First update to PBC Bylaws in 30 years

To: Members of Potomac Boat Club
From: Ed Ryan, Club Secretary

I am pleased to announce that the Board has updated the Bylaws of the Club for the first time since their last revision more than 30 years ago. The newly updated Bylaws can be found on the PBC website in the Members Area section and in the Members Only Info area of the Potomac Star (both areas are passcode protected).

The primary changes to the Bylaws were made to eliminate provisions that the Board determined were no longer relevant or applicable (availability of purchase option for life membership and waiver of initiation fee for active members of other rowing clubs); to update the fees and dues referenced in the Bylaws to those that are currently payable; to institute the use of a Club Bulletin Board for posting of Club information (contact information, fees, dues, etc.) and other official notices from the Secretary; to correct the descriptions of the Club uniform and flag; and to institute an improved mechanism to ensure early member notification of any proposed changes in fees or dues. Other changes included many “clean up” and ministerial changes to correct typos and the like.

Please note that the new Bylaws are effective as of December 16th, 2009, but are effective on a prospective basis only. As for any matter predating December 16th, 2009, the former Bylaws are effective (including the waiver of initiation fees for active members of other rowing clubs).

I hope the revised Bylaws will work for the Club for at least another 30 years.

Ed Ryan
Secretary, Potomac Boat Club

Security reminder from the president

Hi All –

A recent locker room theft reminds us that despite significant improvements in house security, we must continue to take reasonable precautions to secure our belongings while at the club.

This particular theft was from an unlocked locker.  Please make sure you are locking your locker and closing doors behind you.  As an added measure, don’t be shy about questioning anyone you don’t recognize.

It’s unfortunate we have to be on guard at our own club, but if we remember to do these simple things, we will continue to increase the level of safety and security for all of us.

Bob Price
President, PBC

143rd Semi-Annual Meeting this Wednesday!

The Potomac Boat Club 143rd Semi-Annual Meeting will be held this Wednesday, October 7.  Happy Hour will start at 6:30 pm, with the business of Club set to commence at 7:30 pm.

Here are a few of the agenda items you can look forward to so far:

• General remarks by PBC president, Bob Price
• Election of Float Officers
• Reports from the Committee chairs
• Presentation of the first annual David Challinor Memorial Fund Awards

If you missed helping out with the regatta last weekend or any number of volunteer opportunities the House Committee has thrown your way, the Semi-Annual Meeting is your chance to participate by just standing around and having a drink or two.

Heck, you might even find a committee you’d like to join!  (That’s the plan, at least.)

See you there, Potomac!

HOCR deadline for 1xers and Challinor Fund details!

Thinking about racing in a single sculling event at the 2009 Head of the Charles Regatta?  Well, it’s time to quit thinking and get to registering! 

Single sculling event applications are due this Saturday, August 1!

Need more inspiration? 

Don’t forget that if you are a PBC member or a competitive program member with an accepted entry to race a single at this year’s HOCR, you could be recommended to receive reimbursement for your racing expenses from the David Challinor Head of the Charles Memorial Fund!  And if you’re one of the chosen two scullers, not only will you get reimbursement, but your name will appear on the Challinor Fund’s plaque at the boathouse with names of fellow recipients for years to come! 

For general registration information and deadlines, please visit the HOCR competitor’s information page here.  To go straight to the single sculling events registration page, just click here. 

For more information on the David Challinor Head of the Charles Memorial Fund, Board Member Ed Ryan has provided us with all the latest details below, on behalf of the Board.

* * *

As many of you are aware, Dave graciously and generously remembered PBC in his will, and made a significant bequest to the Club.  The Board solicited ideas from members on an appropriate use of these funds, and after receiving and considering many excellent suggestions, we arrived at the David Challinor Head of the Charles Memorial Fund (”The Fund”) as the best way to remember Dave and promote his ideals and competitive spirit.

