Grace Under Pressure

Late in the afternoon of October 31, 2013, Collegiate was shocked into an unfathomable reality by the sound of a Signal Blue alarm indicating that an active shooter had invaded our home away from home.
Those still on campus including the players, coaches, and a horde of spectators watching a JV football game with St. Christopher’s immediately followed protocol and moved with haste to designated areas either inside nearby structures or in safe zones in the adjoining neighborhood.
 
John Coates, who from 1984 until his retirement in 2015 taught 8th grade English and history, was among those spectators, seated, as always, in his motorized wheelchair, cheering on his beloved Cougars, and chatting up the many folks who stopped by to say hello.
 
Though the alarm had been accidentally tripped and turned out to be false, there was a period of time when the school was in crisis mode. Sirens wailed, blue lights flashed, and a phalanx of heavily armed Henrico County police officers descended upon the campus.
 
As the tension intensified, fear reigned, and the feeling of dread became palpable, the lone figure of John Coates emerged from the field of play and rolled calmly but intentionally across the footbridge toward the heart of campus, away from the scattering crowd and in the direction from which he perceived the danger was coming.
 
What could he possibly be thinking? Why was he consciously putting himself in harm’s way?
 
“I couldn’t move as fast in my chair as everyone else could move on their feet,” he later told a colleague who witnessed his actions and directed him to safety. “I knew people would stay back and want to help me. I wasn’t going to be the reason somebody else got shot.”
 
John’s words carried no pretense, no macho, no false bravado, no air of invincibility.
 
His words (and actions) never did, even as he dealt all his adult life with a debilitating condition affecting the peripheral nervous system called Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease yet persevered without excuse or complaint and set an example for us all.
 
Instead, though he might scoff at the notion, those words (and actions) spoke loudly and clearly to his unmitigated toughness, his uncommon courage and strength of character, and his abiding concern and respect for others, qualities witnessed daily by those blessed to have his path cross theirs.
 
John Coates at his best, you see, embodied grace under pressure. Truly a Collegiate icon, he was always at his best.
 
Early Thursday morning, John – our colleague, teacher, friend, and inspiration – slipped quietly away. He was 74 years old.
 
He leaves Lucy, his wife of 39 years; their children Marie ’04 (Ian Dowd), Jack ‘07 (Lee Anne), and Chloe ‘10, all Collegiate graduates; and grandsons Trey, Harrison, and Asher.
 
He also leaves an indelible legacy, highlighted not so much by the Craigie Award (presented to the Middle School faculty member who exemplifies the values and ideals of excellent teaching) which he received in 2005 or the boys Middle School English award named in his honor upon his retirement or his longstanding role as Voice of the Cougars for a host of athletic events, but by the countless acts of kindness, empathy, humor, positivity, and excellence which were part of his being.
 
What follows is a composite of thoughts, reminiscences, and reflections gleaned from colleagues past and present, some of whom he taught, some of whom assisted him as interns, and all of whom he mentored, because mentoring was just what John did so naturally.

  • John had an incredible passion for teaching and learning. His knowledge of his subject matter was encyclopedic. He felt deeply for his students and for his curriculum.
  • John saw potential in his students and pushed them as thinkers and writers. He was equal parts demanding and compassionate.
  • John was an inspiration by the way he came to work and went about his daily tasks. He never expected anyone to feel sorry for him. He never considered himself a victim.
  • John was always more concerned about everyone else’s wellbeing than his own, even when it was so clear that he was in pain. He was such a warrior, an amazing guy.
  • John had an innate ability to make you think. You rarely walked away from a conversation with him having not questioned your thinking and grown from the conversation.
  • John always had time for others. He loved to stop and talk. Communities are built around people like John Coates.
  • Everybody who worked with John has a Coates story. Those stories are a blessing.
  • John was a storyteller. He spent his career telling stories and helping students learn to tell their stories.
  • John was the epitome of class. Despite the obstacles he faced, he always gave his utmost. His challenges never hardened him.
  • He expected excellence from his students. He expected no less from himself.
  • John never met a stranger. He is eternally optimistic, always wore a smile on his face, and had a hearty laugh.
  • John could truly empathize with those for whom life isn’t always easy.
  • John conveyed an unadulterated joy for being with middle school-age kids. He had an authentic, unfiltered manner and a deep thirst for knowledge.
  • John challenged us to do more than we thought we could, and he never let his disability define his life’s work.
  • John lived the Collegiate value, Love of Learning.
  • John commanded respect and earned the trust of the school community.
  • John, plain and simple, made us all better.
  • John Coates was a remarkable guy. Period.
~Weldon Bradshaw
 
 
 
 
 
        
 
        
 
        
 
        
 
 
 
        
        
 
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