Mike Coates
May 5, 2011 -- We learned some very sad news today. Long-time Coalition member and historic sites activist Mike Coates died at his home on May 3. Mike was such a loyal and passionate friend of Mount Independence, serving on the board of the Mount Independence Coalition for many years. He was in charge of the speaker’s bureau, and gave many programs on the history of the Mount—to school groups, civic groups, and anyone who was interested. He especially loved giving guided tours to some of the school groups on field trips to the Mount, generously driving from his home in Williston to be there. He was fully supportive of the Coalition funding the beautiful interpretive painting by Ernie Haas of Mount Independence and the creation of the large mural that is so helpful to give visitors and school groups a great orientation to the Mount. He also was behind the making of the sturdy wooden bench that visitors enjoy sitting on while waiting for other members of their parties. He loved bringing family and friends to hike on the Mount, and truly appreciated and honored the lives of the so many soldiers who served and died at Mount Independence. He helped develop and carry out many special programs, including memorial programs to honor those soldiers. He was such a strong advocate for Mount Independence and all the state sites in the legislature and at the top levels of government. When he traveled he was a dedicated ambassador for the site, making sure people everywhere knew about Mount Independence and encouraging them to visit. And he was a warm and generous friend to the sites staff. Mike Coates had a tremendous positive impact on the development of this state historic site and we are so grateful for his life and contributions.
You can find his obituary here.
We will be honoring Mike's memory at some upcoming event, so stay tuned.