Raising the David M Emigh
The David M Emigh is a wooden shell built by Stan Pocock. This timeline chronicles its life, and WSU Crew’s raising and preserving the shell within the WSU Student Rec Center.
Pictured above: The hull from the first floor common-area showing the view into the cockpit, basketball court and the second floor track from which the shell is suspended. The shell will be dedicated to competitive rowing and the legacy of the Cougar Crew March 15, 2024.
Fall 1973
Stan Pocock completes the cedar 8+ that will be known as the Cougar One. She is sized for a heavyweight men’s crew and enters service as WSU hull-number 8, the first new-purchase in program history.
June 1979
Stan Pocock completes the cedar 8+ that will be known as the David M. Emigh. She is sized for a lightweight men’s crew and is the fourth 8 purchased new by the Cougar Crew.
June 1980
Stan Pocock completes the cedar 8+ that will be known as the Cristy Cay Cook. She is sized for a women’s crew and is donated to the Program by the Cook family. She is the fifth new article acquired by the Cougar Crew.
The DME in service as a new hull, Redlands, CA.
This photograph proved the livery and decking of the display article are original to the shell when manufactured in June, 1979.
Back row, Left-to-Right: Mike Noble, Tim Richards, Bob Lex, Keith Kessellring, Andy Kirk. Second row, Left-to-Right: Tom Anderson, Tom Caudill, Mark Petrie. Front row, Cox’n Lisa (Coble) Curtis. Photo Credit: Unknown.
DME Discovery Photo. The hull was announced for sale on Facebook by a third party December 13, 2022. The owner had considered sawing both shells in half to transport.
Circa 1996
The DME ends her service life and is sold to Ram Corporation as a restaurant display article. During transport to Denver she is struck by a bird-shot load from a 410 shotgun.
Pre-restoration photo-documentation of the hull illustrates the condition of the finish and the effects of bird-shot on the skin, July, 2023.
The pattern is consistent with a 410 shotgun fired from about 35 yards.
Apparently the hull was struck in-route to Denver from Pullman following the sale of the hull to Ram Corporation.
Circa 2012
During the search for the Cougar One the DME is discovered in Denver. Interest in her is dismissed since it is “known” that the bow of the cedar DME is in private hands. The Denver article is assumed to be a plastic boat of the same name commissioned by OSU.
2020
The 15 year search for the Cougar One is abandoned. The hull is declared lost. Attention is turned to recovering the CCC, on display at Commencment Bay Rowing Club.
5 November 2022
The vintage 1970-era Pocock Cedar 8+ Golden Gate 11 is acquired from the Conn Findlay boat yard as a trade article for the CCC. She is trailered to Wawawai and placed in deep storage.
Morning, 13 December 2022
CBRC informs the Cougar Crew of their intention to keep the CCC.
Early Afternoon, 13 December 2022
The DME is discovered to be for sale on Facebook. She has been acquired by a third party following her dispersal by Ram Corporation, Denver.
Late Afternoon, 13 December 2022
With photographic evidence proving the cedar DME is intact, the private owner of the bow thought to be from that hull discoverers it is, in fact, the Cougar One.
January 2023
The DME is acquired by the Cougar Crew for $8000. She is trailered to Wawawai by a contractor and placed in deep storage.
The DME arrives at Wawawai from Denver on the Janette Boat Works trailer, February 14, 2023.
Shipping was halted in-route to wait-out a winter storm.
This is the first cedar hull transported by the company.
Photo Credit: Peter Brevick
July 2023
The DME is restored by volunteer Cougar Crew alumni from the founding era. Photographic evidence proves her original decking is intact. WSU has retained no information associated with the property sticker still attached to the cox’ns seat.
DME restoration, July, 2023.
Back row, Left-to-Right: Peter Brevick ‘06, Fred Darvill ‘77, Jim Flynn ‘77. Front row, Left-to-Right: Kathy Kaatz ‘76, Marcia Flynn.
Not shown: Doug Engle ‘77, Mike Klier ‘75, Steve Ranten ‘79, Ken Struckmeyer.
Post restoration image of the finished hull in the Wawawai Ken Abbey Shellhouse July, 2023.
The shell was placed in storage awaiting installation.
Photo Credit: Mike Klier.
Head Coach Peter Brevick and Assistant Coach Bjorn Elliott remove the DME from storage for transport to campus December 17, 2023.