The Fund will be used as follows:  Each year, starting this year (2009), the Racing Committee shall nominate for Board consideration qualified scullers, at least one male and one female, to receive reimbursement of up to $1000 for expenses related to racing at the Head of the Charles Regatta.  To qualify, each nominee must have an accepted entry to race in a single sculling event for PBC at the Head of the Charles Regatta.  Each nominee must be an active member of PBC (or a child of an active member) or a member of a competitive program at PBC.

The Racing Committee’s nominations are due to the Board in September, after the accepted single sculling entries are announced by the Head of the Charles Regatta organization.  From the pool of nominees, the Board will select the final recipients, one male and one female.  Recipients will be announced at PBC’s Semi-Annual Meeting in early October.  A David Challinor Head of the Charles Memorial Fund plaque will be created and displayed at PBC with the names of each year’s recipients.

The Board believes this to be a fitting and appropriate tribute to Dave’s legacy, and that Dave would appreciate this use of the funds he entrusted to the Club.  The Board intends the Fund to continue in perpetuity, meaning that it is intended to rely on the investment proceeds of Dave’s gift as opposed to the principal of the gift.  The Board reserves the right to the change the terms of this Fund at any time, and/or to discontinue it.  Any issues regarding the Fund shall be resolved exclusively by the Board.

 

Board To Establish Fund in Challinor’s Memory

Potomac Boat Club’s Board of Governors voted at its meeting last month to use a gift from the estate of David Challinor to help PBC scullers compete at the Head of the Charles Regatta.

Two PBC members will be nominated annually from those with an accepted entry to race in a single sculling event at the Head of the Charles.  Once approved by the Board, each could receive up to $1000 from the Challinor fund as reimbursement for expenses related to racing at the regatta.

David Challinor was one of PBC’s most admired, respected, and consistently competitive members.  He started rowing at age 14, and became a member of undefeated 1940-42 Harvard University crews.  He graduated from Harvard a year early in order to serve in World War II.  After returning to the racecourse in his late 40s, he competed successfully in sweep and sculling events for the next 30 plus years, winning the single sculling event in his age division at the Head of the Charles Regatta 13 times.

Off the water, Dave was not only a loving husband, father, and grandfather, he became the most successful assistant secretary in the Smithsonian Institution’s history.  He is credited with establishing many of the programs that today continue to foster the work of our nation’s top conservationists and naturalists.  It was this interest in nurturing others in their own pursuits of excellence that was cited by many PBC members as a reason to use Dave’s generous gift to the Club in a similar way.  The new fund will accomplish this, while at the same time, honor his incredible Head of the Charles racing legacy.

When Dave passed away early last year, we were deeply saddened as a club.  In his memory, we hung the single he had named Joan, after his beloved wife, in the ballroom.  Still, many of us have yet to fully recover from the fact that the man himself is no longer here.  The Board plans to finalize the details of the Challinor memorial fund before the start of the fall racing season, so that we will be able to initiate this formal tribute to Dave with this year’s Head of the Charles.

The Potomac Star will publish details as they become available.

 

Ready for Spring?

[The following is a message regarding the spring season that was recently sent through the Member Listserv by PBC president, Bob Price.]

Hi All –

I hope everyone is excited as I am about the arrival of the spring season.  Pretty soon we’ll be seeing lots more activity at the boathouse – folks on the docks, on the water, on the ergs, or just hanging out enjoying the warmer weather.

A few reminders to get us all on the same wavelength – some safety tips, etiquette reminders, and general housekeeping practices:

-    Please make sure to log all your outings in the logbook.  This not only allows us to keep track of boat use, but is also a key safety mechanism that lets us identify who has logged back in, and who hasn’t.  If we notice someone has been out a very long time, it may be reason to send a launch out to make sure everything is ok.

-    Early spring means cold water temperatures.  Be aware of the 4-oar rule: until the water is over 50 degrees, no club 1x’s are allowed out and anyone launching any boat must wear a PFD or a wetsuit unless you are accompanied by a coaching launch.  Note, this is for ALL crews, not just folks rowing private 1x’s.  We will post notices around the house and announce on the Yahoo Group when the 4-oar rule is lifted.

