View source for Dan Ayrault

{{Short description|American rower (1935–1990)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
[[File:1956 U.S. Olympic coxed pair champions.jpg|right|thumb|1956 U.S. Olympic champions in the coxed pairs. Left to right, standing: Dan Ayrault, [[Conn Findlay]] and coach [[George Yeomans Pocock]], sitting [[Kurt Seiffert]].]]

{{MedalTableTop}}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Rowing (sport)|rowing]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Rowing at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Melbourne]]|[[Rowing at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's coxed pair|Coxed pair]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Rome]]|[[Rowing at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's coxless four|Coxless four]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}
'''Arthur Delancey''' "'''Dan'''" '''Ayrault Jr.''' (January 21, 1935 – February 24, 1990) was an American competitive [[Rowing (sport)|rower]] and two-time Olympic gold medalist. While competing at the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] in [[Melbourne, Australia]], Ayrault won a gold medal in [[coxed pair]] with [[Conn Findlay]] and [[Kurt Seiffert]].<ref name=db-ol-ROW-1956>{{cite web|url=http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=14&sp=ROW |title=1956 Summer Olympics -- Melbourne, Australia -- Rowing |website=DatabaseOlympics.com |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208105105/http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=14&sp=ROW |archive-date=2007-12-08 }}</ref> During the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in [[Rome, Italy]], he earned a gold medal in [[coxless four]]. Ayrault's teammates were [[Ted Nash (rower)|Ted Nash]], [[John Sayre]], and [[Rusty Wailes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=15&sp=ROW |title=1960 Summer Olympics -- Rome, Italy -- Rowing |website=DatabaseOlympics.com |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070904114042/http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=15&sp=ROW |archive-date=2007-09-04 }}</ref>

==Early life and education==

Ayrault was born in [[Long Beach, California]], on January 21, 1935. He graduated from the [[Morristown-Beard School#History|Morristown School]] (now Morristown-Beard School) in [[Morristown, New Jersey]], in 1952. Morristown-Beard School inducted Ayrault into their Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.<ref>[http://www.mbs.net/page.cfm?p=549 Morristown-Beard School: Hall of Fame]</ref> In 1956, he earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy at [[Stanford University]]. During his time at Stanford, Ayrault served as captain of the Cardinals' rowing team. Stanford's Department of Athletics later inducted Aryault into the school's Hall of Fame. He completed his master's degree at [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]].

==Teaching career==

Following his rowing career, Ayrault taught at [[Lakeside School (Seattle, Washington)|Lakeside School]] in [[Seattle, Washington]]. After Lakeside School named him as their headmaster in 1969, he served in that role until 1990. In 1971, Ayrault guided the merger of Lakeside School (then an all-boys school) with the all-girls St. Nicholas School. During his 21-year tenure with Lakeside School, Ayrault oversaw funding campaigns to construct Pigott Memorial Library, a field house, and St. Nicholas Hall for Humanities and Arts. Students who attended Lakeside during that period included [[Bill Gates]] and [[Paul Allen]], the co-founders of [[Microsoft Corporation]].<ref name=lecture>{{cite web|url=http://www.lakesideschool.org/ftpimages/252/download/AyraultLecturers.pdf |title=About the Dan Ayrault Memorial Endowed Lecture |access-date=2014-08-08 |publisher=Lakeside School |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509064704/https://www.lakesideschool.org//ftpimages/252/download/AyraultLecturers.pdf |archive-date=2014-05-09 }}</ref><ref name=Hannula>{{cite web|url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960725&slug=2340853|date=1996-07-25|title=Looking Back 36 Years At An Olympic Moment
|last=Hannula|first=Don|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|access-date=2008-05-15}}</ref> In 1980, the Washington State Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development awarded Ayrault their Outstanding Educator award.<ref name="Seattle Times">{{cite news | newspaper=The Seattle Times | title=Colleagues Recall With, Warmth Of Dan Ayrault -- Lakeside Headmaster Believed In Giving Back To The Community | first=Phyllis | last=Winfield | year=1990 | url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19900226&slug=1058167}}</ref>

==Military service==

Ayrault's father served with the [[U.S. Navy]] during [[World War II]]. He commanded the {{USS|Tucson|CL-98|6}}, an {{sclass|Atlanta|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]] between July 10 and August 14, 1945. Ayrault later received the [[Legion of Merit]] for his service commanding the ship.<ref>[https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/306296 Valor Awards for Arthur Delancey Ayrault]  "The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" to Captain Arthur DeLancey Ayrault (NSN: 0-56952), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. TUCSON (CL-98), in action against enemy Japanese forces in Empire waters from 10 July to 14 August 1945."</ref>

==Community service==

In 1958, Ayrault co-founded the [[Lake Washington Rowing Club]]. He then supported the rowing club during the next 32 years. Ayrault served as the president and chairman of the [[Pacific Science Center]] between 1980 and 1984. He also served as a member of the board of directors of the [[Seattle Chamber Music Society]]<ref name="Seattle Times" /> and the [[George Yeomans Pocock|George Pocock]] Rowing Foundation.  The foundation established their Ayrault Fund in honor of Ayrault. The Ayrault Fund facilitates the foundation's outreach activities to promote the sport of rowing.<ref>[http://www.pocockrowing.org/2006annualreport.htm George Pockock Rowing Foundation] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222142517/http://www.pocockrowing.org/2006annualreport.htm |date=February 22, 2014 }} "The Ayrault Fund is named after Dan Ayrault, an original member of the Pocock Foundation Board, Headmaster of the Lakeside School, teacher, coach, and two-time gold-medal winning Olympic oarsman. Targeted donations, investment income, and a portion of principal appreciation of the Ayrault Fund are dedicated to a range of rowing 'outreach' activities."</ref>

==Ayrault Memorial Lecture Series==

In 1994, friends and family members of Ayrault endowed the Ayrault Memorial Lecture Series at Lakeside School in his honor. Notable speakers at the lecture series have included:

* [[Bill Gates]]
* [[Jacob Lawrence]], a painter
* [[Gwendolyn Knight]], a painter
* [[Dale Chihuly]], a glass sculptor
* [[Fay Jones (Seattle artist)|Fay Jones]], an artist
* [[August Wilson]], a playwright
* [[Sylvia Earle]], an [[oceanographer]]
* [[Russ Mittermeier]], a [[primatologist]] and [[herpetologist]]
* [[Rudy Crew]], an educator and administrator
* [[Margaret Larson]], a broadcast journalist with and correspondent with [[Dateline NBC]]  
* [[Claude Steele]], a [[social psychologist]]
* [[Paul Loeb]], an animal trainer and author
* [[Brian Greene]], a physicist
* [[Speight Jenkins]], general director of the [[Seattle Opera]]    
* [[David Brooks (journalist)|David Brooks]], an author and columnist for ''[[The New York Times]]''
* [[Po Bronson]], a journalist and author

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Olympic champions – Men's coxed pair}}
{{Olympic champions – Men's coxless four}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayrault, Arthur}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:Stanford Cardinal rowers]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in rowing]]
[[Category:Rowers at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Rowers at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:20th-century American educators]]
[[Category:American male rowers]]
[[Category:Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Morristown-Beard School alumni]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Long Beach, California]]