George C. Shafer, Jr., 86, Episcopal Academy teacher

George Carlton Shafer Jr., 86, formerly of Newtown Square, an educator, coach and volunteer, died Tuesday, April 5, of leukemia at Beaumont at Bryn Mawr.

Mr. Shafer was a history teacher and tennis coach for 43 years at Episcopal Academy. During his tenure, his teams won 20 Inter-Academic League championships.

At the same time, he was co-owner and director of Susquehannock Camps in Brackney and Friendsville, Pa.

He also volunteered in the tennis world as coach of the Philadelphia Gold Cup advanced junior tennis program; board member and teacher for the National Junior Tennis League; board member of the Philadelphia Indoor Tennis Corporation; and operations chairman of the U.S. Pro Indoor Tennis Tournament for 19 years.

At Camp Susquehannock he taught tennis to players of all ages. He played in tournaments in the Philadelphia region, Binghamton, N.Y., and Montrose, Pa., winning titles in both singles and doubles.

In 1980, Mr. Shafer was awarded the Seymour Coren Cup for service to tennis in the Philadelphia region by the U.S. Tennis Association.

Besides tennis, Mr. Shafer also fostered swimming. Several years after he started the boys' swim team at Episcopal, the team won three championships.

He was particularly proud that his 1969 team included six all-American swimmers in five events, and that the 1969 team was inducted into the Episcopal Academy Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

He coached junior football teams each fall and had several undefeated seasons. He was inducted into the Episcopal Academy Athletic Hall of Fame as the coach whose teams won the most championships during his career at the academy.

Mr. Shafer received the Bishop William White Award presented by Episcopal for "educational contributions far beyond the confines of the classroom."

Long active in the accreditation program of the American Camp Association, he also was honored for exceptional service to camping. He and brother Edwin worked tirelessly to ensure that campers enjoyed an enriching experience at Camp Susquehannock for Boys.

In 1986, he and his wife, Louise Sayre Hoopes, or "Dede," opened a sister camp, Camp Susquehannock for Girls, at Lake Choconut in Friendsville.

When he retired from Camp Susquehannock in 2000, he joined the board of directors of the College Settlement Camps in Horsham. The organization provides summer camp for 800 economically disadvantaged children in the region.

"He was pushing that hard," said his wife. "He wanted them to be better known."

Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Shafer graduated from the Lawrenceville School and Princeton University, and went on to earn a master's degree in history from Columbia University.

He was a member of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church for 63 years, and taught Sunday school and confirmation class for 20.

An active alumnus of Princeton Class of 1951, Mr. Shafer chaired 45th and 50th class reunions that drew record-breaking attendance.

"He was a class act," his wife said. He was rarely seen in public without his signature bow tie.

Besides his wife, he is survived by a son, G. Carlton Shafer III; daughters Catherine Cockerill, Priscilla Dana, and Elizabeth Nagy; and seven grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625 Montgomery Ave. Burial will be later in Montrose, Pa.

Donations may be made to the Camp Susquehannock Scholarship Fund, 2308 Tripp Lake Rd., Brackney, Pa. 18812.

bcook@phillynews.com

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