From Harvard to Hagerman
Myron Finkbeiner
Published by Borderline Publishing at Smashwords
Copyright Myron Finkbeiner 2012
To the family of Harry LeMoyne, especially sons, Harry and John and grandson Henri, for their contribution and support they gave the author during the writing of this biography. I hope they gained addititional insight into the amazing life of their father and grandfather. They should be proud of his spectacular athletic career and come to the realization, the distinctive heritage he left to them and the extended family.
INTRODUCTION
Harry Who? Famous Harry’s: Truman, Houdini, Belafonte, Potter? All fascinating personalities, but no! This is about an unknown Harry. This Harry is unwritten, invisible and obscure. This Harry was an adventurer, commoner, countryman and athlete. This is a story about a Harry that flew under the radar and was unknown to fame.
This Harry became a reality in the fall of 1996, while I was attending an International Sports Hall of Fame conference in Vancouver, B.C. At an opening dinner, I sat across the table from Buck Dawson, the Executive Director for the Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Buck, reading my name tag, noticed I was from Idaho. After introductions and pleasantries, he remarked, Do you know we have an Idahoan in our Hall of Fame? I expressed my doubt, knowing Idaho isn’t widely known for producing swimmers and answered, No, I haven’t heard. Who could it be? Dawson answered, His name is Harry LeMoyne and he comes from a small community located on the banks of the Snake River. If I remember right, the village is known for their numerous fish hatcheries.
Growing up in Idaho and living here most of my life, I knew beyond any shadow of doubt, he was referring to the tiny hamlet of Hagerman, widely known for their trout production. I countered, Harry LeMoyne…..I’ve never heard of the guy! I probed further to learn more about this latent athlete. I asked myself, Who would have the necessary credentials from my home state to enter the prestigious Swimming Hall of Fame?
Returning home, I didn’t hesitate to learn more about a LeMoyne who called Hagerman his home. A quick phone call opened the door to a John LeMoyne. I assumed he might be a relative of the person in question. I asked for an audience with him in hopes of learning more about this undefined swimmer. John, who said he was the son of Harry, invited me to his home in Hagerman. I accepted the invitation and made the 120 mile journey from Nampa the very next day.
I soon learned that all the accolades Buck Dawson related to me in Vancouver were absolutely true. It took several trips to the attic to bring a treasure chest of newspaper clippings and sports memorabilia, all testifying to the amazing feats of this previously unknown swimming legend.
LeMoyne is a classic example of having an athletic career that’s been played out under the radar. He not only proved to be a superior athlete, but became a responsible family man, astute businessman and prominent civic leader. His concealed athletic career by his own choosing now becomes reality. His long, lost records that gathered dust in a remote Idaho attic is no longer a secret. I decided then and there, the “stranger than fiction story” must be told.
I’m proposing a premise that will raise a few eyebrows. I sincerely believe that Harry LeMoyne belongs in the upper echelon of last century’s elite “All-Around Athletes.” This book is an effort to showcase his many athletic accomplishments and defend his place alongside the Jim Thorpes and the Jim Browns of the world. After reading FROM HARVARD TO HAGERMAN, you decide!
PROLOGUE
I headed down a narrow gravel country lane until I reached the cemetery. It was a perfect place for peace and quiet. I was looking for a specific headstone. There it was, placed in a shady spot beneath a small willow tree, overlooking the pristine and beautiful Hagerman Valley, not far from the cascading falls of the scenic Thousand Springs. This was the final resting place of Harry LeMoyne, truly a man for all seasons.
The vestiges of his incredible athletic career and his occupational successes were observed in his later adult life, even into the ripe old age of 80, 85 and into his 90’s. His senior years brought the typical bad sight, hearing impairment and the awkwardness and slowness of the gait, but it didn’t inhibit his lifestyle and life-long interests.
Harry LeMoyne and the recent fitness guru, Jack LaLanne, had much in common -- not only their names are similar, but both possessed herculean strength in their old age. At age 70, LaLanne swam and pulled 70 people in 70 boats, over one mile through Long Beach Harbor. There are numerous documented stories of Harry’s feats of strength and critical decision-making processes. As the narrative is read, you will understand why Harry was a champion in his younger days.
Henri, a grandson, relates the following:
During my junior high years I had a few ewes, four I think. I lambed them one winter on our place north of Hagerman. When it came time to dock the lambs, Grandpa came out to show me the ropes. I had not worked the lambs when it should have been done in the spring and it was fall so the lambs were real big and wild. I had absolutely no facilities, not even a chute to run them in, just an enclosure that was too small to hold many sheep and way too big for a dumb kid to get a hold of the lambs without diving and grabbing a leg. We had a hell of a time cornering one big lamb, but I remember one event that stuck in my mind.
We were down to the last lamb, the oldest of the bunch, and apparently the quickest. He had eluded my grasp so far and I did not have a sheep hook or anything to work with. It was mostly a test to see who was in the best physical condition – the lamb or me. Grandpa and I finally had this buck lamb worn down a bit and sort of cornered. I crept in toward the lamb and he bolted by me knocking me off balance and in the process his hind leg got out of my grasp. He had gotten away again when Grandpa reached out with one hand and clamped down on the wool of his back. Grandpa actually lifted that lamb (about 120 lbs. or so) off the ground with one arm and we got the job done. Believe me I never forgot that because I never wanted him to be frustrated enough with me to grab me with that meat hook of a hand.
Getting older doesn’t always mean losing strength. At age 60, Harry was still so strong that he grabbed a 300 pound Ramboillet ram by the horns and dragged him from the loading pen up the chute into a waiting box car. Usually it’s the other way around, with the ram dragging the man!
