J. Todd Coates

A professional, charismatic leader & coach dedicated to motivate those I lead to exceed the standard through humor - usually sarcastic - & personal discipline.

[Trump Girl @TrumpGirlLove]

It was November 1, 1970. Ron Howard was 16, a junior at John Burroughs High School in Burbank. America already knew him as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show. Happy Days was still a few years away.

Cheryl Alley was his classmate. Not an actress. A smart, private girl who wanted to write. He asked her out. Their first date was a re-release of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, then pizza at Barnone’s in Toluca Lake. He picked her up in a 1970 VW Bug.

He proposed three times. They married on June 7, 1975, in Burbank. He was 21. She was 21. The wedding cost about $800, paid for by her father, with cake and punch in the church courtyard. Andy Griffith and Tom Bosley were there. Hollywood’s line was the usual one: child stars do not stay married.

Ron went on to direct Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, which won Best Picture, and The Da Vinci Code. Cheryl wrote, stayed mostly off camera, and raised their four children: Bryce Dallas Howard, twins Paige and Jocelyn, and Reed. She has said little. He has said plenty. “I met her, and there was never anybody else.”

In June 2026 they marked 51 years of marriage. Their first date was almost 56 years ago. No public divorce. No scandal. He still calls the marriage an adventure through calm water and tricky rapids, and says the only method was to love and respect each other enough to keep paddling. 🌹

[MLB @MLB]

10x All-Star
3x AL Cy Young
3x No-Hitters
2x World Series Champion
2011 AL MVP
2006 AL ROY

Take a bow, Justin Verlander!

[SportsCenter @SportsCenter]

Justin Verlander leaves the mound for the final time, with his family 🥹

(via @mlb)

[J. Todd Coates @JToddCoates11]

Remembering how today touched and changed each of our lives!

[Larry Thompson @cltwulf]

From Karl Streed -

I BET YOU DIDN'Y KNOW ABOUT THIS: AFTER FLIGHT 77 HIT THE PENTAGON ON 9/11, THE FOLLOWING HAPPENED.

A daycare facility inside the Pentagon had many children, including infants who were in heavy cribs. The daycare supervisor, looking at all the children they needed to evacuate, was in a panic over what they could do.

There were many children, mostly toddlers, as well as the infants who would need to be taken out with the cribs. There was no time to try to bundle them into carriers and strollers.

Just then a young Marine came running into the center and asked what they needed. After hearing what the center director was trying to do, he ran back out into the hallway and disappeared. The director thought, "Well, here we are, on our own."

About 2 minutes later, that Marine returned with 40 other Marines in tow.

Each of them grabbed a crib with a child, and the rest started gathering up toddlers.

The director and her staff then helped them take all the children out of the center and down toward the park near the Potomac .

Once they got about 3/4 of a mile outside the building, the Marines stopped in the park, and then did a fabulous thing - they formed a circle with the cribs, which were quite sturdy and heavy, like the covered wagons in the Old West.

Inside this circle of cribs, they put the toddlers, to keep them from wandering off.

Outside this circle were the 40 Marines, forming a perimeter around the children and waiting for instructions. There they remained until the parents could be notified and come get their children.

The chaplain then said, "I don't think any of us saw nor heard of this on any of the news stories of the day. It was an incredible story of our men there.” There wasn't a dry eye in the room.

The thought of those Marines and what they did and how fast they reacted; could we expect any less from them? It was one of the most touching stories from the Pentagon.

It's the military, not the politicians that ensures our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It's the military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag.

If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and appreciation for the military, please pass this on and pray for our men and women, who have served and are currently serving our country, and honor the memory of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice!

God Bless The USA!

Never forget!!!

[J. Todd Coates @JToddCoates11]

At 2300 hrs tonight (05 June) 82 years ago, Paratroopers led the way for a successful D-Day Landing tomorrow morning on Occupied Europe. #DDay #82ndairbornedivision

[J. Todd Coates @JToddCoates11]

@GrowSmarter_x A Guinness

[Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol]

🚨#BREAKING: Western North Carolina hero, Jake Jarvis, has confirmed he has now worked over 400 DAYS FOR FREE rebuilding homes, roads, and bridges for victims of Hurricane Helene.

To this day, Jake has NEVER accepted a penny from anyone who needs help.

Absolute legend!!!!

[J. Todd Coates @JToddCoates11]

@ElonMuskNews47 Of course

[J. Todd Coates @JToddCoates11]

Congratulations to MG Chris Eubank for his confirmation and upcoming command. Well deserved for this family!

https://t.co/jzSzB5jbrv

[UCF Football @UCF_Football]

We will be wearing a helmet sticker to honor Coach Clark for the rest of the season

[App State Football @AppState_FB]

𝗜𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸

#61Forever

[App State @EverythingASU10]

No one ever questioned his love for App State! Shawn Clark bled black and gold no doubt! I am so thankful for everything he did for Boone and the football team! May he rest in peace! #61Forever

[App State Football @AppState_FB]

We are profoundly saddened by the passing of App State alumnus, football All-American and former head coach Shawn Clark. We extend our deepest sympathy to Shawn’s family and everyone who knew and loved him.

[Dr. Heather Norris @AppChancellor]

First @AppState_FB home game of the season and Family Weekend are a magical combination! How fun to spend time with @appstate Mountaineers today!

[Dr. Heather Norris @AppChancellor]

It’s always great to be a Mountaineer! See you next week at The Rock!

[Dr. Heather Norris @AppChancellor]

And just like that, a new academic year is underway at @appstate! There’s an exciting year ahead of us, and university leaders are highly focused on student success and supporting our university community. Read more here: https://t.co/5bD0GQYsKM

[Dr. Heather Norris @AppChancellor]

It’s move-in week at @AppState! We’re excited to welcome students to the residence halls that will be their homes for the upcoming academic year, and we are looking forward to the first day of classes on Monday! Welcome Home, Mountaineers!

[Mike Netter @nettermike]

You're a 19 year old kid.
You are critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam .

Its November 14, 1965 . LZ (landing zone) X-ray.
Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the MedEvac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out.
Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again.
As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.
Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter.

You look up to see a Huey coming in. But.. It doesn't seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it.

Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you. He's not MedEvac so it's not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.

Even after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway. And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board.

Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety. And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!!

Until all the wounded were out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.
He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Army, died at the age of 81, in Boise, Idaho.

God bless our vets!

[Dr. Heather Norris @AppChancellor]

We’ve been celebrating traditions of excellence at @appstate! 85 years of excellence for the Lucy Brock Program, the annual Summer Institute for academic department chairs, @AppAlumni leaders an amazing grand finale for An Appalachian Summer and more! https://t.co/k73QKsheaB