Boltz was born December 15, 1926 in Rexmont. He was the son of Charles Boltz and Isabella (Carpenter) Boltz May. Paul entered the U.S. Navy in 1944, at the height of WWII, serving in the South Pacific Theater of Operations and then in China supporting Chiang Kai Shek's nationalist troops. He then returned to Cornwall High School and continued on to gain his Bachelor's Degree at Elizabethtown College and his Master's Degree from Temple University in 1953. He taught at Cornwall and Palmyra High Schools from 1950-1955. After leaving the teaching profession in 1955, Paul began his career with U.S. Army Sports at Fort Indiantown Gap, where he served as the Special Services Officer and Recreation Director until his retirement from that position in 1983. After only being retired a few years, his love of Army Sports drew him back to the Army Sports program, where he worked for the next 21 years. He fully retired in 2006 after serving Army Sports and Recreation for over 50 years. Paul was a member of the Mount Lebanon Lodge #226, Free and Accepted Masons and a 32° Mason with the Harrisburg Consistory of the Scottish Rite. He also was a life member of the VFW and the American Legion. Sports and recreation on the local, state, national, military, and even international levels were Paul's lifelong interests. He was President Emeritus of The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, having served as its president from 1975-1979 and again from 1981-1985. He was inducted into The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 for his lifelong achievements in athletic administration and management. In 2010, he was inducted into the World Taekwondo Hall of Fame for being an instrumental driving force for the promotion of taekwondo as a sport in the Army and Armed Forces. In 1979, Paul served as the Armed Forces Representative to the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico - serving on the administrative staff and even dealing with some of the aftermath of Coach Bobby Knight's arrest and bad behavior at the Games. He also served as the Army's representative to USA Boxing, USA Softball, USA Taekwondo, and USA Wrestling during the period 1985-2006. In 2006, Paul was presented with the Order of the White Plume Award which is the highest decoration bestowed on family, morale, welfare, and recreation professionals within the Army. Paul touched the lives of countless military athletes and recreation professionals who have participated in over 150 Army and Armed Forces events as well as Army Leadership Conferences which Paul organized. His leadership and direction were instrumental in early mentoring and career development of some of the current top level civilians and coaches in military sports and recreation. He pioneered the inception and development of women's sports at the Army and Armed Forces levels, hosting the first Army and Armed Forces championships in both Women's Basketball and Women's Softball at Fort Indiantown Gap. Paul J. Boltz passed away April 30, 2017.
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