Fifty years to the day after their first international triumph at the Henley Royal Regatta in England, the MIT oarsmen slide their borrowed shell into the Thames River for a noontime practice session. The early July drizzle doesn’t dampen their spirits. They are just glad to be back on the water together. Their coach, Jack Frailey ‘44, SM ‘47, AE ‘54, pushes them away from the dock, and they stroke slowly across the still water. Bob Wilkes ‘55, SM ‘56, notes that the boat is steady, which surprises him. Since most of the men, now nudging into their 70s, have not rowed since their last reunion at Henley in 1999, Wilkes expects their performance to have deteriorated, but instead it seems to have improved. Good, he thinks. The next day, when they take their celebratory row down the course to the finish line, the crowd of thousands gathered on the banks will see a crew that still shows vestiges of a champion’s skill. The return to Henley, one of the oldest and most prestigious rowing events in the world, celebrated the team’s achievement and marked a golden era in MIT athletics. In 1954 and 1955, two MIT lightweight crews did…