HOCR 50th Exhibit | Page 2

1965

“ We were pretty convinced a Head regatta wouldn ’ t work ... It was the wrong time of

Globe Co-Sponsors Special Crew Races
Boston Globe ( 1960-1979 ); Sep 19 , 1965 ; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Boston Globe ( 1872 - 1979 ) pg . 69

year and no colleges were racing ; they were all practicing . It certainly wouldn ’ t appeal to any spectators because nobody could tell who was ahead . We tried it anyway .”

— D ’ ARCY MACMAHON CO-FOUNDER

October 16

Rowing had always been a spring and summer sport on the Charles

Globe Co-Sponsors Special Crew Races
Boston Globe ( 1960-1979 ); Sep 19 , 1965 ; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Boston Globe ( 1872 - 1979 ) pg . 69

“ We told the newpapers ‘ Countless

River , the colleges racing in the spring , the boat clubs hosting a thousands lined the variety of regattas throughout the summer . But in late 1964 , a handful

Globe Co-Sponsors Special Crew Races
Boston Globe ( 1960-1979 ); Sep 19 , 1965 ; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Boston Globe ( 1872 - 1979 ) pg . 69

Charles ...’ We figured if we said countless of Cambridge Boat Club members started asking themselves : why thousands it meant we not take advantage of the splendid weather we so often have in didn ’ t count them . That actually triggered a lot

September and October ?

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner . Further reproduction prohibited without permission . of people coming the next year . They figured ,

Over the next twelve months , the first Head

Of The Charles came together through
the imagination and efforts of Dr . Howard
McIntyre , a 32-year-old neurologist and
chairman of the Cambridge Boat Club
rowing committee , and D ’ Arcy MacMahon , a
25-year-old executive with the John Hancock

playful boast would prove ,

or how it would nearly
came back to haunt him
in that first Regatta .
There were birthing pains
that first year ; the timing
clocks malfunctioned — a

Announcement of the first Regatta published in The Boston Globe in 1965

PHOTO : HOCR ARCHIVES

‘ we ’ d like to row in

front of a crowd ’”
— D ’ ARCY MACMAHON

LEFT Northeastern University crossing the finish line in the Senior Eight-Oared Shells event in 1967 . Note the newly built Prudential tower in the skyline and the young vegetation of the then newly established park for the Metropolitan Boston Art Center , years earlier in 1959 .

company , and one-time stroke of the

second hand got stuck
SCAN TO READ THE NEWS COVERAGE OF THE EARLY YEARS

LEFT Jerry Olrich , co-founder , tabulates the official results of the 1967 Regatta .

University of Pennsylvania lightweight four .

A race committee comprised of a dozen-odd
volunteers from the Cambridge Boat Club

on one of the finish-line

clocks — and the initial
results had to be checked
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner . Further reproduction prohibited without permission .

RIGHT Co-founders Howard McIntyre announcing while D ’ Arcy MacMahon , makes notes leaning over the table during the 1967 Regatta

and the wider Boston rowing community

and changed . But the
SCAN TO VIEW MORE EARLY IMAGES

completed the initial Regatta staff .

timing tangles were

mitigated greatly by the
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner . Further reproduction prohibited without permission .

An out-of-season regatta should be different ,

felt McIntyre and MacMahon , so instead of

ABOVE Cover of the 1965 official program .

spirit and spirits at the

post-Regatta party —“ The
PHOTO : HOCR ARCHIVES

a series of 2000-meter races on the Basin

SCAN TO VEIW THE COMPLETE 1965 PROGRAM

more alcohol we poured

racecourse , they opted to try a variation

of a British “ head ” race . The idea for the

into everybody , the less

concerned with whether the results were
PHOTO : HOCR ARCHIVES

THE ORIGIN OF THE RACE COURSE

head race — single file , against the clock —

came from Ernie Arlett , a son of Henleyon-Thames
, England , who ’ d spent all of his
52 years in the sport of rowing , as athlete ,
boatman and coach , and had just recently
been named head coach of the new crew
program at Northeastern . A head race ,
Arlett explained , allowed the crews to use

right or not ,” said MacMahon — and delayed

results notwithstanding , rowers came away
upbeat and positive about racing in October .
For the college crews particularly , it gave the
autumn weeks on the water a purpose . Prior
to the Head Of The Charles , all the college
rowers had to look forward to in the fall was
gradually deteriorating weather until — worst

