Men's Crew alumni gathered on the DeWolfe Boathouse dock at the Head of the Charles regatta on October 18 to dedicate a shell in memory of their freshman crew coach, Kim Bassett (CAS'57, SED'60). The group is pictured here with Men's Head Crew Coach Rodney Pratt (center, in suit) and Sheldon Segerman (SMG'57, holding Bassett's photo), who coxed with Bassett on their freshman crew. Photo by Linda Haas

At the Head of the Charles regatta last October, amid the competition and excitement of the races and the fun of riverside parties and alum rows, there was a remarkable moment. Thirty oarsmen from the sixties gathered at Boston University's DeWolfe Boathouse to dedicate a shell in memory of their recently deceased freshman crew coach, Charles (Kim) Bassett (CAS'57, SED'60).

As an undergraduate, Bassett rowed for BU, becoming varsity captain in 1956. After earning his bachelor's degree, he stayed on as freshman coach, leading his crews to medal in the Eastern Sprints in 1961 and 1964. He inspired rowers to strive for the highest goals on and off the river. Howie Newell (SMG'64, LAW'67, '80), stroke of the second freshman crew who rose to captain in his senior year, recalls the first race of the 1961 season, against Dartmouth. The crew had to row three miles against the current just to get to the starting line for the two-mile race-also against the current. The predominantly lightweight BU crew was rowing opposite Dartmouth heavyweights and Bassett's instruction to his rowers was, "Don't let them catch you." And they didn't. The second freshmen set a course record heralded in the New York Times.

Freshman Coach Kim Bassett, at left, with 1964 frosh crew: from left, Jack Cotton (CAS'68), Howard Kilguss (CAS'67), Safford Sweatt (CAS'67), Bill Dwyer (CAS'68), Joe Townsend (CAS'67), Bob Cady (SMG'68), John Ross (ENG'67), John Rogers (SMG'67), and coxswain Mike Greenwood (SMG'67), in front. Photo by BU Photo Services

At the Bassett tribute, alumni shared reminiscences of the coach who had encouraged them. "He was a great confidante, advisor, and friend," says Clark Broden (CAS'64). "He really cared about you, that you were happy and successful." Niles Helmboldt (CAS'63) remembers the coach "breezing in the door at Myles Standish" almost nightly to "check on everyone, give those there his endless maxims." Ed Glinski (CAS'63, MED'68), who became the first crew member to win BU's E. Ray Speare Award for outstanding athletic and scholarship achievement, recalls Bassett's unconventional method of recruiting rowers, including Glinski and many of his crewmates. Across the doorway in the dining commons Bassett set a bar at six feet two inches, posted with a sign: "If you have to duck to pass through this doorway, report to the crew boathouse this afternoon." The coach was also a musician, "an excellent drummer . . . truly a Renaissance man," according to Glinski, who played saxophone and clarinet with Bassett's band at gigs in Boston and on Cape Cod. Another Bassett recruit and crew captain, Anton Keating (CAS'66), who helped organize the recent Head of the Charles reunion and Bassett Boat Bash Weekend, recalls his first foray on the Charles: "Early in the crisp fall it seemed like fun; Kim never mentioned rowing the damn thing through ice floes in the early spring while he, in the small outboard runabout, pushed the larger floes out of the way. Water froze on the oars!"

Appreciation of their rowing experience under Bassett prompted the crew alums, spearheaded by telethon organizer Keating, to raise $25,000, with a goal of raising another $75,000 to create a boat endowment in their coach's memory. Bassett himself bequeathed $50,000 to Boston University Crew-half each to the men's and women's programs.

— Jean Hennelly Keith

For more information on the Charles (Kim) Bassett Fund, please contact Rodney Pratt at 617-353-9303 or rspratt@bu.edu