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David Mercer, former athletics director, passes away at age 92 |
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| David H. Mercer | This morning we learned the sad news that David H. Mercer, legendary Hill School athletics director from 1960 to 1990 and namesake of the David H. Mercer Field House, passed away on Thursday, August 9, 2012 in New Hampshire with his family nearby. He would have turned 93 years old on August 13.
A service for Dave Mercer will be held at Camp Deerwood in Holderness, N.H. on Saturday, September 29 at 1 p.m. A combined memorial service for Dave and Frank Bissell '33 will be held at The Hill School on Saturday, November 3 in the Memorial Chapel from 11:15 a.m. to noon.
The name David Mercer is synonymous with Hill athletics. He arrived at The Hill as the Assistant Director of Physical Education in 1948, and for 12 years worked to enhance the School’s physical education program, as at that time, it was separate from interscholastic athletics. He became the Athletics Director in 1960, serving in that capacity until 1990. Hill athletics flourished under his guidance. During his time as AD, lacrosse became a varsity sport, and skiing and water polo were added as interscholastic sports (skiing disbanded in the mid-1990s), and facility improvements included the construction of the Bissell Wrestling Room, Annan Strength Center, and the replacement of the old cinder track with an all-weather track in the early 1980s.
Despite his interest and involvement in athletics, Dave was never a head varsity coach, saying he felt that it would compromise his position as the AD, though he was an assistant football and track coach and served as the head coach of many junior varsity and junior teams. He remained involved in Hill athletics even after his retirement from the School, often serving as the head timer at track meets. Upon his retirement, former Headmaster Chuck Watson noted that wherever he traveled, Dave’s name was mentioned by alumnus after alumnus, a true testament to the impact he had on more than 6,300 boys to pass through The Hill.
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Anna Lee and Dave Mercer at the dedication of the
David H. Mercer Field House | In October 2001, the School dedicated its new field house in honor of David Mercer. Hundreds of alumni, parents, and friends gathered to celebrate Hill’s athletics excellence and pay tribute to the man who was responsible for preserving that rich tradition of dedication, sportsmanship, and healthy competition, still the foundation of Hill’s athletics program today.
Dave graduated from The George School in 1940, where he played football, basketball, and was captain of the track team. He set school records in the low hurdles, high jump, and 110m- high hurdles. From the George School, he attended the University of Pennsylvania and was a member of the varsity track team during his freshman and sophomore years. In 1942, Dave left Penn and joined the armed forces. At one point in his career, he was the head of Officers’ Physical Training at Eglin Air Force Base near Pensacola, Fla. During his tenure at Eglin, he met and married his beloved wife, Anna Lee, who survives him. The Mercers’ oldest daughter, Barbie, was born in Florida; shortly thereafter, the family returned to Swarthmore, Pa.
In 1945, Dave returned to Penn, where he rejoined the track team as a varsity athlete, serving as the team captain in 1947 and graduating that same year. He joined The Hill School faculty the following year. Dave and Anna Lee called The Hill their home for the next 42 years, raising their two daughters, Barbie and Leah, as well as the thousands of Hill boys whom they mentored and cared for during those years.
The Hill offers our deepest condolences to the entire Mercer family: Anna Lee; Barbie (Mercer) Allen and her husband, Steve; and Leah (Mercer) Galbraith, and her husband, Keith, and their families. |
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