Later in life another incident illustrated his might and athletic skill. Again, grandson Henri related the following story: One spring afternoon Dave Glauner and Larry Condit were practicing their form with the 12 pound shot put. Grandpa lived just west of the High School football field and was apparently out walking the school track. At the same time, Dave went through his windup, which apparently did not go that well, and the iron ball went well off the target and dangerously close to Grandpa.
The rest of the story comes from Dave, as told to Henri: The shot rolled near the old man, scaring him as well as me. Just as I started to run over to retrieve the shot, the senior citizen leaned down, picked it up and threw it all the way back to me. Dave and Larry were tremendously impressed. They had no idea who at 81 could still put the shot at an unbelievable distance. Grandpa went back to his walk as if nothing happened. He let the results do the talking.
We have all enjoyed watching athletes who are able to make things happen. These performers have skills in common. They are excellent decision makers in time of pressure. A quarterback with four hulking linemen on the chase and four possible routes taken by his receivers in four different directions---talk about hasty decisions. You better do it right or suffer the consequences! As the long-time Justice of the Peace for Hagerman, Idaho, LeMoyne always did it correctly, thanks to his experiences on the field, in the shot put ring, and in the pool.
In later life, Harry often reflected back to his glory days at Stone School and the accolades that came with successes at Harvard. He knew those experiences shaped him into the person he became and was a precursor to a triumphant life.
As a successful businessman, an adept civil servant, and an honorable husband and parent, it’s reasonable to assume those accomplishments were a tribute to his victories in the pool and conquests on the gridiron. LeMoyne proved that a successful career in competitive sport will have a carry-over in later life.
The reader will learn of his triumphs, but also understand that it went significantly deeper than the wins, losses, trophies and press clippings. It was about testing one’s limits and building a future. That’s the message of Harry LeMoyne. Enjoy the read.
Chapter 1
HARRY’S HERITAGE
Father, do not exasperate your children…. Ephesians 6:4
LeMoyne’s roots go back to Quebec, Canada. His father, McPherson LeMoyne, was born in Montreal, Canada, and came from Scotch and French ancestry. His Great, Great Grandfather, Jean, came to the new world from France. The family home was a picturesque manor on the Island of the Crane on the St. Lawrence River reportedly ceded to the family by Louis VI. At an older age, when living in the states, Harry would often return to the family estate to swim and race schooners on the St Lawrence.
McPherson was an immense man. His claim to fame was his ability to crack walnuts between his thumb and forefinger of his right hand. Surely, Harry got his strength from his Dad.
Economically, the Civil War was not a contest between equals. The South had no factories to produce guns and ammunition. Often, Confederate soldiers had to buy their own weapons and even scavenge the battlefields for leftovers. McPherson LeMoyne made a fortune during the Civil War selling ammunition and guns to the Confederates. From this income he was able to own the first rope ferry across the St. Lawrence.
In the late 1870’s, McPherson suddenly, and apparently with no valid reason, left Montreal for Boston and became an American citizen on February 19, 1881. Later a family member of Harry’s brother, Charles, asked him the reason for the move. He answered, For better business opportunities in the Boston banking world. It seems strange that the eldest son of a prominent Canadian family, who had everything to gain, would leave his ancestral home for a new life in another country.
Later, the real reason for the move would surface through family discussions. It seemed McPherson left under a cloud as the “black sheep” of the Montreal family. It was learned that he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church for defying his local priest. As part of his confession about indiscretions with a local young lady, the priest told him that for a sum of money his sins would be forgiven. The amount was just enough to finish paying for the new rectory for the church. It was at least enough for McPherson to claim the young lady may have been an eyeful, but not that good looking. He told the priest he would not pay and the priest threatened excommunication. McPherson held his threat and was banished from the church. Even in Catholic Montreal, a rich banker and one from an elite family couldn’t survive a church ruling.
It didn’t take McPherson long to enter Boston’s high society. He joined the proper clubs, the Episcopal Church, and began working for a highly respectable bank. About that time, a group of wealthy men from the Boston area established the first country club in the United States. The location was Brookline, a suburb of Boston. The club encouraged wealthy families to move away from the city and its problems. It was here that the LeMoyne family settled in. Brookline had all the amenities McPherson looked for in a community to raise his family. The Country Club offered exclusivity, although wealth was necessary, it didn’t guarantee membership. One had to be invited to join. This allowed the elite to exclude people whose social status didn’t meet the Club’s model – one being a member of the Catholic Church. Now that McPherson was excommunicated, it was possible for him to gain membership. Brookline fortunately had a famous swim club, where later, son Harry would become a celebrated member.
Harry’s father was very Victorian and proper. He was never seen in the home without a coat and tie. Every meal was a formal event, complete with fine china and linen napkins. The formality carried over into family relationships. There was never a hug or kiss, even a peck on the cheek. Seldom was there an expression or use of the word “love” from father to children. This partially explained McPherson’s attitude when Charlie and Harry preferred sports over academics. Participating in athletic competion to McPherson was on the edge of being sinful. He postulated playing football or tossing a weighted ball around was a waste of time. He often asked, How were these foolish skills going to help you in transacting a business deal? Instead he felt his children should be schooled in French and English. He also assumed it was important in preparation for college to attend a prestigious Prep school.
The final act that positioned the LeMoynes into Boston’s “upper crust” took place on May 6, 1875. McPherson took as his bride a lady from an established family, Mary Brooks Brigham. She was born in Boston, her parents being representative of one of the old and most prominent New England families. Her father was credited to being one of the founders of the Republican Party. She was a first cousin of Phillips Brooks, the noted Episcopalian Rector. He was said to be the most distinguished and honorable preacher and best loved clergyman of his time. (He’s best known as the writer of the favorite Christmas carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”) He later became the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
The extended LeMoyne family had a close relationship with the now famous Kennedy clan. They were neighbors in Brookline and shared in social activities. One of Harry’s sister’s descendents even married into the Kennedy family. Later, Bob Kennedy, the Attorney General, named their son after the LeMoynes. Michael LeMoyne Kennedy became a part of the so-called “Kennedy curse”, when he was tragically killed in a freakish skiing accident while on vacation in Aspen, Colorado. Witnesses saw the young Kennedy hit a tree while playing football on skis with other family members. Michael was considered one of the most politically astute Kennedys and was married to Victoria Gifford, daughter of NFL player and sportscaster Frank Gifford.
