A house RESOLUTION

 

to express the profound sorrow of the South Carolina House of Representatives, upon the passing of Beverly Carpenter Coates of Richland County, and to extend their deepest sympathy to her many friends and her loving family.

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of Beverly Carpenter Coates at the age of eighty-five on February 1, 2023; and

 

Whereas, born on September 6, 1937, in Culpeper, Virginia, she was the daughter of Jesse Boyd Carpenter, Jr., and Mary Boswell Inskeep.  While attending Culpeper High School, she excelled in academics, varsity cheerleading, and varsity basketball.  After graduating from high school, she attended Westhampton College in Richmond, Virginia, and Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia. She would later earn a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of South Carolina in 1991 while working full time; and

 

Whereas, professionally, Mrs. Coates served as the executive secretary for then president of the University of South Carolina, Robert Llewellyn Sumwalt, from 1957 to 1960.  After a three-year hiatus to start a family, she served as the executive secretary in the Columbia office for then Senator Olin D. Johnston from 1963 to 1964.  In 1964, she began a thirty-five-year career as an executive secretary to the president of First National Bank, and through mergers, she remained an executive secretary for South Carolina National Bank and later Wachovia Bank.  Upon retirement, she was given the "Wachovia, Appreciation for 35 Years of Meritorious and Loyal Service" Certificate; and

 

Whereas, her son, South Carolina Highway Patrol Corporal Mark Hunter Coates was shot and killed in the line of duty on November 20, 1992.  Corporal Coates was a United States Marine Corps veteran and had served with the South Carolina Highway Patrol for five years; and

 

Whereas, after retiring in 1999, Mrs. Coates started her second and most rewarding career, combining her administrative skills with her passion for Christ to serve others.  As a full-time volunteer, she focused on serving law enforcement personnel and their families.  For more than twenty-five years she was associated with Carolina Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), a nonprofit organization that provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, like her son Mark.  Here, she served in several roles, including editor of the newsletter, vice president, president, and board member.  For over twenty years she was associated with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Assistance Program (SCLEAP), part of the Law Enforcement Chaplaincy for South Carolina (LECSC), a nonprofit associate that serves to support the law enforcement community with faith-based counseling and related services; and

 

Whereas, she was honored with the following awards and recognitions during her many years of tireless service: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief's Award; South Carolina Department of Public Safety, in appreciation for her years of selfless service to law enforcement and their families; Carolina Concerns of Police Survivors, for her dedication and service; the State of South Carolina House of Representatives, for her dedication to the Lexington County Sheriff's Office; Member of Congress Special Congressional Recognition, for her invaluable service to the community; and a Paul Harris Fellow of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International; and

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are grateful for the life and legacy of Beverly Coates and for the example of volunteer public service she set for all who knew her.  Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express their profound sorrow upon the passing of Beverly Carpenter Coates of Richland County and extend their deepest sympathy to her many friends and her loving family.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Beverly Carpenter Coates.

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