The University of Washington is poised to receive an entirely new level of international recognition on Christmas Day when George Clooney’s new movie The Boys in the Boat debuts.
Based on a best-selling non-fiction book by Redmond Author Danial James Brown, The Boys in the Boat chronicles the struggles of a crew of young men growing up in Washington during the Great Depression who come together as a team through rowing at UW and become the 1936 Olympic Champions.
The Boys in the Boat highlights the importance of higher education as a way out of poverty. A sentiment that the UW wants people to remember. “In the U.S. we are experiencing the steepest peacetime decline in educational attainment in our history,” said UW President Ana Mari Cauce in her 2022 annual address. Concerns over the cost of higher education may be behind the waning interest in college. However, the Washington State Legislature has taken significant steps to keep a university education within reach for local students, resident tuition at UW has only gone up by 2% over the last decade.
The true story also shares a great moment of Seattleites raising money to get their team to Berlin. In that spirit, the University of Washington is hoping the community will pull together again with small donations that add up to something bigger to support themes from the story. The Pull Together Campaign will help renovate the historic ASUW Shellhouse that the 1936 team used, support the UW Rowing Team, and provide scholarships through the Husky Promise.
You can catch more of the local spirit from The Boys in the Boat at the Museum of History and Industry at South Lake Union in Seattle. MOHAI has curated a collection of memorabilia and artifacts from UW Rowing and the 1936 team that will be on view through June 2, 2024.