Honoring a Legacy: The Life and Impact of Dr. Charles Newcomer Jr. and the Scholarship Memorialized in His Name

The memory of Dr. Charles Newcomer Jr., a beloved 31-year Lock Haven psychology professor, continues to inspire students, colleagues, and his family. After his passing in 2024 at the age of 91, his wife, Natalie, and children, John ’84 and Jean ’87—along with her husband, Steve Coffman ’86 - sought a way to honor Charles’ lifelong commitment to education and service. In doing so, they established the Dr. Charles A. Newcomer, Jr. Professor Emeritus Psychology Scholarship, ensuring his legacy will impact Lock Haven students for generations to come.

Charles was well known for his interpersonal teaching style. More than just an academic, he was a mentor who deeply valued human connections. His students remember him not only as a brilliant psychologist, but as someone who could relate to them on a personal level. He didn’t just teach theories of the mind - he helped students understand how social skills shaped their lives and relationships.  

His children, Col. John Newcomer (Ret.) and Jean Coffman, remember their father fondly, not only as a professor but as a hands-on, supportive parent who encouraged independence. "If there was an award for dads, he’d have been number one," John said.

Summers filled with camping trips and life lessons that were never overbearing helped shape John and Jean’s futures, including John’s leadership style - one rooted in collaboration and empathy, much like his father’s approach to teaching - as well as Jean’s lifelong commitment to finding solutions over excuses when faced with adversity.

As a student, Jean was a member of the Tau Beta Sigma band sorority, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society as she earned a degree in early childhood education. She met Steve, who also participated with the band, during her freshman year in 1983; they married six years later. Today, Jean is a dyslexia specialist in the Crowley Independent School District in Texas. Steve is the president and executive editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

John was also deeply involved in campus life at The Haven, playing tuba in the marching band, joining ROTC, and becoming a brother of the fraternity, Phi Mu Delta. These experiences cultivated an enduring love for The Haven, and a passion that eventually led to his election to the Lock Haven University Alumni Association’s board of directors in 2021. Currently in a two-year term as president of the Alumni Association, John is committed to further strengthening alumni engagement and keeping the spirit of The Haven Family alive.

John’s leadership involves building meaningful connections between alumni, faculty, and current students. He hopes to reignite programs like the Alumni Association’s Roll of Service Award, which his father earned in the late '90s for his dedication to students and alumni. By fostering these relationships, John aims to create opportunities for alumni to give back, not only financially, but by mentoring students and sharing their professional expertise.

"Education was everything to my father," John said. "He was a first-generation college student, as was my mother who earned her nursing degree from Cornell. Together, they believed in the power of education to change lives, and this scholarship will help ensure their vision continues."

The endowed scholarship created in Charles’ honor serves in part as a cornerstone of John’s vision. It will be awarded for the first time in the 2025-26 academic year, with preference given to psychology majors or students within the liberal arts who demonstrate financial need - helping students who, much like Charles, may come from modest beginnings, but have limitless potential.