100 Years of Kent School at Henley, 1927–2027

1927 to 2027

Why We Are Marking 2027

In 1927, Father Frederick Sill sent a crew of Kent schoolboys across the Atlantic, and Kent became the first school from outside Britain to race at Henley.

Five Henley titles followed, most recently the girls’ Peabody Cup in 2002. July 2027 marks one hundred years since that first crossing, and we are celebrating for the full year leading up to it. This is Kent’s anniversary rather than the regatta’s, and it belongs to everyone who has been part of the school.

The full story of the 1927 crossing

Between Now and Then

The Road to 2027

The centennial runs for a full year rather than a single weekend. Multiple gatherings are planned before we travel to Henley, and we will continue to add more detail as events are finalized.

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Head of the Charles Gathering

We will have a private room at Smoke Shop BBQ, 8 Holyoke Street in Harvard Square, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., with a cash bar. Alumni and friends are welcome before or after the racing.

We will share details on food closer to the date.

Thursday, February 25, 2027

A New York Gathering

An evening gathering in New York to mark the centennial, hosted at The Racquet and Tennis Club on Park Avenue.

Please save the date. We will share the details once the plans are further along.

We also hope to hold informal gatherings of the Kent rowing community around the country. Anyone willing to host one is welcome to contact Thad Bennett.

July 2027

The Week at Henley

These are tentative plans.

Here is where our thinking stands today, and we will keep adding detail through 2026 as things are confirmed. This page is where those updates will appear.

Friday, July 2, 2027

Tentative Celebratory Dinner

We are planning to gather at The Barn at the Bottle and Glass Inn on Bones Lane in Binfield Heath, roughly twelve minutes from Henley, for a dinner bringing together the whole Kent party from both programs.

Taxis are unreliable during regatta week, and we are exploring shuttle transportation.

See the venue

Saturday, July 3, 2027

Tentative Row-Past and Gathering

We are working with Henley to arrange two mixed Kent eights to row the lower part of the course, and we are planning to gather afterward as a group in the parking area behind the Enclosure.

The gathering is informal, with guests bringing their own refreshments. The Kent flag will mark where we have gathered, and Pimm’s is traditional.

Parking access is still being confirmed.

Getting there and staying there

Accommodation is not being arranged centrally, so attendees should book their own. Henley fills quickly during regatta week, and early reservations are advisable. Indicating where you expect to stay on the form below would help us considerably as we plan transportation.

Henley Royal Regatta publishes travel and parking guidance at hrr.co.uk/travel-parking.

Saturday, July 3, 2027

The Row-Past

We hope to row past on the lower portion of the Henley course during a break in the racing, in two boats made up of nine men and nine women who together span six decades of Kent crews. This is still tentative and depends on the Regatta.

We chose mixed boats on purpose. Kent's boys have raced at Henley Royal Regatta and Kent's girls have raced at Henley Women's Regatta, and both belong to the same hundred years we are celebrating. Putting them in the same boats makes that point better than anything we could write here.

Anyone interested in a seat is welcome to note it on the form below, along with the crew they rowed in. A few things are worth knowing first. Participants would need to be at Henley on July 2 and 3, able to row or cox, and covering their own travel. We hope to have the boats and spares settled before the new year.

Seats would be limited and the committee is still working through eligibility. Registering interest does not guarantee a seat, and we will come back to everyone either way.

Racing at Henley, 2027

Two separate things sit under this heading, and they work differently.

Alumni crews

We are exploring whether Kent could enter alumni crews, women's and men's, in the regatta itself. This is at a very early stage. Anyone who might be interested is welcome to note it on the form, or to contact Marcus Decorato directly. He is organizing this alongside Hunter Southworth, Eric Houston, and Melissa Holcombe.

Kent school crews

Whether Kent sends its own boys and girls crews in 2027 is still open. The committee agreed some time ago that the school would only send crews to Henley if they are competitive, so there is no guarantee either way.

One Question

Would Any of These Interest You?

As we ramp up to Henley we have a number of events we are thinking of putting on, including, obviously, Henley itself. Nothing here commits you to anything.

