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Philadelphia, PA 19130
Phone: 215 978-8824

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Dedication

It's not an easy task to sit down with pen and paper and begin to write about Bill Braxton. There is little hope that mere words could ever convey the vitality and exuberance with which Bill approached the many facets of his life. And yet, in order to understand the true theme behind the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta, one must come to know in some way this remarkable young oarsman. Whatever he took upon himself to do, he did to the utmost limits of his ability, striving to achieve and excel and yet never losing his irrepressible joy and vitality for life. It was precisely these attitudes with which Bill approached the sport he had come to love, crew.

Bill first became involved with rowing at Devon Preparatory School where, under the coaching of Tibor Machan, he rowed in a varsity four, competing for almost three years on the Schuylkill. During these high school years, Bill became affiliated with the Schuylkill Boat Club, where, under the leadership of Tom Rafferty, he became more and more actively involved in the sport.

Upon graduation from Devon, Bill entered Marietta College, easily one of the finest small college rowing schools in the country, and by the spring racing season of his freshman year, he was rowing bow seat in the varsity lightweight eight. That year, 1972, the Marrietta varsity lights finished an impressive second in the Dad Vail Championship on the Schuylkill River. Bill was visibly disappointed. He wanted first, nothing less. Yet, not a word of discouragement was heard from this dedicated young oarsman. He had his eye on the '73 season, and eagerly awaited his second chance at the Vail Championship.

The '73 racing season was to prove the championship season for Bill. Again rowing varsity lights, this time in 7 seat, Bill and his fellow varsity lights had only one thought in mind, victory. And victorious they were. Marrieta's varsity lightweights went undefeated in 1973, and the culmination of their perfect season was a victory at Dad Vail. By his sophomore year in college, at the age of 19, Bill had achieved the goal he sought. He was a member of the finest small college varsity lightweight boat in the country.

As the summer of 1973 come to an end, Bill had plans for the upcoming crew season, setting his sights on lightweights in the IRAs. On August 17, Bill was killed in a tragic traffic accident.

This is the young man after whom this regatta is named. Hopefully now, the theme of the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta has become self-evident. This regatta stands for the selfless dedication of the true oarsman, one who held the true spirit of competition as a healthy, integral part of life.

Year	Scolarship Winner	High School	College	Amount
1989	Stephen Buckley		Syracuse University	$2,000
1990	Charles Adonanis			$2,000
1991	Michael Brishkirk		Phil College of Pharma	$2,000
1992	Robert Mojica			$2,000
1993	Salvatore Dejewski	North Catholic HS	Temple University	$2,000
1994	Megan Reed	Agnes Irwin HS	Harvard University	$2,000
1995	David Roncinske	Atlantic City HS	St. Joseph's University	$2,000
1996	Carl Bittenbender	St. Joseph's Prep	University of Delaware	$2,000
1997	Juliana Hardy		University of Delaware	$3,000
1998	Alfred Garfall	St. Joseph's Prep	Princeton University	$3,000
1999	Nafis Smith	The Haverford School	Cornell University	$3,000
1999	Shandra Calhoun*			$1,500
2000	Andrew Kelly	St. Joseph's Prep	University of Pennsylvania	$3,000
2001	Megan Lyons		University of Delaware	$3,000
2001	Meghan MacPherson*		University of Pennsylvania	$1,500
2002	Jennifer Timlin	Archbishop Prendergast HS	Penn State University	$3,000
2003	Sheila Finnegan*			$1,500
2003	Joseph Stamzione			$3,000
2004	Stephen Dingley	Father Judge HS	University of Pennsylvania	$3,000
2004	Michelle Sanchirico*	Bishop Eustace Prep School	Rutgers University	$1,500

* Theresa Braxton Scholarship

 

To be considered for the Braxton Scholarship, young rowers are nominated by their coaches and teammates. Finalists each write an essay and are interviewed by a committee before the selection is made. Academic scholarship, commitment to rowing, and monetary need are all factors in the selection process.