BOAT RACE: Dinners 2015

Nick Rawlins, Oxford's Pro-Vice-Chancellor,
to speak at Chicago's 76th BRD, the 50th
Chicago BRD John Morrison has organized.

For 2016 Boat Race Dinners, go to new site.

Oxford-Cambridge Events in USA-Canada*, April-May 2015, by City (Scroll Down for Details and More Links)

Boston | BRD | May 30, 2015
Chicago | 76th BRD | April 10, 2015
Chicago | Vice Chancellor | April 19, 2015
Dallas | Vice Chancellor | April 14
Houston | Vice Chancellor | April 15
Kingston, Ont. | BRD | April 12
Los Angeles | 11th BR Brunch | April 19
Montreal | BRD | Date Pending
NY City | 82nd BRD | April 23
NY City | 4th BR Brunch | April 11
Ottawa | Vice Chancellor | April 17
Ottawa | BRD | April 25
San Francisco | BR Breakfast | April 11
San Francisco | 80th BRD | April 21
Toronto | Drinks, Vice Chancellor | April 18
Vancouver | 85th BRD | May 29
Vancouver | 4th BR Breakfast | April 11
Victoria | BRD | April 18
Washington, D.C. | 68th BRD | May 8

*Link to Oxford Alumni Boat Race Events World-Wide (Europe and Asia included)

Events by Date
Send updates here. |  Photos etc. of US-Canadian Boat Race alumni events before 2015.

April 10 (Friday) - Chicago, 76th BRD (since 1934). Prof. J. N. P. ("Nick") Rawlins (Univ.), Oxford's Pro-Vice-Chancellor, is speaking at the University Club. Also Sir Ivor Crewe (Exeter, Oxford) and Charles R. Conn III (Balliol), Warden of Rhodes House, Oxford. Black tie optional. It is the 50th dinner organized by John Morrison (New Mexico and Univ.), and he has announced it will be his last (he may be congratulated at JohnHMorrison@outlook.com). Contacts: The new BRD  Hon. Sec., James C. Dunlop (LMH) of Jones Day, jcdunlop@jonesday.com; or the Illinois Oxford Society coordinator MicheleRDavies@gmail.com.

April 11 (Saturday, Race Day) - New York City, Boat Races Brunch. Viewing of the BBC record of the races, organized in recent years by the Oxford Business Alumni. 11 am: Viewing Party & Brunch Venue: Rose Hill, Manhattan. Location will be emailed to ticket holders. Contact: Joey Vlasto, info@oxalumny.org. Note: This is the first year that the women's boats compete on the same day and course as the men's boats. The men's blue boats compete at 4:50 pm GMT and the women's ("Newton") boats one hour later. In New York City the BBC should start showing the race at 11:50 am. BNY Mellon gets much credit for pursuing equality for the women's race. For late information, check here or the official site for the BNY Mellon Boat Races.

April 11 - New York, NY - 12.00 noon-2:30pm: Keble College Boat Race Brunch in New York with Warden Sir Jonathan Philips and Director of Development Jenny Tudge Venue: Home of George Evans (Keble, 1978) West 74th Street, New York, NY, USA. More information and $50 tickets available online.

April 11 - San Francisco, Live Viewing of Boat Races.  8:50 a.m., OUS Northern California. Kezar Pub.

April 11 - Vancouver, 4th Annual Boat Races Breakfast. Contact: StuartCBowyer@gmail.com. The men's race starts at 4:50 pm GMT - or 8:50 a.m. in Vancouver. 10 am: Vancouver Oxford & Cambridge Society Annual Boat Race Breakfast Venue: Manchester Public House, 1941 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6J 1Z3, Canada.

April 11 - Portland, Ore., 9 am-12 noon local time - Oxbridge Cascades Alumni Society Viewing of the 2015 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race Venue: Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub, 112 SW 2nd Ave, Portland, Oregon 97204, USA. According to Vancouver branch, Portland invented the Boat Race Breakfast, in which alumni gather at a local pub, many with old college or university gear, to watch the race live on TV. Always early morning in Oregon. Contact: Christopher Gondek, cgondek@ heronandcrane.com.

April 12 - Kingston, Ont., Boat Race Dinner, venue to be determined. Contact: Robert Darymple kingston@ousoc.oxon.org.

April 17 (Friday) - Ottawa - Vice Chancellor Andrew and Mrs. Jennie Hamilton and University of Oxford North American Office will host a drinks party for alumni and friends.  Centre Block, Parliament of Canada, 111 Wellington Street Ottawa. 6-8 pm. (This is a different event from the BRD on April 25.) Tickets C$40 per person. Starting in January 2016 the Vice Chancellor will be President of New York University.

April 18 (Saturday) - Victoria - Annual VIOCS Boat Race Party Saturday, 6:30-9:30 pm, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (exhibits will be open) 1040 Moss Street, Victoria $36.00 p.p. Send your cheque to: Dr. Brian Scarfe (personally) Suite 416, 21 Dallas Road, Victoria, BC, V8V 4Z9 VIOCS Silent auction to help offset the cost of our splendid venue. Bring cheque book. For further information contact admin@VIOCS.ca or call Dr. Dorothy Kennedy at 250-384-4544. 