The course length and layout was a result of the event management requirments . The timing system required electricity so the start was set at Boston University boathouse just above the basin . From there MacMahon pedaled upstream on his mother ’ s bicycle , which was equipped with an odometer . “ We were thinking of having the finish line at the CBC because the club members could watch ,” MacMahon said . “... but that won ’ t work because all the people will accumulate there . We also wanted the last strokes of the race should be straightaway so the rowers could really go for it .”

So MacMahon continued pedaling , found an electrical pole near the pier at the then recently defunct Metropolitan Boston Art Center ’ s outdoor theater on the Boston side and established the finish line there . “ The odometer said it was almost three miles ,” he said , “ so we declared that it was a precisely surveyed 3-mile course .”

Note that on this original course map from the 1965 program back cover , Grenough Boulevard , on the Cambridge side of the finish line , is yet to be built .

the narrower sections of a river when the

of all — winter forced them inside to train on

weather was iffy , early or late in the season . In

the tanks . For the club rowers , the Regatta

Britain , head races were common in the early

gave them incentive to stay on the water just

spring . Using the odometer on his mother ’ s

a little deeper into the season .

bicycle , MacMahon laid out a three-mile

course that ran upstream from the Boston
University boathouse to the Charles River

Fixing a permanent date for the Regatta

became something of a negotiation with

BELOW Crews head up towards the Start Line chute for the 1968 Regatta . Note the Jordan Marsh Co . warehouse in the present location of the Hyatt hotel .

SCAN TO VIEW MORE EARLY IMAGES

Reservation Park across from the WBZ TV

the different constituencies . The club rowers

studios , the very course still rowed today .

wanted it as early as possible , while the

The first Regatta was set for the Saturday of

weather was still good . College coaches

Columbus Day weekend .

preferred it as late as possible , in order that

they might have more time to work out the
MAP : HOCR ARCHIVES

At the winter meetings of the National

kinks and rust in their crews after a summer

Association of Amateur Oarsmen in New York

off . After the Columbus Day weekend

in January 1965 , MacMahon mischievously

inaugural , organizers settled on the last

told the rowing community that the Head

Sunday in October as race day , eventually

1965

■■

Inaugural Regatta modeled after the Head Of The River race in England

■■

The Boston Globe provides financial support

■■

The Metropolitan District Commission MDC votes to close indefinitely the Metropolitan Boston Arts Center at the Herter Park , future location of the HOCR finish line

■■

New York World ’ s Fair closes on October 17

■■

1st ground station-to-aircraft radio communication via satellite

■■

Maple Leaf becomes official flag of Canada

■■

Martin Luther King Jr led 25 , 000 to state capitol in Montgomery , Al

■■

US troops ordered to fight offensively in Vietnam

■■

69th Boston Marathon won by Morio Shigematsu of Japan in 2:16:33

268 ATHLETES

M 268

W 0

80 BOATS

50

13 17

Of The Charles was “ destined to become a

classic .” Little did he know how prophetic his

1966

■■

Senior Singles trophy named after Cambridge Boat Club member Laurence Curtis

■■

Beatles ’ Rubber Soul , album goes # 1 and stays # 1 for 6 weeks

■■

Georges Pompidou appointed French premier

■■

LBJ says US should stay in S Vietnam until communist aggression ends

■■

Metropolitan Opera House opens in Lincoln Center

■■

Dow-Jones Index hits record 995 points

■■

25 , 000 anti war demonstrators march in New York City

■■

Mamas & Papas Monday Monday hits # 1

105 BOATS 57

12 36

1967

■■

First use of Fall Rowing Festival term

■■

The Boston Globe discontinues sponsorship of the Regatta

■■

Agreement reached with the Metropolitan District Commision for patrolling the river and roadways during the Regatta

■■

Novice Singles event added to replace the College Singles

■■

Regatta approves creation of silver plated second place medals

■■

Timing Committee uses accurate timing watches and communicates all start and finish times to Cambridge BC for computing finishing times

■■

Ivy league bans off-season competition

441 ATHLETES M 441 W 0

415 ATHLETES M 415 W 0

115 BOATS 68

moving to the next-to-last weekend of the

month when the Regatta became a two-day .

