Birth Date: 12/27/1927
Deceased Date: 09/07/2017
Harvey Prentice Brooks,Jr., legendary coach, 89, of Princeton passed away on Thursday, September 7, 2017 at SECU Hospice House. He was born December 27, 1927 to the late Harvey Prentice Brooks, Sr. and Clara Smith Brooks. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Louise Batson Brooks, and his second wife, Barbara Koonce. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2017 at 12:00 Noon at Casey Funeral Home Chapel with the Dr. Curtis Rains officiating. The burial will follow the service at Willow Dale Cemetery, 306 East Elm St., Goldsboro, NC. The family will receive friends from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm on Friday , September 15, 2017 at Casey Funeral Home Chapel and at other times at the home of Dianne Brooks, 1087 David Mill Road, Selma, NC 27576.
Mr. Brooks graduated from Boykin High School. After graduation, he joined the US Marine Corp and served his country during the Korean Conflict. While in the Marines he coached the US Marine Corp football team. After the Marines he worked for the Railroad (from which he retired) until beginning college at Pfeiffer College in Misenheimer, North Carolina. While at Pfeiffer College, Mr. Brooks and his wife, Louise were designated as the Parents of the dorm where most of the students that had been in the military were housed. Mr. Brooks had a long coaching career. He taught in the classroom and was an assistant coach and head coach in various high schools in North Carolina. He first began teaching and coaching at South Stanly in Norwood, NC. In 1966 he moved to Warren County to John Graham High School in Warrenton, NC. He was at John Graham until 1971 at which time he came to Princeton High School and began Princeton’s very first football program. He taught and coached at Princeton for approximately 28 years. During his tenure at Princeton he only had one losing season in football and that was his very first season. He coached football, basketball and baseball at Princeton and while at Princeton, the football team played three times for the State Championship. He was Coach of the year several times during his time at Princeton. To honor Coach Brooks winning Legacy, the football field at Princeton is named ( The Harvey Brooks Football Field). After leaving Princeton, he went to serve Charles B. Aycock in Wayne County and Jones County High School in Jones County for a while before coming back to Princeton in 1998 for a couple of years and then back to Jones County where he retired. Coach Brooks served as Athletic Director at each of the schools he served.
While Mr. Brooks and his wife Louise lived in Princeton they attended Princeton Baptist Church. He was a member of the NC Coaches Association, and the NC Teachers Association. He was inducted in to the Princeton High School Athletic Hall of Fame for Coaching, the Johnston County Athletic Hall of Fame and also the NCHSAA Coaches Hall of Fame. Mr. Brooks was a Mason and a charter member of the Eastern Star.
He is survived by daughter, Nancy Lee Brooks- Griswold of Tempe, Arizona, and daughter, Dianne Brooks and husband, Mike Piccarelli of Selma; five grandchildren, Margaret Kalogeropoulos-Griswold, Angie Watkins, Christy M. Kalogeropoulos-Griswold, David D. Griswold, and Harvey Watkins; seventeen great grandchildren, Jared, Madison, Chloey, Hannah, Nicholas, Hunter, Autumn, Averie, Chaz, Brevyn, Caden, Cambri-Rayne, Journey, Brianna, Sarah, Abbigail and Jack; brother-in-law, Buren Theodore Batson; special friends, Dr. and Mrs. Curtis Rains and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bartholomew and family, Family of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Poplin, Johnny Wallace and family and former athletes and students that are too numerous to mention; former sons-in-law, Rex Watkins, Andrew Kalogeropoulos.
Mr. Brooks was also preceded in death by an infant sister, Valeria Brooks and good friends, Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Poplin and Carl and Mimme Millard.
Although flowers are welcome the family suggest memorial contributions be made to the Harvey and Louise Brooks Scholarship Fund in the care of First Citizens Bank, 201 Dr. Donnie H. Jones, Jr. Blvd. West, Princeton, NC 27569.
Online condolences may sent to the family at www.caseyfh.com.