Harry’s great nephew, James, once had an extended evening with Senator Ted Kennedy at his home. The senator was well versed with the Boston LeMoynes and repeatedly expressed his gratitude for the friendship with the two families.
Harry wasn’t the only athlete in the family. His older brother, Charles, was an outstanding football player for the Boston Football Club. He won first place in the shot put in 1895 and ’96. The family has three trophies that were awarded him by the Boston Athletic Association. In 1898 Charles was a member of the first place water polo team that represented the Boston AAU. Charles matriculated at MIT and at the time didn’t compete in intercollegiate athletics, hence his athletic accomplishments were confined to club sports. Another illustration of his athletic prowess was his interest in prize fighting. He took up boxing and was good enough to fight Tom Sharkey in an exhibition contest. Sharkey later became a celebrated World’s Middleweight champion.
Charles’ grandson, John LeMoyne, related information that seems to close the book on Charles’ stay in Boston. He noted that during his grandfather’s senior year at MIT, he came home for the Christmas holidays and over dinner one night his sisters asked what he was going to do after he finishes his degree. As he told of his thoughts for the future, presumably going west, his father sternly stated that there was nothing to discuss! McPherson had planned that Charles was going to work at the family bank, to prepare him to assume the Managing Directorship when his father retired. Apparently, Charles was unhappy with his father’s comments and ran out of the house never to return while his father was alive. Several years later, Harry also ran away and joined Charles in far-away Idaho. In a tragic announcement, McPherson forbade their names to be mentioned in the house ever again.
Whereas McPherson’s sons seemed to be prodigal in their father’s eyes, the three daughters by virtue of their marriages into New England prominent families were a source of pride to him. Margaret, the eldest daughter, married Stratford Wentworth, a member of one of the oldest and best-known families of Cambridge. The BOSTON AMERICAN called the nuptials, One of the most fashionable weddings of the season. Stratford was a popular graduate of Harvard. Edith married Charles White, a Cornell graduate and an ace aviator with the Army Air Corp. As further evidence of the family’s important ancestry, the NEW YORK TIMES, dated November 16, 1910, reporting on the couples engagement mentioned, Miss LeMoyne was a direct descendent of Sieur d’ therville the explorer. The third daughter, Francis, spent a few years in France and married later in life. One of her daughters married into the Joe Kennedy family.
McPherson passed away in November 28, 1908, and left the estate to his three daughters. The family house was called “The Rocks” and is still located in the Boston area. To this day, descendents live on the estate and always welcomed family members to the compound. The cold relationships that prevailed during McPherson’s lifetime no longer exist. Extended families of Harry and Charles have since visited and were always warmly received.
Chapter 2
SCHOOLBOY HERO
They could play a varsity sport; they could do theater; and be a star in a production; they could try something new, whether it’s photography or ceramics; they had opportunities to enrich their academics and prepare for a university. Stone School was that and more.
The Author
Heeding his father’s advice, Harry LeMoyne enrolled in Stone School, located in Boston, Massachusetts. Stone was a private boarding school, richly endowed, with a strong academic curriculum. It traditionally prepared students to gain entrance into Harvard. It was a commendable choice for Harry, as it became the vehicle not only to acquire an excellent education, but provided an opportunity to improve his athletic prowess. School officials believed athletics was important in becoming a whole person. In fact, it was mandatory for all students to participate in a varsity sport in every term. Non-traditional sports like, Squash, Fencing, Crew and Field Hockey were popular and quite ordinary. Strong rivalries were forged in athletics between Stone and other private Prep schools, noteably Phillips, in Andover. Stone later merged with the Brookline Public School system.
Harry was one of the most popular and well-liked students at Stone. Perhaps it was because he was tall, dark and handsome and being an all-around athlete didn’t hurt. Combine the above amentities with a charismatic personality, and you had a consummate and much-loved, Harry LeMoyne. In addition, he possessed the ingredients of a leader. Coaches knew his capabilities and appointed him to captain several of his high school teams. Harry would lead and teammates would fall in line.
A somewhat humorous incident happened during his senior year that substantiated his leadership qualities. A Brookline Swim Club newsletter reported a comical activity that its members found amusing. Swimming in the snow had become a popular sport with members of the aquatic team. They took their initial snow swim one day when a dozen or more had gathered to have a picture taken. When all were dressed in their swimming costumes, one of them, it had to be Harry, proposed a snow bath and a rush was made to the huge drifts outside. Here goes a dive, shouted Harry, as he plunged in head first and buried himself. There was a commotion in the pile that resembled an upheaval of sea water when a big propeller churns it into foam. Suddenly there appeared hands, then head and a moment later the body of a big Stone senior. A short attempt at water polo was made, in which the boys piled up a big ball of snow which they hurled at each other until the sphere, when rolling about, became too large and clumsy.
LeMoyne wasn’t finished with his tomfoolery. One of the most amusing scenes came next when Harry began using the trudgen stroke in the bank of snow. The distance was short and no time was recorded. The swimmers were out of doors for nearly 30 minutes, and when they went back inside the natatorium, their bodies had a healthy glow. I think that we have discovered one of the healthiest outdoor sports ever tried, said LeMoyne. For the rest of the winter most of the boys included a snow plunge in their daily exercise.
You might speculate with the proverbial illustration that if LeMoyne decided to jump off a bridge, others would follow. His charismatic and charming personality attracted others to his side. That’s the kind of person he was.
