Beach Crew’s Co-founder, Dr. Ludwig Spolyar, will be attending the 2012 Long Beach Fall Collegiate Invitational Regatta on November 10. Dr. Spolyar will speak during the Empacher Dedication Ceremony scheduled at 12:00 PM after the regatta festivities.

Dr. Spolyar is credited for recruiting Beach Crew’s first set of athletes on campus and coaching them on the water back in the 1950′s. Once Beach Crew was officially recognized by the university in 1957, Dr. Spolyar, through what is now the Long Beach Rowing Association, hired Beach Crew’s first coach, Bill Lockyer.

The university has scheduled an official interview with Dr. Spolyar for Friday, November 9. It will be available at the University Archives Office (Room 300, CSULB Library, 3rd Floor) located in the Special Collections Vault in the coming weeks. This will kick off a series of biographies being conducted by the Beach Crew Alumni Association.

All those from decades past are invited to what may be a once in a lifetime chance to hear Dr. Spolyar speak in-person about Beach Crew’s beginning days.

To add to the day’s festivities, the Beach Crew Alumni Assoc. has gathered two crews from the 70′s, headed up by former coach Peter Mallory and Dave Straley to take on Beach Crew’s Men’s 8+’s.

For more information, please see the regatta page at BeachCrew.org.

Did you know that Long Beach State was widely known with lightweight rowing back in the day? Since then the team has been lucky to spin off a lightweight 4+ for an event towards the end of the season at the WIRA and ACRA Championships.

In an effort led by former coach Peter Mallory, athletes from the early 70′s are beginning to reappear in preparation for their team’s 40th reunion as the champions of the 1974 Western Sprints.

This photo is being submitted to the University Archives Office, 3rd floor of the CSULB library (LIB300), along with a complete roster from that time. If you are interested in seeing any of these items, you are encouraged to make an appointment with the archives office during normal business hours.

If you were an athlete from this era, please contact Ken Glenn, BCA Secretary, or Brandin Grams and we will get you in touch with your team.

Roster of Team Photo

BACK

Jay Leffingwell
Bob Latina
Bob Dunlap
Randy Piazza
Bruce Banigan
John O’Donnell
Bruce Patton
Adriaan van der Capellan
Alex Fey
Mike Harper
Irene Moreno
Fred Mayfield
Les Bell
Dave Atkins
Morton Prisament
Marsha Waer Reino
Craig Dittenbir

FRONT

Patricia Ann Heuser
Bob Rogen
Roy Beard
Ken Durham
John Fletcher
Doug Corbett
Ted Beaty
Don Henderson
Chuck Wright
Jayvee
Peter Mallory

NOT PICTURED

Gigi Antonacci
Wally Coursen
Leslie Dennis
Wade Fulbright
Debbie Hoffman
Ward Sullivan
Dave Wardle

The BCA Board of Directors has announced that the 2012 Annual Gathering will be at Joe Jost’s in Long Beach. Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 4, 2012, starting at 4:00 PM.

Joe Jost’s of Long Beach
2803 East Anaheim Street
Long Beach, CA 90804
http://www.joejosts.com/