John Scherlacher

John G. Scherlacher was inducted into the College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. He was previously inducted into the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Hall of Fame in 2004.

Scherlacher earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Springfield College in Massachusetts in 1932, where he played varsity football and basketball. He went on to receive a Master of Science degree in Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1940.

Following graduation, he served as Physical Director and later General Director of the Sarah Heinz Recreation Center in Pittsburgh. During World War II, he was Director of Recreation for the American Red Cross Services to Armed Forces in the Army Air Corps Redistribution and Rest Centers across the United States. He later became Director of Recreation for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Scherlacher joined the West Virginia University faculty in 1947 as an Assistant Professor in the School of Physical Education. He helped establish and lead the School’s Recreation Leadership Training Program beginning in 1948 and later chaired the newly formed Department of Recreation. As West Virginia’s State Recreation Consultant, he traveled across the state to assist communities in planning and implementing parks and recreation programs. He played a key role in expanding the field of recreation within the School, preparing graduates who went on to serve in leadership positions across the country.

In addition to his university service, Scherlacher was active in community and state organizations. He called square dances across Morgantown beginning in 1948, served with the Morgantown Rotary Club, and held leadership roles with the Monongahela County Consolidation Recreation Commission, the National Advisory Committee on recreation personnel, and the West Virginia Recreation Society.

He retired from WVU in 1972 after 25 years of service and was named an “Honorary West Virginian” by Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr. His post-retirement honors included certification as a Recreation Professional by the West Virginia Recreation and Park Association (1976) and a four-year appointment to the West Virginia Commission on Aging by Governor John D. Rockefeller. In 1981, Governor Rockefeller named him a “Distinguished West Virginian.”

Scherlacher passed away in 1981.