The "LSHS Finley Read" fighting pirate ship is completed and plans are set for the surprise presentation to Coach Read.
PLEASE NOTE
Coach Read is NOT AWARE of this project. Attending guests will arrive by 6:30 p.m. while the honored guest will arrive at 7:00 p.m. There will be a catered buffet dinner ($10.00 each), several special speakers, and the presentation of the ship.
Read all of the personal comments left by former students and friends here (click below)....
About Coach Read
Mr. Read was the assistant football coach, JV basketball coach, and
head baseball coach for many years. The Pirates fielded many great teams
during those years and became known around the Southeastern conference
for the toughness with which they played. Several of his baseball
teams advanced as far as the Eastern regional's in the sixties. In
football, the 1962 and 1969 teams advanced to the Eastern finals.
During a time when only the conference champions advanced to the
playoffs, Lumberton football was usually a strong competitor in one of
the toughest leagues in the state.
Coach Read retired from coaching in 1975 but continued on as an
administrator at Lumberton High until his retirement in the
mid-eighties. After retirement, he and Ruth moved to Santee Cooper
where he could pursue his lifelong passion for fishing. As
accomplished as Coach Read was as a coach, he was possibly more so as a
fisherman. He has lost count of the catfish and stripers that he has
caught over all the years. He and Mrs. Read still reside at Santee.
61 comments:
Dad, I am so happy that you are receiving this recognition. You are probably surprised, but I am not. I have heard from countless former LHS students and players about just what a difference you made in their lives. You have had an even greater impact on me as I got to enjoy your attention my entire childhood vs the few years you had with them. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I respect you as much as anyone I have ever met. Your integrity dictates everything you are about. I hope a small bit of that has rubbed off on me. So enjoy the recognition and know that it comes from the very depths of our hearts. We all love you.
Coach Read, like Coach Brooks, had such a positive impact on all of us who grew under their mentorship. Coach Brooks continues to inspire us and impact our lives; so does Coach Read. Because of Coach Brooks' valiant health struggle, I have been privileged to meet David, Carrol, AD and others and to have reconnected with Ikey Bullard (my childhood hero), Clyde Hatcher, HL Robinson and others to numerous to mention. Speaking for those guys that toiled in the trenches (the linemen who played under Coach Read)... we love you Coach. Thank you forever.
Coach Reed, I just want to say how fortunate we all were to have had you in our lives during our formative years. Thanks for being a concerned coach.
I remember when Coach Read came to LHS with his "funny accent". (Richmond) Took me a while to figure out that "abooot" was "about" :-). The combination on Coach Brooks and Read was a good team to teach us about life as we played sports for them. I have taken those days through my adult life and used them many times as a guide in my personal decisions. I love those guys for their guidance and teachings. Coach Read is deserving of a ship of his own and many thanks go out to David for building it.
Yeah! Coach, we go back to the very start of your Lumberton career - and I am happy to have been a part of your beginning!!! You are the best and with Ruth at your side, that makes you even better!
My best wishes,
Coach Read, It is hard to imagine that 40 years ago I was your QB and we were in the off-season between your first year as a head coach and your first winning season. You were like a father to me. We were so close to beating Richmond County 20-26 the first year Hamlet and Rockingham merged. I was a very young and foolish kid, but you believed in me. When I became a coach (which I did for 30 years); I always used the 61 defense with pinches and fans and moved the SS around to the POA I thought they were attacking. Thanks for the memories and God Bless. Much love, Gil Carroll
As a student and as a young woman without a father figure in her everyday life, I appreciated that they (Coach Brooks and Coach Read)always tried to set me straight --- well, I appreciate it more now!!! :)
Once again thanks to Coach Brooks and Coach Read. You two men were the very best role models for the young men and women at LHS. Thanks for all that you did for each and every one of us. I cannot imagine how many lives you affected at our school. Be proud and stand tall. This is your time to shine!!!!
Coach Read was the best coach that any of us girls could have had. I wish him a long and healthy life.
