Former Brownwood City Councilman Pat Coursey was honored Tuesday as the current council approved the renaming of Center Park to Pat Coursey Park.
According to City Manager Bobby Rountree, a request by one of Coursey’s former employees from his previous business Banner Printing, Kathy Hall, was considered based on significant and lasting contributions Coursey has made to the City of Brownwood.
Hall prepared a document outlining the following of Coursey:
Coursey moved to Brownwood with his parents as an infant and has been a lifelong resident, graduated from Brownwood High School in 1958 and attended Howard Payne College (now University).
Some of his contributions to the community include:
- Helping wake and ultimately save a family from a house fire in 1969 with a friend, Joe Sones.
- Member of the Brownwood Jaycees, helping to organize their first Rattlesnake Roundup.
- Member of the Brownwood Rotary Club
- Chairman of the Brown County Historical Society in 1979, helped to get the old county jail donated for use as a museum (now the Brown County Museum of History), saving it from possible demolition and helping to raise over $70,000 for its renovation/restoration.
- City Councilman for 21 years (1983-2003). During this time the new Aquatic Center and Bert Massey Sports Complex were voted in; however he retired before they became an actuality. He also contributed to the renovation of Riverside Park
- Helped in securing names for the Truman Harlow Overpass, Bill Monroe Overpass (honoring the former Mayor of Brownwood), Shelton Drive (in honor of George M. Shelton, the only Congressional Medal of Honor recipient born in Brown County), and the T.R. Havins Unit (in memory of Dr. T.R. Havins, longtime History Professor at HPU, Brown County author and former member of the Prison Board of Directors).
- Representative of the West Central Texas Council of Governments board, serving as the board president in 1990-1991, playing an instrumental part of bringing TSTC to Brownwood.
- Member of the Hospital Authority Board from 1994-2002, twice serving as its president.
- Member of the Brownwood Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors (2004-2010).
- Influenced the renovation of downtown Brownwood when Center Avenue was rebuilt, was instrumental in securing the e grounds where the original JC Penney building once stood, so that a city park could be built for the public to enjoy, which was named Center Park, now renamed Pat Coursey Park.
According to Kathy Hall, there are many more things that Coursey has done for the city that only he knows.
“Wherever he traveled, whether it was personal, business, or city business, Pat always promoted Brownwood in a positive way,” said Hall. “I do believe that Center Park, located at 200 Center Avenue in Brownwood, Texas should be named after him, because of his dedicated, undying, and continuing devoted service to the citizens of Brownwood and Brown County.”
Center Park was completed in October 2003 as part of the Downtown Renovation Project and is located at 200 Center Avenue at the intersection of Center and E. Baker Street. Many recognize the park for the horse décor of the fountain.
Pictured above is Coursey (center with is wife Belinda) as he was surprised at Tuesday’s council meeting with the renaming of the park in his honor.
