Washington College Hall of Fame Coach & Administrator Don Chatellier Passes Away

CHESTERTOWN, Md. — Donald M. Chatellier, long-time coach and supporter of Washington College Athletics, passed away last night at the age of 89.

“Chatty” — as he was affectionately known — spent a total of 35 years as a head coach at Washington College, third-most behind Tom Kibler and Ed Athey ’47, and continued to support the department in a variety of ways long past his retirement as a head coach. Most famously, Chatty began serving as head men’s track and field and cross country coach when he first arrived in Chestertown in 1955. He coached the track team until its discontinuation in 1982 and the cross country team until 1987. Immediately following the discontinuation of the track and field program, he took over the reins of the men’s rowing program and coached that team until 1990. Chatty coached a number of Mason-Dixon Conference and Middle Atlantic Conference champions in track and field. His knowledge of the sport was so well-respected that the coaches of the Middle Atlantic Conference continued to call upon him to organize and conduct conference championship meets long after the College dropped the sport.

Chatty served as both Assistant and Associate Director of Athletics for many years under Ed Athey, developing a robust intramural program for both male and female students. He also began his tenure at the College as head coach of the junior varsity men’s basketball program and served as a physical education instructor. Following his retirement, he remained committed to the College; he was an active and integral part of the College’s Hall of Fame Board, assisted in running home rowing regattas, and volunteered in several other areas.

A graduate of Kearny High School in New Jersey, Chatty earned a B.S. from Springfield College in 1952 and an M. Ed. from the same school a year later. He served two years in the United States Army before coming to work at Washington College.

“Don Chatellier touched the lives of countless people – decades worth of Washington College student-athletes and staff included,” remarked Washington College Director of Athletics Thad Moore. Chatty was a great coach but an even better person and while we mourn his passing, we also celebrate all of his contributions to his institution.”

Don Chatellier was inducted into the Washington College Hall of Fame in 1989. In 2014, he was honored with the Edward L. Athey ’47 Award, which is presented to an individual who has made a significant positive impact on athletics at Washington College while demonstrating the ideals of integrity, dedication, humility, and enthusiasm. The track encircling Kibler Field is named the “Chatty Track” in his honor. Each May, Garnet Elementary School sponsors the “Sneaker Creeper” – a series of youth foot races that serve as a PTA fundraiser on the track. Chatty was a generous and enthusiastic annual supporter of that event.