Nine Queen's Alumni are set to be inducted into the new Kingston Rowing Hall of Fame on September 16, 2017 at Ban Righ Hall in celebration of 40 years of rowing in Kingston.
Rowing in Kingston has a long history dating back to 1832 but it wasn't until 1977 that the rowing community came together, with the creation of the Kingston Rowing Club. Over the past 40 years, the passion for excellence in rowing among athletes, coaches and builders has helped produce international leaders and champions, putting Kingston in the sporting world spotlight.
Kingston's rowing community is made up of three groups: the Kingston Rowing Club, Queen's University rowing and Royal Military College Rowing. The Kingston Rowing Hall of Fame recognizes the most outstanding rowers, coaches and builders whose lasting contributions have brought distinction and honour to the sport of rowing.
Inductees into the Hall of Fame include:
Category: Builder
Bruce Alexander
A graduate of Queen's Commerce in 1960, Bruce was a member of the Queen's Board of Trustees from 1970 to 1982. In 1975 he initiated a report on the feasibility of a rowing program at Queen's. The report recommended the establishment of an independent Queen's rowing club. Through his advocacy and leadership, Bruce became a co-founder of both the Queen's Rowing Club and the Kingston Rowing Club and laid the foundation for rowing In Kingston. In 2011, he received an honorary degree from Queen's for his contributions to the University and the broader community.
Michael R.L. Davies C.M., O.Ont.,B.A.,LLD., F.R.S.A
Michael has been a major contributor to the growth of Kingston over the course of his life. A Queen's BA'60 graduate, he served as Publisher and sole owner of the Kingston Whig-Standard from 1969-90. In Fall 1976, Michael chaired a series of meetings to discuss the viability of a rowing club in Kingston. This led to the inauguration of the Kingston Rowing Club at City Hall on February 2, 1977. Michael was elected president of the Club, a position he held until 1986. Michael was awarded an honorary degree from Queen's in 1998 for his service to Queen's and Kingston.
John Nesbitt
In 1976, while completing his BSc degree, John was one of two students who led the effort to form a Queen's Rowing team. He met with Principal Ronald Watts and successfully argued the need for funding. John became an inaugural member of Queen's Rowing team in 1977 and continues to row competitively in Calgary. John earned two more degrees from Queen's (MD'83, MBA'02) and has served on Queen's Board of Trustees. He has been a member of Rowing Canada's Fundraising Cabinet, helped establish a nutrient centre at the Victoria National Training Centre and was instrumental in sending two Calgary Crews to the Henley Royal Regatta in 2017.
Category: Coach
John Armitage
A Queen's Civil Engineering 1971 graduate, John returned to Kingston in 1976 as a co-founder of the Kingston Rowing Club. For 40 years, John was volunteer Head Coach of the Queen's Rowing team, and has been Head Coach of the Kingston Rowing Club since its founding. John has received numerous awards at the local, provincial and national levels, including being inducted into the Kingston District Sports Hall of Fame. John has inspired and mentored hundreds of rowers and coaches to achieve their best – from high school novices, to Queen's student-athletes, to Olympians.
Ian McFarlane
Graduating from Brock and Queen's by 1976, Ian joined the inaugural board of the Kingston Rowing Club in 1977, later serving as president from 1987-96. In 1977 he became the founding head coach of the Queen's men's rowing team, leading them to Ontario University Championship wins in 1978 and 1979. For over 25 years Ian trained Queen's, Kingston and Canadian rowers, coaching more than 40 U.S or Canada national champions. As a Canadian national team coach from 1982-87, his crews competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, 1986 Commonwealth Games and four world championships. For over 25 years Ian led RCA's coach certification program.
Category: Athlete
Mark Evans
In 1978, while studying economics at Queen's, Mark was encouraged to start rowing by his twin brother who needed a pair partner. His good luck was the unusual coincidence of an understanding sibling, skilled and patient coaches, extremely talented teammates and visionary founding alumni at Queen's. These very fortunate foundations evolved into a memorable and enjoyable sporting odyssey: a journey built on dreams, and the belief and teamwork required to spend seemingly endless hours sitting down and going backwards to achieve them. In international competition, he was a member of the Canadian mens' eight that won gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Doug Hamilton
Doug rowed for the Kingston Rowing Club and for Queen's from 1977 to 1982, winning several U.S., Canadian and Henley championships, as well as two gold medals (in a single scull) at the World University Games in 1982. Doug went on to row for the Canadian team (in a quadruple scull) from 1983 to 1988. He competed at the Olympics in 1984 and 1988, winning a bronze medal in 1984. Doug's crew also won gold at the World Championships in 1985 (and was selected Canadian Team of the Year), and bronze at the World Championships in 1986 and 1987.
Jennifer Hogsden Robinson
Jennifer was a varsity rower at Queen's from 2002-2007, where she earned a BSc in Biology in 2006 and PhD in Neuroscience in 2011. She was an 8-time Ontario University champion, a 2-time Canadian University champion and 12-time Royal Canadian Henley champion. Jennifer represented Canada in the lightweight quadruple sculls at the 2006 World Rowing Championships. Her awards include: 2004 Rowing Canada and RowOntario Crew of the Year; 2005 and 2007 Rowing Canada Sculler of the Year; 2006 Queen's PHE'55 Alumnae Trophy as the top female graduating athlete; 2006 Tony Zasada scholarship from Rowing Canada; and 2007 RowOntario athlete of the year.
Diane O'Grady
Diane was a varsity rower at Queen's University in 1990 and 1991, serving as women's team captain in 1991. After graduating in 1992 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, she went on to compete at the international level as a member of Team Canada. She won her first major international medal at the 1995 World Championships, a silver in the quadruple sculls, followed by a gold in the quadruple sculls at the 1995 Pan American Games. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta she won a bronze medal in the heavyweight quadruple sculls.
Tickets for the 40th anniversary dinner to be held at Ban Righ Hall on September 16 are available for $125. The banquet will include the inductions into the new Hall of Fame, boat christenings, a silent auction, a look back on the past 40 years and a celebration of the future of rowing in Kingston. Tickets are available at
gogaelsgo.com/alumnievents
