence to which I was but a temporary heir and steward. Many of those same gentlemen, whose youthful faces stared down from team pictures adorning our boathouse as we toiled in workouts below, also generously financially endowed the Harvard program so that I and countless others could benefit from the best facilities, equipment and coaching possible.

Second, I recognize my fellow teammates whose shared vision of and commitment to success and personal integrity to the sport ensured we would never tolerate mediocrity. Without individuals like my fellow inductee Tom Howes the task might have seemes less achievable.

Third, I recognize a man whose role in my life I am still deciphering. As I grow older and understand more about who I was as a young man I undertand more about coach Harry Parker's role in shaping my athletic and personal lives, which are, of course, intricately intertwined. I have had the honor of knowing Harry through collegiate, national team and Olympic team rowing seasons. To this day, my nighttime dreams have never contained a single Harvard professor, a single Harvard lecture, nor a single Harvard assignment, but every so often Harry reappears, usually to challenge me in some parabolic semi-Herculean task. I imagine I am not the lone Harvard oarsman in whose life Harry has played an archetypal role.

Finally, I would like to pay respect to our late boathouse rigger, Charlie Smith, who although playing a lesser role in my life, remains a clear and joyful figure of my time at Newell Boathouse. I am indebted to Charlie whose keen humor and magic workmanship always ensured that Harvard crews shoved off the dock with a grin and inner confidence in our equipment.