Girls Athletic Association - 4x Member of the Holly Chapter, President of the Chapter in 1960

HHS Class of 1960

Until the mid 1970’s, well after Sharlene (Taylor) Peters graduated from high school, girls didn’t have many sport participation opportunities. However, Sharlene took advantage of every one available to her and was a four-year member of the basketball, volleyball, softball and cheerleading teams. A national group, the Girls’ Athletic Association (GAA), was organized in 1926 to afford the opportunity for participating in various activities suited to all-around physical development. Sharlene was a member of our chapter all four years and president her senior year. She was a pioneer for women in sport and it’s no surprise that she went on to accomplish so much with sports she loved. Sharlene was involved with higher education and intercollegiate athletics for over 30 years, and has had extensive experience in coaching, teaching, athletic administration as well as regional and national committee work. Her intercollegiate career began and ended on the Quincy (College) University campus, with stops along the way at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse and Eastern Connecticut State University. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Eastern Michigan University and holds a Master’s degree in Physical Education from the University of Missouri.

Sharlene initiated her career in collegiate athletics with a teaching and coaching assistantship at the University of Missouri, Columbia. From there she moved to a teaching position at Quincy College in 1965 and continued teaching, coaching and serving in an administrative role until 1985. During her tenure at Quincy, she initiated and coached the women’s softball, basketball, volleyball and field hockey programs. Her 1984 softball team finished second at the NAIA National Tournament, and the following year her 1985 team won the National Tournament. Additionally, Sharlene was named NAIA coach of the year. Her 1985 team was inducted to the Quincy University Hall of Fame in 2007, and Sharlene herself was inducted to the QU Hall of Fame in 1997.

Following her time at Quincy, Sharlene moved on to the role of Associate Director of Athletics and Women’s Volleyball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse from 1985-1987 and served as the interim Director of Athletics during the 1987-1988 academic years. During her tenure at UWL, Sharlene compiled and impressive record as the women’s volleyball coach, compiling several Conference Championships and fourth and third places finishes in the NCAA National Tournament in 1985 and 1986. Throughout her collegiate coaching career, Sharlene coached close to 1,000 games and influenced the lives of nearly as many female student athletes.

In 1988 Sharlene was named the Director of Athletics at Eastern Connecticut State University, overseeing a program of 15 varsity sports, a vibrant intramural program, as well as the campus recreation program. Sharlene was instrumental in the development of new athletic facilities, including the installation of a new wood basketball court and a Multi Sports complex which includes a Lighted Baseball stadium, Track and Field facility, Field Hockey and a Softball complex, as well as the introduction of four new varsity sports (field hockey, women’s swimming and men’s and women’s lacrosse) and the creation of an athletic academic counseling program. She retired from Eastern in December 1999.

In 2001 Sharlene returned to Quincy University as the Head Softball Coach and Coordinator of Athletic Development. Over a three-year period of time, she stabilized the QU softball program, and through fund raising and pro-bono efforts, was instrumental in spearheading a project to build the existing softball complex at Quincy. Sharlene was the driving force to build the existing complex at Quincy, and was highly involved in the planning of the complex and with the oversight of the construction of the facility. Her fundraising efforts resulted in $100,000 of seed money for the project. Through additional fundraising and negotiation of pro-bono work, QU was able to complete a state of the art softball facility for its program. Sharlene was given the honor of throwing out the first pitch at the complex when completed. Sharlene received an honorary Doctoral Degree from Quincy University in 2008.

In the spring of 2004, Sharlene announced her retirement from Quincy University. Unable to live the retired life, Sharlene became the first Director of the Pike County Community Health Partnership, a role she held until 2008. Sharlene also served on the Board of Directors for the Cedar Crest Country Club and serves as the Club Manager in a voluntary position and most recently serves as a Part-Time Security at a Gated Community where she lives in Florida. She was married to Ron for 46 years before his passing in 2014; has four children (daughter Holly passed 2016); and seven grandchildren.