When Seth Moulton ’97 was at Andover, he was on Boys Varsity Crew for two years. He sat in the stroke seat, one reserved for rowers with good technique and tenacity.
“He was a metronome,” said Nathaniel Kirk ’98 who rowed with Moulton at Andover.
Moulton, who was a four-year student at Andover, was a strong physics student, played the organ in Cochran Chapel, lived in Bartlett Hall North and was Sports Editor for The Phillipian.
On Boys Crew, Moulton was Captain his Senior year and received the 1997 William H. Brown trophy, given to a rower who has contributed the most in team spirit and sportsmanship.
Kirk, now a portfolio manager at Third Avenue Management, said he remembers Moulton’s blistered hands, his incredible power-to-weight ratio and the quiet manner in which he endured the pain of rowing.
Another one of Moulton’s teammates, Tom Huntoon ’98, said, “I do remember that he was a bit soft-spoken, … but exterior belied the drive and desire that motivated him to be a terrific athlete and student.”
Former Boys Crew Coach Peter Washburn said in an email to The Phillipian, “If the crew program shoveled snow [on campus] to help out and drew attention to themselves for doing so, [Moulton] would shovel when no one could see, because he did not want to draw attention to himself. He worked very hard, but you never saw it. He led by example.”
Another of Moulton’s teammates, Tom Balamaci ’97, said Moulton’s reserved leadership not only manifested itself on the river but also in the organ loft of the Chapel.
“[The organ] is not an easy instrument to learn. It requires individual precision and discipline, but it’s the type of instrument that leads everyone in a chapel or concert hall. Organists are rarely stars or virtuosos, and they have a very attuned spirituality, which in a way, may reflect something about [Moulton’s] character,” Balamaci added.
His former organ instructor, Carolyn Skelton, said, “[Moulton] was very thorough in his practicing and was interested in learning as much new repertoire as his time would allow.” As a final project for his AP Music Theory course, Moulton composed a set of variations on the piece “Amazing Grace.” Skelton says she has performed his composition.
After graduating from Andover, Moulton received a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics at Harvard College in 2001. Following his graduation, Moulton joined the Marine Corps and later served four tours of duty in Iraq over a five-year period. Moulton received an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and an MBA from Harvard Business School before pursuing public service.
[Read more on the Massachusetts Primary Elections in this week’s issue of The Phillipian](http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2014/10/30/seth-moulton-vs-richard-tisei).
