Harry Parker, the nation's most successful heavyweight crew coach, is undergoing treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a type of blood cancer, according to a report in the Boston Globe by John Powers ’70. The syndrome can be a precursor to leukemia. Next year, the 75-year-old Parker, subject of a Harvard Magazine cover article in 1996, will coach the Crimson oarsmen for his fiftieth season. To make provision for a possibly reduced workload while Parker, Bolles coach of heavyweight rowing, undergoes treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Harvard department of athletics has promoted longtime freshman heavyweight coach Bill Manning to the newly created position of associate head coach of heavyweight rowing. The program plans to hire a new freshman heavyweight coach. In a July message to Harvard Varsity Club members, Parker also shared one of his personal plans: "to get back on the golf course as soon as possible!"
Harvard crew coach Harry Parker undergoes cancer treatment
Harvard crew coach Harry Parker undergoes cancer treatment
Harry Parker is receiving treatment and reducing his work schedule.
You might also like
Harvard Football: Villanova 52, Harvard 7
The Crimson’s inaugural playoff appearance is nasty, brutish, and short.
Harvard Football: Yale 45, Harvard 28
A wild weekend: a debacle in The Game, then a berth in the playoffs.
Harvard Football: Harvard 45, Penn 43
An epic finish ensures another Ivy title. Next up: Yale. And after?
Most popular
Explore More From Current Issue
Why America’s Strategy For Reducing Racial Inequality Failed
Harvard professor Christina Cross debunks the myth of the two-parent Black family.
A Changed Harvard Faces the Future
After a tense summer—and with no Trump settlement in sight—the University continues to adapt.