Drexel

It was an indication that this would be Drexel's day at the 75th annual Dad Vail Regatta when one winning unit had to momentarily stop celebrating to cheer for another. The members of the Dragons' men's novice heavyweight eight were being presented their gold medals at the victory stand near the finish line when the rowers turned to their left and began cheering for Drexel's women's junior varsity eight, which also captured first place. "It's unbelievable to be celebrating for the guys and then seeing the girls win right by us," said Drexel men's and women's rowing coach Paul Savell.

THERE CERTAINLY WAS some home cooking going on at the 75th annual Dad Vail Regatta on the weekend. The largest collegiate rowing event in North America saw Drexel capture its first overall Dad Vail victory, and doing so in grand fashion with a men's overall victory as well. As a dark and cloudy sky set the stage for the final day of the event on Saturday, Drexel was coming off an impressive day of competition on Friday. All 12 boats that entered the competition qualified for the final day. Those included nine first-place finishes and three second-place finishes.

Kurt Linton couldn't have scripted a better ending. Both Linton and his team ended up on top in his final Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, the largest collegiate rowing competition in the country. A two-time Drexel captain, Linton was part of the gold-medal-winning heavyweight varsity eight that propelled the Dragons to the men's title and the overall points championship in the 75th annual regatta on the Schuylkill. After the victory Saturday, Linton took in the cheering of the sizable Drexel crowd and summed up what it meant to go out a winner in his final Dad Vail appearance.

The race on the Schuylkill was nearing its end above the Columbia Railroad Bridge when the coxswain for the Drexel women's novice eight called out sharply, "Look at your ribbons! We're doing this!" The coxswain shouted a little more, about whom and what they were doing it for. At that point, Drexel was within range but still trailing a La Salle boat in the final of the Kerr Cup on April 20. "Everybody just let go, and we just picked it up and went," said Jordan Marinchak, in the No. 6 seat.

Jack Galloway has enjoyed a long association with the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, from his days as a rower for La Salle University to his tenure since the mid 1970s as chairman of the event. This will be the 75th anniversary of the Dad Vail, which takes place Friday and Saturday on the Schuylkill. The first race went off in 1934. But there were years during World War II when the event was not held, which is why this year is the 75th anniversary. At first the event would rotate among sites such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.

Drexel sophomore Dean Hill became hooked on rowing by going to events such as the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, and now he is continuing a family tradition by competing there. Hill will be on a Drexel team that finished second, two points behind champion Purdue for last year's overall title. This year's 75th annual Dad Vail Regatta is Friday and Saturday on the Schuylkill. Hill won a silver medal last year on the Freshman 8 and this season will be competing on the Lightweight 4. A graduate of St. Joseph's Prep, Hill has been going to the Dad Vail since he was a youngster.

Nick Elmer figures his best days as a wrestler are ahead of him. He knows his best days as a football player are behind him. Elmer, who led Penns Grove to a record-setting football season this past fall, on Wednesday signed a national letter of intent to attend Drexel University on a wrestling scholarship. "I thought I was going to go to school for football because of the year I had," said Elmer, a senior at Penns Grove. "But it didn't pan out. " Elmer was The Inquirer's South Jersey Offensive Player of the Year after he led Penns Grove to a 12-0 record and the program's first South Jersey Group 1 title - as well as a state-record 621 points.

There are 12,000 pieces in Drexel University's Historic Costume Collection, but curator Clare Sauro's eyes twinkle like metallic threads when she explains why a particular light blue, crushed-velvet sheath from the 1920s is ageless and of-the-moment awesome. "It's from the Callot Soeurs," Sauro said, holding the 87-year-old textile delicately between white-gloved fingers. She's referring to four French sisters considered among the earliest dressmakers to incorporate mixed media into their frocks of velvet, lace, and ribbons.

Hugh Rosen, 82, of Center City, professor emeritus and former chairman of the mental-health services department at Drexel University, died Monday, April 15, of complications of cancer at Holy Redeemer Hospital Hospice. Dr. Rosen, a social worker and psychotherapist, taught courses in cognitive development for many years at Hahnemann University. "His intelligence was apparent, but he didn't hold it over you," said Kevin Kuehlwein, a friend and collaborator. "He was very encouraging.

This story has been updated. IN THE LATE 1990s, the kids at Henry C. Lea Elementary School at 47th and Locust streets lacked a library. A few years later, the University of Pennsylvania built them one. The university, which had a relationship with Lea dating to 1960, secured donors to fund construction of a space and procure books, computers and audiovisual equipment for the K-to-8 school. The Lea affiliation is one of seven that Penn has with disustrict schools, including its best-known partnership with the Penn Alexander School on Spruce Street near 42nd.