Coach,
Really excited you are going to be recognized for your dedication to the young people of Lumberton all those years. Personally, I can never thank you enough for being there for me when my Dad was hospitalized for so many months. I'm doing what I'm doing because of you and Coach Brooks. The Bible talks about taking the extra mile. Your Mom and Mrs. Read were so kind to me , inviting me up to the lake, and, those many miles back and forth to those State games. I would have never played one day of college ball, if I had not had you there encouraging me. But, most of all , it is the example you have been for these many years. May the Lord continue to bless you and your family.
I was baseball manager for Coach Reed's last year as baseball coach. He was just wonderful to work for and he was very good to me. It was an honor to be associated with him.
Coach Reed and Coach Brooks..Those words alone make countless kids of yesteryear smile with Pirate Pride. I was honored to be their No. 1 running back/quarterback if desperate. They are two great friends.
Coach Read,
Time was that only kings, senators, queens and presidents had ships named after them. Now come both you and Coach Brooks, thanks to David’s fine work.
Frankly, I cant think of a senator, etc. who is more deserving than the two of you.
Coach, you changed my life as you did thousands of other snot-nosed, immature and impressionable adolescents. I know my life was enriched by your care and leadership. What a legacy you have: thousands of kids – now elder citizens -who remember you so fondly!
We would have been lesser people without you.
Thank you.
Coach Read, there is no way any of us can express just how much you and Coach Brooks meant to us during our time with you. You had such a positive and lasting impression on our lives. I think of both of you often and how much you helped be during my senior year when my parents seperated. I could have gone in many directions, but because of you and Coach Brooks, I think I chose the right path. Thanks for everything. No works can express just how much I care for you, so I will just say I Love You Both!
I love you, Daddy. Your "Worm"
Coach Read, I am so excited for you. You and Coach Brooks were always there for the LHS family of students and their families. I remember in PE class one day you were ask about your first date with Mrs. Read. You told us that by the time you drove down the road to her house, off the highway, and back to the highway it was her curfew. After moving to Vance County and being next to Warren County I understand exactly what you were saying. You are most deserving for having this honor in your name. A tremendous thank you for being such a great mentor to all of us. Much love to you and Mrs. Read
March 4, 2012
Coach, thanks for the leadership and discipline that you brought to us at LHS, as it really helped me later in life as I moved forward.
Coach - like many others whose lives you have touched, I just want to thank you for being the "father" I never had. You and Coach Brooks were the only real authority I looked up to and respected, and it carried me a long way in my life. You taught us all discipline, manners, morals, and teamwork, and all the other things that make "boys" become "men." I will forever be indebted to you for all you did for me. I treasure my memories of coaching with you and from learning from you. You truly will never know how much positive influence you had on my life.
Coach Read, It was a privilege to have played football at "LHS" and have you as our Coach along with Coach Brooks. You set good examples for us as young men and gave us knowledge and encouragement on how to play the game of football. We proudly honor you! With Fond Memories....
Coach Read: The many nights you and Coach Brooks sat in my parent’s kitchen in the old house on Cedar St after countless football practices, I will always remember. The opportunity I was given in junior high to keep stats for the football team, I will always remember. The countless nights working late at the field house washing uniforms, I will always remember. The early morning jv basketball practices in that cold gym, I will always remember. The opportunity to assist with the baseball team, I will always remember. Filling in on some Saturday’s delivering KK doughnuts, I will always remember.
It’s not the different tasks that I will remember. It’s the memories of working with you and Coach Brooks all those years doing so many things. Watching the two of you build the field house (with some help), watching the two of you run circles around the other coaching staffs in the old Southeastern 3A conference, two men doing the job of 6-8 on the opposite sideline.
I thank you for the many opportunities you presented me and I hope that I have become a better man in part because of your influence. This is an honor well deserved to you and Mrs. Read. Congratulations.
Coach Read when you arrived in Lumberton you helped change the culture in athletics. It didn’t matter who your parents were, when it came to being selected for a team. You only wanted to get the best from every athlete. I have always held you in high regard have the greatest respect for the works you accomplished building young men and women. You earned respect because you treated everyone with respect. I am so glad that this project is dedicated to you as you deserve only the very best!
