James M. Schmuck

Dr. James M. Schmuck was initiated by the Alpha Eta Chapter at Westminster College in 1969. He graduated from Westminster with degrees in English and Physical Education. He earned his master’s degree in English and a doctorate in higher education administration from St. Louis University with a dissertation on Correlates of Student Persistence. He read Medieval Studies at King Aelfred’s College in Winchester, England and English History and Literature at Selwyn College, Cambridge University in Cambridge, England.

Dr. Schmuck spent more than 33 years as an English and communications teacher at the high school and college levels; teaching courses in Shakespeare, Old English Literature, Myths, Legends and Folklore along with Rhetoric and Composition. During this time, he was named Pillar of Parkway, the highest community award in his school district. Dr. Schmuck was appointed chairman of the committee charged with integrating the predominantly all-white faculty with the predominantly all-black faculty during the merging of Kinloch High School with McCluer North High School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District in Missouri.

Dr. Schmuck is an award-winning coach in both cross country and track and field. He has been named to three Halls of Fame and earned 23 regional “Coach of the Year” awards, culminating in his induction as the 2005 National Cross Country Coach of the Year by the National Federation of High Schools. Dr. Schmuck’s distinguished career as a coach afforded him the opportunity to develop lifelong mentorships and friendships that he still maintains today. Dr. Schmuck’s influence inspired many of his former athletes to to become coaches and teachers themselves.

In addition to his teaching and coaching, Dr. Schmuck has served on a number of boards.  He is currently a member of the George C. Marshall Foundation in Lexington, Virginia.  He spent 19 years on the Westminster College Board of Trustees.  He sits on the board of William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri, as chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee.  He is a former member of the Management Committee for Saguaro Power Company in Henderson, Nevada. He is the former Chairman and Senior Fellow on America’s National Churchill Museum and Library board, becoming a Fellow along with Lady Mary Soames, the last living daughter of Winston Churchill.

Dr. Schmuck is the President of the Westminster Investment Club and previously served as President of the Westminster Alumni Organization. He is the author of numerous articles on a wide range of topics including classic literature, the coal and cement industries, and building high school track programs.

Dr. Schmuck is a member of Chiles, Hamilton, Candler, Smith, Neal, and Locke Courts of Honor. Dr. Schmuck served as Commander of Henry C. Chiles Province from 2007 to 2015, before being elected to the Executive Council at the 76th Convention and Sesquicentennial Celebration. In 2023, at the 80th Convention, he was elected Senior Councilor. Dr. Schmuck is a 2017 recipient of the Knight Commander’s Accolade. He is a member of The 1865 Trust and a thirteen-year member of the Crimson and Gold Society.

Dr. Schmuck resides in Wildwood, Missouri with his wife, Judy.