Quincy IM Rowers Claim Plate

Eliot House Master Lino Pertile bestowed a solid silver plate on Quincy House’s women’s intramural rowing team last night in recognition of their victory in the House rowing competition last spring.

The turnover of the so-called Stone Plate, named for its donor—prominent orthopedist Kevin R. Stone ’77—represented the first time in House history that a public trophy has been awarded to a female IM rowing team. The plate is intended to feature the names of victorious rowers from 2008 until 2158.

“I hope women will be more encouraged,” Quincy IM representative Elizabeth C. Balaconis ’10 said. “It’s so impressive to have your name on it for 150 years. Who wouldn’t want that?”

Currently, men’s IM crew teams compete for the Agassiz Cup, which the Eliot team has won for the last three years. To rectify the gender disparity in recognition, Pertile solicited the help of Stone, who led the Eliot men’s crew team as a resident of the house decades ago.

Stone donated the plate, which was fashioned in Boston by a specialist engraver.

“We’ve been trying to photograph this magnificent plate for the last week, but its beauty is so reflective that we couldn’t photograph it,” Pertile said.

Echoing the sentiments of numerous Quincy residents, Quincy House Master Deborah J. Gehrke said that the “100 percent silver, very rare, very heavy” plate was a boon to House pride.

“We’ve never won the Straus Cup, so we were particularly delighted to have a winning sports team,” Quincy House Master Lee Gehrke said.

Though Pertile himself presented the award to Quincy House, he quipped that the turnover was only temporary.

“Make sure that Adams [House] doesn’t take it away from you. We look forward to getting our trophy back next year,” Pertile said.

Pertile wasn’t the only Eliot resident to anticipate the plate’s return to its original owners.

“It’s a trying time for Eliot House. The plate was donated by an Eliot alumnus, and we clearly want to keep the cup in our House as much as possible,” said Rafael T. Quintanar ’10, who was coxswain for the Eliot men’s IM crew team.

—Staff writer Bita M. Assad can be reached at bassad@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Ahmed N. Mabruk can be reached at amabruk@fas.harvard.edu.