19 28

1968

■■

Mayor ’ s Office of the City of Boston agrees to donate a perpetual trophy for the Junior Eights event as is named The Boston Mayor ’ s Cup

■■

Ivy League lifts off-season competition ban

■■

Added a Junior Doubles event

■■

Budget set at a minimum of $ 1 , 200 and a maximum of $ 1,600

■■

Entry fees : Singles $ 5 , Fours $ 15 , Eights $ 25

■■

1st class postage raised from 5 cents to 6 cents

■■

Yale University announces it is going co-educational

598 ATHLETES M 598 W 0

153 BOATS 78 5

30 40

1969

PHOTO : HOCR ARCHIVES
■■

First oarswoman , Gail Pierson ( Cromwell ) of Cambridge BC , competes in Novice Single Sculls event

■■

US Congress doubles president salary

■■

Beatles release Yellow Submarine album in the United Kingdom

■■

Richard M Nixon inaugurated as president

■■

US population reaches 200 million

■■

Boston Bruins scores a NHL record 8 goals in 1 period

■■

1st Test flight of Boeing 747 jumbo jet

743 ATHLETES M 742 W 1

99.9 % < 0.1 %

175 BOATS 80 8

34 53

1970

■■

Ficticious Charles Attager becomes the formal entry contact to shield Entry Volunteers from calls at work

■■

Computer Timing implements computer terminals at the start and finish

■■

Course records fall in all 13 events in windless conditions

■■

Three oarswomen compete in Junior Lightweight Singles event including Gail Pierson ( Cromwell ) of Cambridge BC

■■

Beatles release Hey Jude album

■■

Kent State shooting occur during student protests which grow violent

■■

The first Earth Day is observed .

■■

Environmental Protection Agency created

848 ATHLETES M 845 W 3

99.9 % < 0.1 %

202 BOATS 87 14

44 57

1971

■■

Cigarette advertisements banned on TV

■■

Apollo 14 launched , 1st landing in lunar highlands

■■

British car maker Rolls Royce declared itself bankrupt

■■

After 1 , 200 years Britain abandons 12-shilling system for decimal

■■

Boston Bruins begin 13 NHL game win streak

■■

President Richard Nixon ends the United States Gold standard monetary policy

1,335 ATHLETES M 1,330 W 5

99.9 % < 0.1 %

325 BOATS 156 15

30 75 128

1972

■■

Increased participation of women with 124 rowing in 7 singles and 13 eights

■■

NASA announces development of space shuttle program

■■

Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle model exceed those of Ford Model-T .

■■

Richard Nixon becomes 1st US president to visit China

■■

LA Lakers broke NBA record by winning 69 of 82 games

1,441 ATHLETES M 1,317 W 124

92 % 8 %

339 BOATS 132 18

23 69 97

1973

■■

Cambridge Boat Club officially takes over the responsibility for the Regatta and places it under the trusteeship of three club members appointed annually by the Club ’ s Board of Directors

■■

Four Watergate burglars plead guilty in federal court

■■

Boston Red Sox sign Orlando Cepeda as 1st player signed as a DH

■■

US & Vietnam sign cease-fire , ending longest US war and military draft

■■

US dollar devalues 10 %

1,767 ATHLETES M 1,505 W 262

85 % 15 %

404 BOATS 163 23

20 66 132

1974

■■

541 boats with 2 , 436 participating — 2,043 men ( 84 %) and 393 women ( 16 %)

■■

Nixon refuses to hand over tapes subpoenaed by Watergate Committee

■■

Loch Ness Monster photographed

■■

Gold hits record $ 126 . 50 an ounce in London , England .

■■

Happy Days begins an 11 year run on ABC

■■

1st class postage raised to 10 cents from 8 cents

2,436 ATHLETES M 2,043 W 393

84 % 16 %

541 BOATS 201 25

30 110 175