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James Pocock shares his family’s rowing history

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James Pocock of Gloucester speaks about his great-uncle, a boat builder and influential man in crew racing, who is featured in the bestselling book "The Boys in the Boat" about the 1936 Olympic-winning crew team.handout

At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, the United States men's rowing team stunned the world by winning the gold medal.

Nine working-class boys from the University of Washington beat teams from Ivy League schools, sons of British aristocrats, and Adolf Hitler's elite German rowers.

The team's story is told in "The Boys in the Boat," by Daniel James Brown, which has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 115 weeks and is currently number one in the paperback category.

Their story was featured in a PBS television special to celebrate this year's Olympics and the 80th anniversary of the win.

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Key to the story is George Pocock, a leading designer and builder of racing shells in the 20th century, who received international recognition for the boat he provided the 1936 team and future Olympic winners.

George's great-nephew, James Pocock of Gloucester, whose grandfather, Dick Pocock, also built boats, is helping spread the story in talks locally and beyond.

"People are always so enthused," said Pocock, 62, a minister who works in development at Gordon College in Wenham. "I love telling the story. I've had a whole career of public speaking and I am a bit of a ham."

He said he doesn't aim to summarize the book, which he was not involved in writing, but wants to share family stories.

"We didn't talk about ourselves. We're proper," said Pocock, mentioning his English heritage. "I knew I came from a boat-building family, but I didn't know they were the best in the world.

"The Uncle George I knew is the one everyone resonates with," he said. "Not only did he build boats, he had a spiritual, moral backbone when he taught about rowing, and teamwork, and what it takes to win. He used almost religious, poetic language."

Pocock, who was not a rower — instead playing rugby in college — said he's since learned a lot about his family's history and the sport.

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"I love meeting oarsmen and women who are so passionate," he said. "It's a marvelous fraternity of people."

WENDY KILLEEN

Wendy Killeen can be reached at wdkilleen@gmail.com.