Barth, John O., 1903-1990

John Oexle Barth, nicknamed "Moose," was a coach at Quakertown High School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Born in New York in 1903, he received a Bachelor of Science in Health Education from State Teachers College at East Stroudsburg (Pa.) and was hired by Quakertown High School in 1927. He coached various sports at the high school including football, basketball, and baseball. In baseball he found his greatest success, at one point coaching four straight championship teams. Six of his players moved into the professional league.

After 26 years as coach, Barth segued to the position of athletic director, spending a total of 39 years in sports at Quakertown High School. He is commonly considered a "founding father" of Quakertown High School athletics. He was inducted into the Quakertown Teacher's Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Pennridge-Quakertown Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Barth's parents were John F. and Sophia (Oexle) Barth. He and his wife, Marian R. (Riegel) Barth, had one daughter. He died in 1990.

Bibliography:

Fox, George R. "Barth Should Be Remembered." The Free Press, April 23, 1988. Obituary found in collection.

"John Barth, 87, Long-time Quakertown High Coach." The Morning Call, September 26, 1990. Accessed May 24, 2013. http://articles.mcall.com/1990-09-26/news/2751418_1_john-barth-founding-father-east-stroudsburg-teachers-college.

From the guide to the John O. Barth Quakertown High School sports scrapbooks, 1920-1989, (Quakertown Historical Society)