John Ralph Rackley (1907-1969) received his doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University (1940) and served on the faculty of the Teacher's College of Connecticut (1939-1949) before becoming the Dean of the College of Education, first at the University of Oklahoma (1949-1955), and then Penn State (1956-1962). He served as Vice President for Resident Instruction at Penn State (1962-1965), and was appointed Superintendent of Public Instruction by Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton (1965-1967), after which he returned to Penn State to serve as its Provost (1967-1969). He died in December, 1969.
From the description of John Ralph Rackley papers, 1927-1970. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 748574524
