2002 Calendar

Memorials

As part of the history of the Mason's Island Yacht Club the following are remberances of the people for whom the awards are named.

Ann Shepard Briggs Copp contributed by Patricia B. Copp. Ann Shepard Briggs Copp, daughter of Sallie Lee and Lucius Goffe Briggs, and older sister of Patricia Briggs Copp and Peter Goffe Briggs, died in August 1955 leaving her husband, James Henry Copp (brother of Webster Tirrell Copp) and two young daughters, Carolyn Lee and Cheryl Ann, to whom she was a wonderful mother. The Racing Starts Trophy was given in her name by her brother, Peter Briggs, in 1957, when he retired the original trop hy that had been in existence since the Club was founded in 1928. It is interesting to note that the Trophy has been won 6 times by family members; being won in 2000 by her nephew, Lucius Goffe Briggs II, Peter's son. Our sister loved Mason's Island - and it was her hope to retire here one day. She was an excellent swimmer, a fine diver, and she loved to sail. By nature she was shy and quite unaware of her beauty. She had an artist's eye , and enjoyed painting, sketching and drawing.

Hugh and Emma Cole contributed by Hugh Cole. Hugh was Harvard 1915 and an Attorney in New York. Emma was Smith College and editor of Good Housekeeping and Modern Bride. As a young boy, Hugh learned to sail out of the Conanicut Y.C. in Jamestown, R.I. As a young man he cruised the New England coast in a gaff-rigged yawl named Cavalier. He sold the boat to buy Emma an engagement ring. High and Emma built Crosstrees on Money Point Road in 1937 and joined the MIYC. Hugh taught Josy and me to sail in a frostbite dinghy named Ding Bat. Hugh raced a kietten class boat named JOKER against Y.E. Soderberg, Art VanWinkle and Jack Baum to name a few. He then raced a Cape Cod knockabout named Bail Ho against the aforementioned plus Lou Cross and Cameron Winslow. Hugh and Emma sailed and cruised Bohemian, a 30' gaff-rigged sloop from the late 1930's into the 1950's. This boat has it's resting place somewhere east of Fishers Island, having obtained permission from the USCG to sink her. Hugh and Emma then cruised BO II, a Columbia 30, from FI Sound to Nantucket Sound. Hugh was active in the MIYC for all his years on MI, playing tennis and becoming Commodore in the 1940's. It was their love of sailing and cruising which prompted me to establish this trophy.

Ralph W. Halsey contributed by Anthony Halsey. RWH came to MI in 1930 and had a MI class boat prior to that time which he sailed at Hyannis on the Cape. Early racing days here were not good. Randomar was a little different from the other four; but because she did poorly, no one cared. Then Dad got serious and by mid 1930's won everything. Pretty soon complaints were heard about Randomar being "not right" and therefore having an unfair advantage. Crew was Ralph Jr. and Jack Horn. Harold Rowe dedicated the trophy to my Dad shortly after dad's death in 1946. By that time the Class was down to about 2 boats. Since the end of that era, the trophy (of which I have the original) has been raced for in a variety of boats.

Arthur S. Roberts Contributed by Hugh McGee. This trophy was originally called “Mason’s Island Yacht Club Men’s Singles Championship”. It was won in 1948 by R.S.Jones, in 1949 by W.H.Jones, and in 1950 by E.R.Gledhill. In 1951, 1952, and 1953, it was won by Arthur S. Roberts and retired to a shelf at the Roberts home. Art ( as he was known to his contemporaries at the Club – to me he was always Mr. Roberts) was an excellent left-handed tennis player with a very tricky twist serve. He may have won the men’s singles a time or two after 1953, but we don’t have records to show that. Art was Commodore of M.I.Y.C.in 1956. I remember watching Art play in the late 50’s when I was a teenager, and sometimes getting to play with him in singles or doubles (but I don’t remember ever winning when he was on the opposite side of the net). He was always interested in helping young players and it was a great learning experience to be on the court with him, whether as partner or opponent. I have fond memories of watching him playing with other fine MIYC tennis players, both men and women, on the old hard tennis courts that are now part of the MIYC parking area. In 1980, after Art passed away, his widow Nancy Roberts found the old trophy and rededicated it to the Club as the “Arthur S. Roberts Memorial Trophy, Men’s Singles”. This trophy was for the winner of the August men’s singles tournment, the finals of which were usually played on Labor Day weekend. The trophy was won in 1980 through 1988 by Hugh McGee, in 1989 and 1990 by James McGee, in 1991 by John Totolis, in 1992 by James McGee, in 1993 by Alex Luchars, in 1994 by Whit Townsend and in 1995 by Hugh McGee. At that time it was retired, and Hugh McGee provided a new trophy to be known as the “Arthur S. Roberts Memorial Trophy, Men’s Singles”, in memory of Art as one of the best players to grace our courts.

Y.E. Soderberg contributed by Nancy Soderberg. Sody was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph glands in 1951. For radiation treatment he went to Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York as an out patient. In netween treatments he went to lower New York and found the Italian men playing Bocce on covered courts. On his return to the MIYC he, with help from others, mowed the would=be grass for a court. The Yacht Club bought the balls and a book of rules from Neff's Sporting Goods in Mystic. Sody died in August 1972, and Frank and Henrietta Dickman bought the silver tray as a memorial. Billie Palmer retired that tray and put up the present trophy. Sody would have been extermely happy to see how the game has appealed to so many Club members.

Wes Van Winkle contributed by Dan VanWinkle. Wes was born on Mag 21, 1964 in an Army Hospital in New Orleans, La. where his father Dan was stationed. Five months later Wes and family moved to Dad's hometown of Rutherford, N.J. where in the years to follow he was active in Cub Scouts, Little League, church etc. Wes didn't particularly like school and was always looking ahead to summer and Mason's Island where he could be sailing with and against his friends. He crewed for Dad in WELAMY, the familg Blue Jay, after he grounded himself in sailing in the family Lightning. Soon he began sailing by himself taking friends to crew for him in the Junior Yacht Club Wed. series and his Dad for the Saturday series and special races. He was a good, competitive sailor winning his fair share of races and monthly series and loved all of it. Some of the competitors at the time were Tony and Toby Halsey, Jeff and Scott Perry, Buzz and Skip Whitaker, Charlie and Marler Beebe. Some remembered crew for Wes: Andrew Frisbee, Mark Briggs, Tommy Uan Winkle, and Laura Van Winkle (if really desperate).
Wes was very excited to be old enough to be in the Blue Jay Nationals in the summer of 1976 when he was diagnosed with leukemia and had to go through rounds of chemotherapy. After several short remissions he succumbed to the disease at the age of twelue and never got to sail in the Nationals. The Wes trophy was presented to MIYC to be awarded to the best sailor of the summer to perpetuate the memory of a boy everyone loved and who loved to sail and win.