Wallace C. “Pete” Maxfield, a member of Mercersburg’s Class of 1913, became the 12th Mercersburg athlete or coach to be enshrined in the Pennsylvania High School Track & Field Hall of Fame May 28. He was inducted during the PIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Shippensburg, PA.

Maxfield, who stood 6 feet, 3 inches and weighed 205 pounds in high school, was a standout athlete in the field events of shot put, javelin, discus, and hammer throw. A veteran of World War I, he was one of three athletes affiliated with the American Expeditionary Forces to surpass the French 16-pound shot put record at a meet held for servicemen in 1919 in Paris.

Maxfield was president of his class at Mercersburg; he enrolled at Lafayette College and later worked in the oil business, spending much of his time in California. He died in 1967 at age 74.

Before Maxfield, the most recent Mercersburg inductee into the Hall of Fame was Bob Leavitt (1903) in 2019. Leavitt was the first of Mercersburg’s 12 Olympic gold medalists, winning gold in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1906 Summer Games in Athens, Greece.

Other Mercersburg athletes and coaches in the Hall of Fame include Lee Talbott (1907), Ted Meredith (1912), Al Robinson (1914), Allen Woodring (1918), Bill Cox (1924), Bill Carr ’29, Eddie Morgan ’39, Charles Moore ’47, Rolando Cruz ’60, and Jimmy Curran (coach, 1910-1961).

The Hall of Fame is overseen by the Pennsylvania Track & Field Coaches Association.