The BOSTON RECORD’S lead story read: Harry LeMoyne, a student at Stone School, was more than the hero at the Interscholastic Meet in the Mechanics building this afternoon.
It had been rumored that during a practice session, Harry equaled the world’s record for putting the 16 pound ball over 47 feet. Excitement abounded throughout the campus as several more tosses exceeded 46 feet. The coaches knew the interscholastic record of 41 feet 9 inches by W.W. Poe in 1899 would certainly be smashed. It wasn’t even close as Harry easily put the shot 45 feet 9½ inches, confirming the rumor and now placing his name in the high school record book.
Even the NEW YORK TIMES covered the meet and their headlines blared out the record setting put: SCHOOL RECORDS BROKEN, LEMOYNE MAKES NEW FIGURES FOR THE 16 POUND SHOT EVENT. Incredibly, LeMoyne exceeded the interscholastic record by over four feet and was clearly the most talked about athlete of the track meet.
He was successful despite unusual circumstances and conditions at the shot put venue. The floor of the hall was covered with spots of grease from a recent automobile show. It was very slippery and not conducive for record breaking throws. Coach Holton improved the footing by laying down mats, composed of a compound containing fragments of cork which afforded better footing. Evidently it worked, as LeMoyne, on every succeeding try bested the previous interscholastic record.
He began with a put of 44 feet. When the distance was announced, fans began to congregate around the circle. On his next attempt he slipped some and the toss was lowered to only 42 feet, 6 inches, but he quickly recovered with puts of 45 feet and 45 feet 5 inches, respectively. He fouled on his 5th attempt, and then on his final try, with a roaring crowd behind him, he performed a perfect take-off and put the leather-covered shot, 45 feet and 9½ inches. When the public address announced the record breaking toss, pandemonium set in, and his teammates rushed to the champion, causing a huge pile-on. When the dust finally settled, Harry was carried to the podium on his teammate’s shoulders to receive the record-setting medal. It was no wonder there was excitement as fans for the first time had the unique opportunity to witness a national high school record being set.
Coach Holton summarized his efforts by saying, LeMoyne is a wonder. He will surely be a world’s champion at the shot put as well as in the swimming tank. Rare photos showing his physique would back up the coach’s remarks. He was tall and rangy, with long arms, ideal in putting the shot. Adding a muscle structure that was tremendously strong and supple, his putting was a picture of grace and ease. Coach Holton added a capstone to an athlete that surely had the potential to be world-class. It’s a pleasure to work with him, as he is absolutely obedient and very faithful and painstaking.
Some records show Ralph Rose, a University of Michigan graduate and a future three-time Gold Medal Olympian, as the record holder of the 16 pound shot. In our research, his best put as a school boy in California, was 45 feet 6 1/4 inches, 3 inches shy of LeMoyne’s best. Rose’s record toss was accomplished during an official high school meet, while LeMoyne’s best came during an All-Comers meet. If you’re using a High School record book as a source, then you’ll find Rose’s name beside the record. If you use a National Track and Field Book, then LeMoyne’s name will be shown.
Rose went on to be a leading trackster in American history. In 1904, the 19 year-old won 3 Olympic gold medals. A mammoth of a man, his weight rose to a massive 286 pounds, which helped him to be the first to break the 50 foot barrier. During his career, he won AAU titles in the discus and javelin. His real claim to fame came during the 1908 Olympics. As the flag bearer for the US, he refused to dip the flag as he walked past the English king, leading to the tradition which remains to this day. From 1904 and for the next eight years, Rose became the greatest shot putter in the world and for LeMoyne to be compared with him was truly an honor. Harry often said, Competing with Rose and breaking his record was one of my finest accomplishments.
The youngster, by virtue of his record setting performance, jumped into international fame. It would be first of many highlights that would see his name in the nation’s major newspaper headlines. His remarkable story of an obscure high school student becoming a world-class athlete began taking shape on a make-shift indoor track in Boston on March of 1902.
Intercollegiate athletics in America was born on August 3, 1852, when Harvard and Yale crews raced on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Harvard won the two-mile by two lengths. Since that historical day, Harvard heavyweight crew has competed in 139 seasons and has won nearly two-thirds of its regattas. By any standard, the Crimson’s crew programs rate as the most successful of any college in the country.
During LeMoyne’s senior year, Stone School crashed Harvard’s superiority. The Harvard crew was rated as having one of the top teams in the nation, but they suffered one hiccup… a three-second loss to their own freshmen! That loss would come back to haunt them.
A few days later a headline in the BOSTON RECORD described a rare upset: HARVARD OARS DRAG, FRESHMEN FOUR IS BEATEN BY THE STONE SCHOOL. The newspaper story caught the attention of crew fans in Boston and the East coast: The Harvard Freshmen Crew was in fine form, much better than the Stone Four, yet the power was not in their men to win. The schoolboys won in the mile race by nearly a boat’s length. The Stone crew had nothing to lose and was using the competition to ready themselves for future high school races. It rode on the ebb tide and several times the boat grazed the river bed and the oars hit the bottom, but yet they found success.. Yesterday’s win over the Frosh proves that it is really one of the strongest fours in interscholastic competition.
From start to finish the race was especially close, Stone winning on a beautiful burst of speed at the finish. The winning crew outweighed their adversary, which in crew is a huge advantage. They went away even, and for a quarter of a mile fought it out stroke by stroke and bow for bow. In the next quarter the Stone four went slightly into the lead at the half-way mark, and for the next quarter of a mile it was the gamest race seen on the river in many a day.
On the last leg the superior strength of the Stone crew told. With four teenagers in their boat, they had too much left in the tank and won going away. At the finish, the Stone boat, led by Captain Harry LeMoyne, crossed the line a boat length over the Harvard freshman.
To defeat the freshmen who earlier routed the Harvard Varsity gave the youngsters something to crow about. Today’s sport columnists would jump at the opportunity to take this win and make it a banner headline across the country.
