Famous Covingtons

ANTHONY LAWRENCE COVINGTON                                      20 July 2010

ANTHONY LAWRENCE COVINGTON. Ref: 12451. Born: 26 Dec 1967 at Winston-Salem NC. Father: not known,

 Father Ref: 0. Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0. Known as Tony, is a former American football safety in the

National Football League and Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth

round of the 1991 NFL Draft, round 4, draft 93. He was with them for 4 years (1991-94). He had played college

football at Virginia.

 

He also played for the Seattle Seahawks (1995) and Tampa Bay Storm (1999).

 

ARTHUR EDWIN COVINGTON                                                  20 July 2010

ARTHUR EDWIN COVINGTON. Ref: 5508. Born: 21 Sep 1913 at Regina, Saskatchwn. Father: Joseph Arthur,

Father Ref: 1358. Mother: Neate, Isabella Welch, Mother Ref: 4444.  Died: 17 Mar 2001 at Ontario aged 87.  Mar:

during 1945 at Canada to Riche, Charlotte Anne . His Grandfather Edwin Joseph (1744) & father emigrated to

Canada in the 1880s.  Distinguished radioastronomer with the National Research Council of Canada. His collection

of memorabelia founded a Covington Museum at Queen University, Kingston, Ontario. Traced his family back thru'

the College of Arms to 1627. Thought in 1993 telephone directory check to live at 269 Pleasant Park, Ottawa,

Canada. from tel. dir. Ottawa

 

Wikepedia entry reads: Covington was born in Regina and grew up in Vancouver. He showed an early interest in

astronomy, and had built a 5-inch (130 mm) refractor telescope after meeting members of the local chapter of the Royal

Astronomical Society of Canada.  He was also interested in amateur radio and operated station VE3CC for a time. He

started his career as a radio operator on ships operated by the Canadian National Railways.

 

He put himself though school and eventually earned a bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia in

1938, and obtained his master's degree from the same institution in 1940 after building an electron microscope. He

then moved to University of California in Berkeley where he received his doctoral degree in nuclear physics in 1942.

  He was still at Berkeley when he was invited to join the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa in 1942 as a

radar technician, working at the NRC's Radio Field Station.

 

Solar observations - Immediately after the war Covington became interested in radio astronomy, and built a small

telescope out of the electronic parts from a surplus SCR-268 radar combined with parts from another receiver

originally built to test silicon crystal radio parts for radar applications. These electronics were attached to the 4 ft

(1.2 m) parabolic dish from a Type III gun-laying radar. The system operated at a frequency of 2800 MHz, or a

wavelength of 10.7 cm. Initially the instrument was pointed in the direction of various celestial objects, including

Jupiter, the Milky Way, aurora borealis, and the Sun, but it proved too insensitive to pick up any source other than

the Sun. So a solar study program was started. As time passed, Covington and his colleagues realized that the Sun's

emission at 10.7 cm wavelength was varying, which was unexpected. Thinking at that time was that the solar

emission at centimeter wavelengths would be simply black body emission from a ball of hot gas.

 

Covington became convinced that the effect was due to sunspots, as the flux appeared to vary with the number of

visible spots. The resolution of the device, about seven degrees, made it impossible to "pick out" a spot on the sun's

surface for study, making a demonstration of the claim difficult. An opportunity to directly measure this possibility

presented itself on November 23, 1946 when a partial solar eclipse passed over the Ottawa area, and Covington was

able to conclusively demonstrate that the microwave emissions dropped off precipitously when the Moon covered a

particularly large sunspot. This also demonstrated that magnetic fields were instrumental in sunspot activity.

 

It was entirely by accident that the original instrument operated on frequencies suitable to detection of the 10.7 cm

signal, and it had never been intended for "production" use. As the importance of the sunspot measurements became

obvious, plans were made to continue these observations over a longer time period. As the Radio Field Station was

still actively being used for radar development, and causing heavy interference as a result, a new location was

selected about five miles (8 km) away at Goth Hill. Here they measured the whole-disk flux and averaged the

measurements to produce three highly-accurate measurements a day.

 

He then set about designing an instrument that could directly resolve portions of the sun's disk. The new telescope

consisted of a 150 ft (46 m) long section of 3 by 1½ inch metal waveguide cut with slots in locations to create a

simple interferometer with a fan-shaped area of sensitivity. The amount of flux gathered was improved by placing the

waveguide in metal trough, and the direction of aim could be changed slightly by rotating the waveguide inside the

trough, but in general terms it was used to take measurements as the sun passed through its "beam". The new

telescope started operation in 1951, allowing them to directly measure the flux from the Sun’s corona and the

temperature of the regions above sunspots (about 1,500,000 °C). The Goth Hill observatory also included a number

of other instruments for a variety of measurements.

 

ARO - Increasing radar and radio use in the Ottawa area presented interference problems, and Covington turned his

attention to finding a more suitable "radio quiet" location for the program. This led to the creation of the Algonquin

Radio Observatory (ARO) in Algonquin Park, about 150 km northwest of Ottawa but relatively easy to access on

major highways. A new 6 ft (1.8 m) parabolic dish solar flux telescope was built in 1960, operating in parallel before

taking over duties from the Goth Hill instrument in 1962. In 1964 an identical instrument was installed at the

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) in British Columbia. This was followed by a more powerful version of

the waveguide instrument, this time focused by a series of thirty-two 10 ft (3 m) dishes arranged over a 700 ft (215 m)

waveguide, which opened in 1966.

 

The ARO was greatly expanded in 1966 with the opening of the 150 ft (46 m) deep-space telescope. This was a major

research site through the 1960s and 70s, although limitations in its design made it see less use in the 1980s. For

some time this instrument was joined by a smaller 18 m telescope originally located at the David Dunlap

Observatory outside Toronto, operated by the University of Toronto. The original solar observatories remained in

use until 1990 when funding drawdowns at the NRC forced the closure of the entire Algonquin site. In 1991 the 1.8

m dish was moved to the DAO as a backup instrument.

 

Covington's work led to other solar-related discoveries. Observations in 1969 led to the realization that certain

types of major sunspot breakouts were preceded by a particular type of radio signal, which allowed advanced

prediction of upcoming solar storms. As other teams also started studying the solar flux they noticed that the different

 teams all came to different conclusions about the total flux, due to differences in the instruments and other effects.

Covington worked on an effort to correlate these measurements and solve a single flux number, which was published

in 1972. He also played a role in the construction of the Indian River Observatory, an amateur built 200 m

interferometer.

 

Retirement - Covington remained the director of the ARO until he retired in 1978. He died in 2001 in Kingston,

Ontario, at 88 years old. One of the buildings at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory was named in his honour

in 2003

 

Riche-Covington Collection, Special Collections, Douglas Library, Queen's University. Subjects - Radio science

and technology, history of:  - The collection was started by the presentation of two books by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur

Covington in 1973. A Riche-Covington Trust was established in the same year for the collection maintenance, and

the acquisition of primary materials in the history of radio science and technology. The collection is complemented

by the McNicol Collection (see entry 235).

 

The collection deals specifically with the development of radio science in Canada. It includes material on radio

astrophysics, radio astronomy, solar radio astronomy, radar, and early radio astronomy. Primary source and printed

materials gathered by the donor (pamphlets , correspondence, newspapers, reports, posters, journal issues, and

books) are included. The chronological emphasis is from World War II to the present. New titles in related subjects

are purchased. The donor continues to add personal material to the collection regularly.

 

1264 items (including monographs, serials, pamphlets, correspondence, newspaper items, committee reports, etc.).

The material in the Physics Library is more general and supports the Riche-Covington Collection.

 

The collection is uncatalogued although a separately published bibliography is available (see below). The

collection is open to the public. Winter hours are: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; and 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

Summer hours are: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

 

Riche-Covington Collection. - A catalogue of the Riche-Covington Collection in Queen's University. - Kingston,

Ont.: Queen's University, Douglas Library, 1984.

 

BENJAMIN JESSE COVINGTON                                                20 July 2010

BENJAMIN JESSE COVINGTON. Ref: 5484. Born: during 1869 at Marlin TX. Father: Ben, Father Ref: 11342.

Mother: Georgiana, Mother Ref: 11343.  Died: 21 Jul 1961 at Houston TX aged 92.  Mar: 30 Sep 1902 at Seguin to

Murphy, Jennie Belle 11341. Educated at Hearne Baptist Academy & Maharry Medical College, Nashville.

M.D.1960. Physician, practised medicine in Houston, Texas for 58 years, during which time he helped to re-organize

the Lone Star Medical Association.

 

"COVINGTON, BENJAMIN JESSE (1869-1961). Benjamin Covington, a black physician in Houston, was born in

1869 near Marlin, Texas, the son of Ben and Georgiana Covington, former slaves. As a young man he worked on a

farm and attended school near Marlin. Around 1885 he entered Hearne Baptist Academy, where he supported himself

as janitor and bell ringer.

 

After graduating in 1892 he taught school but encountered hostility from some members of the white community who

 thought his salary was too high for a Negro. Following a stint as a bookkeeper he entered Meharry Medical College

in 1895. While still a student at Meharry he spent several months practicing medicine in Wharton, Texas, on a

temporary permit. Covington graduated from Meharry in 1900. After another brief stay in Wharton he moved to

Yoakum, where other doctors received him more favorably.

 

In 1903 Covington moved to Houston with his wife, Jennie Belle Murphy Covington,qv whom he had married in

1902. Covington practiced general medicine in Houston for fifty-eight years. He is best known as one of the five

physicians who helped establish Houston Negro Hospital (now Riverside General 21 SepHospitalqv in 1925. His

formula for the treatment of influenza, which he considered a form of yellow fever, was very successful and was used

by United States medical officers. He was active in the push for improved public facilities and public health

conditions.

 

He helped reorganize the Lone Star Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association,qv a professional association

of black physicians, and served as secretary-treasurer for ten years and as president in 1920. Over the course of his

career Covington took fifty-one post-graduate "refresher and modernization" courses at Prairie View, Tuskegee, Flint-

Goodridge (New Orleans), and the Mayo Clinic.

 

Covington belonged to the Omega fraternity, Young Men's Christian Association, Masonic lodge, and Business and

 Professional Men's Club. He was also a member of Antioch Baptist Church, where he accompanied the choir on his

violin. He also taught himself to play the piano, mandolin, and cornet.

 

During World War Iiqv Covington received citations from presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman

commending him for his services to the Selective Service System. The Masonic lodge established a medical college

scholarship in his honor. Covington died on July 21, 1961, and was buried in Paradise Cemetery (North). He was

survived by his wife and daughter, Ernestine Jessie Covington Dent. In 1994 a Texas historical marker was placed at

the site of the Covington home at 2219 Dowling Street. "

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Howard H. Bell, "Benjamin Jesse Covington, M.D., 1869-1961," Journal of the National Medical

Association 55 (September 1963). Benjamin Covington Collection, Houston Metropolitan Research Center,

Houston Public Library. Albert Walter and Jessie Covington Dent Papers, Amistad Research Center, Tulane

University. Martin Kaufman et al., eds., Dictionary of American Medical Biography (2 vols., Westport, Connecticut:

Greenwood, 1984). Fred Nahas, ed., Houston: City of Destiny (New York: Macmillan, 1980). (John S. Gray III)

BOGUS BEN/BLIND BEN COVINGTON                                  20 July 2010

BOGUS BEN/BLIND BEN COVINGTON. Ref: 5226. Born: around 1890 at U.K.. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0.

Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0. Musician, who once made a record on Paramount called "I thought I heard the

voice of a Pork Chop". Appeared in The Birmingham Jug Band who recorded both (John Henry) & (Bill Wilson).

According to The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music "Humour was an important ingredient in

blues music both exposing the truth and granting consolation, as in Bogus Ben Covington's dry-eyed comment on

the comforts of religion "I heard the voice of a pork chop say "Come unto me and rest" (A History Of Jazz In Britain

1919-50).

 

Recorded under the names of Blind Ben and Bogus Ben Covington, may also have used the name Ben Curry. Internet

search reveals the following recordings: c. Sep 1928 - 20863-1 Adam and Eve in the garden RST BD-2028, 20866-2

I heard the voice of a pork chop RST BD-2028, Matchbox MSEX 2001/2002, 9 Oct 1929 - C-4630- Boodle-de-bum

blues RST BD-2028, Roots (Austria) RL 325, C-4631- It's a fight like that RST BD-2028, Roots (Austria) RL 325,

10 Oct 1929 - C-4634- It's a fight like that unreissued.

CHARLES COVINGTON                                                               20 July 2010

CHARLES COVINGTON. Ref: 14680. Born: during 1941 at Baltimore MD. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0.

Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.   Mar: 1965- 1966 at U.S.A to Becky 14681. Upon seeing a chess player at a

tournament, we may assess them based upon their chess strength. However, there are many instances where a chess

novice serving as a weekend punching bag in chess can be a world-class expert in their profession! These persons

may be so esteemed in their fields that it would be hard to believe their talents don't automatically transfer.

 

However, 61-year old Charles Covington, has excelled in most everything he has done. Besides being a U.S. Life

Master in chess, he is a world-class pianist, a master magician, a 100-square checkers expert, a portrait artist, a former

champion body builder, and the earner of a black belt in Karate. NM Covington said in this 90-minute phone

interview that, "Those who know me for my music don't know I'm a chess master; those who know me for chess don't

know that I'm a musician." Well… now we know.

 

Humble Beginnings

 

Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1941, Charles Covington learned chess at the relatively late age of 22. One day while

 visiting cousin Ray Davis, he saw a group of strange artsy-looking figures arranged on a red and black board and

asked what they were. His cousin (now a Baltimore judge), told him it was a chess set and showed him the moves.

Charles was so excited that he went out and bought Irving Chernev's Winning Chess Traps.  In no time, he was

beating neighborhood rivals with ease, but his interest would not elevate for another four years.

 

While a senior at Douglass High School, Charles discovered that he had an uncanny ability to hear musical tones

and took an interest in music. After a brief stint in the Army Reserve, Charles had developed a reputation as a

promising pianist and played chess on the road, including an immortal game with jazz great, Dizzy Gillespie.  He

was inspired by music greats such as Earl Garner and Ahmad Jamal, but also played with the likes of Chuck Berry

and Charlie Rouse. He spent a lot of time on the road playing in various cities including "the Village" and the greater

Manhattan area.  He also played on Baltimore's  "Avenue Strip" and often socialized in the circles with Count Basie

and Duke Ellington.

 

During his 3-year stint in New York, the talented musician would often visit the Chess and Checker Club on 42nd

and Broadway and rubbed shoulders with the likes of GM Pal Benko, GM Larry Evans, GM Bobby Fischer, GM

Walter Browne,  IM Kupchic and professional hustler, NM Asa Hoffman. In his book, Memoirs of an African

American Master, he stated, "These were my early training years and I learned much more than I could have ever

learned from any number of books."

 

Chess Magician

 

In 1969, Charles tried his hand at tournament chess and entered the Baltimore Open. He won 1st place in the "C"

section and earned his first rating of around 1500. He would play off and on for many years, but would finally gain

enough momentum to make Expert, then Master, and finally the Life Master title (300 games of over 2200 ELO). He

has good memories of sparring with the like of Ken Clayton, Frank Street, and Emory Tate. "I used to play the

Polugaevsky Variation of the Sicilian. Tate liked playing me because he liked to sac." 

 

In his memoirs, he has a record of his encounters with a number of players including FM William Morrison and former

 World Junior Champion, IM Mark Diesen. Charles' most memorable game was a 1979 encounter against NM Sam

Greenlaw in which he played the Center Counter (1.e4 d5!?). Greenlaw appeared insulted and starting slamming the

pieces. Despite building a strong position, Greenlaw overextended and lost. The disgruntled master tipped his king

and walked away without saying a word.

 

Besides his magic over the board, Charles had developed a penchant for making coins disappear, and performing

elaborate magical stunts. At age 13 or 14, he developed a fascination with magic after seeing the magician

"Blackstone" on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Charles talked candidly about the origins of magic in ancient Kemet (Egypt)

and mentioned that its practitioners were burned at the stake for practicing "witchcraft." This happened until the late

1500s when Reginald Scott demystified the craft by writing a book demonstrating the techniques.

 

Asked about his repertoire, Charles claimed,  "A good magician can do any kind of trick. I just use whatever is

around me." He often attended Magician Conferences where magicians would do close-up shows and highlight up-

and-coming magicians. Megastar David Copperfield was often among the attendees.

 

More Tricks up his Sleeve

 

What else can this guy do? Well… he is  an expert in 100-square checkers, a game that he says is equal or more

complex than chess. He mentions that players like Senegal's More Tricks up his Sleeve

 

What else can this guy do? Well… he is  an expert in 100-square checkers, a game that he says is equal or more

complex than chess. He mentions that players like Senegal's Ndiaga Samb are among today's' rising young stars. He

has played in one 1997 tournament and was paired with 6-time World Champion, Iser Kuperman in the 1st round!! In

 that game, Charles held his own, but fell into time pressure and blundered. However, he would score a respectable

3½-5½ in the tournament against master opposition. He proudly speaks on some of the African checker geniuses, but

in particular, Senegalese Baba Sy.

 

"While walking through the villages of Dakar, a well-known Russian Grandmaster spotted Ba Ba Sy playing

checkers. When the two played each other the Russian Grandmaster was beaten easily by Ba Ba Sy's brilliant tactics.

Ba Ba Sy was invited to France where he won first place in the Championship of France in 1959. He then won almost

every major tournament in the early sixties, defeating the so-called "greatest" players  of this century before his

untimely death in 1978." (Covington, "Memoirs of an African American Master")

 

Charles Covington's excellence is a testament to his strong will, determination, and of course his wife of 36 years,

Becky Covington. He speaks fondly of his wife with the glee of a newlywed. Both Charles and Becky have been

vegetarians for 25 years and  when observing this couple, you'll see that this lifestyle has made them appear 15-20

years younger. The couple has two daughters (Benita, 45 and Tracey, 35) and from listening to them talk about each

other, one can tell the two are truly "soul mates." Congratulations to Charles Covington, a chess master, world-class

musician, master magician, and proud husband!!

 

Interview composed from a phone interview to The Chess Drum magazine: 6 March 2002

-------------------------------

Notes from The Kennedy Center website

 

"Charles Covington, Jr., is a professor of music at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland. The pianist has

been the featured performer for President Carter at the White House and with George Benson on the Tonight Show

with Johnny Carson. Covington's career includes celebrity performances with the likes of Sammy Davis, Jr., Eartha

Kitt, Larry King, Henry Kissinger, Redd Foxx, and Flip Wilson. He has also been in concert with Sonny Stitt, Gene

Ammons, Clark Terry, Milt Jackson, Eddie Harris, Zoot Simms, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vincent, David "Fathead" Newman,

 J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding, Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones, Dorothy Donnegan, Shirley Horn, B.B. King, and Chuck

Berry.

 

The music director for "Jazz at Harbor Place" in Baltimore, Mr. Covington is also one of the top ten black chess

players in America and has a "Master Chess Player for Life" status granted by the Chess Federation of the United

States. Additionally he is a professional magician and has published a manuscript for magicians that is sold in magic

shops nationwide, and, as a professional visual artist, Mr. Covington specializes in portraits".

CHESTER ROGERS COVINGTON                                             20 July 2010

CHESTER ROGERS COVINGTON. Ref: 5145. Born: 6 Nov 1910 at Cairo IL. Father: Mark David, Father Ref:

16912. Mother: Gilliam, Mattie Belle, Mother Ref: 16913.  Died: 11 Jun 1976 at Pembroke Park FL aged 65.  Mar:

around 1934 at U.S.A to Pugliese, Angelina 16927. Known as Chet or Chesty, he was a Major League Baseball

pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1944. The 33-year-old rookie, who had been The Sporting News

Minor League Player of the Year in 1943, was a native of Cairo, Illinois. Height 6ft 2ins, weight 195 lbs.

 

Covington is one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II. He made his

major league debut on April 23, 1944 in a doubleheader against the Boston Braves at Braves Field. His first and only

 major-league win was in the first game of a doubleheader against the Braves at Shibe Park on April 30, 1944. He

pitched in relief and was the pitcher of record in a 14-inning, 2-1 victory.

 

For the season, part of which was spent in the minor leagues, he appeared in 19 games, all in relief, and had a 1-1

record with 10 games finished. He allowed 20 earned runs in 38.2 innings pitched for a final ERA of 4.66.

CHRISTOPHER COVINGTON                                                     20 July 2010

CHRISTOPHER COVINGTON. Ref: 16877. Born: around 1945 at Adelaide. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0.

Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0. Chris Covington gave himself the stage name ‘Chris Kirby’ when he left school

in Adelaide, South Australia. And, by the time of his first identity crisis, his new label had gained him enough

notoriety to make reverting to the family name a bad career move.

 

His comedic skills had made him a popular teenage host on a daily t.v. kid’s show. He later moved to Sydney from

where he built a solid reputation on stage and television all around the country.

 

In the late Sixties he was asked to perform on the famed Ed Sullivan Show in New York. Then on to England where

he appeared on Sunday Night At The London Palladium, A Blackpool Summer Season with Tommy Cooper and

touring with Ken Dodd.

 

In the early Seventies he continued his success in Australia touring as opening act for big names such as Tom Jones,

Shirley Bassey, Johnny Mathis, Charles Aznavour and a host of others. He worked with Hollywood song and dance

man, Donald O'Connor who invited him to the U.S. to open for him at Harrah's Club in Reno and with Tony Bennett

in Lake Tahoe.

 

Chris lived in America for the next twelve years where he developed his acting and writing skills. He wrote under

the Covington by line, a way to keep his dual occupations separate. He made side trips home for concert and

television appearances. In 1974 he hosted The Chris Kirby Show a Saturday night talk show on Sydney’s Channel

9. Then back to the U.S. and a burgeoning career – several acting roles, commercials, casino appearances, corporate

presentations and his own variety special on CBS.

 

Came the Eighties and Chris was invited back to Australia to appear on a Royal Variety Concert at the Opera House.

On another trip back he hosted a fifteen week comedy news series, Headlines, which he co-wrote with old friend,

Larry Burns.

 

In the late 80’s he decided to return to Australia permanently where he pursued his writing and acting career. He had

 developed a unique approach to the ventriloquism aspect of his work and he embarked on a search for a way to do

something innovative with it. Meanwhile, he co-wrote a stage play, The Total Eclipse of Toby Moon, wrote and

performed for the Corporate area, made numerous commercials for television, wrote another play, The Angel Key and

became a regular episode writer for Neighbours & E-Street. He developed a couple of sitcoms for Redlich

Productions, one of which was piloted by Channel Nine.

 

All this time his search for innovation continued. Something was gestating. The result is "LIPS". Now his two

careers have merged in this startling piece of tragi-comedy theatre which has delighted audiences and reviewers

everywhere it has played.

 

He’s passionate about “LIPS” and says he has never enjoyed himself on stage so much in either of his lives.

CLARENCE OTTO COVINGTON                                                20 July 2010

CLARENCE OTTO COVINGTON. Ref: 5823. Born: 17 Dec 1892 at Henryville TN. Father: not known, Father Ref:

0. Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 4 Jan 1963 at Denison TX aged 71. Known as Sam. Sibling: William

Wilkes aka Tex Covington (5820)

Baseball Player with St Louis Browns in American League in 1913 and Boston Braves in National League 1917 &

1918. Bats: Left, Throws: Right. Height: 6'1", Weight 190 lbs. Major League Debut: 25 Aug 1913.

 

CAREER STATISTICS - BATTING

 

Year Team    Lge   POS   G   AB     R     H    2B   3B   HR   RBI   TB   BB   1BB   K   HBP   SH   SF   GDP

1913    StL     AL    1B   20   60      3     9     0     1      0      4     11    4       0     6      0       2     0      0

1917    Bos    NL    1B   17   66      8   13     2     0      1     10    18    5       0     5      1       3     0      0 

1918    Bos    NL             3     3      0      1    0     0      0       0      1    0       0     0      0       0     0      0

Totals                            40  129    11  23     2     1      1      14   30    9       0    11     1       5     0      0

 

BASERUNNING                                           PERCENTAGES

Year  Team   Lge    SB  CS   SB%             AVG   OBP    SLG    AB/HR    AB/K

1913   StL      AL      3     0    1.000            .150    .203    .183     -------    10.0

1917   Bos     NL      1     0    1.000            .197    .264    .273       66.0     13.2

1918   Bos     NL      0     0     ------            .333    .333    .333     --------   ------

Totals                       4     0    1.000            .178    .237    .233      129.0    11.7

Year    Team

DAMIEN COVINGTON                                                                  20 July 2010

DAMIEN COVINGTON. Ref: 5433. Born: Dec 1972 at Berlin NJ. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother: not

known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 29 Nov 2002 at Lindenwold NJ aged 29. American NFL Pro Football Linebacker. HT:

5 ft 11 ins, WT: 236 lbs. College: Overbrook, North Carolina State.  NFL Years: 3, Selected by Buffalo Bills in third

round (96th pick overall) of 1995 NFL draft. Signed by Bills (July 5, 1995).1995-1996 Games Played/Started: 9/2,

Career Games Played/Started: 21/3, Playoff Games Played/Started: 3/1. Residence: Raleigh, CA.

 

Damien was signed to provide depth at the linebacker position.  He has good speed and coverage skills, and plays as

 a back-up linebacker.

 

COVINGTON'S DEFENSIVE STATS

YEAR    CLUB    G/GS   TT    UT    AT  SACKS  QB   PRSINT   PD   FF    FR

 1995    Buffalo   13/1    25    10    15        0         0         0        0      0      0

 1996    Buffalo     9/2    46    22    24        0         2         0        4      0      0

TOTALS              21/3    71    32    39        0         2         0        4      0      0

ADDITIONAL  CAREER STATS: Special Teams Tackles:.Total­20 (1996-5 UTs, 3 ATs on KO and 1 UT, 1 AT on

punt; 1995-4 UTs, 5 ATs on KO and 1 AT on punt).

 

COVINGTON'S PLAYOFF STATS

YEAR   GAME   G/GS  TT   UT   AT   SACKS   QB   PR.INT   PD   FF    FR

1995     MIAMI     1/0     1     1      0         0          0        0        0      0      0 

1995     @Pitts.   1/0     0     0      0         0          0        0        0      0      0 

1995     @Pitts.   1/1    12    6      6       1.0         0        0        0      0      0

 TOTALS             3/1     13    7      6       1.0         0        0        0      0      0

ADDITIONAL PLAYOFF STATS: Special Teams Tackles. , Total-1 (1 AT on KO @ Pit)

 

PRO: Aggressive LB who plays the game with enthusiasm and excitement. Has a knack for always being around the

ball which he displays both at LB and on special teams. Worked his way into the starting lineup  late in the '96

season. Was Buffalo¹s 3-B selection (96th overall) in the 1995 draft.

 

1996: Was inactive for the first 5 games of the regular season. In his first game of the season he had a crushing tackle

on opening kickoff vs. Miami (10/13). Recorded his first defensive tackles of the season at New England. (10/27).

Was inactive for the 10th and 11th games of the year. Had a solid game at Indy (12/1) when he registered 3 TTs, 2 QB

pressures and one PD. Made a fantastic play at Seattle (12/8) when he hit RB on screen pass to break up pass and

nearly caused INT. Played his way into the starting lineup for his first start of the season at Miami (12/16) and nearly

 intercepted his first pass on a tipped ball. Recorded 13 tackles in each of the season¹s last two regular season games,

started his first and appeared in his third career postseason game in Wildcard vs. Jacksonville (12/28). Recorded his

first career sack on blitz up the middle in the first quarter vs. Jaguars. Finished second on the team with 12 TTs vs.

Jags.

 

1995: Saw reserve duty and played on special teams in his first NFL game at Denver (9/3). Was inactive for the next

three games of the season. Recorded his first professional defensive tackle at New England (10/23). Made a ferocious

hit on kickoff coverage at Indy (11/5). Played majority of Atlanta game (11/12) at ILB for an injured Cornelius

Bennett. Started his first career game and led the team with a career-high 13 tackles vs. Houston (12/24). Saw action

on special teams in both playoff games.

COLLEGE/PERSONAL: was the mainstay of the Wolfpack defense for 3 seasons. Holds the school's all-time record

with 457 tackles. All-ACC first-team pick in '94. Defensive Player of the Game after recording 6 solo hits in the

Peach Bowl his senior season. All-ACC first-team pick after leading his team and ranking 3rd in the conference with

133 tackles. Earned sophomore All-American 3rd team from Football News in '92 after ranking second in ACC with

149 tackles in '92. Earned his 1st career start vs North Carolina and recorded 16 tackles in '92. Was selected as ACC

Defensive Lineman of the Week as he posted a career-high 23 tackles and retur ned an INT 27 yards for a TD in the

win over Duke in 1992. Played in 10 games as a valuable reserve in his freshman season of '91. Performed on the

Wolfpack wrestling team. Member of the '92 squad that finished 9th in the NCAA Championship. Was an All-

American HM selection at Overbrook (Berlin, NJ) High where he led his team to the Group III state title as a senior.

Won NJ Wrestler of the Year honors from the Philadelphia Inquirer, posting a 36-0 record with 29 pins in the 189-

pound class. Also chosen as the Outstanding Wrestler of the state meet, earning All-American honors. Majored in

Humanities and Social Studies.

 

"Bills' Covington back strong after career-threatening injury" - Copyright © 1998 Associated Press

 

FREDONIA, N.Y. (Jul 28, 1998 - 15:40 EDT) -- When Damien Covington tore a nerve in his knee eight months ago,

he wasn't supposed to be able to walk normally again, much less play football.

 

Despite the fact that his name is not in the Buffalo Bills media guide or on the training-camp roster, Covington takes

the field each day with the goal of earning his starting job back.

 

The Bills advised Covington to retire after he injured himself in a non-contact practice drill Oct. 30. Buffalo let the

25-year-old become a free agent in February, one month before he was to undergo surgery.

 

"The overall consensus was that if he had to have the operation ... it would only help him slightly and that he would

have trouble walking," Buffalo coach Wade Phillips said Tuesday. "The operation was supposed to help him be able

to walk the rest of his life, not play football. But he's proving that wrong."

 

Covington's rapid recovery from the surgery had a half-dozen teams interested in his services, including the

defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, but the fourth-year pro decided to re-sign with the Bills last week.

 

 

"The recovery went so well and I feel like I am 100 percent now," Covington said after practicing Tuesday. "I came

back here because these guys knew me well and if I did have any holdups, they were willing to work with me."

 

After playing sparingly his first two seasons, Covington had a breakthrough first half of the season in 1997 and was

tied for the team lead with 97 tackles when his foot jammed into the turf and he had to be carried off the field on a

stretcher.

 

Covington was coming off his best game -- when he had 20 solo tackles and four assists in a 23-20 overtime loss to

Denver. Just four games earlier, he had 22 tackles in a victory over Indianapolis.

 

With the announcement last week that Buffalo starting linebacker Chris Spielman will sit out this season to help his

wife fight breast cancer, Covington's road to reclaiming his old spot got a little easier.

 

"I'm not going try and replace Chris," Covington said. "I'm just going to play my type of football. It just so happens

that I play Chris Spielman-type football."

 

Covington will have to beat out fellow 1995 draft pick and projected starter John Holecek and rookie second-

rounder Sam Cowart. Holecek started the final eight games in Covington's place and Cowart has looked sharp early

in training camp.

 

"Damien's looked good so far and I can't see any noticeable difference from when he was playing last year," said

Phillips. "He seems to be doing the same things in practice and I just want to get him into game situations and see if

he can do the same things he did before."

 

By JEFF GOODMAN, Associated Press Writer

 

"Ex-Bills LB Covington shot to death"

 

Damien Covington, a former linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, was shot to death by robbers Friday night during a party

 at an apartment.

 

Covington tried to fight off an assailant before being shot several times, Bill Shralow, a spokesman for the Camden

County Prosecutor's Office, said Saturday.

 

Investigators believe the gunmen were "looking for something of value inside the apartment. They're not sure what,"

Shralow told the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill.

 

Covington, 29, died at the scene. He did not live at the apartment, Shralow said.

 

Gunmen also shot at a second person at the party, but the bullets missed. The suspects fled and police have not

released descriptions.

 

Covington, a star linebacker in the early '90s at North Carolina State, spent the 1995 and 1996 seasons with the

Bills. His career was cut short in 1997 by a knee injury.

