The John Zussman Baseball and Softball Scholarships are awarded annually to two Milwaukee City Conference student-athletes for excellence during the spring season. The scholarship was created to celebrate dedication to the sport, leadership among teammates, and commitment to education. The scholarship is in honor of John, who was a long-time Milwaukee Recreation leader and founder of the Knothole Club, a local program which gave young people the opportunity to go to a Milwaukee Braves game for free. The scholarship has been given away since 1975. It is currently carried out by his daughter, Ann Lederman.

Two Reagan High School student-athletes, Brandon Silva-Tripoli (baseball) and Tessa Balestrieri-Michalski (softball), were named the 2026 scholarship recipients and recognized on the field at a Milwaukee Brewers game in late July. Silva-Tripoli earned first-team all-conference honors in baseball. Balestrieri-Michalski was named to the all-conference second team in softball. Both Reagan baseball and softball won the Milwaukee City Conference this past spring. These scholarships honor the values Zussman embodied throughout his career.

John Zussman worked at Milwaukee Recreation for 42 years, the longest in the department’s history at the time. He first got his start as a playground leader in 1932 and then was promoted to instructor at Lapham Park. He later became the director of the Forest Home Avenue Center. Zussman then served as the director of municipal athletics, bringing his talents and background as a college athlete to Milwaukee Recreation. He was later appointed as the program coordinator and stayed in this position through his retirement in 1974. 

As a program leader, Zussman provided new opportunities for young people, including creating the Knothole Club, directing a youth chess program for over three decades, and encouraging the development of baseball as an interscholastic sport in Milwaukee. John Zussman’s legacy lives on within Milwaukee Recreation today, as the department strives to serve all young people throughout the city with fun, affordable, and memorable activities.