Pirates Go Rowing

Article printed in the Charlotte Observer regarding rowing at East Carolina College. This and other articles may be found in the records of the Chancellor's Office, Record Group CH1050, Series 1, Scrapbook File, 1914-1978 in the University Archives.

Citation for this particular article is: Jenkins, Jay. "Pirates to Go Rowing," Charlotte Observer, November 28, 1964.

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PIRATES TO GO ROWING

The Scrounger Strikes Again -- And ECC Has A New Sport

RALEIGH -- Dr. Leo Jenkins, president of East Carolina College in Greenville, is one of the top professional educators in this region.

And unquestionably, he is the top scrounger of them all.A scrounger is a resourceful operator who always manages to come up with what he needs.

East Carolina needed a new football stadium. Jenkins did some high-level scrounging and got it.

The transplanted New Englander decided the school should go in for rowing, even though Greenville is landlocked.

In short order, Brown University gave ECC two racing shells, Harvard promised to contribute two more, and Cornell is chipping in 10 oars.

ECC needed some place to race. Jenkins' eyes fell on the Pamlico River at little Washington.

Almost incidentally, he talked some Washington residents into providing storage space for the shells and equipment, and they also agreed to build a dock.

Early next week, a Greenville boating firm is going to New England to pick up the two shells at Brown (at no cost to ECC).

Sixty-five students, some of whom have never seen a racing shell, have come out for the new sport.A few of the students who rowed in prep school will serve as coaches the first year.

Who'll provide the competition?

"We hope to row against West Virginia and George Washington in the Southern Conference,"said Jenkins."Also, Brown University."

"We'll take on anybody who'll row against us.

Next week East Carolina will inaugurate another new sport:lacrosse.Naturally a Baltimore company is donating all of the equipment for the first year.

Jenkins, a Marine Corps officer in World War Two, was asked if he honed his highly developed scrounging instincts while serving in the armed forces.

He allowed his post-graduate training in that art came in Raleigh as he wheedled the General Assembly on behalf of his ambitious and excellent institution.

The nickname for East Carolina's athletic teams is "Pirates."