 

Covington was an All South Jersey sports star at Overbrook High School. He recently returned to his home state

from Maryland.

 

"Covington remembered for hard work and talent "

 

By WALT BURROWS

Courier-Post Staff

 

Gary Worthington remembers Damien Covington as a person who earned everything he got through hard work.

``Nothing was given to Damien,'' said Worthington, who graduated from Overbrook High School in 1987 and is

now the wrestling coach at Eastern.

 

``He worked hard and transferred it into success," Worthington said. "It's unbelievable that something like this

should happen to such a young person.''

 

Covington was shot and killed in a fight with armed robbers at the Coachman Manor Apartments in Lindenwold late

Friday night, officials said.

 

A 1991 Overbrook graduate, Covington earned All-South Jersey honors in football and wrestling. He was a state

champion in wrestling at 189 pounds his senior year, finishing with a career record of 82-7.

 

Covington was also a two-way starter in football at Overbrook after transferring from sister school Edgewood ( now

Winslow Township) after his junior year. He was a running back and linebacker, averaging 18 tackles per game - 11

solos and seven assists - and recording four interceptions in his senior year.

 

"He was an extremely talented athlete," said Paul Mauriello, who was head wrestling coach and an assistant football

coach at Overbrook when Covington participated in both sports there. "He was very gifted and very coachable. He

had a lot of natural talent.

 

"For all of us who dealt with him at Overbrook, he showed us all the respect in the world. This is a very sad moment."

 

 

``What a player,'' said Washington Township head football coach Tom Brown. ``We played Overbrook his senior year

 and he tore us to pieces. What a fantastic player. A nice kid, a gentleman and a decent student. I know I'll never

forget that day.''

 

One of Covington's biggest achievements came in winning his state wrestling championship in 1991. He beat Ocean

 City's Pat Lynch twice that year, once in the regionals and again in the finals. Lynch had entered the 1991

competition as a two-time state champion.

 

A Towson University graduate, Worthington, the Eastern coach, was also a standout football player and wrestler at

Overbrook. He often helped Covington prepare for his battles with Lynch.

 

``I was helping out like an alumnus usually does and I spent most of the time with Damien preparing him for Lynch,''

Worthington said. ``I told him I was Pat Lynch, come beat me.

 

``Damien was a hard-working, extraordinary kid," Worthington said. "He was a role model for his young brother

Kipp, who became a very successful wrestler in his own right."

 

Then it was on to North Carolina State, where Covington played as a true freshman. He finished his four-year career

with 457 tackles, a school record at the time.

 

In his senior year, Covington led the Wolfpack to a 9-3 record and a victory over Mississippi State in the Peach

Bowl.

 

He became an avid fisherman in his playing days at Raleigh.

 

``He used to fish for trout behind the university grounds and once took his fishing pole on a trip to Clemson,'' Bill

Woodward of the Raleigh News & Observer said. ``You can be sure he made more tackles than he caught fish.''

 

Covington was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 1995 NFL draft. He was their fourth pick in the

draft and was 96th overall.

 

``He came to the Bills in 1995,'' said Milt Northrup, a columnist for the Buffalo News. ``He did get a good shot the last

 two games of the 1996 season when the Bills were hit with a lot of injuries.

 

``Damien had double-digit tackles in those two games and then was a starter in 1997. He was a pretty productive

player for a little guy. He once got into a skirmish with a 300-pound lineman and slammed him to the ground.''

 

``He was a good, young kid. It's really a shame,'' said Dennis Lynch, a Glassboro native who is now the director of

archives for the Buffalo Bills. ``He was a promising young player when we had him in Buffalo.

 

`'We were both from South Jersey and we kidded around a little bit about that. He never really reached his potential

in professional football after a really good college career. He never really got that full shot because of the knee

injury.''

 

Covington's NFL career ended in 1997 when he damaged a nerve in his left knee during practice and never played

another game.

 

Slain athlete's strength remembered

By Frank Kummer

Inquirer Staff Writer

 

WINSLOW TOWNSHIP - Damien Covington, who was so mighty in his family's eyes that some called him

Superman, would have celebrated his 30th birthday on Wednesday.

 

Instead, relatives and friends will spend the day at his parents' white rancher in West Atco, preparing a funeral for the

 local football legend, who was gunned down Friday at an apartment in Lindenwold.

 

"I don't really understand it all," said Covington's brother John Jr., 27, of New York, who began calling his brother

Superman as a child. "Him being who he is, as tough as he is, he just could not get up from those shots."

 

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating the shooting, had not released the names of any

suspects as of last night.

 

Covington was visiting friends at the Coachman Manor Apartments when two men forced their way inside.

Covington struggled with one of the men and was shot, authorities said.

 

The assailants appeared to be searching for "something of value," according to the Prosecutor's Office.

 

Family members, working with the Greenidge Funeral Home in Atlantic City yesterday, were planning a viewing and

 services to begin Thursday morning at the Greater Mount Carmel Church of God in Christ in West Berlin. Details

had not been worked out.

 

Covington's brother and mother yesterday spoke fondly of the 230-pound former Buffalo Bills linebacker, who stood

5-foot-11 - small for the NFL but gigantic in his family's eyes.

 

At North Carolina State University, Covington set a school record with 457 career tackles. He was drafted into the

NFL in 1995.

 

The professional career of the former state champion wrestler and football player from Overbrook High School in Pine

 Hill was cut short in 1997 when he crushed the peroneal nerve just below his left knee.

 

He retained his solid build, but lifting his leg in certain ways was difficult. Sometimes he would falter while walking

 up stairs.

 

He was living mostly on disability benefits provided by the NFL, his family said.

 

According to family members, Covington had been a star athlete most of his life and had some difficulty accepting the

end of his career.

 

Yet he was rebounding.

 

"I think he was ready to propose to his girlfriend," Covington's mother, Sharon Baylock-Covington, said as family

and friends visited her Ninth Avenue home by the dozen. "He was ready to start a new life."

 

She described her son as an "easygoing, low-key person."

 

He was living in Maryland with his girlfriend, Cashandra Henderson, the mother of his two youngest boys,

Nicholas, 4, and Cassius, 22 months.

 

Kesha Harris is the mother of his son Damien Jr., 7.

 

Covington had traveled to South Jersey for Thanksgiving to see his mother and father, John Covington Sr., and

DAN COVENTON                                                                             20 July 2010

DAN COVENTON. Ref: 7721. Born: around 1957 at U.S.A.. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother: not known,

Mother Ref: 0.   Mar: during 1978 at Honduras to Mary Lu 7802. We left Tulsa, Oklahoma in August of 1974 to

study Spanish at King's Way Missionary Institute, a language school in McAllen, Texas, as a response to God's call

on our lives to serve in missions in Latin America. In February 1976, we arrived in Honduras, Central America.

 

From the beginning, God clearly directed us that our mission was not to start new churches, but rather He was

calling us to help strengthen already established churches. We have been fulfilling that call ever since; serving first

in San Pedro Sula and then in Gualaco, Olancho.

 

In 1982 we began working with Amor Viviente, a growing group of churches in Honduras. For twelve years we

worked in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras, where we played an active part in the integral growth of the

Tegucigalpa congregation, not only in the main areas of our ministry, but also participating at different times in other

ministries wherever God opened a door for service (home groups, intercessory prayer, Bible teaching, counseling,

etc.). We have seen the church grow from 400 to more than 4000 believers and we have trained leaders to continue

with our local work. The church in Tegucigalpa has nearly 500 home groups throughout the city. Most new

believers are added to the church through home group evangelism; home groups being the back bone of church

growth in all the Amor Viviente congregations.

 

In 1982 we established the first Christian Print Shop in Honduras which has grown into the Interdenominational

Christian Education Center (ICEC), providing audio, video and printed teaching materials to churches throughout

the country.

 

During our annual week of prayer and fasting in January 1988, the Lord spoke to us about starting a Christian Radio

Station in Tegucigalpa. For the next several months we worked and prayed to make this vision a reality. In early

1989 I left my work with the ICEC in the hands of people I had trained and moved full-time into the position of

Technical Director of our Radio station where I continued preparations for getting on-the-air.

 

In June 1989 we took a step of faith by purchasing our equipment and in September our radio station license received

 approval. After remodeling the studios and installing the equipment, we went on-the-air December 22, 1989.

Difusora Cristiana de Radio (DCR) 940 kHz AM, is a Christian station that reaches the one million people of

Tegucigalpa with the good news of Jesus Christ.

 

Part of our vision was to establish stations in major cities of Honduras. In late 1992, two more stations were added:

FM 103 in Tegucigalpa and 1520 AM in San Pedro Sula, the second largest city in Honduras. In February 1994 our

newest station, FM 104 signed on in the coastal city of La Ceiba. I am the Technical Director of what is now known

as "Sistema DCR", four Christian radio stations with well over two million people in our listening area. It is

important to note that, though I did all the planning and installation of these stations, the Amor Viviente churches in

 Honduras financed them without outside help.

DEAN PHILIP STANHOPE COVINGTON                                 20 July 2010

DEAN PHILIP STANHOPE COVINGTON. Ref: 16894. Born: 28 Nov 1912 at Moultrie GA. Father: not known,

Father Ref: 0. Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: during 1988 at Georgia GA aged 75. Full name Dean Philip

Stanhope Sheffield Covington. Known as Dean or Philip or Phil.

 

Born in Moultrie, Georgia, Dean Covington graduated from Emory University in 1934 and embarked upon the study

of law.  He practiced law for three years in Georgia before deciding to pursue teaching and graduate study in English.

  After he earned a master’s degree in English at Duke University, he taught in Florida and in Charleston, SC before

becoming associate professor of English at Wofford in 1947.

 

Three years later, he took on the thankless job of dean of students, and in 1953, new president Pendleton Gaines

named him dean of the college.  When President Gaines resigned abruptly in 1957, the trustees turned to Dean

Covington, naming him acting president until they could bring Dr. Charles Marsh to campus in 1958.  As chief

academic officer from 1953 to 1969, Phil Covington hired a generation of faculty members, all of whom are now

retired.  He had a particular knack for picking professors, and most famously, hired geologist John Harrington after

sitting next to him on an airplane.

 

Phil Covington was more than an administrator and teacher, he was a lover of tradition, skillful in the use of words,

and by all accounts, a clever and engaging member of the community.  Though he respected tradition and later in life

said he wanted nothing about Wofford to change, he could poke fun at tradition and never took himself or his office

too seriously.  The stories of him are numerous and humorous, and according to Dr. Lewis Jones “not more than a

third of them are apocryphal.”  One of my favorites is the oft-repeated tale of how he was asked how he determined

faculty salaries, and after staring out the window for a moment, he replied that he observed the flights of birds. 

Another favorite is the story about low enrollment in one particular department – he was overheard to say, as he

looked out his office window, “I wonder what Dan Olds and his physics student are doing today.”   Most of those

stories, unfortunately, were never written down.

 

He created a few euphemisms that remain with us today.  “The Wofford Way” is attributed to him.  He meant it not

entirely as a compliment.  He meant it in sort of an English way of “muddling through.”  His founder’s day addresses

 were the stuff of legend.  He once gave a talk about Benjamin Wofford’s bones.  A Shakespearean scholar, naturally

he chose Mark Antony’s funeral oration in Julius Caesar as his text.  (Keep an eye out, in a few weeks I’ll post the

talk on Founder’s Day this year.)  Despite poking fun at Old Ben every now and then, he had a great respect for the

college’s founder, saying that his “very action in founding this college was a profession of faith in the eternal

verities.”

 

At Dean Covington’s funeral in 1988, Dr. Lewis Jones quoted a 1951 Old Gold and Black story that began, “’On

November 28, 1912, the population of Moultrie, Georgia was increased, for better or worse, by one.’  We know

now—it was for better.”

DENNIS COVINGTON                                                                    20 July 2010

DENNIS COVINGTON. Ref: 5831. Born: 30 Oct 1948 at Birmingham AL. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother:

not known, Mother Ref: 0.   Mar: around 1990 at U.S.A. to Vicki 5814. Author. He studied fiction writing, and

earned a BA degree from the University of Virginia. He served in the US Army. He earned an MFA in the early 1970s,

from the Iowa Writers' Workshop studying under Raymond Carver. He taught English at the College of Wooster. He

married his second wife, writer Vicki Covington, in 1977. The couple returned to Birmingham the following year, and

 he began teaching at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

 

In 1983, Dennis Covington went to El Salvador as a freelance journalist. In 2003, he became Professor of Creative

Writing at Texas Tech University. In 2005, he was a judge for the National Book Awards.

 

Works include: Lasso the Moon (New York 1991 - Lizard, Delacorte Press), Salvation on Sand Mountain (snake

handling and redemption in Southern Appalachia) - (Reading, Mass 1995 - Addison Wesley) also Cleaving: the

story of a marriage (New York 1999 - North Point Press) co-written with wife Vicki.

 

SYNOPSIS OF "Lizard" PLAY

 

The story revolves around the life of a thirteen-year-old boy named Lucius Sims from De Ridder, Louisiana. Lucius

suffers form several deformities including an Illness, which cause his eyes to be more on the sides of his head than

normal. He is sent to a state school for retarded boys because his guardian, Miss Cooley, does not know how a child

with such severe physical disabilities can function in a normal environment. While at the school, he is given the

nickname "Lizard" due to his awkward appearance. Lizard escapes the school with a couple of actors who are

traveling to Birmingham, Alabama to perform The Tempest. He joins the actors on their journey and decides to take

the role of Caliban in the production. Through his work on the play, Lizard proves his capacity to learn, understand,

perform, and empathize with one of Shakespeare's greatest Characters. This type of amazing discovery is indicative of

the energetic teenage boy living inside a twisted body.

 

DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS

 

Lizard is a very unique play on many levels. The tie to Shakespeare, and particularly the character of Caliban in The

Tempest, is Covington's ingenious device to show us that being different is literally in the eyes of the beholder.

While this is a touching play, it is also a comic throughout and yet it deals with some very serious issues such as

alcoholism, racism, civil rights, and those magical days of yesteryear-the seventies. It is a must see for audiences

young and old.

 

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT:

 

Alabama Author Dennis Covington's award -winning young adult novel, LIZARD, was adapted for production at

the Alabama Shakespeare Festival as part of the Southern Writers' Project in 1994. Last year, the ASF production of

LIZARD was selected to perform at the Olympic Arts Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Since that time, Covington won

the Barrie Stavis Playwriting Award for Best New Play of the Year (Lizard) at the National Theatre Conference in

New York City.

 

His latest book entitled SALVATION ON SAND MOUNTAIN was among the finalists for the prestigious National

Book Award for 1995. In addition, Covington has published another young adult novel, LASSO THE MOON,

which was published in 1995. Currently, he directs the creative writing program at the University of Alabama at

Birmingham and works as a journalist, writing about the South for the New York Times. Covington is married to

novelist Vicki Covington, and the two have plans to publish two new works in the near future. The SITP/TWU

production of LIZARD will mark the Texas premiere of the play.

 

INTERVIEW WITH Brett Grainger and Rose Marie Berger

 

Did you ever get bored in church as a kid? Did you hide comic books or crossword puzzles in your Bible case to

combat the boredom of a stale sermon? Well, they don’t have that problem at the church Dennis Covington used to

go to.

 

While writing his book Salvation on Sand Mountain (Viking-Penguin, 1996; see review in March-April 1996),

Dennis Covington attended a church where members of the congregation drink strychnine from mason jars and

handle poisonous snakes.

 

In person, Covington does not come across as the sort of guy who would handle lethal objects by choice. But he’s

no stranger to danger. Covington made 12 trips to El Salvador as a journalist, often working amid intense crossfire

during the war. Now back in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, the soft-spoken college instructor and author is

 one of the most exciting new voices in Southern writing. His prose is lyrical, compassionate, and full of the

musicality that defines Southern speech and experience.

 

Covington is currently busy at work on two new projects. With his wife, Vicki, he is co-writing a book describing

their well- drilling trip to Belize this summer. Dennis is also working on a new book for Viking-Penguin.

 

While on tour promoting Salvation on Sand Mountain (which was a finalist for the National Book Award),

Covington took time out from his hectic schedule to speak with us about writing, faith, and worship after snake-

handling. Staff members Brett Grainger and Rose Marie Berger interviewed Covington in the back room of a

Washington, D.C. bookstore in April. —The Editors

 

Brett Grainger: You have a wonderful ear for language. While reading Salvation on Sand Mountain, I recited much of

it aloud to a friend. I was struck that it sounded as if it had been written to be read aloud. Was this intentional on

your part? If so, do you think there is any conscious link between this style of writing and the content or theme of

your story?

 

Dennis Covington: I think there is. I found myself writing sometimes in the cadences I heard in the snake-handling

churches. The preaching is so musical and rhythmic and poetic. I think I patterned my own style after that…and after

the language of the New Testament.

 

I was reading the New Testament while I was writing the book—it was the only thing I was reading. I had never read

 it before. Even though I had been raised in the church, I had never just read the New Testament. It was a revelation

for me.

 

Grainger: So you feel that reading the New Testament at the same time influenced the style of the book?

 

Covington: I think so. Some of the musicality of the text transferred to the book. I can’t read the Bible in other

translations [than the King James Version] now. I’m aware of the missing element. And, of course, the handlers

won’t…nothing else is the Bible.

 

Grainger: In your book you write, “At the heart of the impulse to tell stories is a mystery so profound that even as I

begin to speak of it, the hairs on the back of my hand are starting to stand on end.” What, for you, is at the center of

this mystery, this deep human impulse to tell stories?

 

Covington: That is how the gospel came to us—in the form of a story—and I don’t know why. Why did God choose

that as the means? Stories make sense of our experience, clearly.

 

In that passage I was talking about the writer’s uncanny ability to see the past, present, and future at the same time.

For God that’s no problem; it all is the same, you know: The past is here and now, as is the present. Artists simply

tap into something of a spiritual nature when we write a story and, unknown to us sometimes, we’re also tapping

into the past and the future.

 

Grainger: In the May-June 1996 issue of Sojourners, we focused specifically on the relationship between religious

faith and creativity. What is the connection for you between your faith and your vocation as a writer?

 

Covington: I’ve thought a lot about that, but I don’t know whether I can articulate my thoughts. Madeleine

L’Engle has a wonderful book called Walking on Water about this, and I am probably plagiarizing her when I say

that we are called—as artists, as writers—to do an impossible thing; we’re called to step out on the water and walk

on it. This requires a surrendering of self. It requires listening to the work. Most of all, it requires faith that the one

who began this good thing in us is going to bring it to completion.

 

Writers are here for a purpose—to write. When we’re not writing, we’re in trouble. When we are writing, we are

fulfilling a higher obligation.

 

Grainger: I’m interested in the connection you draw between your experience as a journalist in Latin America and

your time among the snake handlers. In both situations a people historically oppressed, a people familiar with

intense poverty and suffering, rely on their religious faith as a means to transform their suffering.

 

Do you feel it is a common source or common well that people can tap into in these situations? It’s interesting that

you write that they started handling snakes only when they came down from the mountain, when they encountered

the dominant culture.

 

Covington: I’m glad you got that. A lot of people don’t understand what I was driving at there: Running smack up

against a culture that seems to have lost its sense of the sacred causes spiritual people to reach deep inside

themselves and their faith to find something that is actually of lasting and permanent value.

 

Way back in the hills, they don’t handle the snakes. It’s on that border; it’s when they come down. And many of the

people in the snake-handling churches are actually more “worldly,” having adapted to some of the cultural forms.

They have VCRs and cars; they like to watch themselves on television.

 

But there’s nothing that will keep somebody at bay any better than a rattlesnake. If you hold up a rattlesnake, you’re

 ensured that you’re going to be insulated from that, whatever it is.

 

Grainger: How do you worship now?

 

Covington: While I was hanging out with the handlers, I continued to go to my own church in Birmingham a lot. I

was frustrated because I wanted to shout “Amen” and “Praise God,” and stick my hands up and carry on. I couldn’t

understand why we didn’t just let go. Now that I’m back there more or less on a permanent basis, I’m kind of

reconciled to that form of worship.

 

The only thing we do in the Baptist Church that’s anything remotely like what the snake handlers do is to lay on

hands during the ordination of deacons. I was ordained a deacon about a month ago in my church, and that was as

powerful and moving as anything that happened to me with the handlers. When my father-in-law, a lifetime deacon

who now has Parkinson’s disease, came down to lay hands on me—a very difficult ordeal for him—I felt those

shaking hands on my head as he whispered in my ear. The sky took off.

 

People say, “Why snakes? I mean, why? Why would Jesus make a reference to that?” My answer, if I’m in a

gathering or reading is, “Look at this. Why are you here?” I mean, you didn’t come just to hear me talk about my

beliefs, you came to hear about the snakes.

 

Rose Berger: Somehow frog handlers just wouldn’t have the same appeal.

 

Covington: Right, although my children have done that. They’ve had some frog-handling services in the

neighborhood!

 

Grainger: You describe at one point a memory when your uncle, a minister, committed suicide, and you draw a

parallel between that memory and the snake handler’s continual flirtation with death or, as some would say, with

suicide. You write, “My uncle’s death confirmed a suspicion of mine that madness and religion were a hair’s breadth

 apart. My beliefs about the nature of God and man have changed over the years, but that one never has. Feeling after

God is dangerous business. And Christianity without passion, danger, and mystery may not really be Christianity at

 all.”

 

How do you reconcile this belief with your split from the handlers at the end of the book, when you write, “I refuse

to be a witness to suicide, particularly my own”? Is there still enough “passion, danger, and mystery” for you in

Christianity without snake handling?

 

Covington: I hope so. Yes, there’s got to be.

 

In retrospect, I have a double mind about snake handling. On the one hand, I believe that these handlers are the

believers that Jesus was talking about in Mark 16. He said that believers would take up serpents in his

name—they’re the ones. The scripture is not lying; it’s the truth. I admire their faith.

 

But on the other hand, I’m really disturbed by the idea of somebody dying of a snakebite during a worship service. I

cannot reconcile those two minds. I didn’t know that I wouldn’t take up serpents again until I wrote that line in the

book. Once I wrote it I knew I was going to have to stand by it because of my children and family.

 

But missionaries who go into places that haven’t yet heard the gospel are putting everything on the line. In general,

our culture—even non-believers—recognize the seriousness and importance of that, even though they may not

believe the gospel.

 

I think of the handlers as missionaries. They’re clearly demonstrating signs, and the signs are intended for non-

believers. But right now, I’m more interested in the fruit of the spirit than in the gifts of the spirit.

 

Grainger: How would you describe the “fruits of the spirit”?

 

Covington: The ones Paul lists. I can’t quote them verbatim, but love, joy, compassion, temperance, long-suffering—

those kind of characteristics of Christian demeanor. I think my best shot at achieving this is through service. Most

people concluded that a long time ago, but I had to take up serpents before I saw other ways to reach spiritual

ecstasy. The entry into ecstasy is abnegation—denial of the self—and service to others is a way to do that.

 

In particular, what I’m interested in is well-drilling in places in the world that don’t have clean water—I’ve gotten

obsessed with that. Vicki, my wife, and I were praying about it. After we prayed, Vicki said, “You know now, don’t

you, that if you continue to pray, people are going to come along with answers for you about this.” This was right

before the quarter started last fall.

 

I taught my first class. As I walked outside onto the terrace, somebody was drilling a water well right there in front of

 me. I’ve been teaching 20 years, and I’ve never seen anybody drilling a water well. So I raced down there—they

must have thought I was crazy—and said, “What are you doing? What are you doing?” They said, “We’re drilling a

 water well.” I said, “Why? What could have brought you here?” Well, they’re from the geology department, and

one guy said, “I teach hydrogeology over here at the university, and it’s fine if you want to come sit in.” So I started

sitting in on his hydrogeology courses.

 

Then, Vicki was giving a reading down at Auburn University. I went along because a company nearby makes water

drilling equipment. I told the history professor who invited Vicki that I was going to run over to the plant. He said,

“Some members of our church have been involved in a well ministry. Let me give one of them a call.”

 

So I got on the phone with him, and I asked him what kind of equipment he used. He said, “It’s the same kind of

equipment that company makes. And furthermore, it’s sitting here in my backyard. You can have it.” So I’ve got this

water well drilling equipment in my garage right now.

 

It’s living water. That’s the idea.

 

Editorial Reviews

 

Amazon.com

One doesn't know whether to admire Vicki and Dennis Covington for writing Cleaving or to shudder and hide one's

head in the sand. Written in alternating voices, this tag-team memoir draws a thorough portrait of one marriage,

complete with decades' worth of adultery, drugs, alcoholism, abortion, and sin. In the Covingtons' case, these

bohemian carryings-on come mixed with a goodly portion of old-time religion. After going sober, the couple settled

down to raising daughters, attending church, doing good works, and writing books (they claim 7 between them,

including Dennis's thoughtful Salvation on Sand Mountain, a finalist for the National Book Award). They even

spearheaded a church mission to drill wells in Central America, a project which here yields not only life-giving

water but also a rich flood of marital metaphor.

 

Yet their problems didn't go away. Charged with writing an inspirational book about marriage, the Covingtons

found their own union once again in serious disarray. Rather than making themselves look good, they chose to tell

the absolute truth about what had passed between them, and in the process they created this unusual memoir, an

unflinching look at the forces that bind a couple together as well as those that rend them apart. After all, as Vicki

points out, the word cleave--taken from the Biblical injunction for a man to leave his mother and father--can mean

either to cling to or to divide, "as by a cutting blow." In their case, it meant both: "Love plays us like an accordion.

Together, apart, together, apart…" People talk about honesty as if that were a literary virtue in itself. It's not, of

course, but this excruciatingly honest memoir has many virtues of its own, including some lovely, unfussy writing

and a steadfast refusal to look away when that would be the easiest thing to do. Whether all this spiritual soul-

baring makes you feel compassionate or just queasy is, however, a matter of taste. --Mary Park --This text refers to an

out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

 

From Publishers Weekly

Collaborating for the first time, journalist Dennis Covington (Salvation on Sand Mountain) and his novelist wife,

Vicki Covington (The Last Hotel for Women), attempt to address the dangers and joys of matrimonial life. In a "he

said, she said" format, they write of having been childhood acquaintances before marrying in their rocky, alcoholic

20s; of trying to shield their children from their marital indiscretions; and of becoming spiritually impassioned

volunteer diggers of wells in Central America. Both spouses write with simple grace, providing evocative details

that sum up their experiences. But while some passages are remarkably insightful about the institution of marriage,

much of the book is dedicated to their individual hand-wringing over the consequences of their affairs in what they

had agreed would be an open relationship. In a particularly forced analogy, Vicki writes that "marriage is like a rain

forest. It is in the understory that we struggle, fight and conceive."

 

In the Covington marriage, it seems, it's always monsoon season. The couple triumphs over alcoholism and

infertility, but the writing of each projects an edge of narcissism and selfishness, with blame easily assigned and

credit only grudgingly granted. Later, when the Covingtons yearn for spiritual enlightenment, they take up well

EDWARD COVINGTON                                                                 20 July 2010

EDWARD COVINGTON. Ref: 14421. Born: during 1973 at U.S.A. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother: not

known, Mother Ref: 0. Fox Tampa Reports "Arrest in Lutz triple murder", Updated: Thursday, 15 May 2008, 2:01 PM

EDT, Published : Thursday, 15 May 2008, 2:01 PM EDT

 

Tampa - Deputies have made an arrest in connection with a gruesome triple murder in Lutz FL

 

35-year-old Edward Covington is charged with three counts of first degree murder, three counts of abuse of dead

human bodies, one count of cruelty to animals, and one count of violating probation.

 

He is charged with the murders of Lisa Freiberg and her two children, 7-year-old Zachary and 2-year-old Heather

Savannah. Their bodies were discovered inside their mobile home on Mobile Villa Drive in Lutz on Monday.

 

Hillsborough Chief Deputy Jose Docobo said there was a substantial amount of physical evidence linking

Covington to the three deaths. Docobo also said Covington admitted his involvement in the murders.

 

'Absolutely horrific' crime scene - Investigators said the three victims were mutilated and dismembered.  Sheriff David

 Gee said that at least one of the victims was decapitated. Docobo also said the crime scene was among the most

horrific scenes he and many other investigators had ever seen. "It has been very, very difficult for investigators and

everyone involved. It's absolutely horrific to have top deal with this type of crime," Docobo said.

Docobo said the murders occurred Sunday morning. Covington stayed in the house until Monday when deputies

found him hiding in the house.

 

The family's dog was also found dead inside the home.  The sheriff said more than one weapon was used in the murder.

 

Covington's arrest report showed that he tested positive for cocaine.

 

Victim's parents were worried - In a brief conversation with FOX 13 Wednesday, Freiberg's parents described her as

"a loving person," saying "she gave her heart; she gave her life."

Lisa's mom Barbara and dad Keith also indicated they wondered about their daughter's new boyfriend -- the man

deputies found hiding in a closet just steps away from three mutilated, dismembered, and decapitated bodies.

 

The Freibergs said they looked online for information about Edward Covington, digging as deep as a private

investigator would. "We did everything we could," they said.

 

Suspect is former prison guard - Covington is the son of an officer who worked in Florida law enforcement for more

than ten years himself. Covington is a former prison guard.

Detectives say he choked, beat, stabbed, dismembered and mutilated Frieburg, and both of her children the morning of

 Mother's Day.

 

Then he hid in their closet until deputies found him the following day. Detectives say he went on and on about how

he did it, but wouldn't say why he did it.

 

He did say he sold his motorcycle for some crack the week before, and he tested positive for cocaine the day after the

murders. His family said he was bi-polar, and a bay area doctor said he had called her to join a study on bi-polar

illness. He had been baker-acted for mutilating his cats, but never prosecuted. Attorneys say that's not unusual. They

 say back then he needed therapy more than prison. "Quite frankly the problem is more than killing cats. He didn't get

 help when he needed it," said Stephen Crawford, a local defense attorney.

FREDERICK ERNEST COVINGTON                                         20 July 2010

FREDERICK ERNEST COVINGTON. Ref: 343. Born: 29 Oct 1912 at Thames Ditton. Father: Frederick, Father Ref:

334. Mother: Moore, Vivian B, Mother Ref: 4438.  Died: 3 Jul 1995 at Poole aged 82.  Mar: Oct-Dec 1939 at

Marylebone to Swithenbank, Sally D F 4606. 2nd Mar: April 1947 at Switzerland to name not known . 3rd Mar: 31

Aug 1951 at South Africa to Clarke, Cicely May 5042. Related to Harry Alfred Covington (see entry 458), uncle &

Cyril Tim Covington, cousin (see entry 197). Educated at Rockport, Craigavad, Co.Down, N.Ireland. Harrow &

Cambridge. Appears on lists of emigration by boat travelling from Liverpool to Canary Islands in 1922, Liverpool to

 Cape in South Africa in 1924, Avonmouth to Kingston in Jamaica in 1931 & from  Southampton to the Port

Elizabeth, Algoa Bay (1950) & Cape (1952) in South Africa.

 

Was captain of cricket at both Rockport and Harrow, also played a few games for Cambridge, where he was captain of

Eton Fives in 1935. In 1936, he played First Class Cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club, as an amateur in six

first-class matches including 83 on his debut against Warwickshire at Lord's, the highest score of the match. And

had a batting performance of 9 Inns, 2 not outs, 142 Runs, Average 20.29.

 

A left hand batsman & slow left arm authodox occasional bowler, he played at the same time as Allen, Hendren,

Compton, Hulme, Human, Robins, Gray, Sims, Peebles, Smith, Hart, Webster, Tindall & Butterworth. In 1937-38

toured Argentina with Brinkman's Team.