Name

Kent Class Year

Email

City / Country

Any that appeal, in whatever combination

Head of the Charles gathering · Cambridge · Sat 17 Oct 2026 A New York gathering · Thursday, February 25, 2027 Celebratory dinner at Henley · Fri 2 Jul 2027 Saturday gathering by the Enclosure · Henley · Sat 3 Jul 2027 Rowing or coxing in the row-past · for those who raced at Henley for Kent Trying out for an alumni crew to race · still being explored Helping organize or support events · we would be glad of the help Just keep me posted

If you are coming to Henley, where do you expect to stay?

Roughly how many of you?

Anything else we should know?

Your details will not be shared outside Kent. Questions are welcome at Thad Bennett ’71 or Vashti Chandler ’06.

Why 2027 Matters

The 1927 Crossing

In 1927, Father Frederick Sill sent a crew of Kent schoolboys across the Atlantic to England, and Kent became the first school from outside Britain to race at Henley.

Sill had coxed the Columbia varsity crew that won the first Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta in 1895, so he understood what the trip would mean for the boys. Kent entered the Thames Challenge Cup, which was an open event rather than a schools event, and lost its only heat by a quarter of a length to Thames Rowing Club, who went on to win the trophy that year.

That entry is also the reason the program is called a Boat Club rather than a school team. Kent had to enter as a club to race the events it wanted, and the name has stayed with us ever since.

Kent returned six years later and won the Thames Challenge Cup in 1933, then won it again in 1938, 1947, and 1950. The boys eight took the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in 1972, and the girls won the Peabody Cup at Henley Women's Regatta in 2002. That is five Henley titles, more than any other American school.

It is worth being clear about what we are marking. 2027 is the centennial of Kent’s first trip to Henley rather than an anniversary of the regatta itself.

Kent at Henley

1927 First school from outside Britain to race at Henley. Thames Challenge Cup.

1933 Thames Challenge Cup. The first win.

1938, 1947, 1950 Thames Challenge Cup, three more times.

1972 Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup.

2002 Peabody Cup, Henley Women's Regatta.

2010 Princess Elizabeth final.

2022 The 1972 and 2002 crews row the course side by side.

2027 One hundred years.

Kent’s Gift to Henley

The Queen Victoria Challenge Cup

A new trophy at Henley Royal Regatta for women student quad scullers, given by the alumnae and alumni who rowed for Kent on the Thames.

In the fall of 2025, the committee asked whether Kent might give Henley Royal Regatta a new cup as part of the centennial. The Regatta came back and asked Kent to sponsor a women’s event, and we accepted.

There is a symmetry to it that we like. Kent went to Henley in 1927 as the first school from outside Britain to race there, and a hundred years later the school marks that by paying for a women’s trophy at the same regatta. The first hundred years of Kent rowing saw a real gap between what the boys had and what the girls had, and we intend the next hundred to be about closing it.

The cup’s plaque will also recognize Hart Perry, Kent’s long-time coach and the first American elected a Steward of Henley Royal Regatta.

Kent’s Head of School, Mike Hirschfeld, worked this through with Henley’s chairman, Sir Richard Phelps, who described the regatta’s direction this way in 2025: “Traditions aren’t barriers to change. They’re foundations for the future.”

Help Fund the Cup

Kent’s gift of the Cup is being funded by the alumnae and alumni who rowed for Kent on the Thames. Gifts of any size are welcome, and all donations are tax deductible.

Give to the Cup

The giving page carries both designations. The Cup is listed as Henley Rowing Regatta Cup, below Kent School Boat Club Endowment, so gifts can go to one or to both. Qualified charitable distributions, stock, and similar gifts are handled by Bill Kissick.

The Committee

The Celebration Committee

Every member is a volunteer, and together they span six decades of Kent crews.

Fred Schoch ’69

Thaddeus Bennett ’71 Co-Chair

John Rooney ’73

Melissa Holcombe ’87

Andrew Mills ’89

Elizabeth Guernsey ’02

Vashti Chandler Davies ’06 Co-Chair

Alexis Mills ’17

Gabby Sullivan ’21

Marcus Decorato ’25

Christine Roper ’07 Ex officio

Anyone interested in hosting a gathering of Kent rowers where they live is welcome to contact Thad Bennett.

100 Years of Kent School at Henley