Who was Charles “Pop” Kelchner? Why does he deserve to be in the Hall of Fame?
Many readers from the Lehigh Valley remember “Pop” as a legend in his own time .Born in 1875 in Berks County, he spent most his life deeply involved in athletics. After graduating from Lafayette College in 1898 where had been an athlete and scholar, “Pop” spent 50 years as a baseball scouting, locating or recommending many stars and hall of famers.
He worked for Connie Mack as a scout during the glory years of 1909-1911 and Mr. Mack was in attendance when the baseball field at Albright College (Reading PA) was dedicated to Kelchner and Branch Rickey in 1952.
What players did he scout or recommend? Babe Ruth, Chief Bender and Jim Thorpe are just a few.He also served as athletic director at Albright for 21 years and headed the Department of Romance Languages. “Pop” Kelchner was not one dimensional. A true Renaissance man, he was fluent in German, Italian, Spanish, Greek and Latin! In addition he was an active member of his church, the Boy Scouts and the YMCA.
We at the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society were contacted by Ron Smiley, a Society member who is serving on the Scouts Committee of SABR and was incidentally signed by Kelchner in l957, one year before Kelchner’s death.
Smiley firmly believes that scouts have played an extremely important role in baseball’s success and men such as Charles Kelchner deserve enshrinement at Cooperstown.
Space does not permit a listing of all Kelchner’s accomplishments or the players he heped bring to stardom, but Ron Smiley has gifted the Society with a beautifully prepared binder on the subject which will be available at our research library for interested parties to peruse.
The A’s Society joins fans of the St. Louis Cardinals for whom Kelchner also labored and fully support the highest recognition for this great scout and wonderful human being.
