Hall of Fame: Class of 2008

Samuel S. Bartlett 1918
Leon W. Losee 1938
Philip H. Davis 1963
Elizabeth B. Trotman 1968
Charles A. Poole 1973
Leslie A. Johnston Grayson 1978
Elizabeth A. Endress Stewart 1993
Eleanor H. D'Ambrosio Hewitt 1998
Michael G. Harley 1998

Coach

O. B. Davis 1942

Team

The 1983 Girls Crew

SAMUEL S. BARTLETT 1918

Sam Bartlett was a leader at Kent both on and off the field: Senior Prefect of the Class of 1918, quarterback of the football team and captain of baseball. A two-year member of the varsity football team, Sam led the team to its first undefeated season in the fall of 1917. The team scored 557 points against their opponents' 24, including a 109-0 game against Canterbury. The Nadal brothers, Bill and Graham, both Hall of Fame members, were also members of that illustrious team. In the winter Sam took to the ice, earning a varsity letter in his sixth form year when the team had only two losses. A four-year member of varsity baseball, Sam played second base and served as captain in his sixth form year of a team that scored 90 runs in their 12-game winning season.

After graduating from Lafayette College, Sam returned to Kent, and with the support of Father Sill, he founded South Kent School in 1923 with his classmate and fellow prefect, Richard Cuyler. Physical rigor was a trademark of South Kent School from the start: students carried bricks to help build the chapel, harvested crops and cleared the snow from Hatch Pond for their hockey rink. During his tenure as headmaster, Sam Bartlett coached and led many athletic endeavors at "the school down the road". With all Sam has done for both Kents, we are proud to name him to the 2008 Athletic Hall of Fame

LEON WALSH LOSEE 1938

Leon Losee arrived at Kent School in September, 1933. As an underformer he combined his natural skills with determination and hard work on the football field, hockey rink, and baseball diamond, each year contributing more to his teams as his experience and abilities grew. He went on to be awarded two varsity numerals and seven varsity letters.

Leon played on three of the finest Kent football teams of the 1930s. In the fall of '35 the team was undefeated, in '36 only one loss was suffered (on a still controversial call). As a sixth former in the fall of '37 Leon was a key player in the backfield - running, plunging, and passing. The biggest victory of the season was the Loomis game as Kent dominated 35 - 6 to retain possession of the Spoon, always a special source of pride for Pater. However, the most memorable play of the season, as noted on the pages of The Herald Tribune, was performed by Leon Losee. Playing Taft, Kent was forced to punt from their own 10 yard line. Under the tutelage of Coach Jim Humphreys, Leon had recently learned the Morris punting style, which did not embrace the modern "hang time" method. At the snap, he kicked an 85 yard punt to the Taft 5 yard line!

On the hockey rink, where Leon earned two varsity letters, he scored often and played brilliant defense. Paired with Captain Charles Brothwell (a 2003 Hall of Fame Inductee) on defense in the winter of '38, goals didn't come easy to opposing teams. At the annual team banquet in the Headmaster's Study on February 24, 1938, the Hawley Trophy, given to the player for good play and good sportsmanship, was awarded to Leon Losee.

Baseball is a game that Leon loved. He earned three varsity letters and was elected captain of the 1938 team. In today's vernacular he would be known as a five-tool player...who could also pitch! He was the starting pitcher in 11 of 13 games that season, including a decisive 12 - 5 win over a talent-laden Alumni team. He lead by example as captain and compiled a .341 batting average, tops on the team.

Pop Woods encouraged Leon to attend Wesleyan University when he left Kent. There he played football and baseball, earning three varsity letters in each sport. His talents were so highly regarded, he had offers to play professional football and baseball. He had an on-field try-out with the Detroit Lions and New York Giants. The Boston Braves had him slotted to play for its triple A affiliate, the Hartford Chiefs. Indeed, his dream was to play professional baseball and attend medical school. However, fate played its hand. Just four months after Pearl Harbor, Leon received his diploma at an early March 1942 graduation. He volunteered for the Navy and was serving on a ship in the war by the time baseball's spring training was over.

