Army veteran, church member remembered for service.
U.S. Army veteran Coley Davis Jr. was a great supporter of tutoring services for area students, and St. John’s Congregational Church in Springfield, where he served as deacon, moderator and usher, is honoring his work with a fund-raiser.
Davis died Sept. 2, 2011, at the age of 79, and in his memory the church will host its first Coley Davis Jr. Memorial Golf Outing on Sept. 28 at the East Mountain Country Club in Westfield.
The event begins with lunch at 11 a.m. The tournament begins with a shotgun start, rain or shine, at 1 p.m. Dinner follows at 4 p.m., featuring a choice of prime rib or swordfish.
There will be prizes and gifts with all proceeds benefiting the Action Centered Tutoring Services Program in which Davis was an active participant.
A native of Georgia, Coley retired after 31 years of service in the United States Army. He achieved the highest rank of an enlisted man, Command Sergeant Major. He earned the National Defense Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, among other military honors.
Retired from First Investors Corporation, where he was a provisional district manager, Coley attended North Carolina A&T College, and graduated from North Carolina's Campbell University with an undergraduate degree in business administration. He served on numerous committees at St. John's Congregational.
“I did know Coley. He was a great friend and always an encourager of my service to the church,” said Marcus A. Alston, a deacon and member of St. John’s Congregational, and one of the coordinators of the outing.
“We have had a golf outing for the last couple of years, and wanted to ‘golf with purpose’ this year, Alston said.
“Coley was an avid golfer, great proponent of education and a tremendous supporter and participant in the ACTS Tutorial program, of which St. John’s is a host site. We thought this would be a great way to honor the memory of a great leader and mentor of the church, while supporting a really viable and necessary program in the community.”
The faith-based program seeks to provide free one-to-one tutoring, and mentoring to the elementary school children of Springfield. Established in 1986, it currently operates at eight sites.
The cost for 18 holes of golf, with cart and the dinner. is $80 per golfer. The cost for persons who would like to relax at the club. and end the day with dinner is $35.
For more information about the event, sponsorship opportunities or donating raffle prizes, call (413) 784-2283 or e-mail cdjr.golf@gmail.com or marcus.alston@hp.com.