KENT A. McKNIGHT

1931-2009

 LCDR Kent A. McKnight, (US Navy Ret.), highly decorated Naval Aviator, age 78, of Jackson’s Gap, Alabama and formerly of Pensacola, Florida, passed away on Friday, September 18, 2009.

He was born March 26, 1931 in Flint, Michigan to Harold J. McKnight and Carol Valentine McKnight.  As a youngster he moved with his family to Coldwater, Michigan and graduated with "The Class of Champions" in 1949. 

He was a proud 1954 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Kent served his country in the U.S. Navy for 24 years ultimately being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He was awarded several medals and commendations for his service to the country as a Naval Aviator and a veteran of Vietnam.   Kent spent much of his Naval career at both stateside bases and in the Pacific Theater.   He was Patrol Plane Commander in the P2V-7 aircraft deployed to NAS Kodiak, Alaska, and Marine Corp Air Station at  Iwakuni, Japan.  NAS North Island, Coronado, CA. Antisubmarine Nuclear Weapons Delivery Instructor. Airborne Early Warning Squadron One NAS at Agana, Guam. He was the Aircraft Commander on the E121K aircraft (Super Connie) Typhoon Tracking and Airborne Early Warning Missions deployed to the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Hong Kong, Hawaii and other Pacific Islands. 

It was in Vietnam that he earned:

Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palms                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Campaign Stars                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Civil Action Medal, First Class Color with Palm)                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Combat Action Ribbon                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              In addition:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Air Medal with 2 Stars.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              National Defense Service Medal with 1 star                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Meritorious Unit Commendation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Expert Rifle                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                He was highly praised by his fellow pilots as "One of the Navy's best".

He was also an educator, having taught in the public schools in Florida and at Santa Fe Junior College in Gainesville, Florida. Following retirement, he enjoyed volunteering at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

He is survived by his wife, Martha H. McKnight of Jackson’s Gap, Alabama; daughters, Janet McKnight Chernoff (Louis) of Tallahassee, Florida and Karen McKnight Lynn (Tom) of Raleigh, North Carolina; sons, Tony Allen Dorriety (Shannon) of Collierville, Tennessee and Michael Wayne Dorriety (Cathy Lee) of Oakfield, Georgia; grandchildren, Sean Hayes, Kevin Lynn and Ashlee Lynn, all of Raleigh, North Carolina, Michael Wayne Dorriety, currently serving in Iraq, Jesse Dorriety, Ashleigh Dorriety, Kelly Dorriety, Presley Dorriety and Grayson Dorriety, all of Collierville, Tennessee; great grandchildren, Michael Wayne Dorriety, III of Albany, Georgia and Maximus Alexander Dorriety of El Paso, Texas; and sister, Judy Clavel (James) of Yonkers, New York He was preceded in death by his parents and grandson, Chris Hayes.

Funeral service with full military honors, provided by the United States Navy, will be held Friday, October 9th at 9am at Barrancas National Cemetery, located at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the National Naval Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Blvd., Suite B, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida 32508.

Martha McKnight's address is:

314 Diane Drive                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Jacksons Gap, AL 36861                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             email: mlmcknight@cox.net

COACH FLOYD EBY

A community legend, Coach Eby passes on    

By roland stoy-Staff Writer

COLDWATER -- As a coach, Floyd Eby revolutionized the game of basketball, but his winning percentage in service to God far outshines anything he achieved between the backboards.

And that is saying a lot.

Daughter Sonet Goodwin said on Saturday that Eby was hired right out of Michigan State University to coach the Williamston (Mich.) High School basketball team, and having to follow an enormously popular predecessor, met the challenge by winning the state championship. He went on to do the same with the 1949 Coldwater High School Cardinals, introducing innovations that other successful coaches would copy.

Eby, who passed on last Thursday after having been in the grip of Alzheimer's disease for some time, has been credited by numerous sources with introducing and popularizing the fast break, the full-court press, the box-and-one zone defense and the one-handed jump shot.

He also coached the football team that year to a Twin Valley Conference co-championship.

"While the Cardinal basketball team helped launch a whole new dimension to basketball, it was the lifelong lessons of athletic discipline that helped the 1949 Cardinals lead successful lives. The team produced two dentists, an ordained minister, a teacher and coach, two high-ranking Army officers, a pharmacist, a university science professor, two high-ranking business executives and three successful businessmen," said an article by Detroit free-lance writer Tom Lang in 1999.

One of the dentists, Gene Fry, recently retired from practice in Grosse Pointe and now resides in Branch County.

"He's a great loss, a wonderful man," said Fry, a guard on the championship team. "He was a great coach and a great inspiration to all of us."

Fry said the spiritual nature of Eby was always evident.

"He didn't force it on anyone. He led by example," he said. "It was something to be followed."

Guard and team captain Gene Sowles said, "He was a man all to himself. He would stop at nothing to help you."

Marvin Rosenberg was a center on the 1949 team.

"It's easy for a young person to go in the wrong direction. But if you wanted to be on Coach Eby's team, you walked the straight and narrow, even if you were a star," Rosenberg said. "You can't describe Coach Eby in a few words. He was a mentor, a role model, a dynamic individual. He was a big influence on my life. Mine and many others."

That influence extended far beyond the basketball courts as the World War II veteran, land developer, founder of the Good News Bible Church, member of Gideons International, author and pilot conducted both weekly Bible studies at his Coldwater home and flew or sent out Bibles and his books to points all over the country and the world.

The basement walls where the weekly meetings were held on Cardinal Court are covered with snapshots.

"There's probably a thousand pictures of people he helped come to know the Lord," Goodwin said. "There's another couple hundred in boxes. He remembered all their names and he prayed for them."

His books, "Calling God's Tower," "Champions Forever" and "Miracles of Love," written in the 1970s, have been reprinted numerous times.

"We just got through another 2,000 copies of 'Miracle,'" said Goodwin, recalling that in 2002 they ordered the 13th printing of "Champions." She figured that at 5,000 copies a printing, there were 65,000 altogether at that point.

"I was always so proud of him," Goodwin said. "He was someone I could look up to. We were very lucky to be raised by good parents."

Bill Frankhouser of Coldwater was among those who knew Coach Eby for many years, attended the Thursday night meetings at his house and among those Eby helped come to accept Christianity and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

"He was an absolute legend," said Frankhouser.