After the war, Leon settled with his family in Litchfield and returned to campus to watch many a football, hockey and baseball game, particularly when his son David '64 was playing. Prefect for the Class of 1938 and longtime Class Secretary, Leon was one of Kent's most loyal sons.

PHILIP H. DAVIS 1963

Phil Davis entered Kent as a second former in the fall of 1958 and immediately established himself as an athlete and leader - eventually earning nine letters in three sports and being tapped as Senior Prefect for the class of 1963. He began his athletic career as a tailback in football but, while contemplating whether to return early for preseason varsity football in his junior year, he was approached by the soccer team to consider switching sports and trying out for goalie. Despite having no prior experience in the sport, Phil quickly earned the starting position and surrendered only nine goals over twelve games to help the 1961 team complete an undefeated season.

Sam Watkins '62 explained that the soccer team's decision to recruit Phil was pretty straightforward:
"We looked for the guy with the best hands in the school and it was Phil; after he became our starting goalie the team was then in Phil's capable hands. Adding Phil to the mix put a superlative team over the top. He was always perfectly positioned for the shooter. Late in the Kingswood game he saved the team's undefeated season by stopping a solo breakaway to preserve a tie. Injured on the play as he deflected the shot wide of the goal, Phil earned the enduring respect and admiration of his grateful teammates. The frustrated Kingswood striker could only hang his head in despair."

During the winter Phil quarterbacked the backcourt for the basketball team, earning four letters and captaining the team during his junior and senior years. While Phil was a pivotal member of both the soccer and basketball teams, he was perhaps most outstanding on the baseball diamond where he was Kent's starting pitcher for three years and probably the dominant pitcher of his generation at Kent. He was a key leader in the success of Bob Partridge's 1962 baseball team that included three other members of the Kent Hall of Fame: Sam Watkins '62, George Semler '62 and Jack Semler '64. On Prize Day 1963, Phil was recognized as a co-recipient of Pater's Mug. After graduating from Kent, Phil earned a BA degree from Middlebury and a MA degree from Wesleyan, and then embarked on an educational career which culminated in his selection as headmaster of Oxford Academy, a position he has held for twenty five years.

ELIZABETH B. TROTMAN 1968

In her four years at Kent, Elizabeth Trotman Davis earned ten varsity letters, an accomplishment matched by few others, male or female, in the 1960s. Two varsity letters in field hockey, four in basketball and four in tennis, where she was the #1 singles player for three years. To make two varsity teams as a third former was a tremendous accomplishment then, as it still is today. One of her tennis teammates describes her as "a beautiful player with great finesse." Elizabeth was a member of Kent girls' first undefeated team, the 1966 field hockey team, which scored 35 goals to their opponents' 6. On Prize Day 1968 Elizabeth was awarded the Class of '31 Bowl as the outstanding female athlete.
Fellow Hall of Fame member, Jeanne Johnson Thompson '67, remembers Elizabeth as "a graceful gazelle" who made "the most impossible moves look like she was born to it - a complete natural...It was comforting to know ‘Trotman' was on my team because you didn't have to coach or cajole - she was so self-motivated, there was no need. She simply loved the game at hand and could be counted on to be where she needed to be to make the lay-up, cut off the pass or sink the shot." Captain and prefect, Elizabeth was a leader among her peers.

CHARLES A. POOLE 1973

Charlie's Kent athletic career began in his third form year with brief exposure to football as a novice member of the JV team in the fall and rowing in the #5 seat of the 3rd Algos in the spring. In the fall of 1970 he began as a JV goalie and over the next two years he started for the varsity. His sixth form year the team was undefeated (one tie) WNEPSSA Champions - Charlie surrendered only 13 goals for the entire season!

