| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'srowing | ||
Representingthe United States | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1956 Melbourne | Eight |
| 1960 Rome | Coxless four |
Richard "Rusty" Donald Wailes, a.k.a.Perfect Oarsman (March 21, 1936 inEdmonds, Washington – October 11, 2002 onLake Washington) was an American rower.
Wailes begansport rowing when he enteredYale University in the fall of 1954. Within two years he was part of thegold medal-winning eight-man U.S. team at the1956 Summer Olympics inMelbourne. Wailes and his Yale teammates represented the United States in the 1956 Olympic team after defeating other collegiate teams in the eight-man Olympic trial. At the Olympic trials Wailes and his crewmates set a world record in 5 minutes, 52 seconds.
Wailes's crews defeated Harvard four consecutive years in theHarvard–Yale Regatta. Wailes was heavyweight crew captain his senior year.[1] The athletic department bestowed upon Wailes the 1958 William Neely Mallory Award, the most prestigious athletic award given to a senior male at Yale.[2]
Rusty earned again Olympic Gold as part of the four-man coxless crew at the1960 Games inRome. That team included John Sayre and two other rowers, Ayrault and Nash, from other colleges at the Lake Washington Rowing Club. They won thePan American Games in 1959 and then went off to the Olympics in Rome.
Rusty, his wife, Lynne, and John Sayre, were a part of the original group, 'Sing-Out 65,' which becameUp With People. John and Rusty, along with their respective wives, Pat Sayre and Lynne Wailes, had been members of theMoral Re-Armament show 'Space is so Startling' (recording year, 1962). Rusty then became Dean of Men atMackinac College, which was located on theMackinac Island site where Sing-Out had formed. Mackinac College was dedicated to training students who were 'Learning to Learn, Learning to Live, and Learning to Lead.'
On October 11, 2002, Rusty Wailes, who lived inWoodinville, WA, died of a heart attack while rowing on Lake Washington.
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