 

Also played a lot of squash. In 1924 started ski-ing in Switzerland

 

Joined Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in June 1941 as Ordinary Seaman (H.M.S. Ganges) shore-station. Oct 1941

H.M.S. Cumberland (cruiser) in Chatham and went to Scapa Flow, Iceland and Murmansk. Left March 1942 for

officer's course. Became Sub Lieut. And joined Tank Landing Craft L.C.T. 324 as 1st Lieut. At Beaulieu River, Hants

in July 1942, became C.O. five weeks later. Made Lieutenant in October 1942. Transferred with whole crew to Scapa

Flow to take on L.C.T. 359, Dec 1942. Left for Troon, March 1943 to take over L.C.T. 421; thence to Appledore,

Devon, en route for the Mediterranean, based in Malta. Landings incl. Sicily (Augusta), Reggio di Calabria, Vibo

Valencia, Salerno, Anzio, Elba, S.France (St Raphael). Then sailed to the Adriatic, based on Bari & Ancona. Mostly

ferried Tito Partisans in Yugoslavia up the coast, north of Zadar (Zara). Landed on Island of Rab in April 1945 and

spent the Summer of 1945 sailing between Ancona, Venice and Trieste. Left Mediterranean in Sept 1945 to become

Sea Transport Officer at Southampton, until demobbed in March 1946 having reached rank of Lieutenant/Captain

Tank Landing Craft. Awarded 1939-45 Star, Italy Star, War Medal 1939-45 and twice mentioned in despatches.

 

After leaving Cambridge he joined the stockbroker firm of his cousin, Cyril Tim Covington, Coni & Covington, 10

Throgmorton St., London E.C. until he left them in 1937. He then became a director of H. Covington & Sons,

Lightermen & Wharfingers, Cremorne Wharf, Chelsea.

 

The business was eventually sold to Redlands in 1957. His first wife was Swiss, she died 7/11/1949. He married

again in South Africa, where they lived until 1959. His hobbies include walking, gardening and ornithology. He

has also travelled extensively, visiting nearly all European countries, Central America, West Indies, South America,

Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia.

 

In 1990, he made his 38th trip to Switzerland. After WW2 he lived for 11 years in Cape Province, South Africa where

 he owned the Regal Cinema, Knysna, before returning to Devon in 1959. Has since lived 5 years in Tenerife, 7 years

in Guernsey, 7 years in Ringwood, Hants and in 1985 moved to his present address. In 1990, 3 Carlton Gate,

Balcombe Road, Poole, Dorset BH13 6DX. He writes; "You may be interested to know that I have a copy of the

American Covingtons written by William Slaughter Covington and printed in 1941.

 

He came to London in WW2 and met my cousin to whom he gave 2 or 3 copies, mine being no.187. He wrote a very

detailed account, including the original English names and different spellings etc. I was particularly interested as I

was the only Englishman then living, who was mentioned in his book, as being well known as a cricketer at the time

 of writing, although he did not actually know my initials"  (Wisdens Cricket Almanac) (History of Middlesex

County Cricket) (Personal correspondence February 1990)

GAVIN RICHARD COVINGTON                                                 20 July 2010

GAVIN RICHARD COVINGTON. Ref: 1559. Born: 22 Aug 1968 at Dunstable. Father: Alfred Henry, Father Ref:

1109. Mother: Williams, Janice Winifred, Mother Ref: 4769. Born at 14 Tarnside Close, Dunstable, Beds. In 2001

living at 30 Mardale avenue, Dunstable, Beds LU6 3PA and is employed as an engineer. Semi-professional footballer

 with Wycombe Wanderers in Vauxhall Conference League 1991-92. Regular position, left back. As at December 92

had played 7 first team games. Career details from then on not known, by early 1995 he was playing for Hitchin in the

 Diadora Premier League. Covington scored after 29 minutes of Hitchin's 3-2 victory against Purfleet on 14th

January 1995.

 

By early 1998 he was with Bedford Town.

 

Report of game Ryman League Division Two - Saturday 31st January 1998 - Bedford Town 2 Tooting & Mitcham 0

 

Manager Jimmy Bolton gave a debut to new signing Chris Dixon and Mark Quemina and Barry Ferdinand returned to

 the line up. Ferdinand nearly surprised home keeper Heeps with a long range shot in the first minute, and then a free

kick from Dave Cooper was deflected over his own bar by Dave Taylor. Jason Reed also had a couple of efforts for the

home side but he was well off target, and it was Tooting who created the best early chance when Andy Norman found

Ferdinand with some space in the area, but Ferdy skied his shot over the bar.

 

The home side forced several corners after twenty minutes, but the Tooting defence cleared without trouble, with

Gary Whelan looking commanding in the centre of defence. Play then became scrappy and there was a rash of

niggling fouls and bookings. During this period Matthias and Gleeson tried their luck with some long range shots

but they never looked like troubling Heeps.

 

With defences so much on top it looked certain that the first half would end goalless, but the home side fashioned a

goal out of nothing on 43 minutes. Full back Gavin Covington got past Tony Matthias wide on the left and was

allowed to run into the area where he crossed for Danny Nicholls to head home from the edge of the six yard box.

Bedford then nearly increased their lead when Paul Daniels headed across goal and Jason Slack just failed to get a

touch on the ball.

 

Tooting had a scare just after half time when Slack wriggled through the defence and poked the ball into the side

netting. On 53 minutes Andy Norman laid a ball back to Steve Shaw on the edge of the area, but he slightly miss-hit

his shot and it bobbled a few yards wide.

 

With Tooting making little impression on the solid Bedford defence, Jimmy Bolton made a double substitution on 60

 minutes, bringing himself and Conrad Kane on, and changing to a 4-4-2 formation. It nearly bore fruit immediately

when Ferdinand got clear on the right hand side of the area, but with several players unmarked he made a mess of his

cross.

 

The home side increased their lead on 66 minutes when a long ball over the top of the Tooting defence found Paul

Sherlock in space, and he lobbed Haakan Jensgard as he came off his line, and after this Tooting never threatened to

get back on terms.

 

Chris Dixon gave way to Barry Langford on 81 minutes, and in fact Dixon's performance was one of the few bright

spots of the afternoon as he showed some neat touches throughout. In the last few minutes, Jimmy Bolton had a

couple of wild shots and in the closing seconds Tooting were denied a consolation goal when Barry Ferdinand was

fouled by Ian Grove when through, and as Grove was the last defender he was sent off. The free kick on the edge of the

 area hit the Bedford wall, and that was it. Definitely a game to forget.

 

Tooting & Mitcham Line-up: Jensgard, Whelan, Gleeson, Taylor, Matthias, Fowler, Quemina, Shaw, Dixon,

Ferdinand, Norman. Subs : Bolton (Shaw 60), Kane (Taylor 60), Langford (Dixon 81)

 

Bedford Town: Heeps, Grove, Covington (G), Branch, Covington (P), Cooper, Sherlock, Nicholls, Reed, Slack,

GEORGE COVINGTON                                                                20 July 2010

GEORGE COVINGTON. Ref: 12450. Born: around 1865 at U.S.A.. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother: not

known, Mother Ref: 0. Jockey - won the Kentucky Derby riding MacBeth II on 14th May 1888.

GLORIA COVINGTON                                                                  20 July 2010

GLORIA COVINGTON. Ref: 14486. Born: around 1955 at U.S.A. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother: not

known, Mother Ref: 0. US singer who appeared in a Musical in 1979 at The Minskoff Theatre, New York entitled Got

 Tu Go Disco in which she was part of the singing ensemble. She later recorded album Moving On in 1980 on

Casablanca Records.

 

"80s groove material cut by Gloria Covington with kind of a sweet up-tempo modern soul style. 10 beats faster and

this stuff might be disco, but most of the tunes are done more in a two-step style that lets Gloria's vocals come up to

the front of the mix. We're not exactly sure that this is a good thing, though -- as her singing style kind of leaves us

cold. Titles include "How Can You", "Mountain Top", "All I Need", "Moving On", and "Time". (Cover has a promo

stamp on back.)"

GROVER COVINGTON                                                                 20 July 2010

GROVER COVINGTON. Ref: 6654. Born: 25 Mar 1956 at Monroe NC. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother:

not known, Mother Ref: 0. He was a Canadian Football League defensive end for the Hamilton Tigercats. He often led

 the league in quarterback sacks and was a division All-Star seven times. He won the Schenley Award for Most

Outstanding Defensive Player once and also lead the Tigercats to a Grey Cup victory in 1986. He finished his career

with 157 sacks, a CFL record.

 

He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2000 and in November, 2006, was voted one of the

CFL's Top 50 players (#28) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN. He was inducted along with

 former teammate Chet Grimsley in 1995 into the Johnson C Smith University Sports Hall Of Fame a member of the

C.I.A.A in Charlotte North Carolina.

 

 He currently lives in Surrey, British Columbia and owns a Floor Depot franchise in Abbotsford, British Columbia

 

Extract from Tiger Cats Website Oct 22 2004 -

Grover Covington, a native of Monroe, North Carolina, attended Johnson C. Smith University, then, was a free agent

signing by the Alouettes in May of 1981. In a pre-season trade, he went to Hamilton later that year.

 

“I knew about the tradition of defence and the term, steel-tough, so it was a lot different than Montreal,” he recalled.

“I fell in love with the city. The people welcomed me with open arms, accepted me like one of their sons. I have so

many friends in Hamilton and that will never change.”

 

In the mid 1980’s their names sounded like a law firm: Covington, Walker, Skillman, Price. The Hamilton front four

was ferocious, and was one big reason why the Tiger-Cats went to the Grey Cup three consecutive years. After a loss

to Winnipeg in 1984, and BC in 1985, Covington echoed what all of his teammates have said: the third time, they

weren’t going to be denied.

 

“In 1984, it seemed we were happy just to get to the Grey Cup,” the gentle giant said. “In 1985, we were upset

because we wanted the ring and you never knew when you’d be going back. In 1986, that team was so focused, it

was like we were in another world, and that showed in the play of our defence, especially. We totally dominated

Edmonton and I will never forget that game, or my teammates. I love them to death just because that was the first time I

 ever won a championship at any level.”

 

Covington still holds the CFL record for most career regular season sacks, 157. Those numbers were so impressive,

that he was elected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on February 22, 2000. On October 15 of this year, his

name was added to the Wall of Honour at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

 

“Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think this would happen” Covington admitted.

 

“When I first came to the CFL, I just wanted to make the team. From not playing football till Grade 11, to the Hall of

Fame, and now, seeing my name on the Wall of Honour, I’m overwhelmed.”

 

Football is perhaps the ultimate team game, and that’s something the eleven-year Tiger-Cat wanted to emphasize.

 

“You don’t get to this point by yourself. It’s other people that helped you, from high school coaches to my position

 coach for most of my stay in Hamilton, Ted Schmitz. They all instilled the values of working hard.”

 

These days, Covington and his family live in Vancouver, where he keeps busy, working and coaching football. But,

there’s one more part to his post-season career that he would like to pursue.

 

Additional info -

He attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 

He began his CFL career in 1981 with the Montreal Alouettes. A pre-season trade during saw him moved to the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats. His 11 seasons with the Tiger-Cats was filled with many highlights including being named the

 CFL sack leader in 1988 with 25. Covington is still the CFL\'s all-time quarterback sack leader with 157 sacks to

his credit.

 

Throughout his eleven year career, Covington won many deserving awards and honours. He was a seven time East

Division All-Star and received All-Canadian honours on four occasions. In 1988 he won the Schenley Award as the

Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the CFL. He played in four Grey Cups during his Tiger-Cat career, winning

the “Big One” in 1986.

 

He was always a player that gave back to the community at every chance he could. In 1985, Covington was the first

winner of the Charlotte Simmons Humanitarian Award (Tiger-Cat who contributed the most to the community). Both

on and off the field, Covington devoted his life in Hamilton to football and the community. He was inducted into the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a player in 2000.

GYLES FREEMAN COVINGTON                                               20 July 2010

GYLES FREEMAN COVINGTON. Ref: 2736. Born: 1767- 1768 at Abingdon. Father: Roger, Father Ref: 3267.

Mother: Elizabeth, Mother Ref: 4134.  Died: 7 Mar 1791 at Oxford Castle aged 23.  Mar: 5 Feb 1789 at Abingdon to

Gilkes, Ann 4166. Also shown as Giles. Christened 12 April 1767 at St Helen's Church, Abingdon. Sailor. Spelling

 of name shown as Giles Covington on marriage records. Hung on 7 March 1791 at Oxford Castle for murder.

 

"The murder victim, a Scottish pedlar named David Charteris, was on his way home to Toot Baldon from the

Michaelmas Hiring Fair at Abingdon on the night of the 8 October 1787, when a bunch of thugs set about him with a

 hedge stake as he was climbing over a stile near Nuneham Wood. Later that week some chums from Toot Baldon

discovered his body sitting upright in a ditch and when they pulled off his hat and wig they uncovered the grisly

evidence of several hefty blows. Despite a reward of 70 guineas (more than most people earned in a year in those

days!), nothing was heard of the crime for another three years.

 

Then Richard Kilby was caught and flogged at Reading for deserting from the Berkshire Militia. the whip seems to

have loosened his tongue and he offered to turn King's Evidence and confessed to his part in the Charteris crime in

return for a Royal Pardon. According to him. it was Charles Evans Shury who suggested robbing David Charteris to

himself, John Castle and Giles Covington. Shury struck the first blow, then Covington joined in and helped finish

the poor pedlar off. After they returned to Abindgon, they went to Shury's house and he gave them 10 guineas in

gold and silver each, saying: "Now, my boys, let us be true to each other"

 

On 16 July 1790, Shury and Castle were tried at the Midsummer Assizes in Oxford for the pedlar's murder. A Thames

bargeman called Bossom said Castle "had some time ago confessed to him that he had no rest, night or day, from the

horror of having been concerned in the murder of the Scotchman". The report of the trial in Jackson's Oxford Journal is

rather confusing, and the only evidence concerning Shury, apart from Kilby's confession, implied he thought Kilby

was out to "do" him by blaming him for the crime. However the jury had no hesitation in finding both men guilty and

the judge, after a stern lecture, directed them to be executed and their bodies to be delivered to the surgeons, to be

dissected and anatomised.

 

Meanwhile Giles Covington was at sea. As soon as his ship docked in London at the beginning of 1791, two Bow

Street runners brought him to Oxford and on 4 March he also stood trial for the pedlar's murder. Clearly he felt the

same way about Kilby as Shury. It was reported that his behaviour was so audacious during the trial whilst Kilby

was giving evidence, that he made a sudden spring towards him and attempted a blow at his head.  The jury found

him guilty on the same evidence as the other two and on 7 March 1791, "a prodigiuous multitude of spectators"

watched his execution from the tower at the entrance to Oxford Castle, now part of Oxford Prison. He mounted the

scaffold dressed in his sailor's jacket and trousers with white gloves and a white hatband and before motioning the

hangman to proceed, tossed down a paper. It was a semi-literate letter addressed to local magistrate Christopher

Willoughby. "I hope you and your family will live to find that Giles Freeman Covington died innocent and then I

hope you would relieve the widow that is left behind if Bedlam is not to be her doom"

 

His body was cut down and delivered to the University Reader in Anatomy, Dr Pegge. The following day he carved

it up at a public lecture in the Anatomy School at Christ Church College. He then decided that Giles Covington

would make a useful teaching aid. His bones were wired together and his skeleton eventually found its way to the

University Museum in Parks Road in 1860. It stood in a glass case for more than 100 years, labelled simply

Englishman, before being relegated to the Bone Room. It may have stayed there had not a member of staff spotted the

inscription Giles Covington on the lower jaw and passed it on to the Museum of Oxford, where it is on display

today, along with Kilby's confession and the letter Giles Covington tossed down from the gallows.

 

A detailed dossier on his case has been compiled by Miss Evelyn Wallace, an attendant at the Museum of Oxford, and

 on Thursday 7 March 1991 (the 200th anniversary of his execution) a petition was launched in an attempt to get the

Queen to grant a royal pardon. Signatures will be sent to the Royal Prerogative of Mercy Division at the Home

Office. A spokesman for the Home Office has said "Normally cases like this involve people who are still alive and in

prison. But the rules are still the same. Miss Wallace will have to produce new evidence to show the original

conviction was unsafe" (I.G.I London/Berkshire) (Letter from Miss Evelyn Wallace, March 1991)(Press cuttings of

articles by A.J.McIlroy, Daily Telegraph & Don Chapman, Oxford).

 

A further article appeared in nthe Daily Telegraph on 16 Jul 2001 citing the efforts of the Oxford Museum's curator,

John Lange, to secure a full Christian burial for Giles. "He has already secured the agreement in principle of

Wolvercote Cemetery in Oxford to bury Giles, but also hopes to clear Giles' name by Royal Pardon"

 

For more info on Gyles Freeman Covington and the case the following book is highly recommended "The Abingdon

Waterturnpike Murder" by Mark Davies published by Oxford Towpath Press 2003.

HAROLD ARMSTEAD COVINGTON                                         20 July 2010

HAROLD ARMSTEAD COVINGTON. Ref: 5528. Born: 14 Sep 1953 at Burlington NC. Father: not known, Father

Ref: 0. Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0. Probably the most disliked member of the Covington dynasty, Harold

Armstead Covington holds some very strong anti-semetic, anti-black views which he regular shares with the world.

 

 

Party leader of the neo-nazi Nationalist Socialist Party in U.S.A. On 31 March 1981 a John Warnock Hinckley,

b.1956, shot U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Hinckley had been a member of the Nationalist Socialist Party between

1978 and 1979 when he had been expelled. Harold Covington said of him - " He felt we were not sufficiently militant

for him. He wanted us to go out and commit unlawful acts. We sort of carried on a debate on it. He struck me as a

sincere person who felt something had to be done. He was expelled because his ideas were too extreme and violent." 

(The Times 1/4/1981, Page 7, Col g)

 

A website exists offering information on the National Socialist White Peoples Party and its Leader. The following

gives a further radical view on Harold and his activity:

 

This page is dedicated to exposing one of the most destructive government agents working in our midst: Harold

Covington. It is important that you become informed about people like Weird Harold because as our movement

grows there will be more people like him, sent to demoralize and destroy us. I hope that this page helps to give you

the information you need to protect yourself and others from jewish or government sponsored subversion. The

NSWPP is not the organization of George Lincoln Rockwell. The name has been stolen and mis-used by a known

BATF informant named Harold Covington. Harold is a fat, Jewish looking man who's nickname "the Rabbi" comes

from his very jewish, very rabbinical appearance. Weird Harold has made a career of spreading lies and filth

throughout the White Nationalist movement. One of his pen names, Winston Smith, is taken from George Orwell's

novel 1984 and refers to the government agent in "1984" who was employed by Big Brother to write and spread lies

for the "Ministry of Truth." You need to be informed!

 

The following is an excerpt from Vol.13, #1 (the Jan/Mar '95) issue of the National Socialist Vanguard - A Quarterly

Overview of the NS Vanguard:

 

For a number of years now, our associates have questioned Harold Covington's sincerity in the Movement versus his

 psychiatric status after reading his allegations against other people and groups. Any investigation into this area

would be merely academic. The important thing to understand is that Harold Covington, for whatever reason, is

neither a reliable source of information nor competent to critique the Movement. (Rick Cooper, Editor, NSV Quarterly

 - POB 328, The Dalles).  Web Author: John Hammer. Copyright & copy;1997 by NSWPP.COM - ALL RIGHTS

RESERVED

 

The following information was sent out by WAR (White Aryan Resistance) - Weird Harold Armstead Covington

[born September 14, 1953, in Burlington, North Carolina - Social Security number (ss#   ), deleted out of respect for

the Constitution and not the jerk harold who is trying to destroy it--M)] is currently the greatest embarrassment the

White Racialist Movement has. Weird Harold has recently started the National Socialist White People's Party. [As

most of you may know, this was the name of the organization founded by George Lincoln Rockwell.] However,

before anyone rushes to join this "reincarnation" of Commander Rockwell's party, they should know something

about Weird Harold.

 

The nickname "Weird Harold" was given to him by the people that knew him when he was with the Nationalist

Socialist Party of America. This was the group started by the homosexual pedophile Jew, Frank Collin [Cohn]. Collin

 was arrested by detectives from Chicago's Youth Division for taking indecent liberties with adolescent boys.

Subsequently, when Weird Harold took over the "leadership" of this organization it quickly collapsed since most

people quit in disgust because of his weirdness

and stupidity.

 

Weird Harold is basically a coward that will run at the first sign of trouble. In the book Nazis, Communists,

Klansmen, and others on the Fringe by John George and Laird Wilcox they write: "In 1980 Harold Covington

assumed the leadership of the NSPA. It was a banner year for him in other respects as well." "His streak of successes

was short-lived, however. Events during the trials of Klansmen and NSPA members led some of his followers to

suspect that he was an undercover informant. Faced with internal revolt and what he later called "harassment and

threats by the ATF, Covington announced he was going underground. In March 1981 he appointed St. Louis NSPA

leader Michael Allen, twenty-nine, as his successor and disappeared shortly thereafter. He wound up on the Isle of

Mann, living there for several years before returning to the United States." "Allen, it turns out, was a bona fide ATF

informant."

 

 In the book Code Name Greenkil: The 1979 Greeneboro Killings by Elizabeth Wheaton, she writes: "Allen

supplied the ATF with Nazi membership lists, organization rules and structure, and "eyes only" memos to the party

leaders from Covington." Michael Allen's ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms] Confidential Informer

number is CI-203.

 

In North Carolina, Weird Harold gave information to Federal Agents that helped set-up and imprison Frank Lee

Braswell. In an Associated Press article in the June 25, 1981, Raleigh, North Carolina The News and Observer

stated: "Covington named in Nazi trial ASHEVILLE (AP) - Federal investigators said this week that they uncovered

 an alleged plot to set off bombs in Greenaboro after a Nazi leader told an undercover agent that a member of his group

 was a "gunfighter for the party, that he had killed several policemen. " In U.S. District Court Monday, Michael Sweat,

 an agent for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, testified that he received the information from

Harold Covington of Raleigh, the head of the National Socialist Party. Sweat testified during a pretrial hearing for

six Nazis accused in the alleged plot. The undercover agent said Covington identified Frank Braswell, one of those

accused in the alleged scheme, as the alleged "gunfighter"." 

 

According to court records from the District Court of the United States for the Western District of North Carolina,

Asheville Division, Criminal Action Case Number A-CR-81-11, when Federal Agent Sweat was asked "that Harold

Covington was where you received your information to start a criminal investigation on me [Braswell]. Am I

Correct?" Agent Sweat answered "That's Correct." Also, when asked "As a result of your contact with Mr. Covington,

 what if anything did you do?", Agent Sweat answered "I initiated a criminal investigation on Frank Braswell." Then

when asked "Now on these initial contacts how did you introduce yourself to Frank Braswell?" Agent Sweat

answered "On the initial contact I called Frank up prior to meeting with him on the 7th, I think it was a day or so

before. And he said he had heard about me already from Harold Covington and he was anxious to meet me. He had

heard that I was in the type of business that I related to him later from Harold Covington."

 

Later testimony from a Federal witness stated "The first -- the way the investigation got initiated was with an

undercover contact with Harold Covington, who told me certain things -- ". In the book Code Name Greenkil: The

Greeneboro Killings, Elizabeth Wheaton writes: "In September 1979 … Covington led another ATF agent to Frank

Braswell, as four months earlier he led [undercover government agent] Bernie Butkovich to Wayne Wood. Michael

Sweat, an agent from the Ashville ATF office, presented himself to Covington as Mike Swain … N "Two days prior to

the breaking of the Butkovich story, Sweat made contact with Frank Braswell. Braswell phoned Covington to check

on Sweat; given the go- ahead, he began talking to the agent." Wheaton concludes by stating Weird Harold "brought

 two ATF undercover agents into his own party, resulting in the convictions of two of his rivals."

 

Besides informing to Federal Agents, Weird Harold has other interests. His great obsession in life, besides of course

gluttony, is the late Church of the Creator founder Ben Klassen. Weird Harold seems to think and talk quite a bit

about Ben Klassen. Also Weird Harold is especially fond and interested in alleging that Ben Klassen was

homosexual, but never produced any proof.

 

His so- called "newsletters" are full of obscene and filthy language describing these homosexual acts as he talks and

fantasies about Ben Klassen. Weird Harold even gets weirder in that he fancies himself as quite a skilled linguist for

coming up with "clever" phrases like "Benny Butt F***er" ! Weird Harold also "alleged" that Ben Klassen was a Jew,

again without any proof.

 

The odd thing about this is that if you would give Weird Harold's family tree a good shake, you would find a Jew by

the name of Hugo Glass in it. This may be why Weird Harold once made the comment about himself that "I look more

like a Rabbi than a National Socialist".

 

However, what is more important than looking like a Rabbi is acting like one. A prime example of Weird Harold's

Jew-like behavior is in this low-grade moron's "newsletter" Resistance. Resistance is so full of lies, half-truths, and

Weird Harold's own fantasies, that nothing in it can be taken seriously. In fact, almost nothing in it is truthful or

accurate. Even when told the truth from reliable sources, Weird Harold is so incompetent that he screws it up.

 

Weird Harold often writes under the pen name "Winston Smith". [Winston Smith is the name of the main character in

George Orwell's classic political novel 1984.] However, Weird Harold has recently authored an issue of Resistance

lavishing praises on himself written under the name "Luther Williams". This is a typical ploy in one-man operations.

They have no one to write good things about themselves, so they invent fictional people in an imbecile attempt to

fool and deceive the reader. In this particular issue, titled THE OLD ORDER PASSETH,

 

Weird Harold attacks many people, but is such a coward he doesn't sign his own name to it. Besides praising himself,

 this issue was full of lies about people in the White Racialist Movement, ranging from Tom Metzger of the White

Aryan Resistance, the memory of Ben Klassen, Will W. Williams and Dr. Pierce of the National Alliance, and Arthur

Jones of the America First Committee, to name just a few. Besides these people, Weird Harold has attacked Pastor

Butler of Aryan Nations, calling him "scum"! Also, Weird Harold has recently written "I'll be exposing Gerhard

Lauck [of the NSDAP/AO], a slime ball of the first order".

 

Weird Harold's game plan is so obvious and so unbelievably stupid you would think it came from the mind of a

mentally unbalanced geek. Weird Harold thinks that by attacking other people and other organizations with lies

that he can destroy them, and then everyone will magically come to him and make Weird Harold their supreme

Dictator!!?!!

 

Although the basic premise of Weird Harold's plan is fundamentally flawed and incorrect and stupid, he is never-the-

less attempting to put it into place and trying to build an organization, to use his terminology, the "N.S.W.P.P. Mark

 Two". By combining with two other one-man organizations he now has a "powerful" three-man organization. The

other organizations are the Nationalist Socialist White America Party, operated by James Karl who publishes the

NSWAP Newsletter; and the National Workers League, operated by William Henry Kendall, who publishes Plexus.

 

 

They don't call him Weird Harold for nothing. Weird Harold is a believer in the occult and black magic. In a May 18,

1980, article by Angella Herrin about Weird Harold titled A Nazi apostle of white supremacy in the Raleigh The

News and Observer states: "A believer in the occult and black magic, he earns some money writing ghost stories, he

says - but he won't divulge his pen name. " The article then goes on to show that Weird Harold is not one to be relied

 on when it comes to telling the truth.

 

Angella Herrin writes: "Although he [Weird Harold] told WRC [radio] listeners he is a Vietnam veteran, he admits

Pentagon records show he was never in Vietnam." The News and Observer goes on to quote Weird Harold, a 1971

graduate of Chapel Hill High School: "Like most Americans, I'm a working man. And I support myself by writing," he

 told one radio caller. However, the Raleigh newspaper points out: "In fact, Covington is paying a vanity press to

publish his gothic romance Rose of Honor this summer. He has not had a full-time job since 1977. He lives over Nazi

Party offices and receives no salary. He simply controls party finances, he says, "and I take whatever I need". "

Another example of Weird Harold's dishonesty uncovered by this newspaper was in an April 4, 1981 article as

follows: "Covington: Hinckley was a Nazi - Associated Press -

 

Countering denials that accused presidential [Ronald Reagan] assailant John W. Hinckley Jr. was a Nazi, former

American Nazi leader Harold Covington insisted Friday that Hinckley "was a member and I did correspond with

him." Covington and his successor as head of the National Socialist Party of America, Michael Allen of Chicago,

have maintained that Hinckley was a Nazi for a few months in 1979. Law enforcement officers and monitors of right-

wing groups have denied that. "The man was a member and I did correspond with him for a while. That happens to be

the truth." Asked to produce the letters or other documents as proof that Hinckley was a Nazi, Covington said, "We

do not keep documents of that nature"."

 

Weird Harold has a very disturbed sociopathic personality that craves attention. Since no one takes him serious as a

"movement leader", Weird Harold's only way of attracting attention to himself is by making up spurious rumors and

lies about various people and organizations. Thus by creating disturbances in the White Racialist Movement, this

pathetic buffoon focuses the attention on himself that he craves, even if it is only to have people denounce him as a

fraud, a liar, and as a traitor.

 

As you can imagine, Weird Harold is not much of a "ladies man". After crudely trying to proposition a young Aryan

woman by the name Sharon Mooney in a ghastly stupid letter dated June 12, 1994. Sharon wrote back in "an open

letter to Harold Covington: dated June 18, 1994" that: "You are not needed with what is, Jewish blood (you

certainly have the mentality!) to further pollute our genetic pool. Maybe your grandfather was not a Jew… but the

evidence to me is that he MUST have been.

 

If he was not… well, then you Mr. Covington… accidentally suffered some sort of defective evolutions when your

mother was carrying you… and you were born very abnormally un-Aryan in mentality and the natural character of the

 Normal Aryan Male.

 

Physically… you look Jewish. When you telephoned me, after you sent this obscene letter… I remembered you

stating clearly… "I didn't sign it."  And after I read that letter, now I know why you didn't. Nobody in their right

mind would!  However too, anybody in their truly sane state of mind and body, would not write any such thing, in

the first place." [SIC]

 

The above sample was just a short quote from Sharon's hellish six page letter to Weird Harold. She closed the letter

with this little poem:

 

"May your days in the movement be numbered… May you finally be found out for the perverted criminal you are, so

you can be imprisoned and feel firsthand, the accusation you lay against Ben Klassen… May your Jewish Cousins

spit on your foul grave, when you are finished in this earth, from doing your dirty ZOG-serving work."

 

Publisher's Note: Weird Harold is also a hypocrite. Weird Harold makes people swear on his "Official Supporter

Application" that "I am not a journalist or an agent of any government- sponsored organization designated as a "law

enforcement agency"… That I am a non-Jewish White person of unmixed Aryan racial descent… and that I am not a

Satanist Or involved in any kind of occult activity." Weird Harold is all of the above and by his own standards

shouldn't be a member of his so-called "N.S.W.P.P. Mark Two", let alone its "leader". Weird Harold is an unnatural,

unholy, vile, grotesque, abomination to the White Racialist

Movement and will not be tolerated.

                                    

Extract from "Searchlight" June 1992

 

       TOP NAZI POSES AN EARLY PROBLEM FOR NEW M15 BOSS

 

A leading North American neo-nazi, who has a strong association with the Irish Republican movement in the USA

and Europe, is living in Britain. With the British secret service, M15, having recently assumed responsibility for

dealing with the IRA on mainland Britain, we hope our expose of his presence and background will lead Ms Stella

Rimington, the new head of M15, to request the Home Secretary rapidly to eject this nazi from Britain.

 

Harold Covington, now residing at 29 Palamos Road, Leyton, London E10, is in his late forties. Over the last 30

years he has gained a personal notoriety for his role not only in organising some of the worst neo-nazi and racist

groups in America but also as the architect of the 1979 massacre in Greensboro, North Carolina, which left five

people dead and another nine with injuries from gunshot wounds. Although the Ku Klux Klan massacre was of his

design, he did not have the guts to be present when the dreadful act was carried out.

 

Shortly afterwards he fled to Rhodesia and later South Africa, stopping over in Eire and Britain along the way.

 

Covington holds dual Irish and United States nationality. This is thought to be as a result of his marriage to an Irish

woman during one of his European trips. He claims to have been married twice with both marriages ending in

divorce. He says he has a son and daughter in Ireland, whom the American government have banned from entering the

 USA.

 

Studying in Britain

 

In a recent letter to his comrades in the British National Party, Covington claims to have taken time out to study in

Britain and use his citizenship of a member state nation of the European Community as a means to remain in the

country if challenged.

 

We were alerted late last year by our friends in the Center for Democratic Renewal in the USA that Covington might

be heading back to Europe. But we never expected him to be allowed into this country for two reasons: firstly his

strong Irish Republican links and secondly his association with the former illegal regime in Rhodesia. Clearly we

were wrong. Covington claims that Special Branch knows of his presence here, but he seems to have been left alone

to work and study for a City and Guilds qualification.

