N. Stonington, CT, May 13, 2019 – The National Rowing Foundation (NRF) today announced the appointment of Olympian and past National Team member Portia McGee to the position of Development Coordinator. 

McGee brings with her over ten years of experience in fundraising, event management and volunteer engagement. Most recently Portia served as the Director of Major Gifts at The Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey. “Portia brings a unique set of professional skills to this position and, as an Olympian, understands the challenges and opportunities our National Team athletes encounter.  We are thrilled to have her aboard as we continue our fundraising initiatives in preparation for Tokyo 2020 and beyond,” said NRF Interim Executive Director Tracy Brown.

As Development Coordinator, McGee will be responsible for supporting the fundraising efforts of the NRF. She will focus on managing administrative logistics, donor research and stewardship, and special event management as well as on fundraising strategies and campaign implementation.

 “I am thrilled to join the NRF at this time and have the opportunity to work with Executive Director Tracy Brown and Board Chairs, Marcia Hooper and Jamie Koven.  I have known many people involved with the NRF for years and have always been impressed by their generosity and commitment. As I have pursued my fundraising career, I have often thought how much I would enjoy using my skills to support our National Team athletes, so this opportunity feels like the perfect intersection of my skills, interests, and personal experience”, said McGee. 

McGee began her rowing career in Seattle, Washington and went on to become one of the few rowers to represent the United States at all levels of junior, Under-23 and elite competition. After catching the competition bug at the 1995 US Olympic Festival, McGee competed on numerous National Teams including the 2008 Olympic Team in Beijing, China. McGee attended Brown University where she was part of the School’s first NCAA Championship team.

The National Rowing Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to raising funds to support the U.S. National Rowing Teams. Founded in 1966, the NRF has been supporting Olympic and World Championship athletes for more than five decades. The funds raised support year-round training, development, and competition.

2019 World Cup I Racing Starts Tomorrow!

With the 2019 World Rowing Championships just over three months away, the U.S. will be sending seven boats to the first World Rowing Cup race of the year in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

The U.S. women will race four pairs and three fours in Plovdiv, getting a chance to test their speed early in the season.

Information about lineups and how to follow the racing can be found HERE.

North Stonington, CT, January 25, 2019 — The National Rowing Foundation (NRF) today announced that Executive Director Mara Keggi Ford will step down, effective February 1.  Associate Director Tracy Brown will serve as Interim Executive Director after her departure.

During her nine years at the NRF, Ford has overseen significant growth of the organization’s activity level, donor base and fundraising totals. “Making this decision to step aside now was incredibly difficult, but I feel that my work here has positioned the organization to launch into a new level of engagement with our USA athletes and the donors that support our National Team.  The NRF is strong and vibrant, and I leave knowing the organization is in great hands with our talented and engaged Board and staff.  I look forward to staying involved with the NRF as a National Team/Olympian alumna,” said Ford.

“The Board is thankful for Mara’s many years of service and leadership,” said NRF Co-Chair Marcia Hooper.  “We understand and support Mara’s decision and are grateful for her many accomplishments.  I am confident that working with Tracy Brown, as our Interim Executive Director, alongside the NRF leadership team and the Board, that the NRF will enjoy continued success in the future.”

“I know that I speak for many when I say that Mara will truly be missed.  Her tireless work on behalf of our National Team made a difference for nearly a decade of athletes and her contributions will carry the organization into the future,” said Co-chair Jamie Koven.

About the National Rowing Foundation

The National Rowing Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to raising funds to support the U.S. National Rowing Teams. Founded in 1966, the NRF has been supporting Olympic and World Championship athletes for more than five decades. The funds raised support year-round training, development, and competition.  https://www.natrowing.org

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For additional information:  Tracy Brown (617) 803-8660, National Rowing Foundation; E-mail: tracy@natrowing.org

Obituary for Lawrence J. Klecatsky MD

Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother,
Life-long Rower, World Medalist, Olympian, and Emergency Medical Physician

Age 77, of Myrtle Beach, SC. Passed away unexpectedly on December 13, 2018 at his winter home in Sarasota, FL. Survived by his loving wife Susan, Myrtle Beach SC; sons Brian Klecatsky, Norwalk, CT, Benjamin (Amy) Fertig, Naperville, IL and Jeffrey (Sarka) Klecatsky, Coopersburg , PA; and three granddaughters—Kayla, Ashlee and Alexandra.

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota to Joseph S. and Ethelyn E. Klecatsky on August 11, 1941, Larry was the oldest of four siblings including Thomas E. (Cynthia), Mendota Heights, Joanne (Mike) Barrett, Woodbury, and Richard N. (Deborah), Rosemount; with many nieces, nephews and their families in the Twin Cities area.

Larry graduated from St. Thomas College, St. Paul, Minnesota in 1963 and earned his Medical Degree from the University of Minnesota in 1967. Serving as a Physician and Lieutenant First Class in the U.S. Navy Larry moved to New York City and continued to build his medical career of over 30 years as Director of Emergency Medicine at the Sound Shore Medical Center in New Rochelle, NY who honored him as Physician of the Year in 2000. He retired in 2008. He was also an Associate Medical Professor at the New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY.

Larry discovered a lifelong passion for rowing as a teenager. Becoming an elite lightweight sculler he competed for St. Thomas College, the Minnesota Boat Club and later the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) which was close to his longtime home in Pelham Manor, New York. He won more than 800 races, including over fifty U.S. Rowing Championships and over fifty Royal Canadian Henley Championships. He held the course record for the Elite Lightweight Singles at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston for twelve years, and the record for the Grand Masters Singles from 1992-2014. A highlight of his rowing success was competing on the U.S. Olympic Team in the Men’s Doubles at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

Larry’s dedication to training and unyielding competitive drive took him around the world. He competed in the Pan American Games in Mexico City, and eight World Championships including Great Britain (1975), Austria (1976), Netherlands (1977), Slovakia (1979), Belgium (1980 and 1985), Germany (1983), Canada (1984). In 1978 he was inducted into National Rowing Association Hall of Fame and subsequently the New York Athletic Club Hall of Fame in 1989. Traveling to Australia in 1997 he won two gold medals at the FISA Master’s World Championship Regatta.

Mass of Christian Burial 10 AM Friday, December 21st at the Church of St. John Vianney, 19th Ave. No. at Bromley, South St. Paul.

Visitation 4-8 PM Thursday at Klecatsky & Sons Southern Chapel, 414 Marie Ave., South St. Paul; and 1 hour prior to Mass at church.

In addition, a Celebration of Life will be hosted in the spring of 2019 at the New York Athletic Club.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made where Larry first discovered his passion for Rowing at The Minnesota Boat Club; 1 South Wabasha Street, St. Paul, MN 55107.

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Lawrence J. Klecatsky MD please visit our Sympathy Store.

Charles Hamlin, a 1968 Olympic rower, was reunited Saturday with the rescuers who saved his life this past summer after he went into cardiac arrest on Lake Whatcom.

Hamlin was out training at the lake on Saturday, June 2. He knew he needed to get back to shore to help dedicate the Susan Hirst, a new four person shell that’s named in honor of a woman who died a while back. She was an integral part of the master’s rowing program.

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