While I never had the privliage of playing for Coach Read, I played for and was raised by men who did. My Step Father Bob Parnell stated Coach Read taught football the way it was meant to be played, you played smart, you played hard, and you took the fight to the opponent regardless of size or perceived talent. Coach Read inspired his players and they always left it all on the field!
Dad thanks for believing in me when sometimes I did not believe in my self. I am the teacher that I am today for the love and kindness you and mom taught me for others.
You are so desrving of this award and I will always be proud to call you my dad.
What a wonderful legacy Coach Read. The commitment from you and Coach Brooks to live lives of integrity while teaching and developing hundreds of young people going through LHS influenced many of us to become educators as well. We were all so fortunate to have you in our lives in those crucial years. I am glad you are still being recognized for all you did.
Eleanor Hunter Herndon
I love you Coach Read. You were and are such an inspiration to all of us that you taught, coached and mentored. You made us who we are today. Billy loved you too and thank you for your support the past few days. You are just the best!!!!!!!!
What can one say about you, Coach Read, that hasn’t already been said. You arrived at LHS in ‘60, the year I graduated, so I did not get to know you personally.
I have learned so much about you through others you coached and the lives you influenced throughout your career.
It is with great admiration and respect that I wish for you the very best of life and happiness. Good Fishing!!
Coach Read, I have had the priviledge of being good friends with your daughter Allison for many many years. Not only were you a very inspiring coach, but a wonderful father to my friend. You always have been admired and respected by many. Thank you for being the inspiration to all of us.
Coach Read, Thank You so much for the guidance and help that you and Coach Brooks gave all of us not only in sports, but also in life. You are both an inspiration to all of us. Thanks again for everything.
It has been many years, way to many, to remember everything that Coach Read taught me and the others in the Class of 69. The younger ones will not remember but he taught us that the green stuff we were trying (Gatorade) was not really that bad. He also taught the linemen that the reason we only did 40 yard wind sprints was that if we did not catch them in 40, we would never catch them. Oh so true! Besides the football and basketball chat, just watching him taught all of us a lot that we have used in the years since in personal life as well as business life. Congratulations to Coach Read on all of his accomplishments!
I know I can speak for the linemen of the 1962 team when I say Coach Read taught us lessions for life! There is never anything that can not be over come when there is the desire and will to win!! He gave us lessions and examples to live by. YOU CAN NEVER HIT OR TRY TOO HARD TO ACCOMPLISH A GOAL, NO DREAM IS BEYOND REACH!!
Coach Read, what an inspiration you have been to so many of us. Your actions displayed such love and concern for your family and students. Thanks for being such a role model along with Mrs. Read. Forever greatful!
Coach Read, without doubt one of my fondest LHS memories was playing basketball for you my freshman year. We had virtually no height on that team and you taught us how to compete and win against stronger competition. More important, you taught the fundamentals of the game, how the game should be played regardless of one's talent level. And far more important, you taught us fairness, sportsmanship, respect, courage, character. When I have fallen well short of others and my own expectations, I subsequently discovered that I might not have failed had I adhered more closely to what you attempted to teach us. When I've had success, your teaching and example deserve a lot of credit. My only regret is that, for some reason, you didn't coach JV basketball my sophomore year. Believe me, all of us who put on an LHS JV bball uniform that year knew the difference: it was palpable. Thanks for being a formative influence on a young man.
Coach you and Coach Brooks afforded many of us an opportunity and a chance to be part of one of the best organizations in the Lumberton Pirates. You became a mentor and a great influence in the avenues I chose to take in College. All men were treated as equals under your leadership.
You and Coach Brooks did the job your competitors did with much more money, a larger staff and in many cases more students to pull from. Sports began in Lumberton when the two of you arrived in 1960 and was there for many years to come.
I still hear you today calling Donald Byrd “Red Byrd” and H.L. “Henry Leslie”. You excelled in all sports you directed whether it be basketball, football or even baseball. In the classroom you were a great teacher and got your message across to all. I enjoyed the opportunity to do my practice teaching under your guidance as it was a true learning experience.
This recognition is well deserved and over due. Thanks for leading me down the right fork in the road and many blessings to you and your family.