 

But all has not been well for the nazi leader. His ongoing row with Ben Klassen, boss of the Church of the Creator,

led to Klassen informing a senior member of the British National Party last February that Covington was in the

country. Kiassen's letter went on to tell the BNP, which he knows claims to be in the forefront of the anti-Republican

 fight, of Covington's dodgy Irish associations, and went further to suggest that Covington might be a CIA

operative.

 

For reasons known only to himself, the recipient of the letter, John Morse, kept quiet about it and our attention was

drawn to Covington's presence in this country only when copies of both Klassen's letter and Covington's own

circular letter to British nazis came into our possession.

 

Wave of killings

 

Certainly Covington has not lived up to his reputation as one of the hottest guys in the nazi camp as far as security

goes. His book, The March up Country, was written to alert the US far right to the mistakes they made during the

years when the notorious and bloody outfit, the Order, rocked the USA with a wave of killings of Jews, state

troopers and police officers, and were caught as a result of their own bad security. Covington aimed to cure this

problem before the next round of terror started, but clearly he has not studied his own text closely enough in recent

times.

 

In recent years Covington has run a newsletter called Resistance, which he circulates to fellow nazis. In it he often

signs off with the name Winston Smith, the hero of Orwell's 1984. The most recent issues must have been written in

Britain and sent out from his old base in Raleigh, North Carolina in the USA to make people think he was still in

America.

 

One of his oldest and closest associates is Sean McGuire, a Klansman who is very close to Irish Republican activists

 in the USA and is often seen marching on Klan demonstrations wearing his famous Sein Fein baseball cap.

Covington and big Sean have been bosom buddies since their fighting days together in the National Socialist Party

of America. At a demonstration picketed by Jewish anti-fascists, McGuire attacked and injured a number of them and

this led to his reputation as a "big hitter"

in neo-nazi and KKK circles.

 

Covington's greatest claim to fame came in 1980 when he stood on the Republican Party ticket in North Carolina for

the post of State Attorney-General and polled 56,000 votes, 43% of the poll.

 

Top gun

 

Since 1988 he has been one of the top guns in the Confederate National Congress. It was at one of its rallies that he

was captured on video greeting and embracing his old comrade, McGuire.

 

In his circular to British neo-nazis Covington says he is too busy at the moment to "screw around" with anti-fascists,

Special Branch or the Jewish Board of Deputies, as it would upset his specific agenda of goals and things he wants to

 accomplish whilst he is here.

 

Let us hope that Ms Rimington lives up to the much publicised expectations the Home Secretary and media have of

her and does the right thing, as they say in the USA, by booting this rat out of the country as soon as possible.

 

Copyright © 1992, Searchlight.

 

Extracts from the web site entitled "A Jew Hater's Who's Who" - The data provided on this page is for information

purposes only. In no way is the data to be taken as a solicitation for violence. The Jewish Defense League simply

wants its members and web visitors to really know who their enemies are. The information on this page has been

verified to the best of JDL's ability but is subject to change. Those with knowledge of other "high-ranking" Jew-

haters (on the left and right of the political spectrum) are encouraged to provide such information to the Jewish

Defense League.

 

Harold Covington represents the NATIONAL SOCIALIST WHITE PEOPLE'S PARTY and goes by the alias

"Winston Smith" after the character in the novel "1984" by George Orwell. Here are his personal details:

 

Name: Harold A. Covington, DOB: September 14, 1953

SSN : 241-96-9573

Occupation: Political activist, professional disrupter, race hater, hates Jews especially/anti-semite.

Mailing address: 4319 Medical Drive, Suite 131-150, San Antonio, Texas 78229 (Mailboxes, Etc.)

Physical location: The Lodge Apartments, Bldg. #17 -- 4900 Medical Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229

Telephone number: (210) 614-0944

Automobile: 1985 cream-colored Chevy CL 25A wagon

License plate: South Carolina -- YCT 605

Physical description: 5'-11"; brown hair, brown eyes; 300 lbs., beard, glasses; prefers wide-brimmed hats in public.

 

Marital status: Divorced

Children: 5 (may owe back child support)

 

His e-mail accounts are:

hcovington@aol.com

resist88@earthlink.net

nswpp@ix.netcom.com

hcovington@hotmail.com

 

He publishes a newsletter called "Resistance" and plans on expanding it with a special column on how to fight Jews.

He frequents the newsgroups: alt.nswpp, alt.politics.white-power, alt.revisionism, alt.skinheads, triangle.politics,

alt.nationalism.white. It appears he has been getting donations and spreading his filth through a cell-like

organization and on the newsgroups.

 

He just moved to Texas due to $110,000 judgment against him due to his libeling one of his rival Nazis. He has been

getting donations and spreading his filth through a cell-like organization and on the newsgroups. His close ally in

his hate campaign is Bob Summers, whose e-mail address is <uswaffen@aol.com>. Covington and Summers run the

National Socialist White People's Party (NSWPP). Some have said Covington and Summers are one and the same

person.

 

Covington has been accused by other Nazis of being an informant. Intelligence has not confirmed this in any way.

Here's one example of the trash he posts to newsgroups. He took it from www.melvig.org. This is "The Teachings of

Julius Streicher":

 

1. Jews concentrate in certain occupations such as doctors, lawyers, money-lenders, merchants, entertainers, etc. Thus

 they gain a disproportionate share of the wealth. They control the large monopoly department stores thus putting

the independent Gentiles out of business.

2. Jews pay low wages often forcing poor workers into crime and some women into part-time prostitution.

3. Jews are not true creators of wealth. They avoid physical labor and are rarely farmers, masons, factory workers, etc.

Their religion teaches that it is shameful.

4. Jews hate Jesus Christ but have turned His birthday into a source of great profits. As Rabbi Jacob Wise said: "If the

 crucified one had a brother born in the summertime it would have given us two such profitable holidays."

5. Jews exploit sex for financial gain through their control of the theater and publications.

6. Jews are parasites who secretly gain wealth by exploiting the unwary host people.

7. Jews gain power by first pleading for "tolerance and brotherhood." They coddle political leaders of a nation by

making themselves useful -- ingratiating themselves until they become the power behind the throne.

8. Jews give to charities in order to gain respectability.

9. Even if a Jew undergoes Christian Baptism he remains a Jew because they are a race.

10. Jews concentrate themselves in the large cities where they promote socialism and decadence.

 

Rhodesia  1976

 

Photographed with Eric Thomson of Internal Affairs Ministry. Covington is described as "Army". The text

accompanying the photo suggests "Both men are well qualified to explain why Black people are not White people

inside and what happens when White people turn their country over to Black people."

 

Court Order Against Harold Covington for Libel

Court Order follows in full:  Filed on June 26, 1997 / 4:04PM

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION WAKE COUNTY File No.:

96 CVD 11027

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William W. Williams ) Plaintiff ) vs. ) I N J U N C T I O N  Harold A. Covington ) Defendant )

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This cause coming to be heard, after proper notice and being heard, on the 25th day of April, 1997, before the

Honorable Paul Gessner, Judge Presiding.

It appearing to the Court, through affidavit and other evidence that:

 

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Defendant was properly served, pursuant to N.C. Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 4 on March 21, 1997, with a

Motion for Preliminary Injuction and Notice Of Hearing. 2. Plaintiff appeared, represented by counsel. 3. Defendant

did not appear. 4. Plaintiff served defendant with REQUEST FOR ADMISSIONS OF DEFENDANTon the 18th day

of February, 1997. 5. As of April 22, 1997, defendant failed to respond to those REQUESTS FOR ADMISSIONS. 6.

Defendant served Plaintiff's attorney with a document on March 17, 1997, entitled "DEFENDANT DECLINES

FURTHER TO DEFEND". 7. Since the Summons and Complaint in this action was filed, defendant has continued to

publish defamatory statements about the plaintiff and continues to republish defamatory statements about the plaintiff

 complained of in the original complaint. 8. Defendant continues to use the United States Postal Service in the

distribution of defamatory statements about the plaintiff. 9. Defendant continues to publish defamatory statements

about the plaintiff via the Internet. 10. Defendant continues to publish defamatory written statements about the

plaintiff by other means. 11. Electronic posts to the Internet are the most insidiously invidious publications in that

they remain lurking for additional republication. 12. Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer injury to his

reputation and said publications continue to deter third persons from associating with plaintiff in social and

business intercourse. 13. Each individual defamatory publication about the plaintiff by the defendant causes

additional injury to the plaintiff. 14. A monetary judgement can not adequately remedy plaintiff's injuries caused by

the defendant. 15. Defendant has been making material misrepresentations regarding the facts and procedures of this

civil action via the Internet. 16. Defendant uses assumed names to publish defamatory statements about the plaintiff:

including but not limited to; "Secretary General:, "NSWPP", and particularly his rakish nom de plume, "Winston

Smith". 17. Defendant has repeatedly and falsely published statements that this Civil Action involves the "National

Alliance". 18. Defendant has repeatedly and falsely published statements that the "National Alliance" is a party in

this Civil Action. 19. Defendant has published statements indicating his intention to defy any Wake County Court

Order enjoining his defamatory speech regarding the plaintiff.

 

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

1. Defendant has been publishing defamatory statements, both per se and per quod of and concerning the plaintiff

since the filings of this Civil Action.

2. Plaintiff has made an adequate showing that he will prevail in this action. 3. Defendant's actions by making

additional defamatory publications

and republishing the original defamatory statements complained of are causing the Plaintiff irreparable harm. 4.

Money damages alone are not sufficient to make the plaintiff whole.

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED:

1. Defendant, Harold A. Covington, is hereby enjoined from any publication of any matter involving plaintiff,

William W. Williams. 2. Defendant shall not publish, nor cause to be published any matter concerning William W.

Williams or his activities. 3. Defendant shall not refer to this Civil Action as the "National Alliance law suit" or the

"suit against the NSWPP". 4. Defendant shall not refer to the plaintiff as: "John Doe #2", "Mr.'X' ", or "Little Willie".

Entered this 25th day of June, 1997 - Paul Gessner, Judge Presiding

 

1973 - Harold Covington, who joined a neo-Nazi group while in the U.S. Army in 1972, moves to South Africa, later

 joining the white-led Rhodesian Army for 18 months. Covington will later claim that he was a founding member of

the Rhodesian White People’s Party. He will be deported from Rhodesia (later renamed Zimbabwe) in 1976, after

sending threatening letters to a Jewish congregation there.

 

----------------------------------------

 

“A Personal Message From Harold A. Covington Thursday, June 28, 2007”

 

Dear Racial Comrades,

 

53 years ago, when I was nine months old, the United States Supreme Court handed down a historic and terrible

decision called Brown vs. Board of Education.

 

That decision destroyed my life, and the lives of two subsequent generations of White children who have been

effectively denied an education, because a child cannot learn in the presence of dangerous and violent animals with

skins the color of shit who foul their nest with their own excrement.

 

It would be difficult for me to encompass, and impossible for me to overstate, the catastrophic consequences that

Brown vs. Board of Education has had for America, and for people like me who have been forced to grow up in its

shadow. I do not believe I am overstating the case when I say that all of the many, many subsequent evils which have

destroyed the America into which I was born, originated in that one act of judicial folly and madness.

 

Today, June 28th, 2007, in a moment of lucidity such as those which occasionally befall a far-gone Alzheimer's

patient, America briefly recovered its sanity. The United States Supreme Court has reversed that terrible judicial fiat

which destroyed my life and millions of others back when I was still in the cradle. In two decisions involving the

public school systems in Seattle and Louisville, they effectively brought the racial integration of the public schools

to an end, in the legal sense, anyway, although I'm sure the dying integration monster still has some spasmodic

twitches of life in it.

 

Nor can the damage of three generations be undone. Any moron can make an aquarium into fish soup, but no one can

turn fish soup back into an aquarium.

 

But at least America has admitted that it was wrong, albeit 53 years too late. There are some who might tell me that at

least now I can face my declining years with that inner satisfaction, knowing that those nine old swine admitted they

 were wrong. I don't see it that way.

 

I look at it it like this: okay, you rotting insects in your black robes--you've admitted you were wrong. Now give me

 back my life, the life I should have had, the life I would have had, if your predecessors had not decided to yield to the

 yowlings of the black beasts and the whisperings in their ear of a race of alien Asiatic parasites.

 

Give me back the youth I should have had. Give me back the future I should have had in 1971 when I graduated from

the little corner of hell on earth that you created. Give me back the world that I had a right to, and which you stole

from me.

 

Okay, America, you've admitted that you made a mistake. A mistake that I have already paid for. Now what are you

going to tell me? "Oops, my bad?" No. America has fucked me over, and I'm going to return the favor.

 

Give me back my life, God damn you!

 

Or else I promise you, I will devote whatever time I have left on this earth to taking yours.

 

-Harold A. Covington"

 

--------------------------------------

 

January 01, 2008 - Harold Covington from Dann Dobson:

 

Harold Covington, a neo-Nazi from Tacoma, Washington has recently posted a novel on-line which calls for a

rebellion against the United States and the establishment of an "Aryan" country, The Northwest Republic, in

Washington, Oregon and Idaho. This is the fourth book Covington has written promoting this idea.

 

Covington has also written a "Northwest Republic Constitution" that would create an absolute fascist empire in the

Northwest.

 

See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UnitedAryanFront/message/938

 

Anyone who is not a straight, white Christian would be expelled from the Northwest Republic, if not executed

outright. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, Muslims, atheists and gays would not have a place in Covington's new

country.

 

Article I. - The Northwest American Republic shall be a Homeland solely for the use and habitation of White people

of all nationalities, cultures and creeds worldwide, in order that Western civilization may be preserved and White

children may be raised to responsible adulthood in safety, prosperity and tranquility.

 

The Northwest Republic will be a dictatorial one party state, with only one pre-approved political party.

 

Section Two - Government and Administration

 

Article I. - The Northwest American Republic shall be a unitary or single-party state, with [the Fighting

Revolutionary Party to come] to serve as the official party of government.

 

In the new Northwest Republic there will be no independent judiciary. If you have a dispute with a neighbor, a

business, or a company forget going to court. You would settle your dispute with guns in a dual.

 

Article II. - The government of the Republic shall consist of two branches, executive and legislative.

 

All power would be vested in an all-mighty "State President".

 

Article IX.

 

2) The State President shall serve as chief magistrate of the Republic and shall exercise full and final recourse over all

actions and decisions of the judicial system and the National Honor Court, specifically including the power of full or

 partial pardon and/or commutation of any sentence of death, confinement, corporal punishment, loss of citizenship,

amercement, or exile, with the following exception: the State President may not overrule any jury or other court

verdict of not guilty, not proven, or other acquittal in any criminal case.

 

Covington promotes his bizarre ideas using over a dozen different of aliases including Susan Enders,

George Brenner / schinderhann,

L. Bradford Davis,

Keith P. Fulton,

Katie Hollis,

Bob Rudisill,

David Lee Saxon,

Wilson Hayman,

Mark Whittaker / whitelight_1488,

Luther Williams / iconoclast1488,

Aryan Maiden / valkyra2001,

The Aryan History Series,

The Jewish History Series joohistory3,

The Story of White Nationalism,

wardken2004,

white revolt.

 

For years Covington has complained that no one has joined his efforts to create the Northwest Republic.

 

After I first read the "Northwest Constitution" a few several years ago, I wrote Covington and asked him what he

proposed doing with the two million plus blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, Muslims, gays etc: currently living in

Washington State, Oregon and Idaho.

 

Covington never responded. Well I read his recent book "The Brigade" and it starts with the shotgun slaying of a

lesbian couple, then progresses to the murder of a Jewish couple and then the murder of FBI agents who come to

investigate the murders.

 

Originally I thought that Covington was promoting the Northwest Republic through the ballot box and chided him

for not putting up any Nazi candidates to run for office. However, Covington's character proposes recruiting 1,000

"Aryans" who would go on a killing rampage similar to what Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad did in

Washington did a few years ago randomly shooting and killing people as they drove through the streets, only in

this case inner racial couples, blacks, and anyone else who doesn't look like them.

 

"How often have all of us been driving down the street and seen a racially mixed couple and wanted to blast the

creeps? Well, here’s your chance." The Brigade - page 66.

 

After reading his book, it is clear that Covington is proposing a genocide of all "non-aryans" like the killing fields in

 Cambodia, the massacres in Rwanda, or Adi Amin's Uganda.

 

If anyone is actually stupid enough to follow Covington and his plans for a Northwest Republic it is a prescription

to wind up in a prison cell for the rest of your days.

 

Little Big Man

Brother Discusses Neo-Nazi Harold Covington

Interview conducted by Sonia Scherr and Laurie Wood

  

   

     

 Harold Covington

 

 

There's little doubt that Harold Covington, 55, is a dedicated neo-Nazi. He was a key player in the National

Socialist White People's Party, helped pioneer cyberspace as a medium for neo-Nazi propaganda, and led the North

Carolina unit of the National Socialist Party of America at the time it took part in the 1979 killings of five left-wing

anti-Klan protesters in Greensboro, N.C. (He later bragged about his people "greasing communists" in Greensboro.)

Two members of his group were among the 16 Klansmen and neo-Nazis arrested and charged with murder in

connection with what came to be known as the "Greensboro Massacre," although none of them was ever convicted.

(Although Covington never faced criminal charges, he was named as a defendant in a civil suit brought by surviving

protesters and the families of the dead. In the end, jurors found two police officers, a police informer and four

Klansmen liable for compensatory damages, but Covington was not among them.) Covington was also associated at

one point with a man who allegedly hoped to attack a shopping mall with napalm over the Christmas holidays,

although he denied any role in that plot. Over the last 35 years, Covington has interacted with almost all of the

important leaders and activists of the American radical right.

 

Despite his long record in the movement, Covington, who is certainly one of its most gifted and vitriolic writers, has

been accused by fellow neo-Nazis of serving as a government informant and of secretly being Jewish. Responding in

kind, he has launched endless attacks on most of the leaders of the extreme right, to the point where he is today

almost totally isolated from the organizations that make up the white supremacist movement. Now believed to be

living in Olympia, Wash., the man many neo-Nazis call "Weird Harold" recently wrote three self-published novels in

which he reimagines the Pacific Northwest as a "whites-only" homeland.

 

For most of his life, Covington, who also writes under the nom de plume of Winston Smith and any number of other

aliases, has exhibited a consistent tendency to tell tall tales. From his supposed role fighting as a mercenary for white

 rule in Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe) to wild claims about his mother's death, he has repeatedly deployed gross

exaggerations and outright lies to cast himself in the role of hero and to vilify his perceived enemies — some of which

 have been swallowed whole by many, including one scholar who admires his "incisive intelligence."

 

Now, a member of Covington's immediate family is speaking out to dispel these myths. In a recent interview with the

Intelligence Report, Ben Covington, Harold's younger brother, offered insights into the roots of his brother's bigotry

 and discussed the devastating personal impact of his hate. "It killed my mother," said Ben Covington, a local union

official in North Carolina who hasn't spoken to his oldest brother since 1980. "My mother spent nights crying

herself to sleep. It embittered my father. You can't quantify what it's like to lose a child. It's even harder to quantify

what it's like losing that child while he's still alive."

 

Please tell us about your brother's childhood.

Harold was the oldest of three children. My parents were products of the Depression and the Second World War.

They were both college educated. Before I was born, my father got a job with Western Electric at the electronics

assembly facility in Burlington, N.C., working as a personnel clerk, while my mother worked as a church secretary.

Harold was born in 1953. My brother, Forrest Jr., was born in 1957, and I was born in 1959, and during these years

my father was working his way up the ladder of middle-class success. My father was a noted local folk singer, so our

house was constantly filled with music and musicians. It wasn't unusual for there to be eight or nine people in our

house on a weekend night — my parents were gregarious and generous.

 

Ben Covington discusses his infamous brother, neo-Nazi leader — and blowhard extraordinaire — Harold

Covington. Photo by Jenny Warburg.

 

What was Harold like as a child?

He was highly intelligent, for one thing. He was also egotistical about it and carried himself with an attitude of

privileged superiority that was infuriating. He tended to be a loner, with few friends. He read extensively, mostly

history and always way above his grade level. He was secretive. He hated doing household chores because he

thought he was above them. He despised being told to do anything that he didn't want to do; he especially hated

having anything to do with my brother Forrest and myself. Nevertheless, he would condescend to be a member of the

family, although in his later writings he made out that our life was some sort of horror story where he was either the

victim or the tragic hero.

 

Is there any truth to that interpretation?

Harold makes out a great deal that there was some dark, seamy underside. There wasn't. We all got adequate medical

care, our needs were seen to, we had Christmases and birthday parties, and we had relatives who visited regularly.

We went on family vacations. My father enrolled Harold in fencing classes at the local Y. He was in school plays, he

got music lessons, pets, whatever. He was an acolyte at the Episcopal Church. We never lacked for anything. It is

true that both my father and mother believed in discipline. When we acted up, if it was my mother, she took a switch

to us, and if it was my father he used his belt. These weren't beatings. This was corporal punishment that was well in

line with the parenting techniques of the day.

 

So how did Harold develop his bigotry?

Harold is constantly saying that he learned his racism from my father. Like many things Harold says — and this is

part and parcel of his mental illness — there is a grain of truth to what he says. Both of my parents were the peer

generation to desegregation. I can't believe that either of them was truly racist in the sense that they hated all black

people, and they certainly were not the wellspring of bigotry toward Jews that Harold drank from. Nevertheless, it is

accurate to say that they were both raised as southern whites, and the racial upheaval that began with Brown v.

Board of Education and continued through the sixties victimized them in the sense that they were the people who

were least equipped to digest and accept the speed at which things changed. While it affected their attitudes, to their

credit, they didn't opt out of the public school system, and I think it speaks volumes that they chose to move their

family to an intellectual center like Chapel Hill, knowing full well that the university's liberal philosophies crossed

over into the community. They weren't ignorant of the significance of the changes in black/white relations, but then

neither did they embrace them with open arms.

 

But it's not like they were members of the Klan or the American Nazi Party.

No, absolutely not. There was never any of that. My parents were both deeply conservative Republicans in an age

when Republicans didn't really have any political power in the South. My father was a long-time supporter of Jesse

Helms [the late segregationist senator from North Carolina], much to my everlasting shame. When Jesse Helms was on

 television my father hung on every word of it. Although my mother wasn't quite that enthusiastic, she had a deep

sense of tradition that clashed with the realities of the civil rights era. She adjusted. My father bitched a lot. I don't

think they were truly racist. I think instead that it was the fact that their generation bore the emotional and

psychological blunt force trauma of the times.

 

Getting back to Harold, when did he first become racist?

It began when my father and mother decided to buy a piece of property outside Chapel Hill and move us in the

summer of 1968. That year I was in the fourth grade, Forrest was in the sixth, and Harold was beginning his first year

of high school. The school year of 1968-69 was when the Chapel Hill schools resolved the issue of desegregation by

 one of the more novel approaches. The school system closed the two main black schools, Lincoln High and Junior

High, and opened a new junior high school and a single high school for the whole system. The new junior high was

on the opposite side of town from the existing, previously all-white one, and they divided the town straight down

the middle such that racial balance was achieved by geography. They consolidated the two high schools, and that

was how the trouble began.

 

What happened?

I think it's safe to say that Chapel Hill's attempt to desegregate the school through fait accompli didn't work out as

well as they had planned. The black kids didn't get along with the white kids at first, and trivial matters escalated

into protests, fights, and the occasional firebombing. It was an unpleasant milieu to be thrust into, and Harold

behaved badly. Couple this with the fact that he had been uprooted from his school in Burlington, that he had been

forced to live communally in a small house with two rambunctious brothers that he felt infinitely superior to, and the

inevitable teenage tension between father and son, and Harold was put into a position where he was stressed beyond

 the normal limits of adolescence.

 

What kind of problems did he face at school?

Harold tells a story about when he had his great racial epiphany. He talks about the day he was in school and two or

three black kids cornered him in the bathroom between classes. According to him, the black kids were up to thuggery

 and he, bravely, of course, grabbed a Pepsi bottle, smashed it, and fought his way out, bloodying his foes and

covering himself in glory. He learned from this, of course, that he could stand up righteously and defend himself as a

free white man.

 

The true story is significantly different. Harold was indeed confronted by three black kids in the bathroom during

class change, but rather than bravely breaking a bottle and fighting his way through, he cowered in a corner and

urinated in his pants. He waited until class change was done and went to the office covered in tears and urine. The

office called my mother, she took a change of clothes, picked him up at school, then came to get me and Forrest Jr. from

the elementary school. My father came home, and when he heard what had happened, he was naturally furious. He

called the principal at home to give him a piece of his mind. A half hour later, after the principal did most of the

talking, Daddy hung up the phone. It turned out that Harold had started it by mouthing off to the three kids in the

school courtyard. The principal was adamant about it: If Harold hadn't been running his mouth, he wouldn't have

gotten in trouble, period.

 

My father didn't take the belt to my older brother. Instead, he lectured Harold in no uncertain terms, telling him that

when he was in the right, he [our father] would go to bat for him without second thoughts, but when Harold failed to

act responsibly, he had to live with the consequences. Then he told Harold something I'll never forget, because my

father never really talked to us about fighting in school, other than to tell us we had a right to defend ourselves. He

told Harold that if he was going to get into a fight, then do so, but if he was going to just shoot his mouth off and

then act like a coward, then he got what he deserved.

 

I can't say this one event was what turned him. My guess is that there were many others that set him down the course

that led him to what he is today, but this particular event stuck in Harold's mind such that he re-wrote it later on in

life to make himself a hero rather than a humiliated boy. He no doubt thought he had been betrayed by our father, and

that stuck in his craw.

 

Despite his intelligence, Harold never went to college. Why is that?

He had a big fight with my parents around 1971, when they were trying to get him to go to the state school,

UNC–Chapel Hill. He wanted to be a journalist; UNC had a fabulous school of journalism. But Harold just got it

into his head that he wanted to go to the University of South Africa in Cape Town.

 

Where did that come from?

I have no idea. My father tried to make Harold a deal. He said he'd send him to any university in the United States

that he wanted to attend, but he was not going to pay for him to go to the University of South Africa. My grandfather

even one-upped that deal and offered to send Harold to any university in the world, except the University of South

Africa. So Harold was given a wide range of options. But Harold declined all those offers and instead came home one

day with military enlistment papers and joined the Army. Harold went to boot camp at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C.

 He made noises about wanting to be a Ranger, but for whatever reason he couldn't pass the entrance requirements.

He was assigned to the 14th Infantry Division and wound up going to Fort Polk, La. And I don't know what he was

running into in Fort Polk, but he started to develop white supremacist contacts and influences from the military.

They shipped his infantry division to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, preparatory to them being rotated overseas to

Vietnam.

 

But he didn't end up going to Vietnam.

No. While at Schofield Barracks, he apparently started passing around pamphlets — Nazi propaganda, all that kind

of crap. They put Harold on restrictive duty, and they ordered him to see the base psychiatrist to be evaluated as to

whether or not he was medically fit to be in the military. Ultimately, he was in fact diagnosed as having paranoid

personality disorder.

 

My parents were really upset about the whole white supremacist thing. What the Army psychiatrist told my parents

— and what my parents repeated to us off and on over the years — was that it could have been anything. He could

have been a Jesus freak, he could have been a Hare Krishna, he could have been anything — anything that the mental

illness could latch onto. And it happened that he latched onto the neo-Nazi, white supremacist ideology. He was

determined to be medically unfit, and he was discharged from the Army in 1972.

 

Part of Harold Covington's story is that he was a Rhodesian mercenary in the early 1970s.

I suppose he wanted to move someplace where everything was white and bright, so after a yearlong stint at the Nazi

Party headquarters, he wound up going to Rhodesia, and he joined the Rhodesian Army. In different blogs and

writings, he was always bragging, "Oh, I was a mercenary in Rhodesia and I went out and did all this fighting." But

to the best of my knowledge, according to the letters he wrote to my parents, he was a file clerk. He certainly never

fired a shot in anger. He started agitating over there, and the [white-led] Ian Smith government said, "We have

problems enough without this nutcase," and they bounced him.

 

Harold lived in Europe for most of the 1980s. What do you know about his activities during that period?

From 1982 until he came back to the United States in 1988, he was almost entirely subsidized by my parents. I have

letters where he wrote in the margin, "The current running total of what I owe you is…" He managed to convince my

parents to fund a scheme wherein he was going to open a bookstore in Dublin. He opened the bookstore and it went

under because he had no business sense and he couldn't apply himself to it. And I think more than anything else, he

couldn't keep his mouth shut. He married an Irish woman named Louise. After his inability to get Irish citizenship

and to find any degree of gainful employment, Harold took his wife, her two kids, and the two kids that he had had

with her, and he moved to the Isle of Man.

 

Did your parents continue supporting him?

In 1984, my mother died. For the next couple of years my father went back and forth with Harold. He would send him

money purely out of respect for my mother's memory. He sent Harold the money he needed to buy a house in Douglas

[the capital of the Isle of Man], but he kept warning Harold that the supply of money was not endless, that eventually

 Harold was going to have to get a real job and support himself. Harold, of course, ignored him. Harold would say, "I

want to come back to the United States, I can't find a job here, blah, blah, blah." My father said, "I'm not going to foot

the bill for you to come back to Raleigh to take up your life as a Nazi." Finally, he gave Harold an ultimatum. He said:

 "Look, you want to come back, I'll foot the bill for you and your family to come back. But here's the deal, and you

have to live up to it: You have to settle someplace west of the Mississippi." Harold refused. My father said, "So be it.

We're done. The money stops here." And my father made good on it.

 

But he came back anyway.

Harold lasted a few months after my father cut the money off, and then he was finally left with the realization that he

could no longer play at getting work. He had a family to feed. Again, he cut and ran. He cleaned out the bank account

and left his wife with a couple hundred pounds and ran up cash advances against two or three credit cards and

abandoned his family. [Editor's note: Covington has claimed that Louise initiated their divorce.] He blamed it on my

father, of course. He came back to Raleigh, and he got some sort of job. For a while, he was sending my father little

letters. Besides his regular letters that were just nasty and invective, he would send him a $20 bill wrapped up in an

envelope with a single word on it that said, "Think." That was all it said. Supposedly, my father was supposed to

think about how he, the great demon, had ruined Harold's life. He would send my father birthday cards on his

children's birthdays with these little notes: "Look at what you've deprived me of. You're a monster." The little demon

 in Harold's head, the mental illness, will make sure he's not responsible for anything. It's always someone else's

fault.

 

On one of his blogs, Harold insinuates there's a terrible secret in your family. My brother has for years contended that

 my father murdered my mother. And this has been so absurd and painful to us. He even wrote one of his silly little

novels about it. The book ends with the hero, Harold, confronting his evil father and the father keeling over from a

heart attack or some such nonsense. I can't even begin to explain how delusional this is. My mother was a two-time

cancer survivor. She had an arrhythmic heart. Harold wasn't there, he wouldn't know.

 

What about his children?

My father died in 1999. We never even bothered to tell Harold. He was so far out of our lives as a physical entity that

 we just didn't care. He found out on his own. Of course, all his animosity was transferred to my brother and myself.

My father had continued supporting Harold's family in Ireland. He left the two grandchildren small trust funds. He

made me the trustee for them. For the first time in my life, it suddenly dawned on me that I have a family someplace else.

 I've been to Ireland once a year for the past eight years. And these two kids are two of the most wonderful kids that

I've ever run into.

 

How do they feel about their father?

Before I even met them, they were smart enough to get on the Internet and check out their father on their own. They

pretty much came to the conclusion that he was a fruit loop, and they never wanted anything to do with him. Harold

has always believed that all along we were telling them this great lie, and the irony is that what destroyed him with

his own children was his own words, posted out on the Internet for all to see.

 

HAYDEN COOPER COVINGTON                                               20 July 2010

HAYDEN COOPER COVINGTON. Ref: 8006. Born: 19 Jan 1911 at Texas TX. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0.

Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 21 Nov 1978 at Los Angeles CA aged 67. He was legal counsel for the

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society during one of its most difficult periods in the mid-20th century. Hayden

Covington has a record 37 victories in the United States Supreme. He argued numerous cases before the United

States Supreme Court on behalf of Jehovah’s Witnesses in defense of their religious freedoms, winning most of them,

and thus indirectly, advancing the cause of civil liberties on behalf of all American citizens. In 1967, he famously

defended then world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in his legal battle against the draft during the Vietnam

War. He sued Ali to recover $247,000 in legal fees.

