Who was Kathryn Hammond?
Kathryn Hammond was a greatly loved and admired member of the University of Texas Sailing Team who was tragically killed in an automobile accident only 4 years after graduating from UT. Though her life was cut short, her presence lives on through the memory of those who knew her, and through the regatta in her name, the Kathryn Hammond regatta.
Kathryn Hammond was a member of the UT Sailing Team from 1991 to 1995 and had an enormous impact on the team during her time at UT. She sailed as a crew in women's, co-ed and team racing events. She was the UT Liaison for quite some time and she served as the Women's Team Captain for a year. She participated in the Women's Nationals for four straight years, meaning she was part of the winning SEISA team for four years running.
When she wasn’t sailing she was busy working on her two degrees: Elementary Education and German. While doing her student teaching at a bilingual high school in Austin, she decided that she needed to learn Spanish as well. After mastering a third language, Kathryn went to Honduras as a missionary teacher for 2 years to teach first graders. After moving back to Austin and returning to teach at the same school where she student taught, Kathryn was tragically killed in an automobile accident.
“Kathryn was an amazing person,” said teammate and friend Kim Young. “She was deeply spiritual and could drink like a sailor. She was animated in her story telling, devout in her love of children and always volunteered to pull a midnight shift on overnight road trips.”
Kathryn touched so many lives in so many ways during her time with UT. She made friends wherever she went and is truly missed by those who knew her. It is in her memory that the annual Kathryn Hammond regatta is held to commemorate her place on the UT team forever.