Dame Diana Margaret Ellis DBE (11 April 1938 – 18 May 2017), known as Di Ellis, was a British rower and the former Honorary President of British Rowing.

Di Ellis
Personal information
Full nameDiana Margaret Ellis
NationalityBritish
Born(1938-04-11)11 April 1938
Died18 May 2017(2017-05-18) (aged 79)

Rowing career

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Ellis coxed the women's eight at the 1966 European Rowing Championships for Great Britain. She coxed the England women's four to gold in the 1972 home countries match, and won the women's eight head of the river race seven times, four as a cox and three as a rower, from 1966-1973. She won the coxed fours with Janis Long, Ann Shackell, Margaret Goodsman and Beryl Martin, rowing for the St George's Ladies crew, at the inaugural 1972 National Rowing Championships, on the new 2,000-metre course at Holme Pierrepont.[1][2][3][4][5]

Family

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She was the middle child of three daughters born to Robert Hall, a proof reader, and his wife, Mabel (née Steadman), a nurse. She attended Ealing girls' school (West London), and the Guildford College of Technology (in Surrey).[3]

Honours

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Ellis was appointed CBE for services to rowing in 2004, and elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2013. She was made a vice-president of the British Olympic Association in 2013 and honorary president of British Rowing in 2014.[4][6]

Death

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Ellis died following a brief illness at the age of 79.[4] She was survived by her husband (since 1966) and daughter.[3]

Affiliations

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  • British Olympic Association
  • Sport & Recreation Alliance
  • British Confederation of Sport
  • Skills Active
  • Sporting Equals and Sports Resolutions

References

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  1. ^ ""Rowing." Times, 22 July 1972, p. 6". The Times. 22 July 1972. p. 6.
  2. ^ "THE FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONS". Rowing Story. 22 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Dodd, Christopher. "Dame Di Ellis obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Dame Di Ellis, former British Rowing chairman, 1938-2017". Henley Standard. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  5. ^ Longmore, Andrew. "British rowing will miss its influential dame". The Times. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Alliance leading light earns Damehood", sportandrecreation.org.uk, 14 June 2013; accessed 19 June 2017.