Friends,

Last weekend, almost 200 alums, parents, and friends returned to Boathouse to kick off the 2008-2009 year with the inaugural Gardner Cup Class Day Regatta. If you missed out on the festivities, here’s the first thing you should know: 

SAVE THE DATE SEPTEMBER 26, 2009. NEXT YEAR’S GARDNER CUP CLASS DAY FINALS WILL BE HELD FROM 4:00-5:00PM ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2009, WITH A CELEBRATORY COCKTAIL HOUR AND DINNER STARTING AT 6:00PM THE SAME EVENING. 

This year’s event was a success by every measure except the weatherman’s. But even a few soggy hours couldn’t suppress the enthusiasm behind what was reported to be the biggest gathering of Friends since the dedication of the boathouse. 

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Highlights of the weekend included: 

**4-mile, side by side racing of the 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 class crews, with the Class of 2011 overcoming an open-water deficit to the 2009 crew to pull even in the third-mile of the Gardner Cup final, trade strokes for about 1000 meters, and then pull away to win by open water. Youth was served! 

**A Friday night dinner with Pete Gardner returning to the boathouse to be honored by comments from Dick Grossman, Kurt Somerville, and Thad Seymour (via Tom Hull, who read That’s comments in his absence). Pete concluded the evening with remarks that showed that the values that make Dartmouth rowing great have endured for generations.  

**Four shell dedications honoring Sally N. Toffey (given by her husband Jim), Renate Hunter (given in her memory by her son Andre Hunter), Dick Grossman (donated by three alums who rowed for Dick as freshman heavyweights: John Pasquesi, Glenn Havlicek, and David Gensler), and Scott Armstrong (given as a 10th reunion gift by a group from the Classes of 1997-1999), who also returned to Hanover for the dedication and for another alumni dinner in his honor on Saturday night. 

**And finally, Pete Gardner awarding the inaugural Gardner Cup to the Class 0f 2009. The Cup was donated by Driu Colgan, who graduated from Dartmouth last spring, and his father Sean, who rowed on Pete’s national team crews. 

Gerrit Zwart took several great pictures of the festivities.

A huge thank you to everyone who returned to Hanover to make the weekend such a success, and here’s to making next year’s event even better.  

Best, 

Topher, Wendy, and Steve.