To prove the race against the Frosh was no fluke, the high school crew next took on the top club team in the area, the Union Boat Club. In the first quarter mile heat, the school boys won by a full boat length. They came back in the second heat and did even better. To sweep the older competitors meant LeMoyne’s team from Stone School had the potential to be the top rowers in the country, at any level of competition.
Harry loved to row. He enjoyed the camaraderie of teammates in a sport that required precision and teamwork, yet his greatest accomplishments and his first passion was in the swimming tank.
Chapter 3
TEENAGE SWIMMER
LeMoyne is the greatest swimmer at short distance this country has yet produced. He never tires of making new figures to supplement the old ones in the book of record performances and no one knows just what he is capable of doing, for he has never yet been pumped out to his level best.
The BOSTON GLOBE, March 3, 1903
The Brookline Swimming Club was the first of its kind in America. By 1902, it also became one of the largest and most prestigious. Amongst its members have been some of the nation’s finest swimmers. Brookline has seen most of the World’s Champions compete in her pool. Duke Kahanamoku, Johnny Weissmuller, “Buster” Crabbe, Gertrude Ederle, and Eleanor Holm, to name a few.
LeMoyne, after joining the Brookline Swim Club, began raising eyebrows as to his swimming potential. Officials in the know predicted a crop of records for the youthful phenom. He gave every promise of being the one American to equal the records of top notch English and Australian swimmers. Names like Derbyshire, Jarvis, Kiernan, and Cavill, not known to the American swimming public, became household names once LeMoyne started attacking their records.
A course of swimming was included in the Stone School’s curriculum, and it was here LeMoyne put the finishing touches on the art that would soon earn him much fame. Acute swimming fans of New York were not sure that this teenager from Brookline would measure up to their acceptance in their storied pools. But after a few meets in the “Big Apple,” all bets were off. In fact they went so far as to call him “The darling of U.S. swimming.” Later on the NEW YORK TIMES credited LeMoyne as the one swimmer to awaken the interest of swimming in America.
Unlike most noted swimmers, LeMoyne didn’t stick to one particular style of stroke. He swam all kinds with equal ease -- from the trudgeon, with both hands and a kick at the same time, and with head under the water -- to the simplest method of keeping the head on top of the water. With either, he was a graceful swimmer and poetry in motion. He was credited to be the first master of the “shallow dive”, a method of entering the water barely beneath the surface, which at the time was rarely used.
Still a student at Stone school, Harry Lemoyne was regarded as the star short distance man at the club. At 18 years of age, standing 6 ft.1 in. and weighing 180 pounds, he possessed the ideal physique for a swimmer. His best times were in the 20, 60, 80, and 100-yard races. He was considered a novice in the pool when entering Brookline Club, but by his senior year he began approaching world record times in the short distances. New York City was considered the “hot bed” of swimming and it was there he began to get rave reviews.
During this era most records belonged to Carroll Schaeffer, who many considered the best swimmer up to this time in American history. While attending the University of Pennsylvania, he set 37 American records and 5 World records. In 1902, he retired undefeated as a college swimmer. What is interesting, two years after retirement, Carroll journeyed to Europe and defeated both the French and English champions in match challenge races. A sure proof he wasn’t ready for retirement.
During the Sportsmen’s Show in Philadelphia in 1899, considered a mammoth swim meet, Schaeffer put on an unprecedented performance by winning 13 first places in 3 successive nights. In 1900, the major East Coast newspapers were full of statements to the effect that Schaeffer would be sent to England to compete in the Olympic Games. The project failed, however, when no organization could be found to finance his trip. On the world stage, no one ever knew just how good Schaeffer was or might have been.
Local friends and swimming enthusiasts tried to coax Schaeffer out of retirement to face this upstart swimmer from Brookline. If LeMoyne’s supporters were successful, the event would take on the appearance of a heavyweight championship boxing match. Interest in swimming would reach an all-time high. Remember, LeMoyne was still in high school, but experts were confident that if a match could be arranged with the world champion, the Brookline youngster would hold his own.
As officials were desperately negotiating with the world champion, Harry and the Brookline swim team went about their business to win one event after another. Harry continued his quest to become the best short distance swimmer in the area and on the East Coast. He shattered every Brookline record in the short sprints. In the 100, he approached Schaeffer’s world record and now more than ever, he wanted to encounter the world record holder.
The swimming world outside Boston began to hear about the new speedster. Just a few months prior he was an unknown quantity, but now the New York crowd was eager to attract him to their championship venues. Finally, in December, the New York Athletic Club invited him to swim in one of their monthly meets. The New York Club was to swimming, what the Rose Bowl is to college football and what Madison Square Garden is to boxing. Accepting the invitation, he didn’t disappoint the swim crowd. In his first visit to New York, he defeated all-comers in 100 yards with a time of just over 60 seconds good enough to approach the world’s record. Newspapers throughout the country heralded his accomplishment. The BOSTON GLOBE wrote, The keenest of judges were of the opinion that LeMoyne will soon upset the record tables in all the sprints, 50 yards and up.
The prediction by the GLOBE came to fruition early in the New Year, when LeMoyne tackled the 60-yard record and had no trouble in breaking the mark of 36 seconds. It was done seemingly without the least exertion and Harry made no secret that he could do much better if extended. The following day in the 80-yard event, he broke Carroll Schaeffer’s record by a second and a half, set back in 1901. The onslaught continued the next day in the 120-yard race, when he knocked two seconds off another Schaeffer record, but just short of the world’s best performance by England’s I.H.Derbyshire. LeMoyne fans began thinking world records and rightly so.
The stage was set. LeMoyne and Schaeffer were invited to swim at the largest swimming venue in the world, the Knickerbocker Aquatic Center in New York. LeMoyne quickly agreed to the showdown and his club mates predicted that if he meets the world champion, he would give a good account of himself and even upset the champion.