In 1971 Charlie made the 2nd Boat and rowed in a four at his first Henley Royal Regatta. In 1972 Charlie moved to the 7-seat in what was to be in one of Kent's most outstanding crews with a record that still stands: they faced 38 opponents in 16 races; set 3 course records; the only New England crew to win the Stotesbury Cup, New England Championship (Sill Bowl), and Henley Royal Regatta (Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup) in the same year. They were also crowned national champions. The June 2007 issue of Rowing News Magazine named KSBC 1972 one of the "Twelve Greatest School /Junior Eights of All Time." Charlie was Kent's Captain in 1973.

At Trinity College Charlie rowed in four outstanding crews. The 1976 Varsity stroked by C.A. Poole @ 13 stone 3, set the course record for the Ladies' Plate and won the college's first Henley Royal Regatta prize. Charlie was the first American to win Henley medals as a schoolboy and a collegian.

After a three-year stint as a successful coach at Trinity, Charlie returned to Kent and was assistant KSBC 1st and 2nd Boat coach from 1980 through 1983. Two of these 1st boats were national champions with the '81 boat arguably the fastest ever for the Blue & Gray.

Today, Charlie continues his passion for the sport with local coaching and "selected outings" with some of his Trinity boat mates.

Well rowed & coached C.A. Poole!

LESLIE JOHNSTON GRAYSON 1978

Leslie Johnston Grayson '78 has amassed an impressive athletic resumé. While she attended Kent for only two years, during that time she made a name for herself, especially as a racquet player. Leslie earned a position on the varsity soccer team upon entering Kent in her fifth form year, played varsity squash during her senior season and competed on varsity tennis for two years, serving as captain in her senior year. For her significant athletic contributions during her short time at Kent, she was awarded the Class of '31 Bowl at the 1978 Prize Day ceremony.

Leslie continued her athletic career at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. She was a four-year starter for the Diplomats in tennis. In her senior year, the team won the Penn-Mar Conference, and Franklin and Marshall qualified for the first women's Division III NCAA Championship. In squash, Leslie played in the #1 position for four years, qualifying for the Individual National Championships each of those years. She was the team's Most Valuable Player her senior year and served as captain for both her junior and senior years. She led her team to a #15 ranking in the country, the highest ever for F&M Squash at the time. Leslie was also the first Franklin and Marshall student to be named a Squash All-American. F&M Director of Athletics Patty Epps commented, "Leslie was a team leader. She brought many women into the game and helped teach them the sport." For her athletic accomplishments and leadership, Leslie was inducted into Franklin & Marshall's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

Leslie has remained active in her sports since graduating from college in 1982. She coached at St. Stephen's School in Texas and continues to be involved with both the USTA and US Squash.

ELIZABETH ENDRESS STEWART 1993

Recipient of ten varsity letters at Kent, Liz Endress Stewart was a mainstay on the soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams. In soccer, Liz earned four varsity letters and was co-captain of the team in her sixth form year. She earned three letters in basketball and three in lacrosse, where she was named captain and MVP of the team in '93. Liz's former soccer and lacrosse coach, Tori Ryder, praised Liz for her speed, natural athleticism and the competitiveness she brought to the game. On Prize Day 1993, in addition to winning the Latin Prize, Liz was awarded the Class of '31 Bowl as the best female athlete.
Liz's career continued at Williams College, where she was a three-year starter on the varsity lacrosse team and co-captain in her senior year. In Liz's junior year, she set a season assist record, as the team went undefeated (15-0) and won the ECAC championship. Like her Kent coach, Liz's coach at Williams also remembers her as an outstanding athlete and competitor, whose quickness, stick skills and "wonderful sense of the game" were tremendous assets to the team. Both coaches praised her for her tremendous work ethic. She was an athlete coaches loved to work with and teammates were drawn to.
With her playing career behind her, Liz began coaching, first at the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, NY, where she was assistant coach for the varsity soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams, and then at Kent as head coach for girls varsity lacrosse. Since 2002 Liz has been assistant girls varsity lacrosse coach at Loomis Chaffee, which has won the Founders League for 8 of the past 11 years. This season the team was the Western New England Champion, 2nd in New England and ranked 40th in the nation.

Undoubtedly, the energy and enthusiasm Liz radiated as an athlete has carried over to her coaching as well.