 

In its chapter on Covington, Great American lawyers: An Encyclopedia relates:

 

Covington reported one meeting in which he and Knorr met with President Harry Truman about a pardon for a

Witness who had been convicted of evading the draft. Covington claimed that Truman cursed and claimed to have no

use "for that SOB who didn't want to die for his country in time of war."

 

That meeting apparently occurred on Friday, September 6, 1946. President Truman eventually did pardon 136

Jehovah's Witnesses who had been convicted in draft cases. Later, on October 12, 1951, Truman reportedly accepted

the offered Jehovah's Witnesses publication What Has Religion Done for Mankind

 

Interview with Watchtower Attorney Hayden Covington

Note: this summary was typed from a taped interview with Covington completed on Nov. 19, 1978, two days before

his death. The interviewer was Jerry Murray and his wife. Not everything on this site is negative towards Jehovah's

Witnesses. In fact, they are fine people with a heart for the better things in life for the most part. This file is an example

of some of the hard and fearless workers that onced graced the halls of Bethel, in spite of how they were treated

thereafter.

 

Bro. Murray: Brother Covington, anybody can listen to you and tell you are from somewhere in the southwest, but

exactly where and when did you come on the scene?

Covington: I was born in January 19, 1911 in East Texas. I was raised on a farm in a place east of Dallas. I worked my

way through school after that. My father was on the Texas Ranger Force and he was transferred to San Antonio, Texas

and that's where I went to law school.

 

Bro. Murray: How did you happen come into the truth then?

Covington: I came into knowledge of the truth because my father was transferred from San Antonio, Texas down to

the valley as a Texas Ranger. After that transfer I had to have a place to stay, so I stayed with two friends of mine that I

 went to school with. They asked me to move in with them and the father who was the head of the family was in bad

health and he had all of us come on Sunday and listen to him talk about world conditions. He interested me and I got

very interested in what he had to say because I was myself fed up with the way things were going and like all young

kids I was dissatisfied with the establishment, and I was very much so at the time and I was flirting with

controversial ideas and he was full of controversy against this system of things. What he preached appealed to me

very much and so I listen to him and he would turn on the radio station KTSA that had the recorded broadcasts of

Judge J. F. Rutherford, as he was as called and known; so he insisted on our listening and I was very pleased with

what I heard. [Note Covington did not become a Witness due to his love for the scriptures or God but out of youthful

 rebellion].

 

Bro. Murray: Was the fact that Brother Rutherford was a lawyer, did that impress you too? Did that make it more

interesting?

Covington: Well he presented the thing in a way that was incontrovertible by me. As a lawyer I could see that he

knew what he was talking about 100%. He was very persuasive and I was a ready, willing listener, and I was willing

 to join up with him in his opposition, for the truth.

 

Bro. Murray: You were ripe for the truth! When did you first meet Brother Rutherford?

Covington: In Houston in 1900 and, I forget the year, way before I came to Bethel. I went over to Houston with a

group of brothers that knew they were having a special meeting over there, and Brother Rutherford was there because

Brother Isaac lived down in Houston at that time. He's dead now, Joe Isaac, he was a great friend of the judge, and I

heard his name all over Texas.

 

Bro. Murray: Tell me this, when you took the truth, and you began to go to meetings, how did your Daddy react to

that?

Covington: Well he got to be very hostile against what I was doing when I was going to the Witness meetings

because he had great ambitions for me to be a politician ... And I was then working in the county court house, in the

county clerks office, and I had a political job. Whenever they were out campaigning, I was out preaching. So I had a

political job and a political office, but I didn't go along with it.

 

Bro. Murray: When were you actually admitted to the bar?

Covington: I was admitted to the bar in year of 1933.

 

Bro. Murray: So you practiced law for a little while before you went to Bethel?

Covington: Oh yes, I was an active practitioner at the bar in San Antonio after I took the bar examination, and,

incidentally, I took the bar examination a year before I graduated and passed it.

 

Bro. Murray: Then you still had to go the extra year?

Covington: I had to go the extra year to get my certificate of graduation.

 

Bro. Murray: Did you set up your own law firm or did you join a law firm there?

Covington: I was working for a big law firm when I was admitted to the bar and I passed it with such high grades

that the head of the law firm "Moffison - Burkeson" came and offered me a job.

 

Sis. Murray: How did you get involved then in defending Witnesses and working Brothers?

Covington: That came about after I quit the Morrison firm and went over with R. H. Mercer, who was a defender of

damage suits for the Maryland Casualty Company in San Antonio. And there was some brothers who got arrested

down in the valley because of a meeting that was held down there and I went down and appeared on their behalf and

got the case thrown out. And then it was my name reached the Society and they assigned me to represent the Society

in a will contest case up in Curville, Texas, and I handled that for the Society And then the Brothers got involved in

controversy with the San Antonio police and that is when we get into the matter of Brother Heath. We were having

information marches, and the cops were trying to stop us. And it became necessary for me to have a conference with

the Mayor of the City of San Antonio on whether Jehovah's Witnesses have the right to engage in information

marches, carrying the sign that religion is a snare and a racket.

 

Bro. Murray: And that made people mad didn't it?

Sis. Murray: But how did you win that case?

Covington: By pleading with the Mayor he saw then that we had the right, I made him, well I didn't make him, the

Lord made him, but I was the one that offered the proposition (Brother Heath was in San Antonio on the occasion of

that visit). Brother Heath was the secretary for Brother Rutherford at the time.

 

Sis. Murray: So when he saw you there he invited you to Bethel?

Covington: Well, he invited me not to Bethel, he invited me to attend the Madison Square Garden Convention.

 

Bro. Murray: Is that the one where they had all of the riots?

Covington: That's where the Catholic Action tried to break the meeting up in 1939. On the the record Government

and Peace and you can hear the mob action from up the stairs. When the mob started, Brother Heath got down off the

speaker's platform because he was in charge of all the ushers; and headed up there and when he headed, I headed too.

He went up the meandering stairway up into the old Madison Square Garden, not the one that's there today. I

followed him and we went together. They were screaming and mad, this was the same sort of noise that you hear on

that Government and Peace record was yelled into our ears as we was going up there to maintain law and order in

that religious gathering.

 

Covington: The cops were on the outside and acting "hands off," allowing those Coglanites to go ahead and to break

up the meeting, or try to break it up. We went up and we had canes to maintain order and we tried to push the

mobsters out of the way and when we did one mobster grabbed Brother Heath and hurt him very badly, physically.

And that's also written up in the Society publications. They grabbed him by the private parts as he was going up the

stairway and he hit the mobster over the head with a cane in order to break up the crowd that was coming around us.

And when he did that then the cops moved in from the outside (they were in conspiracy working with the mobsters)

and they put Brother Heath under arrest because of his having hit one of the mobsters with the cane. He was in the

right, Brother Heath was, but the cops didn't think so and they went ahead and did their part helping the mobsters

and took Brother Heath into custody.

 

Then I became the chief witness for the defense, meaning Brother Heath, and when the case went to the courts, I was

called up from San Antonio, Texas, to testify. I made two or three trips up on the train, they were two or three day

trips. Anyhow, in the end Brother Heath was tried by three judges, that were black robed representatives of the State

of New York to enforce the felony law and they were going to try and get him. But the judges ruled, based on the

testimony that I gave supporting Brother Heath's self-defense, that he was not guilty. They held that the testimony

was given by a member of the bar whom they believed was more credible than the mobsters that had testified against

him ... so Brother Heath was acquitted as a result of Jehovah's provision of having me there to give testimony on his

behalf

 

Sis. Murray: I remember Brother Rutherford on that record saying that they will not break up this meeting and he just

went on non stop.

Covington: He says "By God's grace the Nazis and the Fascists will not break this meeting up." And that is the way

that it was, not broken up because the brothers maintained law and order.

 

Bro. Murray: It was not broken up because you used those canes ... at that time there was already some litigation

going on for example, I think, the Lowell case.

Covington: The Lowell Case had gone on up and the judge had authorized the appeal of that and Mr. Moyle, who

was at that time at Bethel, handled that case. I had nothing to do with that case. I didn't come into any of the Society's

 Supreme Court cases until after the Snyder case was argued. Brother Rutherford argued the Snyder case, Snyder

against Irvington, New Jersey. Brother Rutherford and I were in that case together. This case was an ordinance

against literature distribution case. Now the Flag case was a different case and that came up for a hearing in 1940;

that was adverse to us, the first one, and then later they reversed themselves as a result of our taking that up.

 

Bro. Murray: So that was the point where you went to the Madison Square Garden case?

Covington: That's the one where the mobsters tried to break the meeting up in 1939.

 

Bro. Murray: So it must have been shortly after that you were invited to Bethel.

Covington: ... on account of the fact that I had made a firm defense for Brother Heath and the lawyer for the Society

pulled out. He didn't believe in the self-defense. And he quit. Brother Rutherford was in need somebody so he called

on me and I was not aware of what was going on at the time. But when it did happen, he invited me to come, and I

came.

 

Bro. Murray: You were in one field of law, but you almost got into Constitutional Law.

Covington: Yes. I was originally in casualty insurance, defense, personal injury, and representing insurance

companies in damage suit cases; then bond forfeiture cases and bond obligation cases. Then, when I went to Bethel I

was in a different area altogether. But, still I had had enough trial experience in appellate argument and court

experience that it was easy for me to shift into the position of defending Jehovah's Witnesses and it was good

because I was able to do what I liked which was to defend my client. Also having got a righteous cause gives you a

double barrel.

 

Sis. Murray: That's right, a cause that you really believed in.

Covington: I went to Bethel in 1939. Brother Rutherford called me in, but that was after the Madison Square Garden

Riot case and that was because the fact that other lawyer by the name of Moyle quit, and left Brother Rutherford

holding the bag. I got an invitation to come by special delivery from Rutherford, and I went immediately. I had to

transfer cases to a dozen or two lawyers in order to make that change.

 

Bro. Murray: You and Brother Rutherford were on a couple of cases together you mentioned. I always think of you as

a lawyer and him as a writer, but was he a pretty good lawyer?

Covington: Oh yes he was! He was a very, very good, he was an eloquent speaker and he maintained dignity and he

got very high respect from members of the court that listened to him arguing the Gobitis Case.

 

Bro. Murray: You got started in 1940. What were some of the first major cases that you were involved in? I know a

little bit about some of the cases but what were some of the first ones? The "Flag Salute Case?" came along in 1940,

Covington: The first Flag Salute case I worked along with Brother Rutherford, but I had nothing to do in the

argument in that case. Brother Rutherford argued that one, but he did a good job. The reason that it was lost was not

because of Brother Rutherford, but because of the times we were in. The war was going on and the heat was on us from

 every angle

 

Bro. Murray: Then for a while the cases just piled up.

Covington: Oh my, yes! They were coming at us fast and furious. It was an eighteen hour day for me to cope with it,

but I was young and dedicated and devouring of any opposition that we had. I kept on going all the time. I was

happy to do it.

 

Bro. Murray: Some of these things here that I'm not too familiar with; you can tell me about some of them. For example

I know about the Harlan, Kentucky case, but what can you tell me about this Connersville, Indiana case?

Covington: Well that was a mob situation that occurred while we were trying that seditious conspiracy case in

Connersville, a hot bed of American Legion action and they ruled the whole town. In the Connersville case I used

Brother Franz as my witness and then the jury was put on and it was necessary for me to get to out the case and I

finished the argument of the case at Connersville and I tried to get a postponement of the case in Maine but they

wouldn't put it off. As result I had to race from Indianapolis to Cincinnati to catch the plane to Boston and that saved

 my life because that night they had conspired to kill me. I went to catch the airplane in Cincinnati out of

Connersville, and then Brother Victor Schmidt, who was with me as co-council, he is now dead, he stayed, And he

and his wife, Sister Schmidt, were mobbed by the crowed and as they mobbed them that night, in the darkness, after

the case was over, they were screaming and yelling that they were going to kill me that night.

 

The Lord delivered me at the right time and I would have been killed that night. I wanted to stay there for the verdict.

The verdict was adverse and I took an appeal. I had to go back in to take the appeal afterwards and the same group of

conspirators were there and I got in an out in a hurry. We made the appeal effective and got the case reversed on

appeal, but that was after a tremendous effort was put forth and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears was involved. It was a

part of the conspiracy to wipe us out in Connersville but by Jehovah's undeserved kindness they didn't. The good

testimony was given but some sisters were convicted of conspiracy and were given jail terms I got them out of jail on

bail and we appealed the case to the Supreme Court of Indiana. It was reversed and they were acquitted by the court

on appeal (the decision came down on Pearl Harbor Day).

 

Bro. Murray: I noticed that you got a note here about Oscar Pillars, a Brother that was in Texas.

Covington: Yes, he was a Brother that was down in East Texas to show the intense prejudice in that area. They

literally mobbed him and hung him up on a telephone pole and the rope was cut by the steel bars on the telephone

pole the angle bars, that was the thing that saved his life

 

Bro. Murray: That later went to court, and the persons that were guilty of trying to hang him to kill him fled the state.

Now of course this Harlan County, Kentucky, Sister Murray and I served over there near Harlan County and we

heard some interesting stories about Harlan, Kentucky.

Covington: And Somerset too, Somerset and Harlan were both involved.

 

Bro. Murray: Now what was their objection to the Witnesses in Harlan?

Covington: Well the same as here. That was where the prosecutor said that if he got me back down into Harlan he

was going to boil me in oil. They had a conspiracy charge against the Brothers, seditious conspiracy charge I then

filed an injunction against the prosecution of that case in Federal court in London Federal Court And I got a

injunction against the State of Kentucky and it's standing yet today, knocking that sedition law out as

unconstitutional and the federal judges that heard the case gave us a vindication. It was highly controversial and

hotly contested case.

 

The thing that was interesting was that the prosecutor said he was basing his charge on the grounds that this

literature was conspiratory and seditious. Then that chief federal court judge said "Mr. District Attorney its now 11

o'clock and court will adjourn and you be back tomorrow with the proof." So court was adjourned and when he came

back the next day of course he had no proof. All he had were all those books and that's when he was making that

statement to the other guys in the room that he if gets Covington back down to Harlan he's going to boil him in oil.

 

Bro. Murray: I understand that some of the Brothers roomed next to his room that night.

Covington: Yes they were, because we had taken up all the hotels, and all the officers of the law had to bunk up.

 

Bro. Murray: Is that where they spent the whole night researching the literature?

Covington: Yes, and that's where the Sheriff and the Marshals said to old Daniel Boone Smith to turn out the light

we need some sleep. Oh that was funny.

 

Bro. Murray: Yes, that's real funny now to tell about it, but it was pretty tough at the time.

Covington: Yes, our life was at stake. When you are batting with your back to the wall, but Jehovah gave us

vindication, but it was a tough time.

 

Bro. Murray: You're not kidding!, You know, there are a couple of cases that you don't have down here, but that I

know about personally. For example, did you fight the case about Jones versus O'Blancon?

Covington: Yes that was the case that was taken up to the Supreme Court involving the validity of the license tax

law. And that came up from Alabama. We lost at first, and that was a companion case of Jones against Opelika, and

Jobin against Arizona, and another person against the state of Arkansas. Those three cases were put together and the

Supreme Court heard them and they decided them adversely to us at first. Then on rehearing they set aside their

opinion but that didn't come automatically.

 

We had to argue with our backs to the wall and that's when Justice Murphy filed his dissenting opinion on the case;

he complained about the Jehovah's Witnesses having been being persecuted by mob violence and all other sorts of

conspiracies that public officials had used to stop their work. That's when Murphy gave his dissenting opinion in

favor of Jehovah's Witnesses and then after that the other cases were taken in from Pennsylvania and that meant that

the case would have to be reopened because that was a very serious question that the court hadn't grabbed a hold of

and it was good too that they brought the other cases in because otherwise the case would have to stand and

wouldn't be reheard.

 

Bro. Murray: As I understand license tax cases, a municipality would say to sell your literature in our town you've

got to have a license.

Covington: Yes, if you wanted to come in to sell your literature here you've got to have a license.

 

Bro. Murray: But when you went in to get a license they wouldn't sell you one because you didn't qualify.

Covington: You didn't qualify. And that way we got prosecuted on account of not having the license, but we

believed that the license was ungodly anyhow. We never would have got the license anyway, and we were

defending the case because they were making an imposition upon our constitutional rights and contrary to our

conscience. Justice Murphy filed a dissent in that case. Murphy got a good name among us because he was always

dissenting in cases in our favor. They wrote an article about him in the Law Review, some guys did, to the effect that

if Justice Murphy is ever sainted, it will be by the Jehovah's Witnesses, not the Catholic Church. He was a notorious

Catholic.

 

Bro. Murray: It's odd that he would be so strong for justice when he had that background.

Covington: He was very much in favor of what we were doing. And he knew that the life of the country depended on

it the success.

 

Bro. Murray: But not all the Justices were that way. For example Justice Frankfurter,

Covington: Oh! He was very adverse! He was so hostile yet he was a Jew. He was against us in the flag case and

against us in the license tax cases.

 

Bro. Murray: I read some of his opinions and it's amazing that he, coming from a persecuted minority, the Jewish

minority, that he was so tough on the Witnesses.

Covington: Oh boy, you said it. He was really vicious too. He tried to justify himself, but he was a hypocrite really,

and my feelings about the matter is he was an enemy.

 

Bro. Murray: Let me go back to this other point. In the Flaxwood Case, the first one, we got an adverse opinion in

1940, and on Flag Day in 1943 it was reversed.

Covington: And the reason it was reversed was because I brought an injunction case in the United States District

Court in the District of West Virginia, to restrain the enforcement of the state flag salute regulation that required

compulsory saluting of the flag by children in the schools. I challenged that as unconstitutional and that gave me the

 opportunity to force the court into the position of deciding the matter again. I brought a injunction suit against the

enforcement of the regulation and it gave me the right to empanel what they call a three Judge Statutory Court. Then

that gave us automatically the right of appeal directly to the Supreme Court of the United States.

 

Bro. Murray: Now, I don't understand that part.

Covington: Well, it's a highly technical thing, but it gave us a speedy, quick decision and we needed a speedy quick

 decision. When we were arguing that case in the District Court, Judge John Jay Parker, who was from North

Carolina, was presiding on the court. Then the Attorney General from West Virginia got up and said well it's not

necessary for me to argue this case, because the Supreme Court of the United States has already decided this case for

the Jehovah's Witnesses. As a consequence, Judge Parker said Mr. Attorney General if you are relying on the Gobitis

 Case you'd better argue this case. He said it wasn't necessary for him to argue. So Judge Parker said "You'd better

argue this case." He was flabbergasted, the Attorney General was, taken off his feet; he didn't know what to figure.

 

Bro. Murray: I thought that once the Supreme Court decided on something that was the final decision.

Covington: The Supreme Court can always reverse themselves and reopen the thing, and that was the very thing that

I had in mind when I filed that case to challenge that and get them to reopen it. And the only way I could do it

quickly was to get a Three Judge Court and then bingo I could shoot right into the Supreme Court of the United

States and bypass the intermediary appellate court and that way we have them on the run.

 

Bro. Murray: That's interesting, did somebody have some indication that the Supreme Court would be willing to hear

 it again or did you just think that.

Covington: I didn't have any inside information on that, because you never get any commitment out of the court. I

knew that when Roy Gamble (who was one of Jehovah's Witnesses) who was painting the picture of Justice Murphy

in Lansing, Michigan, as an artist there (he painted a picture to hang in the Capitol there in Lansing) said Justice

Murphy made the statement to Roy Gamble, who complained about the adversity there that the Jehovah's Witnesses

had been put in. Frank Murphy said to him, "I know that, someday we're going to do something about that."

 

Bro. Murray: Now Let's see, I want to ask you something about the sedition laws because some of my friends had

been involved in those sedition laws, particularly that one down in Mississippi.

Covington: That Mississippi Case we took up to the Supreme Court of the United States along with the second Flag

Case, West Virginia Board of Education against Barnett. I took the appeal of the Mississippi case sedition based on

the refusal, explaining the reason for your refusal to salute the flag was in literature that had been distributed and

that's what the Brothers were doing, putting literature out explaining why Jehovah's Witnesses did not salute the

flag. And they were accused then of violating this seditious conspiracy law of Mississippi on that account. That was

the case that we brought up along with the rehearing of the flag case in the West Virginia case. They all dovetailed in

 the court at the same time and only Jehovah could do it

 

Bro. Murray: The papers said that day was a field day for Jehovah's Witnesses

Covington: That was what Judge Waite said; that it was field day for Jehovah's Witnesses when they handed down

those decisions on Flag day in 1943. Judge Waite wrote the article entitled the Constitutional Debt of the American

People to the Jehovah's Witnesses, a long article in the Minnesota Law Review that covered about forty pages. He

makes a detailed account of the decisions that were handed down on that day that including the Jones against

Opelika being reversed, and Mississippi case being handed down and reversed at the Supreme Court of Mississippi.

You see it was a field day for us! It turned the tide. Then the publicity turned the other way. The newspapers had

been very adverse against the Jehovah's Witnesses all over the country and then when we gave them a licking, why

then they went soft

 

Bro. Murray: It was like Jehovah got swallowed up a flood of adversity against these people It's getting late but

there's a couple more cases that come to mind. There the one that one involved me, you never knew the one that

involved me; the draft cases.

Covington: I was very much involved in the draft cases because I had to meet with all the military authorities in

Washington when they were considering the case of whether Jehovah's Witnesses would be allowed exemption from

the draft under the law as ministers of religion, and whether they were entitled to the benefit of conscientious

objector status. They had a big room full of the guys that administrated the draft. And among that group was General

Louis B. Hershey

 

Bro. Murray: Now you get the opinion from reading that he was more or less in favor of allowing conscientious

objectors

Covington: He was in favor of giving us a good even break, he was really an honorable man, a man of integrity. I

liked him very much. He died about three years ago in Indiana, in the country. He was an expert on the draft, the best

in the world on conscription. That's why Roosevelt put him in charge of the draft administration registration. He was

 a corny type of a man, but very brilliant, sharp, quick. He defended himself very well before Congress and he was

honorable and fair in his dealing with Jehovah's Witnesses. He agreed on certain of our demands and I said, well I

guess we'll have to fight over the rest

 

Sis. Murray: I guess they got real emotional and Patriotic.

Covington: Oh, yes. But they were cold-blooded, too you know, those army men. To them that's just like cutting

meat you know. They were as cold as a cucumber.

 

Bro. Murray: Yes, to them a man was just a piece of material. How many of our Brothers finally wound up in prison

during the war?

Covington There were about 2500 that went to jail during the war, but we kept an awful lot of them out. We had a

tremendous number of cases that were taken up and appealed under the draft law, and there was a big day that we had

a turning of the tide in the Supreme Court in the draft cases there were about 3 or 4 of them that were set together and I

 argued them.

 

Bro. Murray: I remember that, that was the early 50's wasn't it?

Covington: We lost the Fileboat Case, that was the first draft case and they ruled against us on the grounds that we

had not exhausted our remedies by taking an appeal. An appeal was taken inside the draft law, they held that we were

 supposed to take a second physical examination. And that was not necessary because the first physical examination

was enough to settle the guys eligibility physically for the draft. They took the position that it was necessary for him

 to go back and take the second one, and I argued that was unnecessary, unreasonable, and arbitrary and capricious in

 order to get the benefit of law. Frankfurter was dead against us and so was a large number of the other judges, but in

the end we won those draft cases on the second go around. We established the right to be heard on our defense as

ministers. At first they held that we didn't even have the right to make a defense and then because of this business of

not having taken the second physical, which I said in my argument to the court was not necessary because his

acceptability had been predetermined on the first physical

 

Bro. Murray: So that's the one that was established when I came along in 1957. By that time I wasn't pioneering yet

but I just told them that I was one of Jehovah's Witnesses and they automatically gave me a conscientious objection.

 

Covington: We had a lot of difficulty in establishing that, but in the end we prevailed. Jehovah gave us the victory

in these cases. Not all of us got a deferment without difficulty, but in the end we finally won in the draft cases. We got

 the decision from the Supreme Court of the right to make a defense in the case of Louis Dabney Smith, who is now a

circuit overseer down in this area. William Esteph, the other one, was from Pittsburgh, and Smith was from South

Carolina. Smith had an interesting case because his old man caused him to be kidnapped. His old man got the cops to

kidnapped him from home, and took him down forcibly to the induction station. The old man knew that his son

wasn't going to show up, so he forcibly took him down there. Louis was there, and then I had to sue to get him out of

 the army. We went around and around in his case and we also went around and around in the others. That was a big

battle in that draft thing. We gave them a receipt for every blow. They were getting ready to indict me, you see. Yeah

they were, really.

 

Bro. Murray: Lock you away boy.

Covington: When they told me that, I said "you know my address"

 

Bro. Murray: They knew where to get you. Did you get involved in Canadian problems?

Covington: Oh yes I did, quite a lot. I spent a lot of time up in Canada then there was that Quebec situation that was

very bad and I worked very closely with Brother Hal. I used him in the cases up there up there because I couldn't

plead any cases in Canada. I worked with him and he was my alter ego. We gave a them a good run for their money in

Canada. Actually we got very good results out of the Canadian Supreme Court. We went in the seditious libel cases

that were brought against Jehovah's Witnesses. Also in a large number of other cases we had the Supreme Court split

in Canada and on that account and the court ruled in our favor, a split decision before they came around in our favor

and it was some very good decision that they gave us in Canada. Canada is based on common law. We went in there

under the freedom of worship statue in Quebec. We made use of that for the first time in history; it was written for the

Catholic Church, They never had to use it, but we used it successfully in the case involving Laurent Samour. The

Laurier Sumur, a witnessing case. The other case involved the Brother that ran the restaurant and that case was won

too. They tried to break him because he was signing bonds for the Brothers. Brother Frank Boccerelli ran the

restaurant. He was a very fine Brother, He stood up for Jehovah's name in a very courageous way and really gave

Duplessis a run for his money and we gave Duplessis a run for his money too in the courts up there.

 

Bro. Murray: He said "I am the law!"

Covington: That's the way he felt about it. He was a mean guy, Duplessis was. Brother Franz and I gave testimony up

 there in the Laurent Samour case in the Trial court and then it went on through the Appellate Courts and I was

around when we argued the case. The case was argued in the Supreme Court of Canada too (but Glen Howe handled

the argument very well and very capably) we worked very well together. Finally, Jehovah vindicated his people and

his name in a very big way in Canada, and this book here entitled Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada, Champions of

Freedom of Speech and Worship, by M. James Penton. It's a large book, several hundred pages long, three hundred

and eighty six pages, and it's got references to a lot of our cases in Canada and elsewhere. It goes into the battle in

Quebec, the second world war, and about our abstaining from blood. You know we had blood cases up there in

Canada too, and it tells about the victory in the courts in Canada and that which involved the draft, alternative

service, that was a draft case, and actually in one of the cases Leo Greenlees, who is on the governing body, I

represented in the courts in Toronto That was in forties. It says here that the Leo case was back in the forties

Percy Chapmann and Hayden C. Covington, the American legal consul for the two societies, visited Minister of

Justice, St. Laurent, to request that the ban on those organizations be lifted. Percy and I went to see St. Laurent who

was Minister of Justice in charge of Canada. And it points out on page 161, MacKenzie King was the Prime Minister

and the Prime Minister caused the bans to removed after that. But it was a hot time in Canada, a bad place. There was a

 lot of persecution then, and now it is a place of prosperity for the Lord's people.

 

Bro. Murray: Things have really changed haven't they? First we had to break down that wall. When you went to

court, for example, in the flag salute case, and you go up to the Supreme Court, it must have involved a tremendous

sum of money.

Covington: Well yes, but the Lord owns all the cattle on seven hills and he can afford it.

 

Bro. Murray: So when you win a case, though, do you still get paid?

Covington: Sometimes you get your costs back and sometimes you don't. When Uncle Sam or the State is involved

you don't get anything back. But in Canada we got it all back. Oh my! We took it off their head. But in the United

States you can't get anything out of Uncle Sam.

 

Bro. Murray: You got a chance to see ole Harry Truman one time.

Covington: Oh yes, sure. Ole Harry Truman. Murray, he was a great guy. He was a hot potato We went in to see

Harry because we were trying to get the pardon petition for the Jehovah's Witnesses who had been convicted under

the draft, considered and allowed by him, as the President of the United States. It is not easy to get in to see the

President, but Harry was approachable. I knew his next door neighbor, Jim Blair, who was Governor of Missouri, and

 who was with me in the first draft case out there in Texas. When we got down to that, I got in touch with Jim Blair,

and he came into Washington to set up an appointment in the White House.

And Jim, 1, and Brother Knorr wanted to get Brother Kennedy to come along because he was in the Army. That didn't

 make any impression on Harry. We went in and saw Harry Truman in the White House, in the Oval Room, and I'm

going to tell it exactly as it is and if you want to censor it go ahead. Went in to see his honor, his nibs, and Jim Blair

was there in the Oval Room and he found out what it was about, Ole Harry did, and he slammed his fist down on the

desk and he nearly broke the presidential desk. He said, "I want to tell you, that I do not have a God damn bit of use

for that SOB who didn't want to die for his country in time of war" and then Jim Blair threw his hands up and said,

"Oh Mr. President, Mr. President!" So Harry, after we presented the matter to him, Harry come down off of his high

horse, and out of his fury said "well I'll refer it to my Attorney General, that was Tom Clark who I knew, and who was

from Texas incidentally. Old Tom was later appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States, by Harry Truman.

And after he was appointed, Tom Clark gave us some favorable decisions in some of our cases. Not because we had

influence, but because we were right.

 

Bro. Murray: He had some character about him

Covington: Oh yes he did, and actually his son, the Attorney General, was quite a liberal. His son was well known

for his liberality. It surprised everybody too, and embarrassed Clark, but Clark turned out to be a very fine judge.

 

Bro. Murray: Its amazing, some of those men had real character; like Murphy and Stone

Covington: Oh boy, that Murphy! He was the greatest guy.

 

Bro. Murray: The had character about them, they stood up for what they felt was right.

Covington: Actually, Ole Frank Murphy, if you read that dissenting opinion that he wrote in that child custody

case, the Prince case (Prince against Mass.). That is an eloquent thing, and he squared off against all the rest of them

and recited about how horrible the Jehovah's Witnesses had been persecuted. He was a righteously disposed man.

 

Bro. Murray: It is interesting with all these politician there is one thing I'd like to know about. For example, you

only had a chance to work with Brother Rutherford for about three years rather closely, because he died in 1942.

Covington: That's right, I worked with him from 1939 to 1942. 1 was there in 1939, and we were very, very close.

We had to be because of the things that we working together on, and I went out to work with him on the Flag brief,

on the Gobitis case in San Diego, that's where we put the Gobitis brief together, in San Diego. And he was eloquent!

 

 

Bro. Murray: Yes that's right, he had a tremendous way with words. Was he that way in real life?

Covington: Yes he was. He was very much a man with a great sense of humor too, and he was great to fly off the

handle too! Which is only human you know. But I loved him with all my heart and I never feared him at all.

 

Bro. Murray: I guess some people did fear him because of the authority he was.

Covington: Well that may be true, but he still was a great man. If he did anything wrong he'd moke up for it.

 

Sis. Murray: Do you know how Brother Rutherford came into the truth?

Covington: He had been, in his younger life, a book agent selling books. He was going along in Missouri and he

slipped and fell through the ice, and took pneumonia. He thought he was about to die, and he prayed to the Lord that

 if he came out of that, he would never turn a book agent away. He was in his office and heard his secretary chasing a

book agent out of his office. He ran out of the door and balled him out for running the book agent out. It turned out to

 be one of Jehovah's Witnesses with Pastor Russell's books.

 

Sis. Murray: I heard it was a Sister.

Covington: And after that he got so deeply involved in with what he read, just like I did when I was listening to the

Judge; he was reading Pastor Russell and he just went head over heels and bag and baggage for what Brother Russell

 was doing and he went for it unlimited with out any constraint. Then Brother Russell got into litigation on account

of his wife. That suit with the divorce and that stuff about the miracle wheat and everything else. Brother Russell had

to have someone to represent him and he called on Brother Rutherford to come and represent him on these matters.