Tom “T.J.” Jackson - Class of 1964
Never will forget the time my good friend Butch Faircloth & me were Laughing(At the Wrong Time) and you showed us the correct Path to take with "Mr. Paddle"!! You are a Great Teacher and Coach!! Thanks
I was class of '65 and did not play sports but my brother,Carol class of '61, played all sports under these two wonderful coaches and mother and I did not miss a game ever!!!! Then later when my dating years came around my boyfriends played for Coach Brooks and Coach Read. I always had a need not to make a mistake in front of either of them. They were so looked up to and respected but they were not stuffy. They actually cared about us kids even if we were not on a team. When I walk on the field or inside the building of Bill Sapp Recreation I get goose bumps because if my great teenage memories there. Bill Sapp left us way too soon also. I only hope that my granddaughters as they grow will have someone in their lives that will set the glowing example that these 3 men left in mine.
When I played for Coach Read he was a special coach and mentor to all of us. We all would run through a brick wall for him and Coach Brooks. We had some great times on the baseball field also. Some went to beach on Easter and got sunburned and tried to play a baseball game. Not too good. When I came back to LHS and coached with him he became more of a special friend. When i moved back with my new wife, Coach asked, H how is your money holding out? Peeled off 3 $100 bills for me. Could have asked for his shirt. Just the kind of guy he was and still is. Remember the time we went crappie fishing in a farm pond and had to stop at a quick stop to get alcohol for the mosquito bites on his head. The time Tommy passed out from heat exhaustion during football practice and Coach rode in the back of my Dad's old city truck to the hospital with Tommy bouncing around in the back. Found out you don't water ski between football practices in August. Hundred's of memories but must leave space for others to comment. He always kept me updated on Coach Brooks's condition because he knew I wanted to know. Out of respect, he's always been and always will be Coach Read to me.
Tommy Thompson - Class of '63
When our daughter Katherine was born, Coach Read was the first person to come meet her and to visit with me and Marion, and we have never forgotten that. Not only is Coach Read one of the most caring and thoughtful men I know, he and Coach Brooks were the closest thing to a father I had growing up. I will forever be indebted for all Coach Read did for me and my family. He will never know the positive influence he has been on my life.
I graduated in 1969. I had the pleasure of being the Read's babysitter all four years I was in high school. Ruth and Finley Read are such fine people, I love them dearly. They raised great kids, two wonderful daughters, Kathy and Allison and a great son, Carey. The students at LHS were and are most fortunate to have both Coach and Ruth in our lives.
In our 68 game against Hamlet, they ran a double reverse but the 2nd handoff was fumbled. Doing as I was taught, I fell on the ball and covered. Coach Brooks was a little distraught as there was no one between me and the goal line so he spoke his piece. After he finished, which seemed forever, Coach Read put his hand on my shoulder and said " You did what I taught you to do, don't ever forget that, you did good!". From a chewing to a good job in a matter of seconds. More memories but that one will never be forgotten!
have been good friends for many, many years. I have always enjoyed fishing with you and watching our children and grandchildren playing baseball on YOUR field ! I also consider your wife one of my good friends. Two GREAT people !!!!
Class of 1966. I greatly admired and respected Coach Reed during my years at LHS. Although I never played for him, I cheered my heart out for the Pirates. Coach taught many life lessons to countless kids over the years and I am so pleased to see this tribute to him. Congratulations Coach Read! Thank you for your dedication and service. Warm regards to you and your family.
A little secret I learned the hard way in 1974. You don't get in trouble in Mrs. Read's class during football season when you are playing for Coach Read. Cause if you did "somehow" word would get to him and it would involve many running trips up and down the stadium steps until you were throwing up....not that I'd know that....
Though I doubt either of them remember, but in the fall of1968, when I was in Mrs. Read's class, I got into trouble with Coach Brooks. I got two licks for my issue, deserved, and a very stern talking to. I was also barred from attending that week's football game...I loved Pirate ball games and walked to LHS for many of them. I mean I LOVED them. Well, I was doing the girl thing whining and maybe crying over my awful punishment and Mrs. Read hugged me and told me things would work out. Next day, Coach Read found me, and shared some wisdom. I followed his advice, and suddenly could be better punished if I " worked" at the game. May sound small, but to my 16 year old self, Coach Read had done an awesome thing...even if Mrs Read had prodded it along a little. The Coach took his valuable time to do a favor for a skinny kid who loved ball games. SHe is still grateful, to both of them.
