Malta Boat Club

Rowing on the Schuylkill River

maltaboatclub

Mitch Budman Receives Illman Award

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On Saturday, June 14th, 2014 Mitch Budman became the 54th recipient of the prestigious Illman Award presented by Malta Boat Club for his lifetime contributions to rowing.

Mitch, a 28 year member of University Barge Club, Philadelphia made numerous contributions to rowing.

  • He has served as assistant coach at Monsignor Bonner High School, with his Varsity Four winning the Stotesbury Cup Regatta.
  • He is an assistant coach at Philadelphia University.
  • He has held leadership positions at University Barge Club serving for over 13 years as Treasurer, Vice-President and President.
  • For over 27 years, he served as Treasurer for the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta, one of the premier fall Head Races.

An active Masters Competitor, Mitch has won numerous medals at National and International competitions including Masters World Championships.

One of Mitch’s proudest accomplishments is the establishment of the Athlete Health Organization. Along with a colleague, Mitch, set up this program to provide free health examinations to inner city high school athletes, both boys and girls, from public and parochial schools. He helped assemble a team of over 40 physicians, 200 medical students and volunteers to provide exams to over 1,700 athletes including all of the rower participating in the Philadelphia City Rowing program. The Athlete Health Organization has been in existence for 11 years and is looking to expand to other cities.

Business-wise, Mitch has been involved in a wide array of business ventures. What Mitch has done is take his entrepreneurial and organizational skills that he had honed over these many business ventures and focused them to help the rowing community. For this we are all very grateful.

Presentation to Mitch
Mitch Budman and the toast

Lois Trench-Hines Named 2022 Illman Award Winner

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Since she began rowing in 1965, Lois Trench-Hines has been dedicated to the sport of rowing.

Lois advocated for greater access to rowing, particularly for women. Lois played an instrumental role in bringing women’s rowing to the Dad Vail Regatta, and Lois founded a rowing program for her alma mater, Mount Saint Joseph’s Academy—a prep school for young women. In addition, Lois established the Hines Rowing Center and Whitemarsh Boat Club, which afford rowing opportunities to individuals, students, and families outside the lower Schuylkill River.

Lois also stewarded the sport of rowing as a rowing judge-referee, and Lois has been recognized as a lifetime member of the referee commission.

Since 1965, Lois has been a member of Philadelphia Girls’ Rowing Club, where she rowed competitively. As a competitor, Lois represented the United States at the 1973 European Rowing Championships in Moscow, rowing the coxed quadruples sculls with Diane Braceland, Pamela Behrens, Karin Constant and Maureen Donohue.

Lois is also a member of the board of the Pennsylvania Barge Club and a member of the Sedgeley Club.

There are myriad examples of Lois’s contributions to the sport of rowing, all of which lead to the same conclusion: Lois’s impact along our river is immeasurable. The Dr. George Morton Illman Award Committee and the members of Malta Boat Club recognize and congratulate Lois Trench-Hines for her lifelong contribution to the sport of rowing by presenting her with the DR. GEORGE MORTON ILLMAN AWARD.

Jim Barker Named 2019 Illman Award Winner

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On November 14, 2021, Chuck Patterson, Chairman of the Award Committee for Malta Boat Club, presented their most prestigious award, The Dr. George Morton Illman Award, to James (Jim) Barker. The award seeks to recognize individuals whose efforts behind the scenes make rowing events possible along Philadelphia’s nationally renowned Schuylkill river.

Mr. Barker, better known as Jim or Coach along the Row, was The Haverford School’s Crew coach for over 40 years, and his crews won over 150 City Championships, 100 Stotesbury Cup titles, and 100 National Championships. Thirty-five of his Haverford oarsmen went on to compete at the international level, and many more have gone on to row nationally at highly recognized programs. Jim coached Irish Olympic sculler and 3- time Diamond Sculls winner Sean Drea, and US Champion and Lightweight World Champion, Bill Belden. As a competitor, Jim won over 24 National Championships.

Jim is a member of the US Rowing Hall of Fame, the Roxborough Hall of Fame, and the Haverford School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Jim’s impact along our river is immeasurable. The young people he influenced by sharing his knowledge and passion for rowing won’t just have a love for our sport but will carry a superpower of understanding how hard work can bring strength and accomplishment in life.

For this and many other reasons, Jim is well-deserving of the Dr. George Morton Illman Award.

The Dr. George Morton Illman Award Committee and the members of Malta Boat Club recognize and congratulate James J. Barker for his lifelong contributions to rowing with the The Dr. George Morton Illman Award.