by Ron Johnston
John David Charcholla was a tough out.
The late Churchville Stars semi-pro baseball standout had one of the hottest summers on record in 1949 when he batted a robust .500, rapping out 26 hits in 52 at-bats in 13 games.
The-then 26-year-old Charcholla also pitched for the Stars, recording a 4-1 record with a 5.23 earned run average. In eight games and 43.3 innings on the hill, he struck out 54 and walked 24.
Not surprisingly, Charcholla was instrumental in helping the Churchville Stars post a championship 11-3 record in the Genesee Division.
At a year-end banquet at Sunset Recreation on Chili Avenue, Charcholla and the Stars of Churchville were recognized for their achievements. Charcholla was awarded the Eastern Division batting title trophy and also named that summer’s MVP (most valuable player).
One of the speakers at the banquet was retired New York Giants pitcher Hal “Prince Hal” Schumacher.
An all-around athlete as a prep player at Churchville in the late 1930s, Charcholla, the eldest of the two sons of Jack and Gert, lettered in baseball, basketball, and soccer. One of his Saint teammates back then was Bernie Voorheis, who later played basketball professionally for the Rochester Royals.
Before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps and serving in China during World War II, Charcholla had been a student at the University of Illinois in Champaign.
After the war, Charcholla was married to Pat on June 4, 1947, and he and his wife welcomed a little girl, Cheryl, into the world the following year.
Charcholla was not able to play for the Churchville Stars in the summer of 1950 because he was recalled to active duty with the Marines during the Korean War, which broke out in June of that year.
Charcholla had big hands, and when he played he used a vintage baseball glove, similar to what players wore in the 1940s. When I was introduced to the Churchville Little League game in 1957, he let me have his glove, and very few groundballs ever got by me at second base.
After Korea, Charcholla got on with his life, and his family expanded with two more daughters. He also became a longtime educator, physical education teacher, and coach of several sports, including swimming, at Spencerport High School. In his first year as the Rangers’ diamond boss in 1960, he led the Spencerport team to a 12-5 mark and a runner-up finish in the Monroe County League. The following spring, the Rangers broke even at 8-8 but were 6-4 in league play.
Much later, Charcholla would officiate at the prep and collegiate levels and hold office in national associations of soccer, basketball, and baseball.
After retiring from Spencerport, he and second wife, Gail, ended up in the Sunshine State, where he passed away at the age of 86 in late September of 2009.
Note: Ron Johnston, a 1966 Churchville-Chili graduate, is the author of One-Game Wonder.