 

Bro. Murray: Rutherford was later arrested, but there was never anything to that trial and the imprisonment. He never

would have been convicted.

Covington: His conviction was reversed and that wiped the slate clean. Actually the convictions were malicious

prosecution anyhow. May 24, 1919 was the day he was admitted to the Supreme Court, and that's the same year that

he was admitted to the bar in the state of New York. And then he became council for Pastor Russell after that. Pastor

Russell died on the train in Texas and then there was a big hassle in the organization after that, which is a matter of

history. I don't have too much clarity on that. You know as much about that as I do by getting the records out and

reading them.

 

Bro. Murray: He really was a good lawyer then?

Covington: Oh yes, don't kid yourself about that later. Brother Rutherford had to get away from the intense cold in

the East in the winter time. He had a collapsed lung and there was a danger he could contact pneumonia because of

that experience when he fell in the water and nearly froze to death in Missouri. Remember he said he wasn't turning

any book agents away from his office. When Rutherford was behind bars he put his hands on the bar and said to

Jehovah, "If you ever get me out of here I am going to give the old wore [the Catholic Church] the worst licking that

she ever had..." and he dedicated his whole life, remaining life, to that pursuit.

Sis. Murray: He sure did, he really let her have it!

 

Bro. Murray: You came out here to San Diego, were you with him when he died?

Covington: Yes. He died in San Diego because he had been operated on for cancer of the colon in Indiana ... cancer is

a consuming thing, and it gradually began to eat his body down where there was little weight on him and he called

Brother Knorr and Brother Franz and I out to San Diego. We went out on the Santa Fe train, the Chief and we went

there to meet with him and he knew he was dying and he wasn't any maudlin ... he knew he wasn't going to live too

long. So he put his hands on the heads of all of us boys and asked us to stick together. That's when I made that

declaration that Fred Franz quoted at the assembly in Cincinnati. We all called him Pap, for short, meaning Pappy he

was really our father, not our real father you know, but because of age we consider him to be giving us orders. So I

said to him, "Well Pap, we'll fight them together till hell freezes over."

 

When we were at the assembly in Cincinnati Fred Franz told the Brothers about that quote, which I meant to. It was

like we skated on the ice. The lord will make it so.

 

Bro. Murray: What happened the body, did he want to buried out in San Diego?

Covington: He had no desire to be buried in any place but he had to. He knew he was dying and would have to be

buried. He was sensible enough to know that he didn't want to have his bones hauled all the way back to Brooklyn.

So he suggested to us that when the time came for him to be buried he wanted to be buried out there. We tried to get

him buried there in the Beth Serum property. That was a big property in behind there, went all the way down to

Montezuma Road, and then Brother Heath had that big house over across the way that his mother had given him

money to build. It would cost a half a million dollars to build and duplicate now, or more. We tried to get him buried

at that property and the board in San Diego turned us down. They didn't want him buried anywhere out there, there

was so much hostility and hatred against the Judge out there. The authorities turned us down, every turn we took.

 

I filed a lawsuit then in the courts out there in San Diego to force them to let us bury him out there on that property.

Judge Mundo, who was the judge of the Superior Court, heard it and passed the buck, jumping from one thing to

another, from one technicality to another, and finally after looking at the matter in a reasonable way Bill, Bonnie, and

Nathan and all of us decided that we have fought enough on this and it looks like its the Lord's will that we take his

body back to Brooklyn, and have him buried in Staten Island, which we did. So Bill and Bonnie were on the train

with his body. And Fred, Nathan, and I had already come back and were working. I was trying to get his bones under

 the ground by legal mandate and we couldn't get it, and there was no other thing to do. And we did, and that ended

that. He was laughing down from heaven at us scurrying around trying to get his bones buried.

 

Bro. Murray: He was probably pleased that you finally decided to let it go! "Didn't I ever teach them boys

anything?" He probably couldn't see how that was connected with anything. Since you loved the man that was why

it was so important to you.

Covington: We wanted to do his will as best we could, not his will, but Jehovah's will and he had to be buried

someplace. It wasn't reasonable to haul his body all the way across the country, but we finally had to do that.

 

Sis. Murray: Well how long did it take by train?

Covington: It took about two and a half to three days. Two and half days from San Diego and I made that trip a lot of

times. From New York to San Diego; it takes two and a half days on a Pullman. Of course, we rode Pullman. We went

first class, Brother Rutherford told me, "I want you, whenever you travel, to travel first class." And so I did, and

Brother Heath did, Nathan Knorr did, and Freddy Franz did too, all the whole bunch of us did.

 

Sis. Murray: Well you needed your rest and it was more comfortable.

Covington: It's not our comfort, but we were entitled to: the laborer is worthy of his hire.

 

Bro. Murray: Through those years, you brought cases to court that you could see Jehovah's hand in it and how

Jehovah built up a wall around his people. And the wall is still there as long as we don't abuse it, and the law will

protect us.

Covington: Yes, right! As long as we don't put our foot in the door. I'm just using that as a figure of speech. Abuse of

 it is it and I don't think that most of us do and or ever will and I'm sure that Jehovah is with us all the way. There's

no question about it; this is Jehovah's organization. Like Peter said, wherever we've got to go Lord, there's no

problem.

 

Bro. Murray: It's good that you've really been engaged in a warfare. Paul talks about this spiritual warfare. This

spiritual warfare has been on for a long time and sometimes has it been difficult to remember that we weren't fighting

against men and their statues so much but we were fighting against unseen spirits behind the men

Covington: Yes that's right; that's always been my conviction. Like Paul says here in this scripture. Where is the

one that says I am convinced that nothing will separate us from his love?

Sis. Murray: Romans, I think, the end of the seventh chapter. I think it was the seventh or eighth chapter of Romans.

Bro. Murray: In Ephesians 6: 10 he talks about the fight against the wicked forces.

Sis. Murray: Chapter eight, the end of chapter eight.

Covington: Yes right here it is, I've got it underscored.

JAMES HARRY COVINGTON                                                     20 July 2010

JAMES HARRY COVINGTON. Ref: 5546. Born: 3 May 1870 at Easton MD. Father: James H H, Father Ref: 11856.

Mother: Robinson, Emma V, Mother Ref: 11875.  Died: 4 Feb 1942 at Washington DC aged 71.  Mar: 4 Apr 1899 at

Easton MD to Rose, Ethel Kate 16908. Co-founder of Covington, Burling, Rublee, Acheson & Short, the largest law

firm in Washington

 

Known as Harry. A Congress Representative from Maryland. Born in Easton, Talbot County, Maryland. Received an

academic training in the public schools of Talbot County and the Maryland Military Academy at Oxford. Entered the

law department of the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia in 1891, attending at the same time special lectures

 in history, literature, and economics. He graduated from that institution in 1894.

 

Commenced the practice of law in Easton, Maryland. Was an un-successful Democratic nominee for the State senate in

 1901. Became State's attorney for Talbot County 1903-1908. Elected as a Democrat to the 61st, 62nd & 63rd

Congresses and served from March 4, 1909 until his resignation on September 30, 1914 to accept a judicial position

as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, which he served from October 1, 1914 to June 1,

1918, when he resigned to practice law in Washington D.C. Was professor of law in Georgetown University,

Washington D.C., 1914-1919. Appointed by President Wilson as a member of the United States Railroad

Commission in January 1918. Finally practiced law in Washington prior to his death in 1942. He is buried at Spring

Hill Cemetary, Easton, Maryland. Biography appears in National Cyclopaedia of American Biography 1955.

 

Info from Ellis Island, New York passenger data suggests he arrived there in 1912 aged 41 and again in 1924 aged

54. He also appears as entering New York from Washington DC in 1923 aged 53  (Ellis Island Family History

Passenger Records).

 

His obituary appeared in the 6 February 1942 issue of New York, New York. The Feburary 6 New York Times

carried his obituary. It read "J. H. Covington Dies; Jurist in Capital. Washington, Feb. 5--J. Harry Covington, former

Representative from Maryland and one-time Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, died here

yesterday at his home, 2330 Wyoming Avenue, after a brief illness. His age was 71. He had been confined to bed

since Saturday with a cold contracted earlier in Chicago.

 

Judge Covington, one of the most widely known attorneys in Washington and founder of its largest law firm, was

born on May 3, 1870, in Talbot County, Md., the son of James H. and Emma V. Covington. He was educated in the

public schools, attended Maryland Military Academy and the University of Pennsylvania and in 1894 began law

practice in Easton, Md. In 1903 he was named State's Attorney of Talbot County, a position he held until 1909,

when he was elected to the House of Representatives, serving the First Maryland District until his resignation in

1914 to become Chief Justice of the District Supreme Court.

 

Four years later he resigned and, with Edward H. Burling, founded the law firm of Covington, Burling, Rubise,

Acheson & Short, which has six senior, ten junior and thirteen associate partners. During his term on the bench

Judge Covington taught law at Georgetown University, and in 1918 President Wilson enlisted his services as a

member of the United States Railroad Wage Commission. He was a member of the board of directors of the Kennecott

Copper Company, the Union Trust Company and the Continental American Life Insurance Company.

 

He leaves a widow, the former Miss Ethel K. Rose of Brooklyn, whom he married in 1889; a son, J. Harry Covington

3d of Washington, and a daughter, Mrs. Lewis Clark, whose husband is second secretary of the United States

Legation in Ottawa.

JERRY COVINGTON                                                                     20 July 2010

JERRY COVINGTON. Ref: 7209. Born: around 1955 at Oklahoma OK. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother:

not known, Mother Ref: 0. Jerry started building custom motorcycles (choppers) in the early seventies and founded

Covington's Cycle City in Woodward Oklahoma in 1993. He has become well known in the motorcycle industry as

one of the top custom builders for his clean designs and high quality custom motorcycles, and has appeared in

numerous TV shows Including the Discovery Channel's Biker Build-Off series, Carlos Mencia's Mind of Mencia, and

Corbin's Ride On. Jerry has also been featured in several custom motorcycle related books including "Art of The

Chopper", and "Top Chops".

 

Jerry's one of a kind motorcycles have won many awards, have been featured in dozens of magazines, including

Easyriders, HotBike, and Street Chopper, and have been photographed by Michael Lichter Photography. Jerry has

built motorcycles for celebrities such as comedian Carlos Mencia, musician Sammy Hagar, and race car driver Billy

Boat.

 

Awards and accomplishments

Easyriders Invitational - Dallas 2008, Best of Show, AMD World Championship 2006, 2nd place: Production

Manufacturer, Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off Champion for Jerry Covington vs. Warren Vesely January 11,

2005

V-Twin Magazine, Best Custom Fabricated Bike, All American Motorcycle Show 2004, Best of Show: Pro-Builders

Class

Easyriders Invitational - Houston 2004, 2nd place: Best of Show , Easyriders Invitational - Louisville 2003, 1st

JOE ETHERIDGE COVINGTON                                                 20 July 2010

JOE ETHERIDGE COVINGTON. Ref: 16907. Born: during 1911 at Arkansas AR. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0.

Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: during 1993 at Missouri MO aged 82. Was Provost and Acting President

at U.A. Fayetteville AR from 1951-1954. Was later Dean of Missouri University.

 

The following tribute was written by John Germany. Editor’s note: This year, the National Conference of Bar

Examiners announced the first annual Joe E. Covington Prize for Scholarship in Bar Admissions Topics. The

prizehonors the late Joe Covington (1911-1993), NCBE’s firstdirector of testing. NCBE asked John Germany, a

former chair of the Conference and longtime friend of Joe’s, towrite a remembrance of Joe.

 

"I bring to the task of writing this profile of Joe Covington articles from The Bar Examiner, materials from Tim Heinsz,

Dean of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, an obituary written by Joe and provided by his widow,

 Justice Ann Covington of the Missouri Supreme Court, and my own special recollections. It is most appropriate that

I should repeat several facts gleaned from these materials.

 

Joe was born in 1911, and his early upbringing has a tinge of Horatio Alger. A small town boy from Arkansas, he

graduated from a teachers’ college and became a high school teacher. He was a beneficiary of the Civilian

Conservation Corps as an educational advisor, then went on to the University of Arkansas for both undergraduate

and law school. One law school wasn’t enough for Joe. He attended two more—first the University of Texas and then

 Harvard where Joe and I shared a class in 1947.

 

After receiving his S.J.D. from Harvard, Joe returned to the University of Arkansas; his imprint on that institution

was considerable. He became the provost for the undergraduate school and served as acting president for one year. At

 the law school level, he taught and then became dean. When he left the University of Arkansas, Joe moved on to the

University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law where he also taught and served as dean.

 

Our paths crossed again when I attended a meeting of the National Conference of Bar Examiners in 1969 as a member

of the newly formed NCBE Bar Examination Committee. Joe, who was by this time teaching at the University of

Missouri-Columbia, was a member of a panel convened to discuss “A Uniform Bar Exam: National and Regional.”

 

At that meeting, Joe made one of his first great contributions to the multistate bar exam by giving a name to our efforts

to bring some uniformity and objectivity to the bar examination process. At the time, the states were fearful of a

“national” bar exam which could cause them to lose their jurisdiction over the admitting process. Joe suggested we

call our proposed examination a “multistate bar examination,” and the name stuck. The committee was so impressed

with Joe that we asked him to become the reporter to our committee and he agreed. From then on, he met with us in

developing the examination. Most meetings were held on weekends at the Chicago airport.

 

No expenses were paid to the committee members or to Joe by the National Conference because the Conference didn’t

have any money. The energy created by this committee was a sight to behold. All of us knew that we were breaking

new ground which would change the testing process. Despite the fact that Florida had been using them for several

years and New York had used them as a part of its examination for many years, multiple choice questions were still

generally looked upon as an unacceptable way to test legal knowledge.

 

With the mounting number of applicants, however, the grading of essay papers was becoming onerous, and the delay

in announcing the results was becoming unacceptable to both the state courts and the examinees. The time was ripe

for a new examining process where a multistate test could be prepared according to professional standards and graded

 in a matter of a few weeks, giving jurisdictions additional time to grade any essays.

 

The first MBE was given in February of 1972. In anticipation of this first exam, Joe went from being reporter to the

committee to Director of Testing for the Conference. In the process, the MBE headquarters moved to Joe’s office at the

University of Missouri-Columbia.

 

The first examination was given by only 11 jurisdictions. The test, consisting of 200 questions, was developed

under Joe’s auspices. He appointed the members of the drafting committees who developed questions to be given on

the five original subjects of the exam: Torts, Contracts, Real Property, Evidence and Criminal Law. (The sixth subject,

 Constitutional Law, was later added to the test.) Recruiting these volunteers was a huge job that involved finding

both law faculty and practitioners with expertise in the subject areas.

 

We involved the Educational Testing Service (ETS) early in the processes of developing and grading the MBE. With

 an examination of these proportions, we felt that it was important to involve testing professionals from the inception.

 (This function was later taken over by American College Testing, now ACT.)

 

This first MBE was given without a hiccup, and it then became incumbent on the NCBE Bar Examination Committee

members to promote the test to additional jurisdictions. The selling job always included Joe. Two additional

mainstays of this effort were the urbane John Eckler of Ohio, who was chairman of the committee, and Roy Wilkinson

of Pennsylvania, who was always leading the band.

 

In 1976, I became Chair of the Multistate Bar Examination Committee, and by this time developing the MBE had

become the dominant activity of the National Conference. Despite the phenomenal growth of the exam, our

headquarters were still in Columbia, Missouri, and Joe still refused to take any pay for his services.

 

As additional jurisdictions were added, we began to generate large sums of money and correspondingly large

expenses for producing the examination. Our bills, often in six figures, would be paid by Joe—not with desk checks,

but with those small checks often used for household accounts.

 

California’s adoption of the examination was a coup that added thousands of examinees per exam. The major holdout

continued to be New York. The New York Board of Law Examiners was reluctant to change its exam, which at the

time consisted of both essay and multiple choice questions and which board members felt was working well.

 

Joe and I finally had a hearing before the judge of the Court of Appeals of the State of New York who was in charge of

the New York examination. He met with us in New York City and we presented our case along with a member of the

New York Board who argued against adopting the MBE. Sometime after this hearing, a decision was made to adopt

the MBE, and the New York bar examiners, once on board, became advocates of the exam.

 

By the time New York joined the list of jurisdictions using the MBE, other jurisdictions had also begun to

appreciate the advantages of administering this exam. The list was growing.

 

With the growing success of the exam, it became necessary to validate the exam to prove its testing ability. Joe

selected a blue ribbon commission to complete the assessment. When this commission gave its stamp of approval, it

became easier for the committee to sell the exam to the remaining jurisdictions. (Our efforts were successful, as today

all but two jurisdictions have adopted the MBE.)

 

During this time Joe and I became fast friends. In our extensive travels we had long talks which included both

professional and personal subjects. Many of these would take place during after-dinner walks. I came to know of

Joe’s pride in his son, his love of his wife, Ann, and his pleasure in his record collection and sound equipment. His

library at home resembled a recording studio.

 

Joe had a wonderful sense of humor. During the Nixon-McGovern election, we were guests of Roy Wilkinson at the

Union League Club in Philadelphia. The club was festooned with bunting for Nixon. As we viewed this, Joe quietly

asked, “I wonder where I could make a contribution to McGovern?”

 

His sense of humor was also evident at his NCBE retirement party. He rose in response to the many accolades that he

had received. He said that many people had asked what he was going to do in his retirement, and he was now

announcing that he was going to start a bar review course. (Because bar review courses had been anathema to Joe,

this joke carried great weight for those of us who knew him.)

 

At the conclusion of this wonderful career, Joe didn’t retire, he just changed his focus. He continued to revel in

Ann’s successes as a justice and eventually Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court; he took immense enjoyment

 in his music and in his travel adventures.

 

The world is a better place for Joe’s having lived in it, and I am a better person for having known him. It is only

fitting that the National Conference of Bar Examiners should create this award in Joe’s name."

JOEY COVINGTON                                                                        20 July 2010

JOEY COVINGTON. Ref: 5550. Born: 27 Jul 1945 at East Conemaugh PA. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0.

Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0. Not actually a Covington, Real name Joseph Edward Michno, ie Joe E.

 

"Hello Martin

Covington has been my stage name but I am not a Covington by birth.  I found my record cover, my union card, and a

photo of me on your site.  But for accuracy I thought you should know I am not truly a Covington.  I always liked the

 name.

 

Joey Covington"

 

Known as Joey. Musician. Percussionist & Singer, mainly sessions. Worked on albums with Jefferson Airplane

1969/1974 and Peter Kaukonen 1971 & 1977. Recordings include Drums & Vocals on own album (Fat Fandango)

1973 Grunt Records BFL 10149. Drums, vocals & percussion on Jefferson Airplane Albums (Volunteers) 1969 RCA,

 (Bark) 1971 Grunt, (Long John Silver) 1972 Grunt, & (Early Flight) 1974 Grunt Records. Drums on Peter

Kaukonen Album (Black Kangaroo) 1971 Grunt Records. Drums on Papa John Creach Album (Papa John Creach)

1971 Grunt Records. Drums on Nick Gravenites Album (Blue Star) 1980 Line Records. Drums on some tracks of

various Hot Tuna albums 1970-1979. Drums/Percussion on Paul Kantner Albums (it’s a Fresh Wind That Blows)

1970 RCA Records & (Sunfighter) 1971 Grunt Records. Drums on Rocky Sullivan Album (Illegal Entry) 1981 Rag

Baby/Jupiter Records. H

 

e replaced Spencer Dryden in Jefferson Airplane in 1970. He is described as; "A barely adequate and uninspired

drummer, who even admitted that he disliked the band's music". Joey brought black violinist Papa John Creach to

both Hot Tuna and Airplane in October 1970. Band at that time consisted of Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Jack

Cassady, Jorma Kaukonen, Joey and Creach. He left the band in 1972 to be replaced by John Barbata. Steve Midnite,

Patrick Craig and Jack Prendergast appeared on his own album.  (New Rock Record - Terry Hounsone 3rd

Edition)(Who's Who In Rock Music)(The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music, Vol 8, Pges

912-913)

 

Blues From A Jefferson Airplane Discography Version 4.2 - November 1995.

 

Compliled by Jeff Zahnen (number6@grove.ufl.edu)

            

This discography can be found at The Jefferson Airplane Homepage - 

http://grove.ufl.edu/~number6/Jefferson.Airplane/airplane.html

Copyright 1995 by Jeff Zahnen  All Rights Reserved. Permission to use, copy, and distribute this text for non-

commercial purposes and without fee is hereby granted, provided that this notice appears in all copies.

 

Joey Covington -  Your Heart Is My Heart (Grunt, 1973) *

 

II. Band Lineup 1965-1994                      JEFFERSON AIRPLANE

 

Marty Balin - vocals

Paul Kantner - guitar, vocals

Jorma Kaukonen - guitar, vocals

Signe Anderson - vocals

Skip Spence - drums

Bob Harvey - bass

Jack Casady - bass

Grace Slick - keyboard, vocals

Spencer Dryden - drums

Joey Covington - drums

John Barbata - drums

Papa John Creach - fiddle

David Freiberg - bass, guitar, keyboards

Peter Kaukonen - bass

Craig Chaquico - guitar

Pete Sears - keyboards, bass

Mickey Thomas - vocals

Aynsley Dunbar - drums

Don Baldwin - drums

Michael Falzarano - rhythm guitar

Tim Gorman - keyboards

Slick Aguilar - guitar

Prarie Prince - drums

Darby Gould - vocals

Diana Mangano - vocals

Gary Cambra - keyboards

 

Jack Covington is on two tracks "Twilight Double Leader" & "Son Of Jesus",

 

Pretty As You Feel (Covington/Casady/Kaukonen) 4:30

Thunk (Covington) 2:56

War Movie (Kantner) 4:36

 

Pretty As You Feel [single version] / Wild Turkey (Oct 1971 #60)

 

Up Or Down (Peter Kaukonen) 6:18 is from 1970 session w/ Balin and Covington drumming.

Mexico (Slick) 2:06 & Have You Seen The Saucers (Kantner) 3:37 is a 1970 single w/ Balin & Dryden & Covington

 on Congas.

 

Album - 2400 FULTON STREET (Mar 1987 #138) Disk 2

Pretty As You Feel (Covington/Casady/Kaukonen) 4:30

 

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE LOVES YOU - Disk 3

Pretty As You Feel (Covington/Casady/Kaukonen) 3:09 [Single version]

 

Split of Songwriter responsibilities:

 

Kantner - 25.97%, Slick - 18.05%, Kaukonen - 16.90%, Non-Airplane Members - 15.18% {inc Darby Slick's

Somebody To Love}, Balin - 14.19%, Spence - 3.47%, Dryden - 3.04%, Casady - 1.55%, Covington - 1.32%, Creach -

0.33%

 

This takes into account all studio albums, Early Flight, and the songs only  on Bless Its Pointed Little Head (101

songs).  Any songs co-written split the credit equally between its songwriters.

 

Joey Covington credited with the following songs:

 

Jefferson Starship Album - SPITFIRE , Track: With Your Love (Balin/Covington/Smith) 3:33 

& GOLD, Track: With Your Love (Balin/Covington/Smith) 3:34

- "Jefferson Starship" was comprised of Kantner, Slick, Casady and Covington from the Airplane; Jerry Garcia, Bill

Kreutzman, Mickey Hart from the Grateful Dead; David Crosby and Graham Nash from CSN; and David Frieberg,

Peter Kaukonen, Harvey Brooks and Phil Sawyer

Paul Kantner Album - BLOWS AGAINST THE EMPIRE, Track: Mau Mau (Kantner/Slick/Covington) 6:34

Papa John Creach Album - PAPA JOHN CREACH, track: The Janitor Drives A Cadillac (Covington) 2:47

 

In more recent times Joey has his own HomePage on the Internet - extracts are as follows:

 

VITALS

home town - east conemaugh, pennsylvania (working class section)

cancer with capricorn rising. Year - (hint:  Joey will always be the youngest member of  JEFFERSON AIRPLANE!)

 

3rd of 6 children. Blond with blue eyes. Hobbies: collecting lionel ho trains, lead soldiers , indian head pennies.

High school nickname -  skinny jo. Best trait - persistence  (though some don't see it that way!). Earliest aspiration -

to be a rock n' roll star, age 15. Lost virginity - age 15.

Favorite saying - "speak softly and carry a big stick!"

Percussion - self taught, age 10, by listening to joe morello, cozy cole, sandy nelson (drums), candido (Congas), &

preston epps (Bongos). Other instruments - all percussion, piano for songwriting plays all musical styles. Favorite

musical styles- rock n' roll, r& b, blues, rockabilly, & jazz

favorite artists - (in no particular order) henry mancini, jimmy reed, jimi hendrix experience, dave brubeck, bo diddley,

 lil richard, james brown & the famous flames, elvis presley, ray charles, steely dan, isley bros., miles davis , mitch

mitchell, otis redding.

 

Fondest early memories on the road to fame and fortune - age 20, "getting to new york city on a greyhound bus with a

suitcase, a set of drums, and $100.00 in my pocket." & "loading 6 drum cases on the E subway train to get to

rehearsal."                                                                                                     

A YOUNG DRUMMER'S CAREER UNFOLDS

 

Age 10 to 13 playing drums in polka bands at vfw lodges with mom and dad chaperoning "cause I was underage"

Age 14 backing up strippers at the airway club in johnstown, pa. "great fun for a 14 year old" and "no, mom and dad

didn't know!". As crystal would say "boy, when I bump and grind my buns, you beat hell out of them tom toms!".

"Thanks crystal, that was good advice!!! ". "I never did get to tell you how nice those 22 year old buns were;  sittin

there on my bass drum; shimmyin' and a shakin'.

 

Age 15 - 18,  the high school years; east conemaugh high school marching band ,"I came in as a tom tom drummer and

left a drum seargent."  then there was the vibrasonics, a hot rod band that won a few battle of the bands, and opened

once for simon and garfunkel. "I learned about becoming a lead drummer with them, and got fired a few times for it;

they didn't appreciate the push!".  Started singing while playing drums.                                                                                     

 

 

Age 18 - 19, time of the draft notices.  "the navy told me if I enlisted I could be a tympani drummer in the navy band."

right before being shipped out to guide planes in on the u.s.s. kittyhawk, the vibrasonics were in a car accident and a

 one year detour from the road to fame began.  Broken pelvis, 3 broken toes, broken right leg, not expected to walk

again. " I meditated to focus the healing, and after 3 months in a pelvic sling I went home to recharge and rebuild."       

                                                                                              

 

Age 20 THE SINGLE GREATEST MOTIVATING FACTOR IN A YOUNG DRUMMERS LIFE ARRIVES.."son, if

you're gonna be a rock star, you've got a month to take your drums and get out on the road, or, if you're gonna live at

home, you'd better get a job and bring some money into the house."                                                                                

 

The greyhound bus let joey and his grey marine ludwig pearls (just like ringo's) off in new york city's grand central

station, exactly one month later.  "I headed to the peppermint lounge, introduced my self to joey d. and the

starlighters, (peppermint twist) and asked joey d. if he knew where I could find a gig. The next day I was at joey d.'s

agent sid green's office.  Joey d. said "he's a nice guy, you'll like him."

 

Quotes:

"mr green, joey d. sent me, I'm a drummer looking for a gig."

"HEY KID, WHAT'S WITH THE LONG HAIR?"

"I haven't got anything for you right now, here's my card,.. Give me a call."

"I'll wait here in case something comes up."

"kid, I can't help you, I got no place to put you.  How old are you?...  20?  You're still wet behind the ears."

"how much ya weigh kid?"

"112 pounds mr. green."

"you telling me the truth kid, joey d. really sent you?"

"that's the god's honest truth mr. green."…………..

About five hours later…………..

"look, I like you kid, but you're not ready for the big city yet.  I'll even buy you a ticket back to johnstown."

"I can't go back to johnstown, my father will make me get another kind of job, and I'm a great drummer, and I'm gonna

be a star, and I'm not leaving your office until you find me a gig!."

"kid, I never even heard you play, how can I get you a gig?"

"here's a record I made mr. green."

"good playing kid! You're real fast.  But you really should do something with that hair, it's way too long, and I don't

 really know where I could book you with all that hair.  Look kid, I like you, you got heart, and maybe you might be

a star, but come back in a few years.  I'm gonna do you a favor cause I like you, how about a ticket back to anywhere

in pennsylvania?"

(side note re: hair - east coast was into pompadours)

The young drummer was about to split when in walks danny apollinar, who's trio just finished with a USO tour in

nam.

"sid, you gotta help me, my drummer and bass player just split, and I got a gig in ft. lauderdale in two days!"

"danny, I gotta drummer right here!, he's great, and he can play anything!"

"can you play "the lady is a tramp" and do you use brushes?"

"I can play anything".

("I figured I could learn along the way")

"great, what's your name,?"

"joey"

"joey, 200 bucks a week plus room and board."

"yeah, I'll take it…., mr green what's your commission?"

" kid, this one's on me, go be a star!"

the next day the the drums got loaded in a subway to get to the 30 show tune rehearsal,  then it was on to a plane and

off to florida for "my first tour." When the tour ended, figuring dad would be happy to see him, "I proved I was a pro ,

so I headed home."  Also, he figured he'd go show off the tan. While home some calls came in to do some gigs;  it was

back to rock n' roll;  dick clark caravan of stars, shangri'la's, billy stewart(summertime), the supremes, donald jenkins

and the delighters (elephant walk), the shirelles.

 

Age 21 -got a call from sonny di'nunzio of the fenways, a well known pittsburgh band.  "said he remembered me from a

 battle of the bands, and would I like to come to pittsburgh?" "sure!"  for the next year, the fenways cut some singles

and played seven nights a week, opening shows for the rolling stones, dave clark 5, shangri' la's, lee dorsey

(working in a coal mine), lou christie, chad and jeremy, jimmy beaumont and the skyliner's, among others.                      

                                                                           

 

Age 22 -  anguitar player / songwriter friend joey had met in pittsburgh called one day and said "lets go out west."  

"when louie called I was ready to move on towards fame and fortune."  so, in the summer of 1967,  in a new mercedes ,

joey and louie head for california.  

 

"besides, I liked the idea of driving out there in a new mercedes."

 

ANSWER TO QUESTION I'M ALWAYS ASKED:               

 

My Personal Favorite Drum Tracks are;

Lawman & Wild Turkey on Bark Album

Have You Seen The Saucers & Mexico on Early Flight

Janitor Drives A Cadillac  on PaPa John Creach           

Emergency on Jefferson Airplane Loves You

Holding Together  & Sunfighter on Sunfighter

Hideout is A Crooks Best Friend on Fat Fandango

 

Review of Joey's musical work:

"PRETTY AS YOU FEEL"  (Covington/Cassady/Kaukonen)

aka the Santana Collaboration featured on Jefferson Airplane Bark, 2400 Fulton Street, Jefferson Airplane Loves You,

 various bootlegs

Jefferson Airplane had 4 hits and this was one of them             

The Santana Collaboration was featured in the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame's Voter Pamphlet as part of the basis for

inducting the band.

 

CONGRATULATIONS PRETTY AS YOU FEEL !

This song was my ticket to meet Elvis "The King" Presley.  Harry Jenkins, VP of RCA lived up to his promise that if I

wrote a hit he'd send me to meet "The King". Also recorded by San Fransisco Allstars & Rainbow Allstars - theme

song Tom Snyder Show in 1970's T.V. Santa Barbara episode, and China Beach Episode

 

"THUNK" (Covington)

only Jefferson Airplane Song given a good review by the New York Times became a college anthem

 

"JANITOR DRIVES A CADILLAC" (Covington)

PaPa John Creach's one and only Top 40 Hit

 

"MAU MAU AMERIKON" (Kantner, Slick, Covington)

a collaboration featured on Jefferson Starship Blows Against The Empire

Songs Featured on Fat Fandango

 

"MAMA NEPTUNE" (Covington)

"MISS UNAVERSE" (Covington)

"HIDEOUT IS A CROOKS BEST FRIEND" (Covington)

"YOUR HEART IS MY HEART" (Covington)

"VAPOR LADY" (Covington)

"COUNTRY GIRL" (Covington)

"ZEPHYREENA"  (Covington)

"MOONBEAM"  (Covington)

"WITH YOUR LOVE"  (Balin, Covington, Smith)

recorded by Jefferson Starship - BMI Millionair award

                                    

"WHATEVER THE OLD MAN DOES" (Covington)

Hot Tuna live shows part of the Hot Tuna Jamaica sessions

a bootleg staple

 

"TONIGHT" (Covington)

sung live by Marty Balin with Jefferson Starship

 

"GET OFF" (Covington)

Hot Tuna live

 

"BABY I'M AMAZED"

San Fransisco Allstars

 

"I'll Do Better Next Time "(Covington/Schecter)

B side to Boris The Spider

one of earliest songs I wrote

 

"Let's Be Friends" (Covington/Schecter)

recorded by Tsong

 

"The Way We Were Before" (Covington/Schecter)

recorded by Tsong                   

 

"The MAN" (Covington)

Hot Tuna Live shows part of the Hot Tuna Jamaica sessions a bootleg staple I had been talking to Little Richard's

mother, Mrs. Penniman, for 3 months. One day he  called me, told me his mother liked me, so he came and did the

session with the Airplane.

