Local rower gave his all for sport, city

7/19/2008

Pete Bentley, Jr., was a proud ambassador for Toledo through the sport of rowing, and he will be dearly missed by rowers and nonrowers alike.

Pete was a man of substantial accomplishments in both business and engineering, but it was his accolades in rowing of which he was most proud. He knew many moments of victory in rowing as a young man at Yale University and throughout his long rowing career as an international competitor. He came from the generation of no excuses, no "if onlys." Luck and chance do not play a part in rowing. Preparation and perseverance win races.

It was the inspiration of the rowing races, the regattas themselves, that drove Pete not only to compete year after year, but to continually improve his rowing stroke even at the age of 79. He regularly touted the health and wellness benefits of this lifetime sport.

Although Phil LeBoutillier is credited with reviving rowing as a sport in Toledo, Pete will be remembered for carrying on the strong tradition of Toledo rowing into the next century with the same mentality of hard work, commitment, and energy that had sustained the Toledo Rowing Club thus far.

As chairman of the building committee, Pete oversaw the construction of the Philip LeBoutillier, Jr., Memorial Boathouse. He and others (ably led by then-Toledo Rowing Foundation President Steve Monro) paved the way for a successful capital campaign to ensure a legacy for rowing in Toledo.

He gave the Toledo Rowing Club and the Toledo Rowing Foundation a "Power 10" - his best 10 strokes.

(Note: A "Power 10" is a rowing command that the coxswain calls for the crew to take a certain number of power strokes. A power stroke is a stroke that musters all the strength you can give.)

Susan K. Zurawski

Masters Rower

Toledo Rowing Club

Valley Brook Drive

The Blade's June 29 editorial on the Supreme Court gun ruling mentioned how "if a liberal judge had performed a similar [action], the word 'activist' would be ringing throughout the land. So would 'legislating from the bench'." How true. I recall first hearing such accusations years ago, and thought that it sounded like a fair complaint. Judges shouldn't be activists or legislate from the bench.

As the years went by, I noticed a pattern: Any judicial decision conservatives don't like is "activist" and "legislating from the bench;" any decision they like is "a brilliant decision based on law and/or the Constitution."

The day after The Blade editorial, a Mona Charen column assessed this and another recent Supreme Court decision [striking down the death penalty for the rape of a child] as "shooting straight" on one decision and "missing the mark" on another. One needn't even read the column to be assured of which decision was labeled as which.

Paul Chad

Bowling Green

Women should control their own fertility. If you are a legislator or judge of the male gender, that does not include you.

SARAH MAXWELL

Archbold