Paul McEvily, Captain 1975
I’m sure that my memory would be better if I had the opportunity to attempt this recall in the company of some of our rowing buddies over a coupla pints of golden frosty refreshers, within the shadow of the Golden Dome, but I guess this will have to do….! About the origin of the purple jacket, that I am certain…..of the years following my graduation in 1975, I will recount what I recall….. The purple jacket was a Varsity Club Jacket from Saint Rose High School in Belmar, NJ, Class of 1971 — of that I am certain, because it was my jacket! The high school’s nickname is the “Purple Roses”, hence the color….The kid who was responsible for ordering the jackets screwed up the order and they weren’t distributed until May of our senior year (1971)….As you might imagine, the thing got little or no use (who wants to be caught dead in a purple varsity jacket when you’re at Notre Dame!!!) until…. My Junior year, when I was casting about for some warm but loose clothing to wear on the Saint Joe for early morning practices…..Still wearing it in my Senior Year, when I thought to strip the “s” and the “e” and have it be “St. Ro,” our new “patron” saint….. Sometime later, we adopted the habit of intoning “St. Ro pray for us” (could we have been that desperate that we had to pray to a fictitious saint for assistance????!) before races…. Upon graduation, I bequeathed it to the next year’s captain (can’t remember who that was — could have been Bill “Pups” Landuyt, Ed Tagge or Kenny “Tits” Peluso) who, sometime after that, spruced it up with a “w” on the back, added “Captain” on the front as I recall and started the tradition of adding the names of each year’s Club Captain under my own….and a mighty fine tradition it is I might add…. I have always been pleased to be a part of that great tradition and now humbled to know that it continues 25+ years later! As for its loss and recovery….I recall Bill Landuyt and Ed Tagge telling me at an Alumni Race years ago that in its second or third year of service to the Rowing Club, the jacket was lost or stolen and that Godfrey (we regularly referred to Bill, and addressed Bill by his last name both out of affection and respect and because to many of us he was indeed a rowing “god”!), who was coaching the Club then, spied it on the back of some young local while driving the lamentable Crew Bus to or from practice…. Bill braked hard, leaped off the bus, chased the kid down and demanded the jacket’s return — a demand to which the kid was only to happy to accede, given the surely crazed monster snorting in front of him (Bill had those qualities too!). The story was told to me with such conviction and awe that I believe it to be absolutely true!!!! Please fell free to share this bit of history with our fellow mates, apologize to all for my inability to get to South Bend this weekend and be sure to raise a glass or two to all who have contributed to Rowing Club lore over the years….
Yours for Calm Water…………………..Paul