The New York swimming community went into a frenzy. The venue was sold out and standing room only tickets were hard to come by. The newspapers publicized the race as the most anticipated match race to be held in New York in the history of swimming. The 100-yard American Championship was at stake. On paper, LeMoyne was the better of the two, for his time in past events had repeatedly been lower.
The countdown began on January 11. One week prior to the race, LeMoyne still hadn’t heard from the NYAC as to Schaeffer’s response. The BOSTON GLOBE reported, If the Brookline boy doesn’t receive word by Friday, he will not go and swim. Friday came and went and still no word. It was rumored that Schaeffer for some unknown reason declined to attend. Was he out of shape? Was he aprehensive that a loss to a teenager would damage his reputation? No one knew, but LeMoyne kept his word and sent his regrets. The much anticipated match was postponed.
The NYAC, perhaps embarrassed, tried to make amends and offered an alternative to LeMoyne and his disgruntled fans. The Club re-scheduled the race and offered another challenger, by the name of Charlie Ruberl. LeMoyne, who had practiced long and hard for Schaeffer, felt he had no other option but to accept.
Ruberl was an Austrian swimmer who competed in the 1900 Olympics in Paris and won the silver in the 200 backstroke and a bronze in the 200 freestyle. After the Olympics, he migrated to the US and became a naturalized citizen in 1904. He continued his competitive swimming for the New York Athletic Club and set several American records.
Ruberl’s impeccable resume would certainly offer a stiff challenge and impel LeMoyne to a championship and more world records. THE NEW YORK TIMES, February 13, 1903 announced the spectacle:
What will perhaps be the finest lot of all around swimming ever seen here will take place at the NYAC tomorrow night on the occasion of the dual meet between the Mercury Foot experts and the Brookline Swim Club. The feature will be the 100-yard race between LeMoyne of Brookline and C.Ruberl of the NYAC. The American indoor record of 63 ½ seconds, by Scott Leary of California is expected to be broken.
February 14 became a milestone in LeMoyne’s career. The American championship was at stake. Carroll Schaeffer was no longer in the picture, but swimming fans believed Ruberl would be a credible substitute. The New York Natatorium was jammed to the rafters. The two racers didn’t disappoint the spectators. At the start, LeMoyne’s plunge carried him a yard in advance of his opponent. He hit the wall first at the end of the first lap and maintained his lead to the finish, three and a half yards ahead of the European champion. A major upset, another record setting time (61.1) and Harry’s first win over a world-class competitor. As LeMoyne came out of the water and onto the deck, the fans stood and applauded his efforts. This was an unusual gesture on the part of the New York crowd to pay homage to a non-New Yorker. Now it was praise for an American, who might one day represent them on a world stage.
The following day headlines blared out: TEENAGER DEFEATS A WORLD CHAMPION AND BREAKS AMERICAN RECORD.
It only got better. LeMoyne next gave a real taste of his quality on March 8 at the A.A.U. Championships. He shattered both the American and world record in the 60 yard race with the time of 35.15. F.V.C. Lane, the Aussie, was the record holder and for the first time an American broke the strangle hold of an Aussie world-class swimmer. In the history books, this was huge. The world stage was within LeMoyne’s grasp.
There was still one more race that piqued LeMoyne’s interest. The 100 considered the glamour event of swimming and his ambition to smash Carroll Schaeffer’s record above all others. Surely his recent success against Ruberl would prompt Schaeffer into a match race with him. Swimming fans from Boston to New York clamored for the matchup. Win or lose, Harry wanted to compete against the swiftest swimmer in American history.
Believing the encounter will happen eventually, LeMoyne entered as many contests as possible. One such meet occurred in New York between the three premier swim clubs in America… Brookline, New York Athletic Club and Yale University. It offered the best opportunity for a record time. This was more than a match race, but had the fastest field of sprinters in one race that New Yorkers ever witnessed. It was the feature race of the evening and again LeMoyne didn’t disappoint. He led from start to finish and hit the wall, shattering his own record.
LeMoyne’s coaches now had a concern. Their star pupil ran out of competition. Records would be hard to come by, if he wasn’t pushed. They had an idea… to handicap their remarkable swimmer. The plan was to give his opponents a 5 to 10 second head start. Starting behind, LeMoyne would make up the deficit, but more importantly, drive him to go all out for the full 100 yards. Not even giving his competitors a five second start would result in a loss for Harry. In several of these handicaps the outcomes were the same…. more wins.
The best laid plans sometimes aren’t enough. The hopes of bringing Schaeffer and LeMoyne together now seemed impossible. It would seem Schaeffer most assuredly was now out of shape. Efforts to do so became a thing of the past. Rumors declared Schaeffer wasn’t about risking a loss to a teenager. Better to leave the sport on top than with a defeat.
The astonishing high school career of Harry LeMoyne was about coming to an end. His success as a schoolboy athlete, reached the four corners of the world. His spectacular accomplishments in the pool were well documented. Not known were his victories in the ring, or as the captain of his high school water polo team. Equaling his swimming records were his being the possessor of the American record in the shot put. Not far behind were earning letters in both basketball and football. In his spare time he played a little baseball and as mentioned earlier, was the leading oarsman on the crew team.
When asked how he was able to train and find time to hone his skills. He answered, The only way to learn to swim is to go into the water and stay there. A man should take to the water every day and if there is speed in him it will show eventually. When asked about his training methods, he said, I do absolutely no training, but I never use tobacco or intoxicating beverages. You must have plenty of sleep for a swimming race is a grueling contest and it takes a strong constitution to withstand the physical strain. My only regret during my high school career was that I didn’t face Carroll Schaeffer in a match race. He was then asked, If you had the opportunity, do you think you could have defeated him? His answer, I would have tried my hardest and I’m sure the best man would have won. His answer was vintage LeMoyne…like all good sportsmen he was reticent about his prowess and exceptionally modest. He let his actions speak for his words. No amount of persuasion could force Schaeffer out of retirement. LeMoyne only had the satisfaction that he lowered most of his records.