ELEANOR H. D'AMBROSIO HEWITT 1998

Eleanor had a remarkable Kent athletic career, and an even more remarkable career at Brown University. In twelve athletic seasons at Kent, she earned eleven varsity letters, competing in soccer for four years, squash for three, and Kent Girls Boat Club for four. As a soccer player, Eleanor was a starter much of her career, a defensive sparkplug, competing at middie and at fullback. She was co-captain her senior year. After a freshman year on jv squash, she moved up to varsity, and worked her way steadily up the ladder. In the spring, Eleanor put her diminutive size to work, learning the art of the coxswain for Kent Rowing. She started out as the cox for the girls' second eight, but late in the season moved up to the first boat when she was needed. In her fourth form year, Eleanor coxed the 1996 first eight to an undefeated season and the New England Championship. That boat set the course record at Lake Quinsigamond, a record that remained unbroken for twelve years. She repeated that performance in 1997, coxing once again an undefeated New England Championship boat. Mark McWhinney remembers that after her first race in her freshman year, a losing effort to Andover, Eleanor did not lose a dual race the rest of her Kent career. Eleanor was a Prefect and was awarded the Class of '31 Bowl her senior year, emblematic of the top female athlete of 1998.

Eleanor headed off to Brown University and coxed the first freshman eight to an undefeated season, Ivy League Championship and a gold medal in the Eastern Sprints her first year there. Also that year she coxed the Brown 4+ boat to an NCAA bronze medal. Brown won the NCAA Team Gold that year as well. In her sophomore year, Eleanor coxed the second varsity eight to - you guessed it - an undefeated regular season and gold in both the Eastern Sprints and the NCAA's. As a junior, it was up to the first varsity eight and, once again, an undefeated regular season, Ivy Champs, gold in the Eastern Sprints, and silver in the NCAA First Varsity Eight event.

There is a lot of precious metal in the D'Ambrosio trophy case. Through it all, at Kent and after, Eleanor embodied the spirit, the competitiveness, and the sportsmanship that are expected of Kent athletes.

MICHAEL G. HARLEY 1998

Mike Harley personified the term "student-athlete" in a brilliant four year Kent School career on and off the field of play. The Pater's Mug recipient his senior year, Mike earned nine varsity letters, captained three sports (one of which he was captain in both his fifth and sixth form years) and was a regional finalist for the Wendy's High School Heisman Award - an award recognizing the nation's top scholar-athletes. In soccer - in addition to being named captain his senior year and earning three varsity letters - Mike was the Captain's Cup Winner (for the player who has done the most to help the captain) in his fifth form year and the Robert W. Partridge Bowl winner (for love of the game) in his senior year. He also earned All-League honors for his play on the soccer field in his final season of competition. A two year co-captain and three year varsity letter winner in basketball, Mike earned the R.M. Jordan Trophy (MVP) as a fifth and sixth former. A co-captain and three year letter winner in baseball, Mike earned MVP honors senior year and was a two-time winner of the Charles Otten Cup (for leading the team in RBI).

Beyond his on-field/court accomplishments, Mike was an exceptional student, leader, and Senior Prefect of his class. In the tradition of a number of past Hall of Fame inductees, Mike went on to the University of North Carolina on a Morehead Scholarship.

OTIS BENSON DAVIS 1942

As a student at Kent, O.B. Davis was a member of two undefeated wrestling teams in his fifth and sixth form years, and was described as the team's "stylist". When he returned to Kent in the fall of 1949, his coaching assignments included club football, club crew and wrestling, working alongside his former coach, Robert "Bish" Colmore '27, the "father of Kent wrestling". For the next four years, O.B. was Bish's assistant coach and then in 1954 O.B. took over the head coach position.

The mid 50s through the early 60s were the strongest years in the Kent wrestling program, as Kent compiled a 38-7 record. During that era, the team had two undefeated seasons in 1956 and 1958, was Connecticut Champion in 1958 and 1959 and New England Champion in 1958. The 1958 team was particularly outstanding, with four individual wrestlers winning their Connecticut Championship matches, and one wrestler, Jim Ferguson '59, a 2004 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, defeating his opponent in the New England Championship bout. O.B. coached Jim to another Connecticut and New England title the following year.

