Thomas E. Weil Rowing History Collection

Project Description: Processing the Thomas E. Weil Rowing History Collection

The Thomas E. Weil Rowing History Collection is an expansive and internationally significant assemblage documenting more than 150 years of rowing history, from the mid‑1800s through the 2010s. Built over decades by Thomas E. Weil—a lawyer by training whose true passion was the history of rowing—the collection reflects his unmatched expertise and his desire to make the sport’s story accessible to researchers, students, and the broader rowing community.

The collection includes a wide range of formats, such as artifacts, ephemera, photographs, books, posters, regatta programs, and other materials that illustrate the competitive, cultural, and artistic dimensions of rowing. Particular strengths include Olympic rowing, women’s rowing, Henley Royal Regatta materials, collegiate rowing, boat clubs, and a broad international scope.

This project will support the early stages of processing the collection. The graduate student will assist with surveying materials, identifying major formats and subject strengths, drafting preliminary scope and content notes, rehousing items as needed, and helping establish an organizational framework for future detailed processing. The work will provide hands‑on experience with archival arrangement and description, exposure to a large and complex hybrid collection, and insight into the practical challenges of managing a significant special collections acquisition.