Photo Credit: Mike Klier
Temperatures dropped below freezing the evening of December 17, 2023.
The following morning the DME was iced over, waiting to be moved into Student Rec for installation.
18 December 2023
The DME is lifted into the support system designed for her display at the Student Rec. Fifty-three years after its founding as the Rowing Club the Cougar Crew has a tangible legacy of its history on campus.
Civil Engineer Rich Stager (left) and Assistant Coach Bjorn Elliott install the forward cradle to the hull on the main floor of Student Rec.
The cradles support the shell when posed at a roll of 135 degrees.
Photo Credit: Mike Klier
This view looking down on the hull from the 2nd floor track shows the shell with 3 cradles installed and lifting-straps attached fore and aft.
In the foreground is the stern support arm, one of three total, with a winch installed.
Support rods hanging from the arm will engage with the cradles to fix the display pose at 135 degrees.
Photo Credit: Mike Klier
The DME has been moved under the support arms and the winching cables attached.
Belay lines were installed fore and aft to arrest a fall should a winch fail.
Tag-lines were installed on the bow, 2, 7 and 8 riggers to control the pose during the lift.
Team members are assembling a ground crew to help with the following step.
Photo Credit: Mike Klier
At the extreme left of the image the forward winching cable can be seen attached to the lifting straps. The support arms are now carrying the full weight of the shell. The ground crew is rotating the hull 45 degrees to its final pose prior to the lift. The ground crew are Student Rec maintenance workers who took a break to assist in the installation.
Coach Ken Struckmeyer is image center in the gray ball-cap. A close inspection of the hull directly in front of Coach Struckmeyer shows seam-lines in the 12-panel skin. When this shell was made, Western Red Cedar logs about 20 feet long were the longest available. The 101, on display in the Ergometer Loft, was a 2-panel hull; each skin-half was 60 feet long.
Photo Credit: Mike Klier
The lift is complete.
This view, from the 2nd floor, shows the 135 degree roll and the three support arms modeled after the davit arms of a modern ship.
Photo Credit: Mike Klier
From below after tuning the support rods to insure each is carrying a uniform load.
The outboard support rods were clipped the following day.
Photo Credit: Mike Klier
Acknowledgments, With Thanks
Display Area Sponsor
University Recreation, Joanne Greene, Director
Project Sponsor and Funding Source
CCAA, Andi Day, Chair
Project Architect
Building and Shell 3-D Modeling, Building Code Compliance, Lighting Design
A. D. Shapiro
Project Civil Engineer
Load Calculations, Safety, Support Arm Design, Lifting Strategy
Rich Stager
DME Purchase Negotiations
Mitch Williams
Project Funding Coordination
Doug Engle
CCAA Liaison to Joanne Greene
Doug Engle
Transport, Denver to Wawawai
Janette Boat Works
Off-Loading At Wawawai
Peter Brevick, Kyle Hole, Finn Holmquist, Jeran Jordan, Archer Plotz, Andy Rohosy, Mark Walker-Rittgers
Long Term Storage and Shellhouse Use for Restoration
Peter Brevick
Hull Restoration Team
Peter Brevick, Fred Darvill, Doug Engle, Marcia and Jim Flynn, Kathy Kaatz, Mike Klier, Steve Ranten, Ken Struckmeyer
Rigger Restoration, Color Matching and Painting
Doug Engle, Ken Struckmeyer
Fabricator
All Fab, Pullman, WA
Support Arms Fabrication Coordinator
Doug Engle
Transport, Wawawai to Student Recreation
Peter Brevick, Austin Cole, Bjorn Elliot, Mike Klier, Carter Mills
Installation Team
Peter Brevick, Austin Cole, Bjorn Elliott, Dave and Nick Emigh, Doug Engle, John Jin, Mike Klier, Carter Mills, Niklas Poole, Travis Schaefer, Rich Stager
Daniella du Toit and Members of the Student Rec Maintenance Crew
University Recreation Engineer
Travis Schaefer
Support Arms Color Matching, Painting and Installation
Travis Schaefer
Installation Photographer
Sarah Page
Plaque Design
Mike Klier, Doug Engle
Interpretive Storyboard For Student Rec
Doug Engle, Mike Klier
Design of This Webpage
Joe Sudar, Mike Klier
Recruitment and Project Lead
Mike Klier