Overview

South End: Sport and Community at the Dock of the Bay is a comprehensive history of the South End Rowing Club, established in 1873 and the oldest rowing club west of the Mississippi. One of San Francisco's oldest sporting and social institutions, its history mirrors much of the City's own past. The history of this iconic part of San Francisco's waterfront begins by exploring the city's social and sporting milieu in the early post-Gold Rush days, then covers the South End from its founding to the present. Tracing the Club's movements from the south end of San Francisco to the fringe of North Beach, separate chapters are devoted to such topics as the gender integration of the Club, its rivalrous relationship with the neighboring Dolphin Club, the transformations of the century-old clubhouse itself, and the mainstay sports of rowing, swimming, handball and running. Along the way South End investigates how the Club's strong volunteer community has enabled it to survive for a century and a half as a working-class club, rather an outpost for the rich and famous. At 600 pages hardback, South End includes 380 photos and 175,000 words of deathless prose.

Full Product Details

9798218952914

Table of Contents

Reviews

Looking for a be-all, end-all history of San Francisco's famed South End Rowing Club, only the oldest rowing club west of the Mississippi? This is it, in textbook-size format, tracing the elite club's origins from 1873 to the present with special attention on the club as a local sporting and social institution and hub. It's eye-opening to see how the humble rowing club evolved to become a competitive powerhouse and had to learn along the way to embrace swimming, handball, women, and running to evolve. The authors ... definitely have fun sharing the inner workings and ways of the club they so love. -- Judith Gallman. Oakland Magazine, January 23, 2020, reviewing the first edition of South End: Sport and Community at the Dock of the Bay.

Author Information

"Bob Barde has been a member of the South End Rowing Club since 2007. In addition to modest swimming accomplishments (Alcatraz, Golden Gate), he rows, has played handball, and for five years was a regular at Boat (repair) Night. He is an experienced historian who has written extensively on immigration history; his Immigration at the Golden Gate was published in 2008 and received laudatory reviews in numerous academic journals. For over twenty years Bob served as Deputy Director of UC Berkeley's Institute of Business and Economic Research. Prior to that he was co-owner-manager of The Best of Africa art gallery (Toronto), and earlier the Educational Supervisor of documentaries on Africa (""The Africa File/Dossier Afrique"") for TVOntario in Toronto. The author has hitch-hiked across the Sahara, taken a river steamer to Timbuktu, and is a black belt in Shotokan-style karate. He now lives in Alameda, California, with his wife and sweetheart, Dawn McKenzie. Pat Cunneen was raised in San Francisco and is a retired firefighter and engraver. He has been a member of the South End for nearly fifty years, indulging in all of the Club's various sports and serving on the Board of Directors. His first sports love was running, and he has been at the heart of the South End's running program since the early 1970s. Pat has also been the keeper of the Club's history: preserving precious historical material, teaching other South Enders about the Club's rich history, and enlivening Club events with his witty posters. He lives in Santa Rosa, California."

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available