On behalf of Stuart Crew and Booster Board, thank you so much for attending the Alumni & Friends event this last Saturday. I hope you had a chance to reminisce with former teammates and meet someone from a different era who is also part of this J.E.B. Stuart Crew family. It was a hot day, but you didn’t let that discourage you…weather certainly not unlike some regattas in which you have participated. Rowers are tough. Rower parents, even tougher.

Thank you to the 1968 Henley team for sharing your story. It is great for those of us on the team in later decades to hear your experiences in person … the struggles of starting a new team, the support you received from parents and community, reliance on dedicated coaches, single-minded belief that you could prevail and, of course, the details of tremendous season you had in 1968. Please send back some pictures and stories from your reunion event … we’d love to put them on our current website.

We hope by the end of the month, the Miss Fairfax will be hanging in the erg room at Sandy Run for so many people to see and appreciate. The team that restored her did a fabulous job … certainly a labor of love.

As I was mingling with people on Saturday, I was struck the lasting impact that bring part of J.E.B. Stuart Crew, either as a rower, a parent, or a coach has had on our lives. While much of the program on Saturday celebrated the accomplishments of the past, I’d like to take a moment to talk about the future. Parents and alums, let’s broaden the circle of active alumni for the betterment and support of future teams.

Support the team financially if you can (rowing is getting more, not less expensive), and also check back to our website often and follow us on Twitter if you are into that. We’d love to share successes of current and future teams with you. The strongest teams have the strongest alumni.

Fondly,
Linda Manning
JEB Stuart Crew President (outgoing)

Stuart Crew. Rowing Strong for 50 Years.