In wrapping up his high school career, it could be said LeMoyne was the greatest high school athlete of his time. His swimming accomplishments were well documented. The Bible for swimming and all athletic records was, SPALDING’S OFFICIAL ATHLETIC ALMANAC. The 1904 edition had LeMoyne’s name attached to four racing events as best in America. In the 60 yards, 80 yards, 100 yards and in the 120.
The BOSTON GLOBE dated March 3, 1903 summarized LeMoyne’s feats: Harry LeMoyne, the new short-distance swimming champion of the amateur world will enter Harvard next fall, where he is certain to make a great name for himself in athletics.
LeMoyne is not only the greatest swimmer at short distance this country has yet produced, he is a football, hockey, basketball player, a shot-putter, and a track athlete as well.
At present LeMoyne is breaking record after record held by Carroll Schaeffer, and the wise quacker declines to meet his younger rival in the tank.
A marvelously speedy swimmer, he uses the Trudgeon or over-arm side stroke with equal facility. He breaks records, however, at the turns, where he resembles a big fish dodging a bigger one as he wheels about.
LeMoyne never tires of making new figures to supplement the old ones in the book of record performances, and no one knows just what he is capable of doing, for he has never yet been pumped out to his level best.
Personally he is modest, affable and a good fellow. His successes have not turned his head, and he is one of the most popular members of the Brookline Swimming Club..
The successes of Harry as a competitive swimmer so impressed the media, that the sport of swimming became a media darling. Coverage of the bath events for the first time found its way on to the front pages of the Boston papers. His successes also gave the sport an additional place in Boston’s (Brookline) high society. The water carnivals became a site for social reconstruction. They were places and events where the elite had to be seen. It could be said, LeMoyne was given a hero status, probably the first Bostonian to be given that label.
While LeMoyne’s swimming records cannot yet be compared with those of England and Australia, his efforts were continually bettering the American times. Swimming officials were already planning to include LeMoyne as the American representative in the 1904 World Games to be held in St. Louis.
Strangely enough, swimming consumed only a small part of Harry’s resume. How he had time for football, hockey, basketball, crew, water polo, baseball and track, one will never understand. He must have passed his study requirements, for later Harvard came calling.
As he contemplated a new passage for his life, there was some thought that his swimming days might be over. Looking ahead to college, his football coaches were hoping he would concentrate on a single sport, which at the time, seemed the right thing to do.
During the summer, however everything changed. Rumors began flying around New York that nullified any thought about retiring. An upstart, brash swimmer by the name of Charlie Daniels was creating a wave in the New York community. His times in the short races were nearing record times and he was boasting that in the near future, he would surely eclipse LeMoyne’s and Schaeffer’s achievements.
Any concerns about future competition would have to wait, for now his thoughts were toward Harvard and helping the football team overcome its rival, Yale. Even young LeMoyne had heard about, “THE GAME.”
Chapter 4
ENTERING HARVARD
The game will be played on a field surrounded by the most imposing athletic structure in the world. The new stadium is to be not only the greatest modern structure of its kind, but will rival those buildings of the ancient world. In fact, the stadium is not unlike the old one at Athens.
New York Times, 1903
The year 1903 was a very significant year in America’s history. President Teddy Roosevelt issued an Executive order making Pelican Island, in Florida, a preserve for native birds. This was the birth of the National Wildlife Refuge. Internationally, Cuba releases Guantanamo Bay to the USA. At the time, USA didn’t realize the importance this transaction would have on the political scene in years to come. Dr. Ernest Pfenny of Chicago becomes the first owner of a Model T Ford. Probably the biggest news to hit the American scene was information that two brothers in North Carolina flew a motorized plane several hundred feet, a first in the world of aviation.
In an effort to end a bitter two year rivalry and promote unity in baseball, the veteran National League and newly established American League decided to bury the hatchet and come together for a new kind of season finale. Today we call the event, the World Series. October 1, 1903 was the opening game played at the home of the National League Champions, the Pittsburg Pirates. Their opponent was the Boston Red Sox, winners of their league by 14½ games. Boston, led by their ace pitcher, Cy Young, won the series 5 games to 3 – all examples of the importance the year 1903 had upon the American sports scene.
At Harvard, students were celebrating the announcement that Harry LeMoyne, one of the most decorated high school athletes in the country, will enter their college in the fall. Coaches were impressed with his huge but perfect body, his magnificent strength, and the supreme ease and grace of his muscular movements. They felt he would be a great addition to the Crimson athletic squads and become a second Bob Kernan. Kernan was a Walter Camp All-American in 1901 and led the Crimson to a National Championship that same year. In later years as a Harvard coach, he became a controversial member of the Rules Committee that challenged the decision to add the forward pass into football’s rule book.
LeMoyne was probably the best all-around athlete that had come to Harvard in years and it was believed his athletic ability had not been fully developed. He was 18 years of age and played guard for a number of years on his school teams, as well as a defensive back. The Harvard school paper added, He’s not only a great athlete and a hard hitter, but a first-class person. Harry was gregarious, good looking, and naturally charismatic; both men and women found him to be immensely charming. His enthusiasm was infectious. He could even sell a muzzle to a dog!
A versatile athlete, he jumped nearly 22 feet in the broad jump and over 5 ft. 9 in. in the high. LeMoyne startled the athletic world by heaving the16-lb. shot nearly 46 feet during indoor work. Add to his resume his swimming accomplishments, and no doubt he would be in demand to captain a majority of the Crimson teams.
