 1907 - 1977 (70 years)
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| Name |
John Richard Jr. Kerr |
| Birth |
2 Jan 1907 |
Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
24 Jan 1977 |
Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland |
| Notes |
- John R. Kerr, 70, former public school teacher and noted local sportsman, died Monday morning at his home on Virginia Avenue. Born in Frostburg, he was a son of the late John and Laura McKenzie Kerr. He was a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, and Fraternal Order of Eagles, of which he was past president, secretary and past state president. He was a member of Eagles, Inc., of Waynesboro, BPO Elks, Loyal Order of Moose, Potomac Fish and Game Club, Morris Frock Post of the American Legion, South End Fire Company, Hall of Fame Club. He was a veteran of World War II. He graduated from Beall High School in 1923, from Frostburg Normal School in 1925, the Western Maryland College in 1934. He received a master of education degree at the University of Maryland in 1947 and a professional diploma from Columbia University in 1955. He had been a teacher at Manchester in Carroll County and Chestnut Grove, Winter Street, Woodland Way Junior High School, South Potomac Junior High School, Hagerstown High School, and South Hagerstown High School. He was a member of the National, State and Local Retired Teachers Association, and Phi Delta Kappa. He is survived by his widow, Susanna White Kerr; two daughters, Mrs. JoAnn Thacker of Tacoma Park, Md., and Mrs. Betty Hesson of Westminster; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Services were held Wednesday. Burial was in Rest Haven Cemetery. The Cumberland Evening Times, January 28, 1977
From Sheryl Kelso: By the way, I forgot to note that John R. Kerr died in Hagerstown. A sports complex in Hagerstown is the John Kerr Memorial Arena.
Note from John (Punk) McKenzie: John R. Kerr was a super sports fan, He attended more than 3,000 ball games in his life time and was honored at Baltimore's Momorial Stadium for attending games in 1975.
He. IF YOUR MEMORY IS hazy about 'any baseball incident of the past 38 years in the major leagues, there s a fellow.in Hagerstown who probably can set you straight. Chances are he attended the game you have in mind because Johnny Kerr has quite an enviable record as a spectator. Since he sat in on his first major league contest at Forbes Field between the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants in 1925, Kerr has seen 2,085 such games and you can bet he will he in the stands today at Memorial Stadium when the Baltimore Orioles ring down the 1963 curtain against the Detroit Tigers. A native of Shaft, Johnny is a guidance counselor at South Hagerstown High School. He was attending Frostburg State Normal (now Frostburg State College) in 1925 when he saw his first game. Four years later he was graduated from Frostburg and has been located since then in Washington County. A former elementary and junior-high coach, Kerr prefers baseball but enjoys all types of sports. In his career as a spectator, he has seen over a thousand professional and college basketball games, numerous hockey games and several world-championship boxing bouts. Last autumn, for instance, he saw 54 football contests (pro, collegiate and scholastic) and anticipates seeing 40 more this fall after having witnessed ten exhibition tussles. In basketball last winter, the games he witnessed totalled 122 (pro, collegiate and scholastic). Undoubtedly the highlight of this incredible spectator record was the July 4th of about 20 years ago. John started out in the morning at New York with a game between the Dodgers and Giants. In the afternoon he moved over to Yankee Stadium to see the Yanks and Red Sox in a double header. After that he jumped into his car and sped to Trenton, N. J. where he sat in on an Interstate League twin bill between Trenton and the Hagerstown Owls. EVEN THOUGH HE NUMBERS 264 majorleague shutouts in the games he has seen, the Hub City schoolteacher has never witnessed a no-hitter. He has, however, been on hand for nine one-hit and 29 two-hit performances. Johnny saw Eddie Yost walk no less than 178 times, having been in attendance at over 700 games of the Washington Senators. He has seen the Yanks play more than 350 times and the Orioles on 319 occasions. In the National League, he has seen the Phillies more than any other club, 310 games. He saw Whitey Ford win 25 games and Yogi Berra drive in runs for the Yankees. Other, notable achievements witnessed by him were the four homers Rocky Colavito hit in one game against the Orioles at Baltimore; the 17 batters struck out by Art Mahaffey of the Phillies, the 11 runs the Phils scored in one inning in 1934 and three triples in one game by Lou Gehrig that didn't count. Gehrig's feat was accomplished in Washington, with the game being rained out before five innings were completed. He also saw six players hit three homers in one game—Ralph Kiner, Dusty Rhodes, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Jim Lemon and Colavito. Kerr is also one of the few who can boast that he saw Babe Ruth play his last games in both the American and National Leagues. The Bambino played his final contest as an American Leaguer in Washington and his last game in the National, while a member of the Boston Braves, was in Philadelphia. "When Lou Chiozza of the Phils hit a line drive to left field in the first inning," Kerr said, "he was rounding third base before Ruth got to the ball. That was it for the Babe. He walked off the field after that inning and never played again." Put all of the figures together and it is learned • that Johnny has seen almost 3,800 baseball games of all types, this including 270 Triple-A contests and 597 in the defunct Class B Interstate and Piedmont leagues. He has also seen over 4,000 home runs, including 2,600 in the majors and more than 15,000 runs batted in. Johnny, who has many friends and relatives in Allegany County, is the son of John Kerr, Sr. of Shaft and the late Laura (McKenzie) Kerr. "Tapping the Kegg" Cumberland Sunday Times, September 29, 1963
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| Person ID |
I15016 |
McKenzie Genealogy |
| Last Modified |
29 Oct 2021 |
| Father |
John Sr. Kerr, b. 10 Jun 1888, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland d. 20 Jan 1970, Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 81 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Mother |
Laura Alice McKenzie, b. 23 Sep 1886, Maryland d. 27 Mar 1951, Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 64 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Family ID |
F00449 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family 1 |
Lowella Martin, b. 2 Mar 1911 d. 27 Nov 1987 (Age 76 years) |
| Marriage |
14 Oct 1927 |
| Children |
| | 1. Joann Kerr, b. Private [Father: private] [Mother: private] |
| | 2. Betty Kerr, b. Private [Father: private] [Mother: private] |
|
| Family ID |
F07107 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
29 Oct 2021 |
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