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When Ann and Marie Jonik began rowing at Vesper in 1971 with Gus Constant’s program, they were no strangers to the sport. Their four brothers rowed and their parents were dedicated to rowing; their mother, Mary Prior Jonik was a founding member of the Philadelphia Girls Rowing Club, and their father, Ed Jonik had long rowed at Fairmount.
As they refined their skills, Ann and Marie compiled an impressive record between them:
Forty National Championships
Four FISA Gold Medals
Nineteen Gold and Silver Head of the Charles Medals
Ann and Marie were members of the 1973 and 1975 National Teams and the 1976 Olympic Team
Marie was a member of the 1974 and 1977 National Teams
What are they doing now? Rowing ! They are currently rowing with Vesper’s Women’s Masters Super Eight! |
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The Christening of the Emory W. Clark Heavyweight Pair
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By Boyce Budd
I am pretty certain that Clark (aka ‘Emory ‘ for those of you who didn’t have to row with him for thousands of miles) has dreamed of having a racing shell named for him for close to half a century. His comment to me just after his gentle daughter Lucy made him aware of this ceremony, proposed for this glorious day on the Vesper Boat Club dock, was, “What took them so long?”
Well, I have an answer for him. Saints in the Catholic Church are not just nominated and anointed a few weeks later. Years go by as their life’s work is analyzed. A devil’s advocate is appointed to challenge the candidate’s nomination. Clark, if he were allowed to speak (and I urge you to prevent him from doing so if you can), would respond that his relevant life’s work, at least as far as this christening is concerned, occurred here some 40 years ago, that he arrived at Vesper on a September day, that exactly one year later he damned near single-handedly produced nine Olympic Gold medals for Vesper, and then retired from the Vesper rowing scene. He would then add that he couldn’t imagine a more meteoric and brilliant contribution to Vesper’s history of heroic deeds than his. We’d then be treated to his patented grin as it spread all over his face. He would ask again, “What took you so long?”
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If the vetting process had been really thorough, I would have been appointed Clark’s devil’s advocate, but even at this late date I can make a few helpful observations. He came to Vesper in 1963 to try to make the Olympic team in a heavyweight pair, so it is poetic justice that this new pair will carry his name. But more fundamentally and, notwithstanding all the demeaning things that I have said to him about those who sit in the #5 seat of an eight, the role that he played in that long ago Vesper 1964 Eight was as heroic as it was simple. Every time we raced, Clark was prepared to pay the full price to make that beautiful, wooden Donoratico go as fast as we could make it go. Every crewmate knew precisely what Clark was willing to sacrifice. One huge question that the rest of us pondered in the pre-race quiet was, “Could we match Clark?”
The verdict? This boat, the Emory W. Clark, is named for one of Vesper’s heroes. But more to the point, may the rowers who take it out to compete for our venerable old club or perhaps for our country, attack every opponent with the same ferocity as the boat’s namesake did many years ago. |
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The Christening of the V Lenare aut Lenari Lightweight Four
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By Mike Hard
A group of friends and teammates got together to name this boat – in thanks to Vesper and in recognition of the great times they had together while rowing for this club. In our humble opinion, the 80’s were the “golden age” of lightweight rowing at Vesper before the camp system really took hold. Yearly battles with St. Catherine’s to win the Head of the Charles were just routine, we always had a couple of rowers on the national team, and the seat races and ergs to make the Vesper boats could be harder than anything at the camp. All of us were better rowers because we rowed at Vesper – each of us is a better person because we rowed with each other. This boat is named for the only slogan we ever had that could be repeated in polite society: Lenare aut Lenari.
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James Crowley
Pater Eliasberg
Ed Gribbin
Eric Hamilton
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Paul Hammond
Michael Hard
Mark Lange
Fred Michini
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Mark O’Connor
Scott Petry
John Tierney
Michael Quinn
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Kevin St.Clair
Larry Wittig
Tim Wray
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JB Kelly, president, looks on while Marc Baker and other Vesper members christen the Victorious
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