I just saw this post on BT about the passing of legendary whitewater paddler and long time BWA friend, NPFF contributor and judge, Marge Cline. Marge was a one of the most enthusiastic, caring and wonderful paddlers I have ever met. She was known as the "River Mom" to all of us and will be greatly missed.
barryg

Marge Cline (1940-2007)_ New

Forum: BoaterTalk
Date: Oct 30 2007, 14:28 GMT
From: hugo


I'm sorry to tell you that legendary boater/instructor/mentor Marge Cline passed away during this weekend. No further details about her funeral arrangements are available yet.

Marge was not just a paddler, but a mentor, mother, sewer, painter, musician, etc. She got many people into paddling, teaching and was definitely a legend.

Marge was the editor of the Gradient (Chicago Whitewater Association newsletter) for 28 years.
President of American Whitewater from 1982-1988
Was nominated to the International Whitewater Hall of Fame 2006
Selected by Paddler Magazine - 100 Paddlers of the Century
1983 National Paddling Film Festival - Winner 8mm Film - Recreational Scenic - Gallatin and Yellowstone River

and many more awards and accomplishments...

There must hundreds of former students who know Marge Cline. She will be sorely missed. She was the main reason I decided to become an instructor.

Hugo

* This post reused portions from posts by Dan Leigh at PCP, Sandy Bates at PPP and a memorial page that the Chicago Whitewater Association is creating.

[boatertalk.com]

Here's a link to the Chicago Whitewater Association's Marge Cline memorial page:

[www.chicagowhitewater.org]

Maybe we could put together a small tribute to her for the NPFF. Do you have a copy of her entry from back then, or maybe some photos?

Man, that is sad news. I remember her very well and she was always in attendance, it seemed, back when we did NPFF at the Nursing School. I kinda chuckle thinking about how the films would go from the Hair boating to her ". . . notice the spring daffodils and the butterflys floating above the pristine waters of . . .", and I can still hear her very distinctive voice in my head. Maybe we should play one of her videos in memorium at the NPFF?
Brent

Wow, is there an echo in this thread?

todd

Todd an NPFF tribute or dedication to Marge at the NPFF is a great idea. She really loved the film fest and had attended, competed or judged in every NPFF since 1983 till around 2001 when I think traveling long distances became a constraint. Unfortunately I don't think I have a copy of her winning entry from 1983 as it was an 8mm film - but I can contact the CWA folks to see if they have a video copy of that one and maybe some of her other entries.

I can hear her too Brent. She added great amount of uber-enthusiastic fun to the general NPFF mayhem and her entries were always a interlude and antidote to the "who is mas macho" hair boating films. Marge's soundtrack music was never, ever, heavy metal but always smooth and beautiful classical pieces. She was also a dependable, top notch NPFF judge and always contributed solid, insightful feedback for the competitors. What a great lady...
barryg

I remember her too. She was a friendly outgoing person and she always tried to get people to dance at the NPFF parties.
I suggest the steering committee send flowers on behalf of the BWA to her funeral.

Good idea Beel.
Brent

Barry, that would be great if you can find something like that. Other than that, I'm sure a post on BT from the NPFF would be able to solicit some images that people might have out there. I'll get on that.

I think flowers are a great idea; the NPFF will send some, also.

todd

I've written to the CWA to hopefully get some details on any planned memorials for Marge. I'll keep everyone posted on what I hear back.

Meanwhile, I suspect that most of the current BWA members probably have no idea of the impact Marge had on the whitewater community in general and the NPFF in particular. With that in mind I've copied below a note I wrote for her CWA memorial page.

I met Marge when she entered, attended and won with her 8mm film entry "Gallatin & Yellowstone River" at the first National Paddling Film Festival hosted by the Bluegrass Wildwater Association in Lecington, KY in 1983. I was immediately drawn to her great enthusiasm for the NPFF and soon was totally won over by her caring, kind and sparkling good nature. She and I had danced till we dropped at that first NPFF - something that subsequently became a wonderful tradition for us both in the following years.

Marge always added a great amount of uber-enthusiastic fun to the general NPFF mayhem and as an accomplished amateur filmmaker, her entries always provided an interlude and antidote to the "who is mas macho" hair boating films that sometimes dominated the fest. Marge entered numerous film festivals over the years. In 1984 Marge entered "CWA An Expos'e " a film that highlighted boating around the country with the Chicago Whitewater Association. In 1986 Marge submitted "White On The Black" a 15 min 8mm film about the Black River in Watertown, New York. In 1987 Marge didn't enter a film but was still entertaining the NPFF audience as a member of the CWA's "LIPS" or Ladies in Polypro" a hilarious live dance review takeoff of the BWA's Women in Rubber. In 1988 she entered "The Nahanni" an 8mm film about the Nahanni River in Canada. In 1992 Marge switched to video with the entry "Learning To Read Whitewater" a video she had created to give new paddlers an idea of what they could expect once they got out of the swimming pools and onto the rivers. In 1993 Marge submitted the video entry "CWA", "A collage of activities perpetrated by members of Chicago Whitewater Association. Produced to provide incentive for the uninitiated to join our organization." In 1995 Marge entered "CWA Does Russia" a video about the Chicago Whitewater Association's 11 day trip to Russia.

In addition to her great support of the NPFF through the films and videos that she entered, Marge was also a dependable, hard working and top notch volunteer NPFF judge who could always be counted on to contribute solid, insightful feedback for the other competitors. As a judge, Marge eventually morphed into the fest's own "NPFFMom" and could always be counted upon to help shepherd and monitor the other volunteer judges and help make sure each judge watched and properly scored their assigned films - no easy job I might add!

I also was privileged to know Marge in her more famous role as Rivermom. She was a frequent instructor at Bob Obst's ACA kids kayaking camps on the Wolf River in WI, that both of my kids attended in the 90s. She was a great instructor who taught not only my children about how to paddle whitewater but also my wife and I on how to better instruct it. I would say that it's not too much of a stretch to credit Marge for helping to make both of my children become the solid whitewater paddlers they are today.

Thanks Marge for all the fun and memories and your wonderful, tireless support of river conservation and the NPFF. I'm so very glad and honored that I was able to call you a friend. Your life has positively enhanced so many others and so I know the peace of the river will now be with you forever.
barry grimes