 

This song has the honor of being nixed from release in 1971 and 1992 by RCA and BMG for political reasons. BMG

mentioned something about Iced Tea and the NRA. Are they still censoring us? Inspired by the beatings of Ruben

Salazar. Little Richard put on a great track!

 

Musically Yours,

JOHN DEAN COVINGTON                                                           20 July 2010

JOHN DEAN COVINGTON. Ref: 6842. Born: 9 Aug 1960 at Arkansas AR. Father: David Andrew, Father Ref:

10095. Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.   Mar: around 1992 at Arizona AZ to Deborah 13864. The founder and

President of Surgical-Steeds Classic American Motorcycles, Inc., John Covington, attended Arizona State University

 studying advertising and General Business. He then moved to Los Angeles to study Product Design at the world-

renowned Art Center, College of Design. The Art Center is one of the most progressive colleges in Industrial Design,

 and also lists as one its Alma matter Willie G. Davidson, Director of Styling at Harley-Davidson.

 

While working as a Freelance Foodservice Consultant designing restaurants in the Los Angeles area, Covington

purchased his first Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Not completely satisfied with the performance fit or finish of his

production model Harley, Covington did a complete tear down and personally customized his machine. This very

motorcycle was chosen to be featured in the "Official Harley-Davidson Dreamgirls calendar".

 

Soon Covington was busy customizing bikes for friends, and picked up an account building bikes for Thunder Road,

 an aftermarket shop on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. To accommodate all the work coming his way, he set up his

own shop, Surgical-Steeds, in Sun Valley, California. The name implies the "SURGICAL precision and cleanliness in

 details in augmenting the Iron Horse or STEED".

 

While operating out of an industrial complex in California, Covington’s bikes became a mainstay in the H-D

calendar. With four of the twelve bikes featured in the 1993 issue being customized by Steeds, it soon became

obvious that the demand for Steed customized Harleys was going to deserve a full-service retail location.

 

In 1991 the Los Angeles riots broke out, and this was the impetus for the Covington family to relocate back to

John’s roots in Arizona. A location in Scottsdale, a suburb to the northeast of Phoenix was chosen. The expanded

version of Covingtons’ vision was incorporated in Arizona dubbed Surgical-Steeds Classic American Motorcycles

Inc.

 

John’s wife of over 10 years, Deborah, who has a background in Accounting and Administration, came to work at the

 new Steed facility full time. Having worked as a computer systems analyst and manager for one of the top

entertainment management firms in Century City, California, "Breslauer, Jacobson, Rutman and Sherman", Deborah

contributes her business and interpersonal skills at Steeds on a daily basis.

 

With the growth of the Aftermarket parts industry offering improved components to upgrade Harley-Davidson

motorcycles, Surgical-Steeds began to offer complete Steed built bikes with very few O.E.M. Harley parts. In 1994

Surgical-Steeds applied for and received a manufacturers license from the federal government granting Steeds the

authority to apply Federal Vehicle Identification Numbers to its brand of American Heavyweight Cruiser

Motorcycles. Thus the Steed Motorcycle was born in America, with its own Pedigree, #1S9 at the beginning of its

VIN, Assigned by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

 

Over the years, Surgical-Steeds has sourced out quality vendors to supply components for their machines as well as

constantly designing proprietary components to improve the Steed motorcycle. Surgical-Steeds also has several U.S.

Registered trademarks to protect its brand including; Steed, Surgical-Steeds, Monoglide, the Steed Logo silhouette

and also claims trademarks to the brands Clydesdale, Clydesdale-N, Thoroughbred, Thoroughbred-C, Quarterhorse

and Quarterhorse GT to identify its models of motorcycles. Covingtons’ product designs also include the

revolutionary Monoglide chassis; Steedbars with internal wiring, a line of one piece forged billet aluminum wheels.

Most if not all these proprietary components are designed to be upgrades for existing Harley-Davidson machines.

 

Covington and Surgical-Steeds staff are committed to bring to market the latest innovations in a motorcycle market

bound by American traditions; thus Steeds will always be a "work in progress".

 

In 2002 living at 9550 North 90th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona AZ 85258

JOHN WESLEY COVINGTON                                                     20 July 2010

JOHN WESLEY COVINGTON. Ref: 5590. Born: 27 Mar 1932 at North Carolina NC. Father: not known, Father Ref:

 0. Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.   Mar: around 1960 at Canada to Patricia 5830. 2nd Mar: during 1979 at

Canada to Hunter, Vicki L 3937. Known as Wes. Siblings; James(5591). The following is an extract from a letter

received from his 2nd wife, Vicki L. Covington (nee Hunter, born in Britain 25 October 1955, married 1979) of

15703-104 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5P 4P5; "His father was the child of a black woman and white

plantation owner by the surname of Covington. His mother was the child of a black mother and Cherokee Indian

father.

 

Wes had two daughters from his first marriage and one daughter, Chantel, from our marriage. His mother is still alive,

1991, by another name because of re-marriage, and resides in North Carolina, as does most of the family including

numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces, Wes' ex-wife and daughters with their families. Wes and I

separated in 1985 and he is now re-married to Patricia. They live in Edmonton at #905, 10145-119 Street, Edmonton,

 Alberta, Canada. He was a professional baseball player until the 1960s and was in several World Series with both

the Milwaukee Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. His pro career can be read in many sports history books"

 

His career spanned 1956-66, played for Braves (1956-61), Chicago White Sox (1961), Kansas City Athletics (1961),

Philadelphia Phillies (1961-65), Chicago Cubs (1966), Los Angeles Dodgers (1966). 1075 Games. 279 Average,

131 Home Runs, 499 RBI. Debut 19 Apr 1956 for Milwaukee Braves & played final game 2 Oct 1966 for Los

Angeles Dodgers

 

Extracts from “The 1957 World Series” by Mark R. McCallum

 

Pitching and a little shoeshine pave Milwaukee's path to the franchise's second World Series title. Lew Burdette

wins three games, pitching shutout baseball over his final 24 innings, while the Braves, who won their first title in a

while in Boston, manage to hit .209 against the Yankees. Milwaukee takes pivotal Game 4 in 10 innings after Nippy

Jones wins an argument that he had been hit on the foot by a pitch. A scuff on the ball proves him correct and the

Braves rally. Hank Aaron tops Milwaukee with a .393 average, three home runs and seven RBI. Jerry Coleman leads

the Yankees with a .364 average.  Winning series share is $8,924.

 

New York 3, Milwaukee 1 at Yankee Stadium

Whitey Ford tosses a five-hitter and gets enough support in the 6th. In that inning Andy Carey chases Warren Spahn

 with an RBI single. Jerry Coleman adds an insurance run on a squeeze bunt.

 

Milwaukee 4, New York 2 at Yankee Stadium

Wes Covington's spectacular catch in the 2nd snuffs a Yankee rally as Lew Burdette heads toward a seven-hit

complete game. Milwaukee breaks a 2-2 in the 4th on three singles and an error by Tony Kubek.

 

New York 12, Milwaukee 3 at Milwaukee

Tony Kubek homers twice as the Yankees take advantage of 11 walks from six Braves pitchers. Don Larsen earns the

victory in early relief of Bob Turley.

 

Milwaukee 7, New York 5, 10 innings at Milwaukee

With two outs in the 9th, New York's Elston Howard ties the game with a 3-run homer. The Yankees snag a 6-5 lead

in the 10th on Tony Kubek's single and Hank Bauer's triple. But Nippy Jones' polished shoes changes things.

However, it took a lengthy argument and a scuff on the ball before umpires award him first base for being hit on the

foot by the pitch. Johnny Logan follows with a run-scoring double -- the Braves' first hit since the 4th -- to score

pinch-runner Felix Mantilla, on second following Red Schoendienst's sacrifice. Eddie Mathews then wins it with a

homer.

 

Milwaukee 1, New York 0 at Milwaukee

It's that man again. Lew Burdette mows down the Yankees on seven hits. He's aided when Wes Covington robs Gil

McDougald of a homer in the 4th.

JOSEPH ARTHUR COVINGTON                                                20 July 2010

JOSEPH ARTHUR COVINGTON. Ref: 85. Born: Oct-Dec 1867 at Bedford. Father: George Francis, Father Ref: 412.

Mother: Page, Harriet, Mother Ref: 4997.  Died: 3 Dec 1895 at Bedford Prison aged 27. Known as Arthur. Committed

 at Midland Assizes for the murder of his cousin, Effie Jane Burgin on 14 Nov 1895. Found guilty and hung for the

offence. Clothiers Assistant.

Samantha Anderson recounts the story; "The first item out of the Midland Assizes Depositions box, held at the

Public Records Office in Chancery Lane, was an architect's plan of the ground floor of No.33 Wellington Street,

Bedford. It showed a front room, a middle room, a back room, a passage and a room beyond the back room marked

"coats".

 

The house was occupied by George Francis Covington, his wife and their son, Arthur, a clothiers assistant. Also in

the box were the witnesses' statements in the matter of Arthur Covington who was accused of wilfully murdering

Effie Jane Burgin on the 13th June 1895 in the middle room of his father's house. From the statement of William

Francis Covington, his brother, a printer who lived in King's Place, Bedford, it would appear that Arthur was having

 some medical problems. He suffered from bouts of depression, had pains in his spine and had trouble sleeping. He

may also have been losing his eyesight.

 

Effie was around 20 years old and in service, she often used to visit Arthur and his parents on her evenings off. She

was a chatty little thing and they were all very fond of her. On the night in question she had been walking with her

friend, Elizabeth Meeks, before going to see her aunt and uncle. After about 15 minutes, during which time she had

been her usual cheery self, she asked her uncle the time and on hearing that it was nearly ten, she kissed her aunt and

wished her "Goodnight", shook her uncle's hand and wished him the same before going into the middle room with

Arthur, prior to taking her leave. Only a minute or two later a loud bang was heard. George thought at first that

something was wrong with the lamp, but when two more reports rang out he rushed into the middle room to find Effie

 lying on the floor half under the table and Arthur with a revolverin his hand. Arthur had shot her three times, once in

 the jaw, once in the back of her head and once through the neck.

 

Having killed Effie, Arthur reached out tenderly to her and was heard to murmer something like "My wife, my wife".

He asked his father if he might kiss her, which he did, three times. He then put his arm around his father's shoulder

and said "My dear father, my dear father".

 

Neighbours in the street had heard the revolver and in no time at all the house was full of people. The constable went

to take the revolver from Arthur who quietly said "It does not need much taking". He was committed to the Midland

Assizes on Thursday 14th November where he said "I did not do it through malice. I call no witnesses". He was

found guilty, sentenced to death and on 3rd December 1895 he was hanged at Bedford Prison".

 

The Times, 04 Dec 1895, Page 7 reported "EXECUTION – Arthur Covington, 27, was executed at Bedford yesterday

for the murder of his cousin, Effie Burgin, 20, in June last. The execution was carried out privately. The High Sheriff

refused admission to the Press, and all the prison officials declined to give any details. Billington was the

executioner."

JUAN COVINGTON                                                                        20 July 2010

JUAN COVINGTON. Ref: 8005. Born: 3 Mar 1962 at Pennsylvania PA. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother:

not known, Mother Ref: 0. He is an American serial killer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He worked at

Pennsylvania Hospital and was arrested in 2005 after security camera footage linked him to the murder of co-worker

Patricia McDermott, 48, an X-ray technician.

 

Victims -

In 1998 he shot and killed his cousin, Rev. Thomas Lee Devlin, 49, as he was leading a prayer service. In 2003

Covington shot David Stewart, 43, nine times as he walked home. Stewart survived the attack. In 2004 Covington

shot William Bryant, 33, nine times as the man walked to work. Bryant also survived. In March 2005, Covington

shot and killed Odies Bosket, 36, at a subway station. In May 2005, Covington shot and killed Patricia McDermott.

 

 

Juan Covington received three life sentences for his crimes. (Wikipedia)

 

SK Central News reported - Juan Covington, his lawyer said, was driven to shoot his five victims by a conviction

that "he had a mission to exterminate the devil."By Jennifer LinInquirer Staff Writer. He was so small, a sunken figure

in a baggy prison sweatshirt and black sweatpants who slid into his seat without ever looking around.

 

Relatives of his victims - the Bosket family on the left side of Courtroom 304, the McDermotts on the right - locked

on the face of this man with a gray-flecked beard, rimless glasses and shorn hair.

 

They saw Juan Covington, 44, for what he was: an executioner.

 

Yesterday, Covington admitted killing their relatives, but on the ground he was mentally ill. Common Pleas Court

Judge Benjamin Lerner immediately sentenced him to three consecutive life terms for murder. He also gave Covington

two 20- to 40-year sentences for attempted murder.

 

On May 17, Covington came up behind Patricia McDermott, a 48-year-old mother of two, and shot her in the back of

her head on a Center City street.

 

Just months before, on March 7, Covington had ambushed Odies Bosket, a married 36-year-old father of four, firing

several shots into him.

 

Covington also murdered his cousin, the Rev. Thomas Lee Devlin, in 1998, and tried to kill two neighbors, David

Stewart and William Bryant Jr., who were both left with grave wounds.

 

Recalling the sense of fear that followed the random murder of McDermott last year, Lerner said his sentence of

Covington - for three murders and two attempted murders - would halt "the circle of victimization." Covington is not

eligible for parole.

 

Relatives of victims described to the judge the brutal impact of the murders on their lives.

The aunt of Odies Bosket, Dorothy Bosket Wright, came into the courtroom holding a folder with family photos - an

enlargement from a Sunday dinner, a big group shot of Thanksgiving 2004.

 

She said her family was tight. A dozen of them, including Odies' mother from South Carolina, came to the sentencing.

 

 

Her nephew, she said, was an attentive father who was on his way to pick up his then-3-year-old daughter at day-

care. He never made it. At the Logan subway station, he was killed by Covington.

 

"You slaughtered Odies as if he was prey," Bosket Wright told the courtroom.

 

The lack of a motive has tormented the McDermott family, too. McDermott was killed at 4:42 a.m. near Ninth and

Chestnut Streets as she hurried to her job as an X-ray technician at Pennsylvania Hospital.

 

The shooting was caught on an outside security camera and aired repeatedly on television newscasts.

 

"It replays over and over in our minds," said Martin McDermott, the victim's brother. And to Covington, he said:

"Did you watch yourself on the news?"

 

Angela Amarhanov, the 16-year-old daughter of Patricia McDermott, was overcome with rage as she tried to address

the judge. Yelling at Covington, she said, "You can't even look me in the eye and see whose life you've taken!"

 

There were no relatives to speak on Covington's behalf. Defense attorney A. Charles Peruto Jr. noted that a brother

wanted to come but was reluctant to appear at the courthouse because of his physical resemblance to his brother.

 

None of the murder victims knew Covington. An anonymous tip led investigators to Covington, who confessed to

the McDermott, Bosket and Devlin murders.

 

Two other men had been wrongfully jailed for the shootings of David Stewart and William Bryant. They were

released after ballistic tests linked bullets in those shootings to Covington's gun.

 

Assistant District Attorney Edward Cameron said all of the victims were targeted because Covington thought each

was "the devil" and "doing things to him."

 

Covington used to work as a SEPTA bus driver, but later drove a truck for a medical waste hauler. One of his stops

was Pennsylvania Hospital, where he used to see McDermott.

 

Peruto described his client as "severely mentally ill." He said Covington had a history of psychotic episodes going

back 15 years. Peruto said he could hold down a job, even argue with neighbors and an ex-girlfriend "without

shooting them."

 

But with his murder victims, he said, "he felt he had a mission to exterminate the devil." He added that because he saw

himself as "the chosen one," he did not originally want to plead guilty.

 

When questioned by the judge, however, Covington said he was not currently taking medication or being treated for

 mental illness. Lerner sentenced him to the state correctional facility in Waymart, Pa., which houses inmates needing

 psychiatric care.

 

After the sentencing, the McDermotts and the Boskets lingered in the courtroom. The families had never met. The

daughter of Patricia McDermott hugged the mother of Odies Bosket.

 

Standing in the cold outside the Criminal Justice Center to answer media questions, both groups said they took

comfort in knowing that a serial killer had been stopped.

 

"We're glad justice was brought to us," Angela Amarhanov said.

 

Serial killer suspect went unnoticed PA 

He lived in the shadows, emerging just long enough to be caught on videotape, a grainy predawn image as he shot

Patricia McDermott in cold blood on a Center City street.

 

In that May 17 footage, McDermott, 48, an Elkins Park mother of two, is walking down Ninth Street near Market, her

hands in her pockets, heading toward her job as a radiology technician at Pennsylvania Hospital.

 

He is right behind her, his baseball cap pulled low, matching her stride. He has followed her from the bus down the

street. In a few more steps, he is beside her.

 

He puts a gun to her head. He pulls the trigger. He runs.

 

That would not be the sum of it - because she appears not to have been the first for Juan Covington.

 

Covington, authorities say, is a serial killer, but without the Hollywood glamour, the taunting notes to media or

police, or even a distinguishable pattern.

 

Since he was charged with this killing on July 14, the tally has mounted. To date, Covington, 43, of the city's Logan

section, has confessed to three slayings, including McDermott's, police said. They have linked weapons he owns to

two other shootings, assaults that left the victims riddled with bullets but alive. He may be connected with a fourth

slaying, and the disappearance of a woman who would not date him.

 

The litany has shaken many who live within the law: How, they wonder, could a serial killer be at large for so long -

admitting to taking his first victim in 1998 and his last in May - without anyone knowing?

 

Because, Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson said Friday, before Covington's arrest police saw little reason

to make a connection between the killings and assaults. The victims came from different backgrounds, were shot by

different weapons, encountered their assailant under different circumstances.

 

"These have been random shootings with no motives," Johnson said. "The hardest crime to solve is when there is no

motive."

 

Covington had no police record and had done nothing to draw the attention of law enforcement. He held jobs - as a

SEPTA bus driver for 18 years, and then as a medical waste hauler visiting area hospitals.

 

Some neighbors described him as quiet and easily offended.

 

But on the surface, at least, as Johnson put it: "He acted like any other citizen."

 

•

 

Those closest to him say they have long known that something was desperately wrong with Covington.

 

So wrong, in fact, that family members intervened in 2003 when Covington's son said he wanted to leave his mother's

 home and move into Covington's home.

 

His brother, James, stepped in during the ensuing family argument.

 

The relationship between the two brothers, which once was strong, deteriorated after James Covington took custody

of the boy, now a teenager.

 

"It's like they became strangers," said Juan Covington's lawyer, Charles Peruto Jr.

 

Although James Covington and other immediate family members did not respond to requests for comment, Peruto said

 they have told him that Juan Covington's problems began in 1990, after the death of his father. Covington became

depressed and began taking medication to offset his dark moods, Peruto said.

 

A few years later, Covington pronounced himself cured with no further need for medication. But his behavior soon

became disturbing, the lawyer said.

 

Covington would don military fatigues, creeping around his neighborhood as if hunting quarry seen only by him.

He would go days without bathing or grooming. One Christmas, he gazed at the family's decorated tree and said he

thought it was moving.

 

He was convinced that people were trying to harm him. He told his brother he could not trust certain people because

they were "possessed."

 

But did these feelings cause him to kill?

 

After his arrest, Covington told police he shot McDermott because the X-ray technician was stalking him and had

exposed him to radiation.

 

And Covington told police he put 11 bullets into his cousin, the Rev. Thomas Lee Devlin, 49, in August 1998

because the Baptist minister was using "witchcraft" to cause him physical ailments. Still, he joined Devlin's brother,

David, and mother, Mary, in mourning his victim.

 

"You should have been there," David Devlin said. "If he did it, he'd need an Academy Award for acting for his whole

life."

 

Mary Devlin was less kind in a brief phone call Friday.

 

"That man done lost his mind," she said.

 

And then she hung up.

 

•

 

Besides the slayings of McDermott and Devlin, Covington has also confessed to killing Odies Bosket, 36, in March,

police said. Bosket was shot while en route to pick up his daughter from nursery school. His body was found at the

bottom of the steps of the Broad Street Line's Logan station.

 

Another man, Morris Wells, 37, of North Philadelphia, was arrested in April and charged with murder. On Friday, the

 District Attorney's Office said it no longer believes that Wells had anything to do with the killing.

 

Bullets from the 9mm pistol that killed Bosket also shattered two other men in two separate assaults. David Stewart,

43, was shot nine times as he walked in Logan in May 2003. William Bryant, 33, was also shot nine times, as he

walked in Logan one morning in April 2004.

 

On both occasions, the assailant stood over his victim and fired repeatedly. Both men survived.

 

But Stewart lost much of the use of his legs, which are in metal braces. He must use crutches to maneuver, and he still

shakes and wipes away tears when discussing the shooting.

 

Bryant needs a wheelchair and has difficulty speaking. His mother cares for him and says her son has been recovering

slowly.

 

Shortly after Bryant's assault, police arrested Clyde A. Johnson, 32, of Germantown and charged him with aggravated

 assault and attempted murder. Johnson, a social worker, has remained jailed ever since, awaiting trial.

 

Johnson's lawyer, David B. Mischak, said he has always believed his client to be "absolutely innocent."

 

"Anyone who knows Clyde Johnson was shocked by the allegations," Mischak said. "He was dedicated to helping

people, not hurting people."

 

The videotaped horror that was McDermott's death was the breakthrough. Police no longer had to rely on human

eyewitnesses prone to error. A camera outside the Market Street post office caught the killing.

 

During their analysis of other videotapes shot in the area that day, authorities spotted a man matching the

description casually walking into Pennsylvania Hospital. He was wearing the same clothes.

 

"Once the picture was out and he was identified," police closed in, Commissioner Johnson said.

 

Investigators say they are eyeing Covington as a suspect in two other crimes.

 

In May 2004, Ann Yuille, a 25-year-old mother of five, was shot and killed. Her body was found in a lot near Ninth

Street and Girard Avenue in North Philadelphia. Like McDermott, she worked in a hospital and may have

encountered Covington on the job.

 

Brenwanda Smith, 24, was last seen by her family in February 1997. The Cheltenham woman was a SEPTA driver,

like Covington, and he had a romantic interest in her, which she rebuffed. Before Smith disappeared, she and

Covington had argued in a SEPTA yard in Hunting Park.

 

At his preliminary hearing Wednesday, a detective read from Covington's confessions. In them, he said he killed

McDermott because "it was about me being a male… so I shot her when I had the opportunity."

 

Police say they have no idea how many more such "opportunities" Covington took.

 

As the investigation continues, Covington spends his days as a prisoner held without bail at the Curran-Fromhold

Correctional Facility in Northeast Philadelphia.

 

His status, a city prison spokesman said, is listed as "under special management."

 

 

Crimezz.net reported:  Serial Killer Juan Covington Gets Life In Prison PA 

Accused Logan serial killer Juan Covington was sentenced to life in prison after entering a guilty plea Friday

afternoon. It was an emotional day for family members of Covington’s victims who had the opportunity to confront

the killer.

 

Covington entered a plea of guilty, but mentally ill and was sentenced to three consecutive life terms behind bars,

leaving no chance for parole. Family members read victim impact statements hoping to obtain some sort of closure.

 

Covington was charged with the murders of Reverend Thomas Lee Devlin, Odies Bosket, Patricia McDermott and

two shootings that left his victims permanently disabled.

 

Investigators say Covington told them he murdered the complete strangers because he saw the devil in them.

 

“In the beginning he didn’t want to plead guilty because he thought he did society a favor for by shooting these

people, he could see the devil where we can’t. He believes that he is chosen, we’re not and now we’ve taken our

guardian away,” said defense attorney A. Charles Peruto Jr.

 

Psychiatric experts are comparing Covington with “Son of Sam” slayer David Berkowitz and Milwaukee cannibal

Jeffrey Dahmer.

 

By pleading guilty but mentally ill Covington will receive treatment for his mental illness while in jail.

 

“Covington is going to spend the rest of his life behind bars and as a family, knowing that, we are satisfied,’ said

Martin McDermott, brother of murder victim Trish McDermott.

JULIE COVINGTON                                                                       20 July 2010

JULIE COVINGTON. Ref: 3510. Born: 11 Sep 1947 at London. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother: not

known, Mother Ref: 0. Educated at Cambridge University. In late 60's, Pete Atkin urged her to persue recording

which led to late night TV music & satire programmes in the early 70's. Singer, Actress (Stage & Screen). Height 5ft

5ins. Brown Eyes. Was with Kate Feast Management, 43a Princess Road, London NW1, ironically Kate Feast is the

ex-wife of the man she was living with in Apr 1977 according to an article in The Daily Express, 14 Apr 1977.The

article reads as follows:

 

In 1989 joined William Morris Agency (U.K.) Ltd., 31/32 Soho Sq, London, W1V 5DG

 

The following notices appear in the Times Index; Interview & photo in Sunday Times, 21 March 1976, Pge 44c.

Photo in Sunday Times, 11 July 1976, Pge 31. Article in Times, 15 July 1976, Pge 9. Article in Times, 22 Sept 1976,

Pge 15. Photo in Times, 5 May 1977, Pge 11. Photo in Sunday Times, 15 Jan 1978, Pge 37. To appear in concert to

raise funds to oppose Cambridge redevelopment scheme, Times, 14 March 1978, Pge 2c. Photo in Sunday Times

Magazine, 9 April 1978, Pge 73. Article in Times, 13 April 1978, Pge 7. Article, singing with ENO, Times, 11 May

1978, Pge 15f. Article in Sunday Times, 20 August, Pge 36. Performance & photo, Times, 23 Aug 1978, Pge 11.

Performance & photo, Sunday Times, 27 Aug 1978, Pge 35h. Performance & photo, Sunday Times, 31 Aug 1978, Pge

8h. Photo in Times, 30 March 1979, Pge 15. Performance & photo, Times Supplement, 1 April 1979, Pge 14. Diary

Note, Times, 7 Feb 1980, Pge 16g. Photo in Sunday Times, 10 Feb 1980, Pge 13e. Performance, Times, 14 Feb 1981,

Pge 8g. Diary Note in Times, 7 Sept 1982, Pge 10a. Atticus note & photo, Sunday Times, 24 April 1983, Pge 35c.

Performance in "Ascendancy", Times, 29 April 1983, Pge 15c. Evita, Sunday Times, 1 May 1983, Pge 24g

 

Appeared with the Footlights and other groups, whilst at Cambridge. Toured the U.S. in the Oxford & Cambridge

Shakespeare Company's production of A Midsummer Nights Dream in 1968. Made her professional stage debut at the

 Round House 17 November 1971 in Godspell, transferring with the production to the Wyndham. At the Place,

March 1973, played Marea Garga in In The Jungle Of Cities. Bankside Globe, Aug 1973, Charmain in Antony &

Cleopatra. Theatre upstairs, Dec 1973, Gale in The Pleasure Principle. Old Vic, Mar 1974, Iric in the National

Theatre's, The Tempest. Lyttelton, July 1976, Janice in Weapons of Happiness, a National Theatre production.

Riverside Studios, Jan 1978, Varya in The Cherry Orchard. Lyttelton, Apr 1978, Alice Park in Plenty. Coliseum,

Aug 1978, Anna 1 in The Seven Deadly Sins Of Ordinary People. Royal Court, Mar 1979, Edward & Betty in joint

Stocks', Cloud Nine. Hampstead, June 1980, Shelly in Buried Child. Plenty by David Hare in 1980 and a 1981

revival of Guys and Dolls. Her first film role was in The Adventures Of Barry McKenzie 1972 and her major

television work was in Rock Follies (an ambitious and highly successful music drama series of 1975, with music by

Roxy Music's Andy Mackay), Censored Scenes From King Kong & The Voysey Inheritance & Face the Music

 

She is described as having perfect pitch and her effective, unmannered, recognisably English style drew her towards

Fairport Convention alumni. Vocalist on album of the Stage Show, Evita on MCA Records. Session singer on The

Albion Band Album (Rise Up Like The Sun) 1978 Harvest Records, Richard & Linda Thompson album (First Light)

1978 Chrysalis Records, Jeff Wayne's album (War Of The Worlds) 1978 CBS, Her own Albums have been Beautiful

Changes, 1971 Columbia SCX 6466, Julie Covington, 1978 Virgin records V2107, re-released 1982 Fame Records

FA 3041 (described as U.K. Folk-Rock, this album includes cover versions of Richard Thompson's "I want to see the

bright lights tonight", Kate Bush's "The Kick Inside" and John Lennon's "How"), and as part of a Rock Follies

issuing Rock Follies, 1976 Island/Polydor Records and Rock Follies 77, 1977 Polydor, later renamed Nurds and

released 1980 on Warner Brothers record label. Her major singles have been Don't Cry For Me Argentina, MCA 260,

entered UK chart on 25 Dec 1976 and reached Number 1 on 12 February 1977 for 1 week, stayed 15 weeks in charts.

Re-released 15 July 1978 and reached number 63, 3 weeks. Only Women Bleed, Virgin VS 196, written by Alice

Cooper, entered charts 3 December 1977, reached No.12 and stayed around for 11 weeks, and O.K? with Rula

Lenska, Charlotte Cornwell and Sue Jones-Davies, Polydor 2001 714, entered charts 21 May 1977, reached No.10, 6

 weeks. Singles still available (Don't Cry For Me Argentina) July 1984 Old Gold Records and (Housewives Choice)

Nov 1982 on BBC Records & Tapes. She was chosen by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber for the title role of

Evita in the stage version, but turned the role down for political reasons. She also disapproved of releasing the

single

 

The following musicians appeared on Julie Covington's own albums & Rock Follies; John Cale, Plas Johnson, Neil

Larsen, Ian Matthews, Simon Nicol, Chris Spedding, Russ Titelman, Willie Weeks, Ray Cooper, Andy Fairweather-

Low, John Kirkpatrick, Trevor Lucas, Andy Newmark, Greg Prestopino, Richard Thompson, Gary Travers, Steve

Winwood, Andy Mackay, Brian Chatton, Sadie Mackenzie, Chris Parren, Tony Stevens, Robin Williams, Ray

Russell & Peter Van Hooke. Amongst others she has worked with David Essex, Herbie Flowers, Justin Hayward &

Phil Lynott on Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds

 

In the Times Saturday Review of August 19th 1978, John Higgins writes; Julie Covington takes a visit to the opera

next Tuesday when she sings Anna I in ENO's new production of The Seven Deadly Sins, music by Kurt Weill and

words by Bert Brecht, at the Coliseum. It shares a double bill with a revival of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.

 

Although Miss Covington has never seen Schicchi, or any other Puccini for that matter, she has had a lengthy

association with Brecht & Weill, which started 12 years ago, with an undergraduate performance of Happy End at

Cambridge, where she was at teacher training college, and continued through an Edinburgh Fringe performance of

Mahagonny. Was it this which encouraged Michael Geliot, who is directing Sins for the English National Opera, to

invite her to the Coliseum ?

 

"I don't know. Perhaps he saw me in one of those performances, although I'm sure we had never met before he asked me

 to sing Anna. It was an irresistible invitation because I've always had a great deal of sympathy with those Brecht

heroines, Jenny, lilian in Happy End, Anna, even the Good Woman of Setzuan. They are all torn between their

natural femininity and the need to be a clear, assertive person; they have to be tough in order to protect their softness,

 otherwise their self-expression will be dictated by outside forces.

 

"There was even once a plan for me to play in Brecht's The Jungle of the Cities. I was going to be a trapeze artist. But

that never happened."