One of O.B.'s former wrestling captains remembers: "He didn't ‘coach' in the usual sense of the word...O.B. conspired. He led calisthenics himself, just enough past that fine line of exhaustion to improve stamina without impairing performance. He knew exactly where the line was because he was pushing himself to it. He went through various holds and escapes by doing both against you, physically and personally, one on one. And while he grappled, he out-thought you. Per force you learned by example... Best of all, he made sure I went undefeated (except by him, of course.)." Another former captain commented, "All his former students that I know surely join me in commending him for instruction well taught and in shouting a heartfelt ‘K-K-K-K!'"

1983 GIRLS VARSITY CREW

The young women who comprised the 1983 Girls Crew are true athletic trailblazers. Initially, their season goals were much more modest than to become undefeated New England Champions the very first time Kent School ever competed for that designation.
Hart Perry started the Kent Girls Boat Club in the fall of 1973. In the fall of 1982, the girls' first eight compiled the most successful record to date. Highlights included defeating crews from Trinity College, Wesleyan University, Middletown High School and Choate Rosemary Hall; winning the Head of the Connecticut Regatta; defeating in-state rival Simsbury High School for the first time ever in a dual race; being the first high school finisher in the Youth Eight Division of the Head of the Charles Regatta; and defeating all three novice crews in a Head-style race at Princeton University. In recognition of this unprecedented success, the decision was made to move the girls' racing season to the spring, the main racing season for most secondary schools. But the spring was just four months away, and preparations had to be made to raise funds for a new racing shell and oars designed for high school girls (as opposed to bigger and heavier athletes), obtain an additional coaching launch, and compile a new spring race schedule.

It was with great anticipation that the inaugural spring-term KGBC squad convened at the UPenn Boathouse the last several days of that 1983 March Break for spring training. The fall 1982 team was mostly intact, with three newcomers from the intramural ranks. During that first spring season both the first and second boats produced victories in dual races with Andover, Middletown, Northfield - Mt. Hermon, Roosevelt High School and Holy Spirit High School. Both boats finished the "regular season" undefeated. Now on to the Championship Regattas!

The Stotesbury Cup Regatta in Philadelphia attracts the strongest rowing programs in the Mid-Atlantic States, as well as crews from the Southeast and Canada seeking top competition. It also presented the girls from Kent a new challenge: to race twice in the same day with a qualifying race in the morning and a final in the afternoon, a format that would be replicated one week later at the New England Interscholastic Regatta. Despite the best efforts by crews from Delaware, Virginia, and New York, the Kent girls finished with Grand Final gold medals, 1.8 seconds ahead of their compatriot Connecticut crew, Simsbury. It should also be noted that the Kent Second Eight, forced to race as a First Eight due to the lack of a Second Eight, also bravely fought their way into the First Eight Grand Final. The Kent program's depth was apparent to everyone on the banks of the Schuylkill River that afternoon.
One week later the Kent girls traveled to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA for the New England Championships - their first time ever competing for this coveted prize. Though seeded first, they were well aware that St. Paul's was also undefeated entering this season-ending regatta. True to form, both schools won their respective morning qualifying heats. In the afternoon showdown, the Kent girls took an early two-seat lead on St. Paul's, extended it to four seats by 1000 meters, and continued moving away in the sprint, winning by a 3.25 second margin. Their extended dream season was over, with their School's first-ever Girls New England Rowing Championship triumphantly captured. Not only that, but their success set the stage for six future First Eight New England Championships and two National Championships for the Kent Girls Boat Club.

The only downside to this exciting and inspiring result? Prize Day was the very next day, so there was no real time to pause, reflect and celebrate together. So it is only appropriate that we applaud this pioneering crew twenty five years later, the Silver Anniversary of Kent's very first NEIRA Girls Championship crew.