We all know what a great football and baseball coach Coach Read was, but don't forget he was an outstanding JV basketball coach. My freshman and sophomore years, I think we were combined 36-2 with the best sophomores on the team being moved up to the varsity during the season. We were not that good ... we just played the way he taught us. What a great coach and man
Y'all won't know anything about this, but the name of Finley Read is well known in Dunn. I was pastor of First Baptist Church of Dunn from 1991-97, and as soon as some of the Dunnites found out I was from Lumberton they began to ask me if I knew Finley Read. Turns out they had "Finley Read Week" at Dunn High School every year before the Lumberton game. I think they would hang him in effigy and Coach Glenn Varney did his best to make his players hate the man they had never met. It was all to get Dunn fired up to beat Lumberton, of course... which I don't remember happening that often. Funny stuff.
Coach Finley Read was not only an outstanding coach but an example for others to follow, he set the example for a main ingredient in life, INTEGRITY, which encompasses a lot of positive traits. Again, an outstanding man that are few and far between in this day and time.
If I live to be a hundred, I will never forget the time Coach Read picked Jimmy Braswell up like a baby from the foot ball field and carried him off in his arms. What a man. They don't make them like him any more. I'm a better person for knowing him. My brother, Don, loved him so much and respected him
Coach Read was not only a good coach but also a man who cared about others and still does. I have known Finley and Ruth since I was 5 or 6 yrs old from church. In fact they trusted me enough to let me babysit their children when they lived in Godwin Heights...ONE TIME as I recall! He is very accessible and loves to get calls from his friends now and will talk as long as I can!! He is a very sweet and gentle man who doesn't try to hide it. I love both Ruth and Finley and tell them so when we talk and I get it rght back. Truth be known, Ruth could be a lot tougher than Coach!
I wasn't an athlete at LHS- my experience with Coach Read was limited to Study Hall in one of those rooms in the top tier of auditorium seating... and I tell you this: he kept an orderly study hall! I admired him, his "style", and the high standard I always felt that he and Coach Brooks held up for us students. He was always respected by the student body, and that's worth a whole lot. My congratulations to Coach Finley Read!
I will always be grateful to you for your leadership - I consider you a good mentor - I was influenced by you in a positive manner, not as an athlete, but as a young person who needed discipline - I will always remember the times I went with Don Bollinger to Bollinger Construction's shop and would listen intently and learn from you, Herman and Bolin Price - Thank you Coach Read, for all you have done for your students, athletes and the community in general - You made a positive difference and not enough people get to say that !
I am sorry I cannot be there to share the surprise and honor \. It is so well deserved and I am proud to have you as my family. I will be forever indebted to you for all you do for me, and I know you were a great positive influence on all you met a LHS.
Just wanted to thank you for all the special things you did in your coaching career that has had enormous positive impacts on not only those athletes that played for you, but also the many students and supporters that were fortunate enough to also be associated with you. There is no one who deserves this award and honor more than you Coach, and I know it will be shared and cherished with all of your family members, players, students and supporters forever.
Thanks for the memories.
I'm looking forward to Sat. night to thank a coach that was such a big part of my life and kept me headed in the direction that would make my life so successful.Theres no telling where a lot of us would have ended up had it not been for the influence of Coach Read.
Coach,
Congratulations on this special recognition of your accomplishments and impact on so many lives. I really wish I could attend, but I'm coaching my high school fast-pitch travel team in a showcase in Columbia, so I expect you'll understand! Whether I was hitting whiffle balls in the back yard or playing baseball for you in your final LHS season, you were always providing guidance and direction. I always smile when I remember that boat sticking out the back window of your station wagon..I thought that was so cool. Thanks for your years of dedication to Lumberton's athletes, students, and families. It's a special thing to be called "Coach", and you were an extra-special Coach. Enjoy your evening and Happy Fishing!
