Edgar J. DeCoursey
Edgar (Ed) J. DeCoursey was born May 18, 1926, to parents Charles II and Pauline (Cornett) DeCoursey. To this union would also be born five other children: Katherine Estelle, Amerida Gross, Earnest Eugene, Grace Martin, and Charles Vincent III.
By the time Ed was old enough to attend school his parents had moved to Floyd County and he attended school at Sizemore (Left Beaver). His family moved to Wayland and lived here during Ed’s time in high school. Ed’s love for basketball began at a young age and as a young boy he put up a wire coat hanger and used a small ball to play. His mother would send him to get the cow and on the way he would stop and play a game of basketball on the dirt court with friends. At dusk Ed realized he was in trouble, therefore, he would run the cow part of the way in order to get home quicker, but his mother would be waiting with a big switch.
Ed’s family moved to Wayland in 1939, and now the boys had a “real” court and basketballs with which to play. And play he did – endlessly thru grade school. They even played in the snow and would build fires to thaw their hands and sweep the court with whatever they could find.
Ed made the first team for the Wayland Wasps in 1942, as an eighth grader and by next year he was on the first five. By his sophomore year he made the all-tournament team, a feat he would repeat again and again. All four years he was a member of the all-district and all-regional teams playing forward and center. By the time he graduated he had 15 small gold basketball, three medals, and two trophies.
In May 1944, Ed volunteered and became a member of the U.S. Navy. While at the Great Lakes Training Center he continued to play basketball on a team organized by the famed Notre Dame coach, Ara Parseghian. He later played semi-pro for the Great Lakes team, but this was put to an end when his unit was shipped out to the South Pacific. Ed was assigned as a Fireman 1st Class aboard LCS #61, a Rocket Boat as they were called at that time.
During the Marine invasions of Japanese-held islands in the Pacific, including Iwo Jima, large numbers of Marines lost their lives on the beaches and barrier reefs. The Navy eventually responded by building rocket boats. These boats were flat-bottomed and designed to run up on the beaches. Armed with powerful rockets, the boats could then drive the Japanese away from the surrounding high ground and clear the way for the Marines.
The rocket boat Ed was assigned to crossed the Pacific from Portland, Oregon to Iwo Jima on its own. After a short stay at Iwo Jima they were sent into battle at Okinawa where they were attacked by a Japanese kamikaze. They were able to shoot the suicide plane down, but it had gotten close enough to rock the boat when it struck the water. The pilot was killed and thrown from the plane, where his dead body was seized upon and taken away be a shark.
After Okinawa, they slowly made their way toward Japan and arrived there in time to see the Japanese surrender to MacArthur aboard the USS Missouri. Ed and his fellow sailors aboard Rocket Boat 61 had amassed enough points to be sent home, but found themselves “frozen” into longer service. The longer service turned out to be serving as a taxi in Tokyo Bay for Admiral Bull Halsey.
Those who served on World War II rocket boats have a national association with headquarters in Springfield, Virginia. A few years ago, they prevailed upon President Bill Clinton to see if he could arrange a trade with Thailand for the return of the world’s only remaining rocket boat. The boat is expected back in the United States soon (it is not #61) and will be housed at the Naval Museum in California. The 12 remaining survivors, including Ed, hope to see it once it goes on display.
After the war, Ed returned to Wayland to find that the Kentucky High School Athletic Association had extended the eligibility of all war veterans who had not graduated from high school. Therefore, at the age of 20, Ed returned to Wayland High School with a year left to play. With Ed on the court the Wayland Wasp sailed through the season, only losing six regular season games. Victors in the district and regional tournaments the Wasps and Ed were off to the state tournament. Here they drew a powerful Owensboro team that had young Cliff Hagan as a substitute. The Wasps were leading by nine when Ed fouled out early in the third quarter. By that time he had 22 points (a state record at that time), but it wasn’t enough as Wayland lost 56-46.
Ed was picked for the All-State Tournament team and made First Team in both the Louisville Courier-Journal and Lexington Herald. This naturally attracted the attention of several college coaches. He got offers from Ed Diddle of Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky Wesleyan, and others. Coach Adolph Rupp came to Wayland twice and finally on his second trip talked Ed into coming to University of Kentucky. In Lexington Ed worked out with what would be Kentucky’s 1947-48 team, a team whose members played in the Olympics. But it wasn’t for Ed and after a week he sought out Coach Rupp and told him he was going home. After Coach Rupp realized he couldn’t talk Ed into staying he gave him a large signed picture and told him to take it home with him. Along with the picture, the famed coach told him that “every time he looked at the photo he would be reminded of what a fool you are”. Today Ed has the picture displayed prominently in his downstairs den.
Shortly after this Ed married Patricia Ann Shepard on August 12, 1947, in Paintsville, Kentucky. After they were married Ed started work for a construction company building a railroad line up Beaver Creek and Pat went off to the University of Kentucky. They lived in Wayland until 1950, and at that time moved to Knott County. Over the next 30 or so years, Pat worked for the U.K. Extension Service and Ed opened two truck mines at Garrett, did dozer work, worked at Fraley-Dearing Motors in Wayland, owned and operated a Gulf Service Station, and finally went into business for himself went he opened Hindman Auto Parts & Marine Sales. Here they manufactured boats as well as sold them. This was one to the first ventures of this kind and the manufacturing lasted about a year. It was here that he would make him mark on Knott County as he continued to develop and operate his business for the next 30 years.
Ed and Pat have two children: Ginger Ann and Edgar J. DeCoursey II; and two grandchildren Haylee Ericka Combs and Edgar Jade DeCoursey III. Ed list as his present interest his grandchildren, gardening, and watching sports of TV. In addition to his family Ed is a member of the Hindman Lions Club, the Shriners (32nd degree Mason), and proudly remembers working with Charlie Young to establish Little League Baseball in Knott County.
The accomplishments of Ed DeCoursey could go on beyond these pages, but as anyone should see he has made his mark on Knott County and the area in general. His has been a life of giving by way of his military service, to sport of basketball, to the economy of Knott County, and to his fellow man. For this reason Ed is worthy of all honors that should come his way.