The Kent School community mourns the loss of W. Hartwell Perry Jr., who passed away on Thursday, February 3, 2011. From 1961 until his retirement in 1995, Hart guided and influenced countless young men and women at Kent in his roles as Coach, Dean and Director of Athletics.
As head coach of Kent School Boat Club, Hart’s crews won 11 New England Championships and the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 1972. In 1973 Hart started the girls’ rowing program at Kent and saw it grow into a national caliber program. Hart’s influence in the rowing world extends well beyond Kent School, and he was recently described as “American rowing's true patriarch” for his tireless work on behalf of the sport, both nationally and internationally. In January of this year, Hart received an award from World Rowing for Distinguished Service to International Rowing in recognition of his contributions throughout his long career. This was the most recent of many awards Hart received.
We extend our deepest condolences to Hart’s wife, Gillian, and their family. He will be greatly missed.
There will be a memorial service for Hart on Saturday, April 16th at 11 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Chapel. Later that afternoon, KSBC is scheduled to race Andover, and the Girls’ First Boat will compete for the Hart Perry Trophy.
Click here to view photos of Hart Perry
In Memory: Hart Perry passes (row2K News)
Tribute to Hart Perry by Rick Rinehart '72
