Thomas D. Bolles (September 25, 1902 – December 17, 1978) was an American coach and administrator for

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. He served as the coach of the

Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than ...

varsity crew from 1936 to 1951 and was the school's athletic director from 1951 until 1963.

Early life

Bolles was born in

Willow River, Minnesota Willow River is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States, at the confluence of the Kettle and Willow Rivers. The population was 415 at the 2010 census. Interstate 35, County Road 43, and County 61 (Cross Street) are three of the main r ...

and grew up in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. He attended

West Seattle High School West Seattle High School (known to students as "Westside") is a comprehensive public high school in Seattle's West Seattle neighborhood that serves grades nine through twelve as part of the Seattle Public Schools. History and facilities The s ...

, the Washington State Preparatory School, and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

. He received his bachelor's degree in 1926 and his master's degree in 1936.

Athletics

Washington

Bolles was a member of the Washington crew that won the 1926

Poughkeepsie Regatta The Poughkeepsie Regatta was the annual championship regatta of the U.S. Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) when it was held in Poughkeepsie, New York from 1895 to 1949. History The IRA was established by Cornell, Columbia, and Pennsylva ...

. In 1928 he was appointed coach of the Washington freshmen crew and assistant to varsity coach Al Ulbrickson Sr. His teams won the Pacific Coast Conference championship eight times in his nine years as coach. Bolles was also an assistant English professor at UW.

Harvard

In 1936, Bolles was named head coach of the

varsity crew. In 1939 he led Harvard to its first

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing ...

victory at the Henley Royal Regatta since 1915. No races were held during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. During this time, Bolles served in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

, where he taught V-12 courses. Racing resumed in 1946 and Harvard won the

Eastern Sprints The Eastern Sprints is the annual rowing championship for the men's Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC). (Since 1974, the "Women's Eastern Sprints" has been held as the annual championship for the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Co ...

in 1947, 1948, and 1949. The 1947 team set the world record for the 2000 meter sprint. Harvard won the Grand Challenge Cup again in 1950. His career record at Harvard was 61 wins and 15 losses, which included a 10–1 record in the

Harvard–Yale Regatta The Harvard–Yale Regatta or Yale-Harvard Boat Race (often abbreviated The Race) is an annual rowing race between the men's heavyweight rowing crews of Harvard University and Yale University. First contested in 1852, it has been held annually s ...

. Bolles left coaching in 1951 to become Harvard's director of athletics. Bolles retired on August 31, 1963.

Olympics

Bolles managed the United States' 1952 Olympic and

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, ar ...

Olympic rowing teams. He later served as chairman of the United States Olympic Rowing Committee and led planning for the 1964 Olympics.

Personal life

In 1936, Bolles married Catherine Hope of New York and Washington D.C. Hope was the secretary to

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natur ...

Harold L. Ickes Harold LeClair Ickes ( ; March 15, 1874 – February 3, 1952) was an American administrator, politician and lawyer. He served as United States Secretary of the Interior for nearly 13 years from 1933 to 1946, the longest tenure of anyone to hold th ...

. They had two children. Catherine (Hope) Bolles died in 1968. While at Harvard, Bolles resided in

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Waterto ...

and

Francestown, New Hampshire Francestown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,610 at the 2020 census. The village of Francestown, population 201 in 2020, is in the center of the town. History Incorporated in 1772, Francestow ...

. He spent his later years in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...

and Clearwater, Florida. Bolles died on December 17, 1978, of a heart attack. He was survived by his second wife and two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolles, Thomas 1902 births 1978 deaths Harvard Crimson athletic directors Harvard Crimson rowing coaches People from Francestown, New Hampshire People from Pine County, Minnesota People from Watertown, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Clearwater, Florida Sportspeople from Raleigh, North Carolina Sportspeople from Seattle University of Washington alumni Washington Huskies men's rowers Washington Huskies men's rowing coaches West Seattle High School alumni United States Navy reservists University of Washington faculty United States Navy personnel of World War II