George A. Katchmer was an athletic coach and silent motion picture historian.  He was born in Arcadia, Indiana County, Pa., on May 20th, 1916, attended local public schools, and graduated from Cherrytree High School in 1935.  He entered Lebanon Valley College on an athletic scholarship in 1936.  In 1940, he graduated from college and returned to Cherrytree High School to coach all sports offered by the school.  Less than a year later he was drafted into the armed services, rising through the ranks to become a captain before being discharged in December of 1945.  Following the Second World War, Katchmer returned home to coach at Cherrytree.  He remained at the school until 1948 when he accepted a position as athletic director at Newport High School in Perry County, coaching football, basketball, and baseball.  From 1948 to 1954, he developed and maintained one of the best high school athletic programs in the state.  In 1954, after turning down offers from other colleges, Katchmer accepted the position of head coach of both baseball and football at Millersville State College.  He continued coaching until 1969 when he resigned to pursue other interests.  From the 1970's to the 1990's, he published two books and wrote over 150 articles on silent screen stars for film magazines such as Classic Images, Classic Film Collector, and Screen Thrills.  Prior to his death in 1997, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Coaches Hall of Fame for his numerous contributions on and off the field.

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