blungld said:
I've watched three times now.
CalBarn said:
Thank you so much for posting this remarkable film.
My uncle rowed for Cal in 1934, 1935, and 1936.
His name was Evald Swanson. He appears in several photos
in the video during that time period.
Two national titles and the "almost" year when the goal was the Berlin Olympics but they were beaten by that now famous
Washington crew. We heard stories from my uncle through the years. He grew up in the small valley town of Turlock.
You can't imagine how big crew was in those days.
The New York Times used to have several full pages of coverage during the Poughkeepsie Regatta. I've heard from others who lived during that era that my Uncle "Ave" was Turlock's first rockstar. We still have his oar, which is getting close to being 100 years old (it is very weathered).
When my Uncle celebrated his 80th birthday his nephews,
myself included, marched into the reception room with
his oar as the Cal fight song played as we surprised him.
He had not seen his oar in 30 years (a long story).
My Uncle's legacy and attending Cal football games as
a youngster pretty much made my college choice a foregone conclusion. I've loved Cal my entire life and feel honored to have graduated in 1978. Thanks again for posting this
great video, which was very special for me to watch.
I'm sure I'll return to it many times.