Harry committed to a university that claimed to have one of the top football programs in America. Harvard, together with Yale and Princeton, were the giants of football. If they had a BCS system, the three would be vying for the NCAA championship. The three schools dominated other colleges for years, but entering into the 20th century, football superiority began to shift to other parts of the country. It wasn’t so much the decline of the “Big Three,” but the improvement of universities across the nation. Big Three football stars went out in the early 1900s to coach at such colleges as Chicago, Purdue, Wisconsin, California and Stanford. It was these teams who began to challenge Harvard, Yale and Princeton for superiority. In fact, in 1901, the University of Michigan began to outclass the rest of the nation. That year, the blue and maize dismantled the University of Buffalo, 128-0, so thoroughly outmatched them that reports from the game state that a Buffalo player was laid out after almost every play in the second half. Over the season, the Wolverines totaled 501 points without giving up any score.
Michigan’s dominance was a factor in the beginnings of a new game entitled the Rose Bowl. In an attempt to determine who had the best team, a group of sports organizers put together the first Rose Bowl in 1902, pitting the best on the West coast, Stanford versus the best in the Midwest, Michigan. Once again, Michigan reigned supreme by dismantling Stanford, 49-0, discouraging the Westerners to the point that they did not schedule another Rose Bowl until 1916.
Few, if any Harvard football player or any participant from any college had more brushes with, and connections to landmark moments in the history of American football, than Harry LeMoyne. And yet, only a handful of Harvard fans knew of his existence. As an eighteen year old, he had no perception as to the environment of the sports world, let alone the extent sport would have upon his life. He began the year as a green freshman and nine months later left with experiences only a four year student would encounter.
The year Moyne entered Harvard, collegiate football was in transition. Major changes and historical events dominated the sport pages. Some were planned and orchestrated, while others were of the surprise nature.
In 1903, for the first time, a freshman would be eligible to compete in football. Harvard was the initial “big time” college to install the new ruling. This was huge, especially for Harry. Secondly, as will be discussed later, Harvard’s coaches and University officials were at the heart and soul for football reform. LeMoyne must have felt these political ramblings. He probably made contact with President Theodore Roosevelt, a Harvard graduate and a central figure in the Reform process. Thirdly, there were more rule changes in football that year than at any time in football history. The impact of LeMoyne’s punting skills and playing both offense and defense had a measure of influence in the rule changes.
The fourth experience looming on the horizon was the impending forward pass. This offensive weapon came into play during 1903 and would become football’s most popular and successful play. The fifth happening had to do with the most controversial play in football’s history, the so called “hidden ball trick.”
And perhaps the most important occasion would occur in October. The most anticipated game ever in Harvard’s history would be the opening of the new and historic Harvard stadium, constructed at a cost of $310,000, and underwritten by the class of 1879 as their anniversary gift to the college.
There was some opposition to the project as some believed that concrete couldn’t survive a New England winter, and others had a notion that football was a passing whim.
The ground breaking on June 22, 1903, kicked off an amazing frenzy of heavy work. The stadium rose into the air in only four and a half months. That summer and fall, tireless construction crews poured 200,000 cubic feet of cement. All but one end of the east stand was finished when Harvard opposed Dartmouth on November 14, 1903, for the first game played there. More than 200 Italian workmen who had built the stadium were in attendance, as was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, B.A. 1904, who proposed to his date, his cousin Eleanor, the following day.
The NEW YORK TMES, dated September 29, 1903 wrote: The game will be played on a field surrounded by the most imposing athletic structure in the world. It went on to say, The new stadium is to be not only the greatest modern structure of its kind, but will rival those buildings of the ancient world which were given up solely to athletic games. In fact the stadium is not unlike the old one at Athens. The article concluded by saying: The new structure is expected to endure for ages.
The stadium is the closest thing we have in the United States to the Roman Coliseum. Sitting on the concrete slab that substitute as seats, one could imagine what it must have been like cheering on the gladiators in ancient Rome. The stadium has a horseshoe configuration, with architectural elements of a Greek stadium and Roman circus and is considered an engineering marvel.
It was the first large permanent arena for American college athletics and today,100 plus years later, it still stands as a testament to its storied history and amazing durability. LeMoyne and his teammates on that October game day had no idea of the significance that contest with Dartmouth would play out in American history.
One final epic event happened during the 1903 football season. Thomas D. Edison filmed for the first time, a football game between two of Harvard’s bitter rivals, Yale and Dartmouth. Whether Edison attended a Harvard game that year is not known. His involvement with football and his first filming of a football game only adds to the prominence of that year.
An interesting sidebar to the 1903 season was the makeup of the coaching staff. William Lewis was the first Afro-American to coach at an American University, and later went on to become the Attorney General of the United States. The head coach, John Cranston, was an important member of the President’s Blue Ribbon Committee that implemented the myriad of rule changes.
Without question, the school year 1903-04 would go down in history as one of the most memorable and important year in American football. The young eighteen-year old Harry didn’t have the vaguest idea as to what was in store for him during his upcoming freshman year. The landscape of sport, and particularly that of football in America, was in a state of turmoil. College Presidents were calling for its abolition. Players were being maimed. The game was brutal. Even Teddy Roosevelt was calling for reform. Into this environment came LeMoyne.
Chapter 5
A BRUTAL GAME
Football a century ago was an ugly, dangerous and wildly exciting spectacle. The contests often turned into bloody brawls. Players poked at eyes, threw haymakers, and leaped in the air like a pro wrestler to fall on a downed man. In 1905, arguably the sports most violent year ever, 18 players were killed.
Craig Lambert, Harvard Magazine
Football in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s was dramatically different than modern day football. It was a strange and foreign game. It was vastly unorganized and mischievous. Wild and woolly would be the best description. It was a savage game and in fact, brutality was one of the attractions in those days. Society was rebelling against the confining Victorian customs and increasing numbers of people were turning to football to vent their emotions.