April 19 (Sunday) - Los Angeles, Brunch. Held every year since at least 2005 (University Club, Pasadena). Will be at 12 noon at the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey - enjoy dazzling conversation, a luxurious champagne brunch, and a gorgeous view of the yachts while rooting on the dark and light blues while watching from a week-old DVD (no spoilers, please). Oxonians, Cantabrigians, friends and supporters are all welcome. This year’s teams seem particularly well matched, as in the anxious words of a late 1800s Oxford poet: “The Cambridge eight / have muscle and weight, / but the dark blue blades / fall sharp and straight.” The group assembles at 11:30 am, has brunch and then watches the Boat Races at 1:30 pm (since they are viewing from a DVD, the group is not bound to the Tidewater schedule). Contact: Ray Dean Mize raydean.mize@gmail.com.

April 21 (Tuesday) - San Francisco, 80th BRD. Presidio Golf Club, 8 Presidio Terrace. Speaker will be tech forecaster and futurist Paul Saffo (Cambridge). Contact: Leena.Bengani@oxfordalumni.org or Matthew Kaser, m.kaser@comcast.net.

April 23 (Thursday) - New York City, 82nd BRD, since 1933. As last year, the BRD will be at the University Club in New York. The toasts are to the President and Queen and the Universities, with a Response from the Universities. Speakers in April include Paul Bernstein, CEO of the Pershing Square Foundation, and Stephen Trachtenberg (Nuffield, Oxford), former President of the George Washington University.  For several years, 2005-2008 and in some years before that, New York City had an Alumni Boat Race. Contact: Hervé Gouraige (Merton), dinner chairman; hgouraige@comcast.net.

April 25 (Saturday) -  Ottawa BRD.  The Cambridge Society of Ottawa hosts an annual BRD that some Oxonians attend. This year's BRD is at the Britannia Yacht Club. Contact: Neil Bliss, nwbliss@magma.ca or (613) 745-5179; or Oxford Secretary Harry Corrin, ous.ottawa@gmail.com.

May 8 (Friday) - Washington, DC BRD.  National Press Club. Contact: George Keys, gkeys at jordankeys.com; Giles_Howson at yahoo.com; dlaw@curtin-law.com. The Washington BRD does not take credit cards. You sign up for the mailing list for a one-time charge of $10. You then print out the form that is emailed to you and you mail it in with a check for $125 ($100 for those who have matriculated within the last five years). Featured speakers on May 8 - H.M. Ambassador to the United States Sir Peter John Westacott will respond for the Universities to Daniel Yergin. Nicholas Holland, former Blue Boat oarsman, will report on the Boat Races that were rowed April 11 - if you want to know the outcomes before then, a spoiler is here. 

May 29 (Friday) - Vancouver BRD. Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. Anne Giardini, Chancellor of Simon Fraser University, will toast the Universities. Xenia Kritsos will toast Cambridge. Hon. Peter Woolley will toast Oxford. Dr. Robert Dunn will give the loyal toast to the Queen.  Contact: Dr. Dorothy Kennedy, admin@viocs.ca. Website: www.vocs.ca.

May 30 (Saturday) - Boston (New England Society) BRD. Contact: Dona Cady is President of OCSNE, president@oxcamne.org; David Manns is Secretary, secretary@oxcamne.org; Belinda Wilkes is Treasurer, treasurer@oxcamne.org. For dinner details, sign up here (you will need to input your university/college of matriculation).

Cities for Which Dates Not Reported (To add an event - contact JTMarlin@post.harvard.edu)

Calgary, Alberta. Contact: Geoffrey Cowling, gcowling@iridiumrisk.com; jonathan.d.connell@ gmail.com. Denver, Colo. Contact: Chris.Hansen@ihs.com Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Contact: EnriqueBargioni@msn.com Houston, Tex. Contact: Kevin Bradford, houston@ousoc.oxon.org Indianapolis, Ind.  Contact Stephen Smith,  SKSmith1@msn.com Kansas City, Mo. Contact: BartholomewDean at gmail.com. Little Rock, Ark. Contact: frank.thurmond@gmail.com. Montreal, Que.  Contact: Catherine.Gillbert@videotron.ca. New Orleans, La.  Contact: David Campbell, davidc1010@ att.net. Phoenix, Ariz. Contact: jonathan.rose@asu.edu. Portland, Maine Contact: TracieJeanReed @gmail.com. Raleigh, N.C. Contact: Steven Wilson, scrwilson@gmail.com Richmond, Va. Contact: Matthias Hild, n@hild.org Salt Lake City, Utah.  Contact: Russell Fisher, utah.oxford@ gmail.com. San Diego, Calif. Contact: caio@handsupincentives.com. Contact: Ean.Hernandez@ eanh.net St. Louis, Mo.  Contact: David Pollack, missouri@ousoc.oxon.org Toronto, Ont.  Contact: oxfordsocietytoronto@gmail.com. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Contact: Robert Dawson, dawson at dawsonlaw.com.

Read here about the long History of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race and the Boat Race Dinners.
Other boating posts: Head of the Charles 2016