Mercersburg magazine spring 2014
35
About Ron Simar Began at Mercersburg in 1988; retiring from the school following the 2013–2014 academic year Spent 42 years working with students at the secondary-school or college level; worked at Randolph-Macon Academy and James Madison University prior to coming to Mercersburg in 1988 Served as Mercersburg’s director of athletics until retiring from that post in 2008 Also worked as head of the school’s physical-education department; managed Mercersburg’s performance-group activity program and the dining room; served as an assistant coach for several sports; taught psychology; worked on the school’s counseling staff; and served as an adviser and dormitory faculty member in six different dorms
counsel them is what led me back to JMU to seek a master’s degree in counseling,” he says. “I ended up getting my degree in student personnel services, which turned out to be a better track for me.” As he finished his master’s coursework in spring 1988, Simar took a phone call from then Mercersburg athletic director Joe Chandler, who was leaving to accept a position at a school in Louisiana and wanted to gauge Simar’s possible interest in succeeding him. “As soon as I hung up the phone with Joe, I knew I was interested,” Simar remembers. “I never really set out to be an athletic director, but it was the natural way to go for me. I liked working with students in an administrative role and had always been involved in and interested in sports.” Simar was so excited about his new position that he took a twoweek vacation from his full-time job in JMU’s residence-life office specifically to meet with as many Mercersburg coaches and students as possible. “I wanted to do all the homework that I could and wanted to find out what the major challenges would be and what people wanted to have happen,” he says. “It became clear pretty quickly that one of my major goals should be to find a league for us to call home.” Eventually Mercersburg joined with Flint Hill School, Maret School, Potomac School, and St. James School to create the MidAtlantic Conference, which represented three states (Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) and the District of Columbia among its five charter members. As the only school of the quintet with postgraduate students and with its girls’ programs still lacking a league home (the MAC sponsored only boys’ sports), the fit was never truly a perfect one for Mercersburg. The Mid-Atlantic Prep League formed in 1998 with five members—Blair Academy, The Hill School, The Hun School of Princeton, The Lawrenceville School, and Peddie School—and soon looked west to Mercersburg
to make it an even half-dozen institutions in the league. “In addition to the obvious benefits of being part of a league made up entirely of boarding schools and all with postgraduates among their student bodies, our move to the MAPL was important because it is a coed league and thus offers our girls’ programs the same opportunities that our boys’ teams receive,” Simar says. Along with his work as athletic director, Simar was also a member of Mercersburg’s counseling staff, taught psychology courses, and served on the Conduct Review Committee. He stepped down from the athletic director’s post after the 2007–2008 school year and immediately began a five-year term as head of the school’s physical-education department. Simar has continued to oversee Mercersburg’s performance-group activity program and the dining room in addition to serving as an assistant coach at various times for the Blue Storm’s softball, junior-varsity baseball, and varsity boys’ basketball teams. “Ron has been as loyal as one could ever be to Mercersburg,” says longtime friend and colleague Karl Reisner, a faculty member at the Academy since 1971 and Mercersburg’s head varsity baseball coach. “He possesses a genuine love and respect for the school and its people.” Going forward, the Simars will continue to live on Main Street in downtown Mercersburg, and Susan Simar will remain in her familiar position as the first smiling face to greet visitors entering Traylor Hall on campus. “I haven’t put much thought into what it’s going to be like next year,” Ron Simar says. “I hope to remain involved here as a volunteer, whether it’s keeping the scorebook or coaching or something else. I’m sure I’m going to miss the whole experience. Schools have been such an important part of my life for so long, and they’ve always been where I’ve felt I’ve needed to be.”