Martin A. Ryerson Trophy

In January 1906, Martin A. Ryerson (1856 – 1932) presented a trophy, a silver loving cup with decorated handles, to be “held in trust, in perpetuity, by the Trustees of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club.” As stated in the 1906 yearbook, “All yachts competing for the Ryerson Cup [as called in the text, though engraved as Trophy] must be eligible to the new class of 18 foot boats, established by the Lake Geneva Yacht Club. The Trustees may change the conditions of the Deed, insofar as it relates to the type of boat which shall compete for the Cup, whenever, in their unanimous opinion, it is desirable to do so.” Text in the 1906 yearbook identifies the 18-footers as Class D; later yearbooks identify the trophy as awarded to Class C. Martin Ryerson, an LGYC life member but not listed in any fleet, was a prominent Chicago businessman, a collector of Impressionist and American art, and a founding trustee of and major donor to the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago.

  • 1906 G. K. and J. R. Of field
  • 1907 Arthur K. and Franz W. Fischer
  • 1908 Howard J. Sloan
  • 1909 Arthur K. and Franz W. Fischer
  • 1910 Arthur K. and Franz Fischer 
  • 1911 Carol J. Raleigh
  • 1912 Augustine Healy
  • 1913 Ernst C. Schmidt
  • 1914 No race
  • 1915 No race
  • 1916 C. Tessa Schmidt
  • 1917 No race
  • 1918 No race
  • 1919 No race
  • 1920 Mogg Brothers
  • 1921 Mogg Brothers
  • 1922 Mogg Brothers
  • 1923 R. T. and K. C. Porter
  • 1924 Walter Colman 
  • 1925 Walter Colman 
  • 1926 Winfield Craven
  • 1927 Robert Ferris
  • 1928 Henry Sulcer
  • 1929 B. P. Adams
  • 1930 B. P. Adams
  • 1931 I. L. Ellwood
  • 1932 Reilly Brothers
  • 1933 No race
  • 1934 Gloria Gartz
  • 1935 Gloria Gartz
  • 1936 Clarence W. Sills Jr.
  • 1937 Robert and Clayton Gaylord
  • 1938 Dave and Ted Layman
  • 1939 Clarence W. Sills Jr.
  • 1940 Robert C. Edwards
  • 1941 George H. Kiefer Jr.
  • 1942 Barbara Wakeley
  • 1943 Angeline Johnson
  • 1944 Betty and Barbara Schultz
  • 1945 Tony Zulfer
  • 1946 Harry C. Melges
  • 1947 Bruce A. Pope
  • 1948 Buddy Melges
  • 1949 Buddy Melges
  • 1950 Cuppy Goes
  • 1951 Cuppy Goes
  • 1952 Jane Wiswell
  • 1953 Buddy Melges
  • 1954 Jane Wiswell
  • 1955 Peter Freytag
  • 1956 Cuppy Goes
  • 1957 Buddy Melges
  • 1958 Stanley Johnson Jr.
  • 1959 Anderson Brothers
  • 1960 Cuppy Goes
  • 1961
  • 1962 Chuck Anderson
  • 1963 Cuppy Goes
  • 1964 Cuppy Goes
  • 1965 Cuppy Goes
  • 1966 Cuppy Goes
  • 1967 No race
  • 1968 Buddy Melges
  • 1969 Buddy Melges
  • 1970 No race
  • 1971
  • 1972 Cuppy Goes
  • 1973 Cuppy Goes
  • 1974 Jim Smith
  • 1975 Jim Smith
  • 1976 Cuppy Goes
  • 1977 Cuppy Goes
  • 1978 Cuppy Goes
  • 1979 Androv Carlson 
  • 1980 Tom Schmidt
  • 1981 Art Larson Jr.
  • 1982 Cuppy Goes
  • 1983 Cuppy Goes
  • 1984 Jim Barr
  • 1985 Ron Bjurstrom
  • 1986 Arthur Larson Jr.
  • 1987 Arthur Larson Jr.
  • 1988 Jim Smith / Bob Harring
  • 1989 Bob Harring / Jim Smith
  • 1990 George Beukema
  • 1991 Arthur Larson Jr.
  • 1992 Ron Frankel
  • 1993 John Porter
  • 1994 Devin Farley
  • 1995 John R. Galley / George Beukema
  • 1996 Jeff Davenport
  • 1997 Frank Davenport
  • 1998 Art Larson Jr.
  • 1999 Scott Ripkey
  • 2000 Art Larson Jr.
  • 2001 Art Larson Jr.
  • 2002 Art Larson Jr.
  • 2003 No race
  • 2004 Andy Burdick
  • 2005 Arthur Larson Jr.
  • 2006 Jeff Doubek
  • 2007 Michael Lynch
  • 2008
  • 2009 Jim Petersen
  • 2010 Frank Davenport
  • 2011 Michael Lynch
  • 2012 Erick Youngquist
  • 2013 Bruce Cameron
  • 2014 Ron Bjurstrom/Jim Smith
  • 2015 No Race
  • 2016 No Race
  • 2017 Tom Pomierski
  • 2018 No Race
  • 2019 Charles Lamphere
  • 2020 No Race
  • 2021 Charles Lamphere
  • 2022 Matthew Sexton
  • 2023 James Petersen
  • 2024 No Race