Barbara talks about her last name
Nearly every day I get a question about why I have a hyphenated last name. It's very simple;
it's my husband's last name. I am especially proud to share this name, that dates back over
100 years, because it came to this country from England with two veterans whom I consider to
be real heroes: my husband's parents, Bruce and Tina Ford-Coates. As a young RAF Pilot in
WWII, Squadron Leader Ford-Coates was stationed in Georgia for training. While there, he
met a "drop dead gorgeous" flight nurse, Lt. Ernestine Forney from Pennsylvania. In just a
few weeks he managed to talk her into marrying him. After the war, they settled here in the
United States and Dad became a proud U.S. Citizen. They have three sons (Bruce, Brian and
Derek) and were married for 64 years before she passed away. That’s how the Ford-Coates
name came to the United States and I’m proud to share it with 4 generations of Ford-Coates
here in Sarasota - and they include members of both political parties!
In September 2007, SNN broadcast a series called Remembering the War; Saluting Our
Heroes in which my father-in-law was interviewed. You can view the SNN video here.
Nearly every day I get a question about why I have a hyphenated last name. It's very simple;
it's my husband's last name. I am especially proud to share this name, that dates back over
100 years, because it came to this country from England with two veterans whom I consider to
be real heroes: my husband's parents, Bruce and Tina Ford-Coates. As a young RAF Pilot in
WWII, Squadron Leader Ford-Coates was stationed in Georgia for training. While there, he
met a "drop dead gorgeous" flight nurse, Lt. Ernestine Forney from Pennsylvania. In just a
few weeks he managed to talk her into marrying him. After the war, they settled here in the
United States and Dad became a proud U.S. Citizen. They have three sons (Bruce, Brian and
Derek) and were married for 64 years before she passed away. That’s how the Ford-Coates
name came to the United States and I’m proud to share it with 4 generations of Ford-Coates
here in Sarasota - and they include members of both political parties!
In September 2007, SNN broadcast a series called Remembering the War; Saluting Our
Heroes in which my father-in-law was interviewed. You can view the SNN video here.
| It's more than just a job... it's working to be the best every day! KEEP Barbara FORD-COATES working for you. |
| KEEP BARBARA FORD-COATES TAX COLLECTOR |
| FordCoatesCampaign@yahoo.com Campaign Co-Chairs: Catherine Ford-Coates and Katherine Schersten 4833 Riverwood Avenue Sarasota, FL 34231 Political Advertisement Paid for and Approved by Barbara Ford-Coates, Democrat, Campaign for Sarasota County Tax Collector |