Craftsbury grieves Larry Gluckman's passing
Early in the morning of March 30, Craftsbury and GRPRowing coach, Larry Gluckman passed away surrounded by his wife Sara and daughters Meg, Kate, and Anna, due to complications of a stroke that occurred while fighting leukemia; he was 74 years old.
Larry’s life was intertwined with rowing since walking on at Northeastern in 1966, and launching his coaching career there. His CV reads as a litany of stations in the rowing world, any one of which would be enough to ensure a legacy in the sport: National Teamer, Pan AM rower, Olympian, with further coaching posts at Columbia, Princeton, Dartmouth, Trinity, working at Concept2, to say nothing of coaching and organizing countless races, camps and coaching sessions along the way.
But Coach wasn’t content to only be a titan in the rowing arena. LG volunteered widely for everything and anything from heading up parking at ski races to volunteer work around Northern Vermont . From grand to humble: if there was something that the community needed doing Larry was on it.
Our thoughts go out to Sara and her daughters in this time. They’ve generously founded a scholarship for folks to learn to row at Craftsbury in Coach’s honor. Learn more about the program and how to contribute here.
We’ve gathered some reflections from Gluckman’s colleagues at Craftsbury below, along with links to other coverage and his obituary.
Contribute to the Larry Gluckman Learn to Row Scholarship at Craftsbury
I got a text from John Graves on Tuesday morning that Larry was in the ICU. Less than half an hour later there was another that he was gone. No metaphor is going to cover the disbelief that provoked.
Less than eight weeks ago, his name went on the schedule for his slate of five weekend sculling camps.
Less than a month ago, he was on the dock in Sarasota, coaching John at Olympic trials.
And yesterday, remembrances of Larry made clear that he had fulfilled Mark Twain’s advice to ‘endeavor to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.’
Larry was the most unfailingly generous coach I’ve ever known. He was indefatigable in his willingness to help athletes and equally if not more so with coaches of all levels of experience. He was gracious even with people who were not so with him (including me on a couple of memorable occasions). The list of people who looked to Larry as their example of how to be open, kind, compassionate, and still tougher than leather is a long one and runs through Northeastern, Princeton, Dartmouth, Trinity, and well – probably the whole of the English-speaking rowing world if not beyond that. I remember asking him one day in the dining hall at Craftsbury where he had gotten a particular item of NZ national team gear. “Gift from Hamish” was his understated reply. He lived in rural Vermont and his phone rang off the hook with opportunities to coach in his never-quite-retirement. His network was seemingly boundless. His rowers from Trinity and elsewhere made pilgrimages to Shadow Lake to see him.
My most indelible memories of Larry involve his gregariousness; the numberless times you’d see him light up at the sight of a rower he knew and stride in their direction – “Shane! Heeeey, buddy!” Irrepressible is the word, I think – in the best of ways. We weren’t ready, coach, but it wasn’t because your example didn’t prepare us well. That you were unforgettable has been well known for many years. The last 24 hours have made it manifest. “Be prepared to win the race on the last stroke,” you said. Somehow, hard as it is, I have to believe that you were, and that you did.”
- Troy Howell, Craftsbury sculling program director
I didn't know how much to appreciate Larry until I was a coach myself.
Those coached by Larry knew the world was their oyster, but also knew they had to care for the world. I was only coached by Larry in spurts, but you could feel the empowerment he delivered to his athletes, whether they were collegiate rowers or Craftsbury campers. That empowerment brought continual positive change to the world.
As par for the course with great individuals, Larry taught me the most by his example. As I coach now, I recognize the immense strength and sincerity it takes to be unflinchingly supportive while holding to simple but powerful ideals. Challenges and issues will pop up on both a professional and personal level, and yet as a coach, that can't shake you from your script to thoughtfully improve others. Larry never missed a beat with the betterment of others. In what would go on to be our last conversation, he described how boat selection was challenging as you searched for the best performance and looked after all the athletes involved. He encouraged me to search for speed and then clean up with care afterwards. One of many balances he mastered in his life.
In 2015-2016, Larry introduced "Buddy Ball" as a warm up to our GRP rows. He would always bellow, "Grab a buddy. Grab a ball." It seemed overly simplistic at times. It seemed almost too playful at times. However, with not much time, we saw the innate teamwork and athleticism that this seemingly playful warm up brought to the team. We often underestimate the abilities of teamwork, cooperation, and positive support. Larry never underestimated them and always reinvested in them.
- Steve Whelpley, Green Racing Project Rowing coach
While enjoying the privilege of being Larry’s assistant coach at Princeton in the late ‘80s, we were returning from a race very late one night, towing the boat trailer with a van that was chock full of megaphones, tool boxes, spare parts, rain gear, and all that stuff that accumulates in crew vehicles.
We pull into the boathouse, me thinking great, in moments I’ll be in my car heading home, and soon to bed.
We climb out of the van and to my chagrin Larry opens the cargo door and starts to unload. Me thinking “OK, I guess we’re unloading now, saves us the task of doing so later” so I grab a tool box in one hand and a megaphone in the other and head towards the boat bay. I turn around and see Larry with a tool box in one hand, a megaphone in the other, a rack of riggers over one shoulder, a bag of coats over the other shoulder, and a trophy wedged up under his arm.
“Oh", I now think "guess I’ve been outdone at this task.” On my next rip to the van I loaded myself up like a camel readying for a caravan and trumbled back into the boathouse. I don’t know if Larry noticed, but I’ve been unloading vans Gluckman style ever since.
- Dan Roock, GRP rowing coach 2012-2017
Larry was ‘all in’. His way of being, his enthusiasm, his curiosity, his wealth of experience permeated his approach to the sport of rowing and all the people that he touched. Although my way of understanding the sport of rowing and sculling did not substantially overlap with Larry’s vision what did overlap very powerfully was our passion and love for the sport, our commitment to teaching and coaching and the powerful relationship with the people who we touched in the process.
- Ric Ricci, Sculling program associate director
Larry’s compassion and perceptiveness lent me confidence as I became a sculler at Craftsbury. He knew well my multi-year travails while at Princeton and would offer me coaching snippets that seemed to recognize my entire athletic journey. I’ll miss his gimlet gaze and his beautiful brown eyes that missed nothing and reflected his depth.
- Lynn Jennings, Olympian and Running Director emerita