David Ellen
While I was not fortunate to have Coach Read as a high school Coach, I was privileged to know him as a colleague and friend. He and his best buddy, Coach Brooks were always supporters of my life in athletics and were present at many memorable events of which I will always be appreciative and humbled by their support.
I would like to mention one of my favorite memories concerning Coach Read.
A few years ago, Coach Brooks and I traveled down to Coach Read and Ruth’s lovely lake home at Santee Cooper. Wow, what a week-end of catching fish, fireside cooking and abundance of laughter while “The Coaches” reminisced … It was such a privilege to hear and see two friends share their “Remember when…” stories. It was also during that weekend that I saw first hand what made Coach Read such a great man! His care and compassion for his family, his neighbors and his friends were a direct result of his relationship has with his Savior, Jesus Christ. It was so evident that his Christian faith was the basis of all his actions and it just exuded from him so naturally. You add this to him being fortunate enough to marry a great lady like Ruth and that just adds more power to an unbeatable team.
Needless to say, the above-mentioned attributes transferred to Coach Read’s coaching, teaching and love for his fellow man and helped all who he impacted to know he was the “real deal”. I know you and Ruth will keep on being a positive beacon to others!
What a wonderful friend and mentor Coach Read is to all who know him.
Congratulations on this recognition…you both so deserve it!
Coach Read, thank you for your dedication to coaching and mentoring so many youth. Your life has made a difference. Good wishes to you on your special evening.
So many memories...First of you as my PE teacher. Then you as a coach for the Pirates which I proudly cheered for. As an adult you became more of a friend that my husband coached with. I remember all the ballgames, Sunday night coaching meetings, the many fishing trips with you and Mac, and the delicious fish cookouts afterward. I remember the times you came to the house and slipped Elise and Chad some money as you left. I also remember you taking care of Suzy(our lab) when Chad was at Duke. All these memories hold so much fondness and love in my heart for you. You have been such a good friend to my family, and for that I say many thanks. Congratulations for being such a good man and hope you truly enjoy this celebration.
Congrats Coach for a life well lived. Fond memories of our coaching days and the many fishing trips. Remember the Sunday morning I somewhat saved your life after your hernia operation? That's what friends do. Thanks for all you have done for others and for being a good friend.
Coach,
You have been a coach, a mentor, and a friend. As a coach you were the most encouraging. As a mentor, you helped me make career changing decisions. As a friend, well, I could not have asked for more. You and Ruth are very special to Peggy and I, and we look forward to many more years of being with you both.
Thank you for being such a positive influence in my life. You deserve every honor in the world.
1969, Willoughby, Blanton and Bollinger LHS Tri-Captains, I was 6, my grand daddy HC Britt (who raised Luke Blanton) was Asst. Chief of Police and let me stand with him on the sidelines of games and go into the locker room. Coach Brooks and Read were GIANTS, and the tri-captins were my hero's! Not aware of Vietnam, summer of love, or civil rights, my little world seemed so perfect and the LHS students of the sixties seemed to have the ideal setting for growing up...it would be 10 more years beofre I took the field as LHS QB but I knew then I wanted to be a part of the legacy! A real special 25 years from 1956-1981 at LHS.
Coach Read: I am so proud to be one of some 350+ persons to honor you not only for your accomplishments, but for the positive impact that you had on our lives. I will always be indebted to Coach for instilling within us the confidence that we (with a team batting avg. of 185) could win a conference championship...and we did. More personal to me, I credit Coach Read for both my personal and team success which enabled me to get a scholarship and pursue an education at the next level. Coach Read is one of a kind and I respect and love him dearly.
Happy Father's Day, Coach!!! Consider this wish from all those teens that you nurtured and parented both on and off the field --- and know that the event last evening was a gift to love To all that planned it as well as to you and your family.. Everyone loved being a part of it!! I am very sorry that I was unable to attend but you know, I'm in Virginia Beach and it is a great place for boat searches. I am still looking for a boat for you!! I'm getting close to finding just the right one.. a person needs a boat for every occasion.
I will be in touch - best wishes to all. Stay well and keep fishing!
Lots of love to you and Mrs. Read....
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