Flying high
ed Kershner has always supported Prof teams—as a coach, athletic director and fund-raiser. But after 46 years of marriage, his wife, Lois ’72, M’74, remains his strongest teammate.

“My wife and I are very, very active,” said Kershner, “We travel a lot.” Since Kershner’s 1998 retirement from Rowan’s health and exercise science department, the couple have spent their time jetting across the country and the globe in search of new peaks to conquer. They’ve skied and snow shoed in New England; the Italian Alps; Aspen, Colo.; and Banff, Alberta.

The Kershners love winter sports, but they’ve also spent summers biking through Holland’s hills and the Austrian Alps. While in Austria this past summer, the couple soared over mountain peaks in a hang-glider. “It’s really just a big kite we were using to fly around in the air 6,000 to 8,000 thousand feet above the ground,” Kershner explained.

During his 30 years at the University, Kershner doubled as professor and coach. He assisted Mike Briglia with men’s baseball, helping lead the team to two national championships. But Kershner may be best known for his tenure with Rowan’s football team, which he coached for 20 years.

“Championships are exciting. We didn’t get to the national championship like the kids do today, but we were working at a handicap before,” Kershner said, noting the challenges of balancing his responsibilities as coach and faculty member. But he managed his dual responsibilities well, and as men’s athletics director, he helped strengthen the program by recruiting full-time coaches to train Glassboro’s athletes.

Today, Kershner remains devoted to his second love—golf. He’s turned his passion for the game into an occupation, rating courses for the U.S. Golf Association and the South Jersey Golf Association. He’s played all 62 courses in South Jersey, measuring distances and checking bunkers and water hazards to calculate course difficulty. Not forgetting his alma mater, Kershner also makes a few cameos on Rowan’s campus to teach golf.

Kershner and his wife also did their part to boost Glassboro’s enrollment. Their son, Randy ’85, is a public relations manager in Manhattan and their second son, Kyle ’87, is a real estate broker in Vermont. “We don’t have any grandchildren, but we do have grand-dogs!” laughed Kershner. The couple have spent time dog-sitting in Vermont, getting a little skiing in, too.

Despite a hefty travel itinerary, Kershner still can’t stay away from the football field. “I work with both Rowan’s and the University of Delaware’s quarterbacks, usually on request. Jay [Accorsi] likes me to come up and just work with their young quarterbacks. I specialize in teaching them how to throw,” said Kershner. He also remains active in Rowan’s football alumni association, the Brown and Gold Gridiron Club. “We raise $10,000-$15,000 a year for the football program,” he said.

Kershner still calls the health and exercise science department home, teaching as an adjunct. “We’re getting bright kids coming in and we’re putting out some really good health and physical education teachers today. They’re using modern technology in the classrooms now, though I’m electronically impaired. I turn on the television, and I can’t do much else!” he laughed.

The Kershners plan to relocate to a Woodstown senior community. “I don’t have to cut grass or plow snow. Somebody does that for me!” said Kershner. And no wonder it excites him. Not having to deal with those chores will leave plenty of time for the couple to enjoy the snow on the slopes.

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Alumni can honor retired faculty by donating to a scholarship fund and other investment. Call James Spencer at 856-256-5403 or visit the Rowan University Foundation.