Traditionally Strong Eliot Crew Again Tops Houses

While the varsity, J.V. and freshman crews annexed the eastern rowing crown this spring. Eliot House's Intramural shell won the House championship, and the next week beat its Yale counterparts.

When on May 21 it participated in the American Henley regatta on the Charles, the Eliot second boat took first place in its event and the first boat trailed an MIT third varsity boat by a scanty three feet in the 2000 meter row.

Superior crows are nothing new to the Elephants. Just why they continually dominate Harvard rowing is something of a mystery. Other Houses have raw material but none gets it refined like the E-House.

James G. Duccy '43, Assistant Registrar, who coached the Mastedona, spoke gleefully about "his wealth of material." He had two full boats and a handful of reserves during the past season. Nearly all his candidates had previous rowing experience and some were varsity castoffs.

Daily Practice

Duccy, who was varsity coxswain in his undergraduate years, held the first practice for his intramural oarsmen the day before spring vacation. Since then he has drilled his boats assiduously except on Saturdays and Sundays.

Esprit de corps, especially necessary to successful rowing, flourished among the Elephants. In fact, House Master John H. Finley, Jr. '25, Eliot Professor of Greek Literature, was so impressed by the House crow's zest for the riverboat life that he threw a party for it when it successfully completed its season.

Ducey's only complaint about his men was that in spite of their abundant will to win they could never be persuaded to lay off cigarettes, liquor, and bad hours. Had the Eliot oarsmen concentrated on keeping in condition, they could have been undefeated. Ducey thinks.

Handicap number two to the Mastedens was the battered equipment provided them by the Weld Boat Club. It is a testament to Ducey's coaching skill that he managed to meld a first class crew while using a million of decrepit, disregarded versify shells and cars.

The lineup for the season was Row, Kathn Smith, number two ear Henry Gardiner, three Ronald Dick, four, William P. Wodd, five, Walter Aikman, six, Erie Osborne, seven Mike Moras, stroke Oliver Scholle, and coxswain, Joshus Twilly