-    Early spring also means it’s still dark out in the mornings and early evenings.  All shells must carry white lights fore and aft before sunrise and after sunset, and thanks to Chuck Selden our Float Captain, there are lights available by the logbook.  Follow the proper traffic patterns and make yourself easy to see by wearing light, reflective colors – simple things to avoid mishaps on the water.

-    Be alert on and around the dock; prime rowing hours often see lots of congestion from launching and landing crews.  Be timely on the dock whether coming in or going out, and be especially aware of crews trying to land – they have priority.

-    For those choosing to erg, please wipe the machine and the surrounding floor area clean when you are finished.  I recently (last week) noticed many of our newest ergs with very filthy tracks… makes it feel like the seat is rolling on a gravel road.  If you don’t find paper towels in the ballroom, then find some in the bathroom.. if we’re out, then be creative – just don’t leave a mess behind.

-    And for the folks who just want to enjoy the Club Room, the porch, or the deck, please make sure to properly dispose all your trash

-    For everyone, if you see overflowing trash cans, then don’t just stare at them or pile more junk on top; lend a hand and take the trash to the dumpster.  And PLEASE - let’s not use the locker rooms as personal clothes dryers – it’s much better for all of us if we take our post-workout gear home with us and not let it sit and stink up the common areas.

In short summary, let’s have a great spring – be safe, be kind, and be clean!

Thanks.  And see you soon!

Bob

Bob Price
President, Potomac Boat Club

An Event 100 Years in the Making

Since many of you were in attendance at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of our boathouse on Saturday, September 13th, you know that a great time was had by all.

This post, originally sent through our Yahoo Group listserv, is a special thanks from PBC president, Bob Price, to the many volunteers who worked so tirelessly over the preceding months to make the event such a grand success.

We can hardly wait to see what they come up with for the 140th anniversary of the Club next year!

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Hi, All.

I wanted to add my thanks to all who made our Centennial Celebration such a nice event! The House looked great, the turnout was impressive, and the party was a lot of fun. When you get a chance, please let the following people know they really put on a great show:

§ Camilla Durfee
§ Gib Durfee
§ Susan Trice
§ John Lavery
§ Pam Roberts
§ Katherine Hoffman
§ Barbara Corrigan
§ Robert Cooper
§ Catherine Souvain

More thanks go to Jake Higley and Sylvia Frayne for setting up the boat christenings. For those who were unable to witness it, the ceremony was great. It’s a privilege that we have as a rowing community to name our boats after the special and important people in our sport, and to see new racing shells the David Challinor, the Cynthia Cole, and the Allen P. Rosenberg receive a proper welcome was truly a treat. Now let’s make sure we win lots of races in them!

As we mentioned on Saturday night, the planning for the Centennial Celebration provided the opportunity to appreciate the House and its history - and I ask the PBC membership to support our Committees to ensure that it sees another 100 years. Specifically, the House Committee, led by Cal Sutliff, has a long list of House projects in need of volunteers. Whether leading as a project manager or providing a few hours of elbow grease, any assistance you could provide will certainly help speed these projects along. Please contact Cal or any member of the Board of Governors if you’d like to help.

We also have a new effort underway - a few energetic volunteers have assembled a History Committee! We realized as we prepared for the party that many members have nuggets of information that isn’t collected by the Club and we want to mine those riches. With more detail to come on how the Committee will work, let me now list the Committee members so you can share with any of them info, photos, texts or objects you have that shed light on our history:

§ Bill Lanouette
§ Bob Parke
§ Elizabeth Webber
§ Gretchen Ellsworth
§ Barbara Corrigan

At the party, we welcomed an impressive guest speaker, Tersh Boasberg, chairman of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board. Tersh gave an entertaining and informative recount of some key historical events that shaped our early history as a Club. I’ll ask Tersh to provide his text so that we can post on this forum - at times it was difficult to hear the story as many members were anxious to get the party started! But I’m sure those who were able to hear it found it fun and enlightening so we’ll share it with everyone. Thanks, again, Tersh!

So, once more, great job to everyone involved in making the Centennial Celebration such a success. It was wonderful to see so many PBC friends and family having such a fun time at the Club!

-Bob