 

Julie Covington has certainly been careful to guard her own self-expression so far. In rehearsal she is a slight, almost

waif-like figure in an outsize woolly singing from the back of the orchestra. The personality comes in the voice,

which cuts through Weill's percussion. Miss Covington is reputed to have perfect pitch: she certainly appears to

have rapport with the conductor, Lionel Friend, who has worked his way up to the podium through Glyndebourne

and a stint in Germany.

 

Does she any qualms in appearing in a house the size of the Coliseum ? "No. When I went on tour with the Oxford

and Cambridge Theatre Group to the States some of the theatres we played in were barns. I was Peasblossom in A

Midsummer Night's Dream and it was then I learned how to make myself heard. I don't think we'll need any

microphones at the Coliseum. There was talk of a radio mike, which I hope I won't have to use. That's partly a matter

of pride, although I know it's foolish to be proud, and partly a matter of sound. The audience should have the true

voice. So at most we'll employ directional mikes at the front of the stage. "But don't lose sight of the fact that Seven

Deadly Sins is really a ballet. (George Balanchine choreographed the first performance, with Tillie Losch as Anna II).

 Sue Davies dances Anna II and we've been rehearsing together. Indeed we do a few steps with one another, so I've

been going to class every day. The last time I had dance lessons was when I was a little girl, but the teacher was

always putting me down so I didn't stick at that very long. It's fascinating to work with dancers who, like singers

have the rules laid down; they work at their technique daily, unlike actors who are far less disciplined."

Indiscipline is scarcely a charge to be levelled at Julie Covington, who has been careful to move her career between

television, pop and the straight theatre, from Rock Follies to The Cherry Orchard at Hammersmith and Plenty at the

National.

 

"I hate barriers. There's an awful purist thing going on in our time. In some ways Seven Deadly sins is like Rock

Follies because it breaks those barriers down. In purely personal terms both give me a chance to sing and to act; less

selfishly, there is a chance to reach new audiences. I've always refused to be typed as a singer or as an actress because

I happen to like being both. Every time I finish a non-musical play I yearn to do music. So I shall go on singing and

acting as long as energy allows.

 

"Peter Gill, who directed me at Hammersmith, taught me a great deal about the conservation of personal energy and

about the need for repose. He is a very astute director: he lets you fly as an actor and then he pulls you back to earth.

My mother would say that phrase was airy-fairy, but it isn't. That's Peter's skill, together with his ability to help you

 make the most of yourself and the strength you possess.

 

"A few months ago I went to a wonderful concert at the Festival Hall conducted by Sergiu Celibidache. He almost

danced with the orchestra, he had tremendous enthusiasm. If you can transmit that then you can conquer an audience."

 

 

Will Julie Covington stay on next Tuesday at the Coliseum and see Gianni Schicchi, the second half of the bill,

which also happens to deal with family finances ?

 

"Yes. I've started listening to Verdi and Puccini on record, but I've never seen an opera on stage. Time I put that

right."

(The Times Index) (Who's Who In The Theatre) (Guinness British Hit Singles) (New Rock Record, Terry Hounsome

3rd Edition) (Music Master Record Catalogue 1988) (Date of Birth Courtesy of Chris Tarrant, Capital Radio Sep

1989).

 

Extract from the official Julie Covington Website

 

      Julie's career chronology:

 

      1963: Aegisthus in Giradoux's Electra, Brondesbury and Kilburn High School for Girls, London.

      1967: Cambridge revue Under Plain Cover with Pete Atkin, Barry Brown, Mike Hodges, Alan Sizer.

      1967: (June) Footlights May Week revue Supernatural Gas at Cambridge Arts Theatre and Oxford Playhouse.

      1967: (August) Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the Lauriston Hall: The Complete Works (Footlights) and Kerry

Crabbe's Someone is Squeaking (Cambridge University Theatre Company).

      1967: While The Music Lasts, privately-pressed album with Pete Atkin -- songs by Pete Atkin and Clive James.

 

      1968: (June) Cambridge Footlights again: Turns Of The Century.

      1968: (August) Turn It On, Footlights revue, Robin Hood Theatre, Averham, Notts., broadcast 3.9.68 on BBC-2.

 

      1968: (August) Lauriston Hall, Edinburgh: Footlights Songbook, Revue Fly by Night, and Jenny Smith in Keith

 Hack's CUTC production of Brecht and Weill's Mahagonny, earning Julie the first Fringe Best Actress award.

      1968: Brecht and Weill again, Happy End, directed by Keith Hack for Trinity Hall's Preston Society at the ADC.

 

      1968: (December) Oxford and Cambridge Shakespeare Co.'s North American tour: Revue Strictly For Kicks.

      1969: The Party's Moving On, another limited-edition (99 copies) album of Atkin/James songs. With Pete Atkin.

 

      1969: Hampstead Theatre Club -- cabaret with Pete Atkin.

      1969: Pickwick Club -- deputised for Jon Hendricks of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross.

      1969-71: Recorded first album for EMI (released 1971), The Beautiful Changes -- more songs by Pete and Clive.

      1970: Singles The Magic Wasn't There, Tonight Your Love Is Over.

      1970-71: The LWT shows: The Party's Moving On; What Are You Doing After The Show?

      1971: Godspell, Roundhouse, then Wyndham's, and original London cast recording. Single (1972): Day By Day.

 

      1972: Blanche in Barry Humphries' Australian movie The Adventures of Barry McKenzie.

      1973: Charmian to Vanessa Redgrave's Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra at Sam Wanamaker's Bankside Globe

Playhouse.

      1973: Created Janet in Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show, Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court, London.

 

      1973-74: Backing vocals on David Essex albums Rock On and David Essex.

      1973-75: Presenter and storyteller on BBC TV's Jackanory, The Great Big Groovy Horse and Play Away.

      1974: Sang Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, in The Tempest, Peter Hall's first production for the National Theatre.

      1975: Play Away album Hey You! with Brian Cant, Toni Arthur and others (BBC).

      (date?): Passing By, Old Red Lion.

      (date?): Made in Heaven, Granada TV.

      1976/77 for 1978 release: War of the Worlds -- Beth in Jeff Wayne's album musical of H G Wells' classic story.

      1976: Dee (Devonia Rhoades) in Howard Schuman and Andy Mackay's Rock Follies, Thames TV

          (nominated for BAFTA Best Actress award).

      1976: Rock Follies singles Glenn Miller Is Missing / Talking Pictures and Sugar Mountain / War Bride.

      1976: Evita -- the original concept album of the musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

      1976/77, re-entry 1978: Don't Cry For Me Argentina, the No.1 hit single from Evita.

      1976: Howard Brenton's Weapons of Happiness, National.

      1976: Dotty in Tom Stoppard's Jumpers at the Lyttelton, National Theatre.

      1976: 'Most Promising New Actress' Plays and Players London Theatre Critics' awards.

      1977: Rock Follies of '77, Thames TV follow-up series. Hit single OK? / B.Side.

      1977: Hit single Only Women Bleed.

      1977: The Albion Band album The Prospect Before Us.

      1977: The Mermaid Frolics, Amnesty International Gala Benefit with Pete Atkin and the Bowles Brothers Band.

 

      1977: Britannia Awards: 'Most outstanding new British recording artist (female)'.

      1977: TV Times award: 'Most exciting female singer on TV'.

      1977: NME Poll: Top Female Singer.

      1978: Alice Park to Kate Nelligan's Susan Traherne in David Hare's Plenty at the Lyttelton (NT).

      1978: Julie Covington album on Virgin, prod. Joe Boyd / John Wood. Single I Want To See The Bright Lights

Tonight.

      1978: Backing vocals on Richard & Linda Thompson album First Light.

      1978(-ish): Backing vocals on Kate and Anna McGarrigle album (Julie not sure which).

      1978: David Mercer's Flint, BBC TV drama with John Le Mesurier.

      1978: Recorded with the Albion Band for Rise Up Like The Sun.

      1978: Guest on (BBC) Radio 1 Round Table, with Kid Jensen, Paul Gambaccini and John Peel.

      1978: Varya in Peter Gill's production of The Cherry Orchard at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith.

      1978: Riverside Benefit Concerts with the Albion Band, Riverside Studios.

      1978: ENO: Anna I in Brecht and Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins at the Coliseum.

      1978?: Mrs Bradshaw, lead in Howard Barker's Victory, Royal Court Theatre.

      (date?): The Pleasure Principle, Royal Court.

      1979: Stephen Poliakoff's City Sugar, BBC Radio 3.

      1979: Harley Granville-Barker's The Voysey Inheritance with Jeremy Irons, BBC1.

      1979: Edward, Clive's (Antony Sher) son in Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill, Joint Stock at the Royal Court.

      (dates?): Joint Stock tours of UK and Ireland.

      1979/81?: Kite Show, Cambridge Guildhall, with Pete Atkin, Clive James, Terry Jones, Michael Palin.

      1980?: Shaw's Saint Joan, Arts Theatre Cambridge and subsequent tour.

      1980: Buried Child, Sam Shepard, Hampstead Theatre Club.

      (date?): Fall, Hampstead Theatre Club.

      1980: An Optimistic Thrust, Joint Stock at the Young Vic and Royal Court.

      1982: Sarah in Guys and Dolls -- Richard Eyre's Royal National Theatre Production, now revived, though

without Julie.

          But her original 1982 National cast recording has been re-released on EMI's MFP label: CDMFP 5978.

      1982: A Shilling Life, BBC2 drama.

      1982: Edward Bennett's film Ascendancy.

      1984: Vivienne Eliot in Michael Hasting's Tom and Viv with Tom Wilkinson at the Royal Court (nominated for

Olivier Best Actress); later (1985) to Joe Papp's Public Theatre in New York.

      1986: Executive Stress theme song for Thames TV sitcom.

      1987: Blanche in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs, National at the Aldwych.

      1988: Carol in Orpheus Descending by Tennessee Williams, Peter Hall at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

      1992: The Healer (G F Newman, BBC1 drama).

      1994?: Theme song for Ghosts, Terry Johnson play in BBC 'Screen 2' series.

      1997: Special guest at the first Monyash Festival. Stay tuned for news of next year's event.

 

Updated Dec 16 -- much more to come on Julie. Regulars will see we've filled in quite a few of the gaps and

uncertainties. Next comes the discography and picture gallery. Meantime any info or suggestions welcomed -- mail

me. But please note I can't field personally all the questions you might have. If you need to know more, your best bet

might be to join our Pete Atkin e-mail discussion group, where topics include Pete, Clive James and Julie, especially

 their songs. Pete is the musician who 'discovered' Julie's singing talent while she was at Homerton Teacher Training

 College, Cambridge in the 1960s. -- Steve Birkill.

 

The Footlights Dramatic Club - Founded 1883.

 

The obligatory famous members list

Jack Hulbert, Richard Murdoch, Jimmy Edwards, Cecil Beaton, Frederic Raphael, David Frost, Jonathan Miller, Leslie

 Bricusse, Peter Cook, Clive Anderson, David Hare, Richard Eyre, Eleanor Bron, John Bird, John Fortune (John

Wood), Germaine Greer, Miriam Margolyes, Clive James, Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Graham

Chapman, Bill Oddie, Graham Garden, Douglas Adams, Julie Covington, Shephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Griff Rhys-

Jones, Rory McGrath, Jimmy Mulville, Jan Ravens, Sandi Toksvig, Neil Mullarkey, Chris England, Andy Parsons,

Henry Naylor, Nick Hancock, Emma Thompson, Hugh (Peter) Dennis, Steve Punt, Tony Slattery, David Baddiel,

Morwenna Banks, Richard Vranch, Sue Perkins, Mel Giedroyc, Alexander Armstrong, Ben Miller

 

1977 NME Readers Poll

 

     Album - Sex Pistols-Never Mind The Bollocks

     Bass - Jean Jacques Burnel

     Best Dressed Lp - Sex Pistols-Never Mind The Bollocks

     Discjockey - John Peel

     Drums - Paul Cook

     Event Of The Year - Death Of Elvis Presley

     Female Singer - Julie Covington

     Guitar - Jimmy Page

     Instrumental Personality - Mike Oldfield

     Klutz/Creep Of The Year - Freddie Mercury

     Male Singer - David Bowie

     Most Wonderful Humanbeing - Johnny Rotten

     New Group/Most Promising - Tom Robinson

     Piano/Keyboards - Rick Wakeman

     Radio Show - John Peel Show

     Single - Sex Pistols-God Save The Queen

     Songwriters - David Bowie

     Tv Show - The Old Grey Whistle Test

     Vocal Group - Sex Pistols

 

Session Notes: Julie Covington - The Beautiful Changes (Album recorded 1969-1971)

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 1 - 14 Nov 1969   THE MAGIC WASN'T THERE

unk ac gtr;   d.bs;   p;   Clem Cattini (d);   tambourine;  timpani;   arr Nick Harrison

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 1 - 24 Nov 1969   THE MAGIC WASN'T THERE

(o/d) unk 4 vlns;  2 cellos;  cor anglais;  p (Nick Harrison on instr. bridge);  arr Nick Harrison  (o/d) JC vocal

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 1 - 17 April 1970   IF I HAD MY TIME AGAIN

JC (voc) ;   PA (p);  Tony Campo (bs g)

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 1 - 28 April 1970   IF I HAD MY TIME AGAIN

(o/d)   Lyn Dobson (sitar/flute)

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 2 - 5 Oct 1970      ICE CREAM MAN

JC (voc);   PA (p);   Steve Cook (d.bs);   Mike Travis (d);   Henry McKenzie (clt);  Duncan Campbell (tpt);   Russell

Davies (tbn);   unk ten sax;  arr PA

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 2 - 5 Oct 1970      THE FRIENDLY ISLAND SONG

JC (voc);   PA (p);   Steve Cook (d.bs);   Mike Travis (d);   Henry McKenzie (bs clt);   Duncan Campbell (flglhn);  

Russell Davies (tuba);  unk fl;  arr PA

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 2 - 5 Oct 1970      FOR INSTANCE

JC (voc);  PA (ac gtr);  Steve Cook (d.bs);   Mike Travis (d)              (o/d) PA (2nd gtr + pno)

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 1 - 9 Dec 1970     WINTER KEPT US WARM & MORE IN ANGER THAN IN SORROW

unk orch arr Don Fraser

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 1 - 12 Jan 1971     THE BEAUTIFUL CHANGES

unk orch arr Don Fraser

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 1 - 12 Jan 1971     HE JUST DON'T APPEAL TO ME

Alan Franks (tpt);  unk clt;  unk alt sax;  unk pno;  Brian Daly (ac gtr);  Russell Davies (tuba);  arr PA

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 1 - 12 Jan 1971     DON'T BOTHER ME NOW

Brian Daly (ac gtr);  same unk pno;   Herbie Flowers (bs);  Clem Cattini (d)

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio ? - 29 Jan 1971

JC var.  voc tracks for previous (2?)  sessions

 

Morgan Studios - 15 Feb 1971                     MY SILKS AND FINE ARRAY

Alan Parker (el g);  Alan Hawkshaw (org);  Herbie Flowers (bs g); Barry Morgan (d); arr Don Fraser

 

Spot Studios, South Molton St, W1 - 18 Feb 1971   QUEEN OF LIGHTS & THE STANDARDS OF TODAY

JC (voc);  Mike Maran (pno); unk el gtr; Brian Daly (ac gtr); Dave Bell (bs gtr); Kenny Clare (d); unk perc; 2 vlns;

vla; cello; arr Don Fraser

 

Spot Studios, South Molton St, W1 - 18 Feb 1971   THE ORIGINAL HONKY TONK NIGHT TRAIN BLUES

JC, PA, Russell Davies (voc);  Mike Maran (pno); unk el gtr; Brian Daly (ac gtr); Dave Bell (bs gtr); Kenny Clare

(d); unk perc

 

EMI Abbey Road Studio 2 - 12 March 1971    ICE CREAM MAN

JC (voc);   PA (pno)

 

(THE MAGIC WASN'T THERE and IF I HAD MY TIME AGAIN were recorded for single release)

 

Programme for Under Plain Cover - Cambridge 1967 - See Photo Library

 

"The Beautiful Changes ... Plus" - CD Booklet Note by Pete Atkin

 

There have been many singers who have turned out to be able to act quite well, and many actors who have turned out

to be able to sing quite well, but nearly all of them have tended to remain primarily either one or the other. There

aren't many who can be said both to act and sing with equal, independent conviction. But Julie Covington can.

 

It's hard to think of many who could compete with her having received a London Theatre Critics' Award for Most

Promising New Actress, a BAFTA nomination for Best TV Actress, and the award for Best Actress on the Edinburgh

Fringe, within a very few years of also receiving a Capital Radio Music award for Best Female Singer, a Brit Award for

 Outstanding New British Female recording Artist, and a TV Times Award for Most Exciting Female Singer on TV,

and of being voted Top Female Singer in an NME Poll.

 

Equally, there aren't many chart-topping singers who have also appeared successfully as Lady Macbeth and Bernard

Shaw's Saint Joan, not to mention in a whole string of plays by the likes of David Hare, Tom Stoppard, Sam Shepard,

Caryl Churchill, Howard Brenton, Howard Barker, Stephen Poliakoff, many of which roles she created, many of them

at the National or Royal Court Theatres. She was also the original Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, for instance, and

the original Viv in Tom And Viv. And all of this without my even mentioning what she is perhaps most famous for.

 

It was never going to take a major genius of the theatre to twig what an asset she'd be in just about any musical, and

accordingly one of her earliest professional jobs was in the first London production of Godspell at the Roundhouse

in 1971, where she was understandably given perhaps the best song in the show, Day By Day.

 

And then in 1976 she played Dee in Howard Schuman's Rock Follies for Thames TV, the highly original (and

prescient) musical drama series about a girl group's adventures in the music business, which spun off into actual

chart success - life imitating art.

 

But perhaps even more than Rock Follies, it was Evita that made Julie really famous. With so much theatrical success

since then, it's easy to forget that in 1976 Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice still considered themselves to be

primarily in the record business. Jesus Christ Superstar had been a concept double album first if not, eventually,

foremost, and the same was true of Evita. Indeed, for a long time Evita looked even less potentially stageable than its

predecessor, and it was probably the sheer impact of Julie singing Don't Cry For Me, Argentina - at first glance

arguably not the most obvious number one single - which as much as anything prompted extra imaginative effort to

be put into adapting it.

 

In spite of the score's distinguished subsequent history, there are some of us for whom Julie's original version

remains supreme, in its combination of her hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck-raising vocal with the since-unequalled

depth and sheen of the original symphony orchestra backing.

 

It's a sublime-to-the-ridiculous jump for me to recall that the first time I met Julie and heard her sing was in my college

 room in 1966 when she responded to an ad on her college noticeboard and came to audition for a Rag Day revue

which some friends and I were organising. I can't remember now if it was Bye Bye Blackbird or When the Red Red

Robin Comes Bob-Bob-Bobbin' Along that she sang for us off the top of her head, but, easy as it would be to apply

hindsight to our reaction, I am certain it was entirely obvious to us all that we had struck unreasonably lucky.

 

The group of us went on to join the Cambridge Footlights where we met, among many others, Clive James, with whom

 I eventually began to write songs, unquestionably inspired by the possibility of Julie's singing some of them. By

the time we graduated we'd written enough to fill a couple of privately-pressed demo LPs which Clive and I then

hawked around various music publishers. Having Julie singing our songs was not exactly a disadvantage, and at

Essex Music David Platz and Don Paul picked up on this and took Julie and one of the songs to EMI Records.

 

The resulting single of The Magic Wasn't There in January 1970 was our first commercial release - Julie's, and Clive's

and mine. Hearing Julie in the context of a full, professional arrangement (I could never get enough of Nick Harrison's

 surging, choppy strings in the instrumental bit in the middle) was intensely exciting. The result seemed to Clive and

 me to be instantly and immensely commercial. I seem to remember it did indeed get quite a lot of airplay, but I guess

Rolf Harris's Two Little Boys got more.

 

But even though it wasn't a hit, The Magic Wasn't There had made enough of an impact for EMI to want Julie to make

an album, and she paid us the huge compliment of choosing many of our songs for it. Unfortunately, none of them

turned out to be the kind of commercial single that would help sell the album, and as a result The Beautiful Changes

has for many years been almost impossible to find.

 

If Julie hadn't almost immediately gone on to such notable successes, I might have felt guilty that our songs had

blighted her prospects, but listening to the album again after 28 years (good grief!) I'm reassured that after all it's the

sheer immediacy and richness of Julie's singing which still comes shining through most strongly.

 

I'm thrilled that these recordings are available again, both for selfish reasons and because I think Julie's singing

KELLY COVINGTON                                                                     20 July 2010

KELLY COVINGTON. Ref: 5783. Born: before 1980 at Kihei HI. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother: not

known, Mother Ref: 0. KELLY COVINGTON 1st Album - QUIET MIND & BODY

Label: JOHNNY JAZZ RECORDS, Cat.# 1001, Release Date: 04/21/97

 

Kihei's own Jazz Diva Kelly Covington has finally released her own album - it's straight ahead Jazz! Featuring some

fine renditions of jazz classics, there are also some Covington originals that stand up well on their own.

Accompanying Kelly is Brian Cuomo, another of Maui's fine Jazz artists. We especially like her version of "An

Occasional Man", as in "I got the sun to tan me, the palms to fan me, and an occasional man!"

 

SONGS:

It Don't Mean A Thing, Caravan, Life Passes By , All The Things You Are, Speak Low, An Occasional Man, So

Many Stars, Foggy Day, You Taught My Heart To Sing, What's Your Purpose, Blue Skies, Quiet Mind and Body

KIRK LEIGH COVINGTON                                                          20 July 2010

KIRK LEIGH COVINGTON. Ref: 5791. Born: around 1950 at Midland TX. Father: Jerry, Father Ref: 10309. Mother:

 Broussard, Doris Eloise, Mother Ref: 10542. Kirk Covington Biography by Mike Haid - Kirk Covington has

become recognized as one of the most versatile and dynamic drummers in the world. He is the "Wild Man From Texas"

that jazz fusion audiences all over the world are talking about. His energy is infinite and his crowd pleasing

personality and vocal ability have been a driving force in the success of the world renowned jazz fusion group Tribal

 Tech featuring guitarist Scott Henderson, bassist Gary Willis and keyboardist Scott Kinsey.

 

Coming from a musical family in Midland Texas, and being the youngest of five children, Kirk was encouraged to

begin playing drums at age seven by his brother Kyle (who is now in demand as a guitarist in the Nashville scene).

By age twelve, Covington was a full time 'garage band junkie'. "Kyle made me play 'Wipeout' for the older guys all

the time, which probably explains my penchant for playing single strokes, or what I call blender fills".

 

Encouraged by his grandmother to play piano in his elementary years, Covington opted for sports instead and

decided to stick to the drums, leaving the piano behind until his senior year of high school.

 

At age fifteen, Kirk was borrowing the family truck, and hauling his drum kit to rock 'n' roll and country gigs around

the Midland, Texas region. "By virtue of my age, I was heavily influenced by sixties and seventies rock and was also

introduced to jazz through my parents love of swing and big band. In those days you also had to sing if you wanted

to land the really good gigs".

 

With little formal training, Covington entered the internationally renowned North Texas State University jazz

program. He eventually landed the drum chair in the infamous Two O'clock Lab Band, a position that would also

create many musical relationships with now famous players, including a young bassist named Gary Willis.

 

After college, Covington and Willis continued to work together in Condor , one of the most popular jazz fusion

bands in the region. Condor released an album in 1981 on Inner City Records that spent 4 weeks at #2 on the

European Melody Maker Jazz charts. Several notable drummers followed in Covington's footsteps in Condor,

including Greg Bissonette and Mike Baker. By this time Kirk had developed a naturally powerful and very soulful

vocal style that, combined with his ever growing skills as a drummer and keyboardist, quickly made him one of the

most sought after players in the Dallas area. Being a vocalist, keyboardist, songwriter and drummer have also led to

several national promotional spots, writing and performing corporate jingles and radio, TV spots.

 

Encouraged by the success that bassist Gary Willis and other North Texas musical associates found in relocating to

Los Angeles, Covington decided it was time to pack up his family and make the big move. It was Covington's strong

keyboard and vocal abilities that secured steady work for him in the first critical months. "Singing was really an

unintentional thing for me" says Covington. "I've always been able to use it for its work value, but more and more I'm

able to enjoy it as another avenue of musical expression".

 

In the spring of 1991, the jazz fusion band Tribal Tech began a search for a new drummer. They needed a player whose

technique was as flawless as their own; a visionary player who could help carry Tribal Tech into the next decade. The

 search ended with Willis's old Texas friend Covington.

 

Covington's success in Tribal Tech has propelled him into the spotlight as the animated backbone of 'Tribal' shows

world wide. His inventive drumming has been captured on the last three 'Tribal' releases on Mesa / Bluemoon

Records, Illicit ('92), Face First ('93), and Reality Check ('95). A new Tribal Tech release is scheduled for summer '98

with a tour to follow.

 

Guitarist Scott Henderson has also recruited Covington onto his solo recording efforts. Henderson's Dog Party CD,

released in '94, featured Covington on drums and also unleashed Kirk's vocal talents on seven tunes. Dog Party is

Henderson's most successful recording to date, and was voted Best Blues Record of the Year by Guitar Player

Magazine (Jan. '95 issue) even receiving more votes than B.B. King's Blues Summit. Covington can be heard locking

down the groove on Henderson's most recent burning blues release Tore Down House on Mesa / Bluemoon released

in April '97.

 

Covington's successful endeavors with Tribal Tech have led him to the calling of another of the 20th century's

greatest guitar virtuosos, Allan Holdsworth. Holdsworth enlisted Covington, Gary Willis (bass) and pianist

Gordon Beck for his most recent release titled None Too Soon . Modern Drummer Magazine Aug. '96 issue features A

Different View with Holdsworth, in which Holdsworth speaks highly of Covington, commenting "I would really

look forward to playing with him (Covington) in a context that is outside the one we just did" (which is straight

ahead modern bebop). "I would love to have a chance to play with him on my own music".

 

Covington headlined the 1995 Montreal Drum Festival in which his inspiring performance with keyboardist Scott

Kinsey and bassist Gary Willis brought the enthusiastic crowd to their feet. Modern Drummers May 96 issue

exclaims, "The entire Drum Fest was brought to a dynamic conclusion with the performance the Kirk Covington trio".

The Montreal Drum Fest was recorded and is available on CD. Covington's drum solo opens the CD followed by the

Scott Kinsey composition "Foreign Affairs" which was first recorded on the Tribal Tech "Reality Check" album.

 

A 10 page feature story on Kirk can be found in the November '96 issue of Modern Drummer magazine with Bill

Milkowski discussing Kirk's past, present and future ambitions along with his many prolific accomplishments.

 

Eclipsing all that Kirk Covington has achieved will be his much anticipated solo release which will feature the

talents of guitarist Allan Holdsworth , bassists Gary Willis , as well as David Carpenter. Covington will

incorporate his drumming, vocal and keyboard talents into a variety of musical styles that will be sure to astonish

many of the followers of this"Wild Man From Texas".

 

Kirk Covington is currently endorsing Zildjian Cymbals/Sticks, Yamaha Drums and Attack Heads.

 

Appears on  the Scott Henderson album - Dog Party. "Dog Party features Scott Henderson going back to his bluesy

roots on this doggone concept record. Dog Party also features the vocal and drum talents of Kirk Covington, and a

guest guitar solo by T.J. Helmerich. Jazz, total running time, 55:49" - Produced by: Scott Henderson, © 1994 Mesa

Records

R2 79073. TRACK LISTING - Hole Diggin', Fence Climbin' Blues, Dog Party, Same As You, Milk Bone, Hell Bent

Pup, Hound Dog, Dog Walk, Smelly Ol' Dog Blues, Too Many Gittars.

 

Wikipedia reports: Kirk Covington is a drummer best-known for his work with the jazz fusion group Tribal Tech.

Born in Midland, Texas, he attended the highly-regarded North Texas State University College of Music where he

met bassist Gary Willis, with whom he later joined Tribal Tech. Covington has also performed or recorded with other

 noted musicians including Joe Zawinul, Robben Ford, Allan Holdsworth, Scott Henderson, and John Humphrey.

 

Between 1998 and 2006 Covington toured with Scott Henderson and bass player John Humphrey as a trio. In 2003

they recorded Well To The Bone, as well as a live album in 2005. Covington continues to play with former Tribal

Tech partner Scott Kinsey, is a member of the group Volto! Where he also plays keyboards, and in 2008 formed his

own trio, "Cpt Kirk", with keyboardist Scott Tibbs and bassist Rufus Philpot.

 

At time of his father's death in 2006 he was living in Burbank CA.

LAURA LYNNE COVINGTON                                                      20 July 2010

LAURA LYNNE COVINGTON. Ref: 14297. Born: 16 Feb 1982 at Greensburg LA. Father: Reggie, Father Ref:

16771. Mother: Bridges, Sandra, Mother Ref: 16772.   Mar: 23 May 2009 at Louisiana LA to name not known . Info

from Britney Spears Biography: "The date was Dec 2 1981, McComb Mississippi. A baby girl named Britney Jean

Spears was brought into this world. 17 years later, she would become the youngest female artist in recorded history

to receive the Diamond RIAA status for selling over 10 million copies of her debut album. This is the story, of a

talented girl from the bayous of Louisiana who had a dream…and accomplished it to its fullest extent.

 

Britney was a very active girl all the way from the start. She loved being the center of attention, she would dance,

sing, kick and scream all over the 3 bedroom cottage style house in her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana. The

Spears Family have always had a strong bond with the Covington family. The Covington family consists of Lynne's

(Britney's Mom) sister Sandra and Britney's best friend and cousin Laura Lynne. Britney and Laura Lynne

practically grew up together, they would play everyday, sing together, and even attend local talent competitions.

Britney was 4 years old, and she was already showing the world the hidden talent she in a couple of years was going

 to unleash.look

 

One sunny day coming back from riding the go-carts, Britney would start singing to the radio, she would do this

over and over again, until her mom one day told her, "Britney, you really can sing!". Lynne decided to do something

about Britney's talent, and took her to sing in Church, where she was loved and cherished by everyone. Performing

on stage, was just Britney's thing. It was all about her world and the world that was watching her.

 

Years went by, and Britney's talent grew….she had her family a little bit sick and tired of all the singing. Lynne once

 said : "Britney would sing non-stop every single day to the point where it became annoying, and I had to tell her to

stop". Britney began to show interest for gymnastics and as every mother in this world who wants the best for their

little daughter, Lynne would drive Britney to the gym-clases which were one hour away from home. One day, Britney

 just felt that Gymnastics weren't her thing anymore, and it got momma Lynne worried. Later she realized that the

reason why Britney couldn't do it anymore, was because she felt that she couldn't keep up with the rest, and when

you start feeling that something just isn't your thing…..you stop. You decide what you want to do, Lynne said, and

Britney reassured her that she didn't want to go back to gymnastics anymore.

 

Taking a step further in our time-line Lynne was already aware of Britney's talent, and she would take her to local

talent and beauty competitions, where Britney won in some and lost in others. Lynne says that Britney got so sad

after not winning a competition, which later just prooved that Britney would grow up to be a perfectionist…and

there she is today.

 

One afternoon Lynne was reading the newspaper and saw an ad that said they were making castings for the Mickey

Mouse Club (MMC), a kids show that aired on the Disney Channel. Lynne decided to taker her there to audition, and

 that's what she did. Out of over 1000 kids that auditioned, Britney ranked in the top 6 finalists. Unfortunately, she

was rejected, not because of the lack in talent, but because of her young age, 9. One of the agents there saw that

Britney wasn't just an ordinary girl, and decided to hook her up with an entairtainment lawyer in New York City,

Larry Rudolph.

 

The Spears family decided they were gonna do whatever it took to take Britney to that entairtainment lawyer and that

 meant taking their 9 year old girl away from the small town of Kentwood (pop. 1200) and take her to the big city.

The Spears did not have enough money to take the plane to New York, so they had to take the Amtrak (the name of

the national railroad company in the US) and it took them over 2 days to get there. Once in New York Britney

attended a performing arts academy where she learned how to sing, dance and act. When Britney turned 10, she got a

role in the Off-Broadway play "Ruthless" where she played an evil little girl with a cute face.

 

After spending a couple of summers in New York, Britney got homesick and returned back to Kentwood where she

resumed her life as a normal girl. But now she was 11 years old, and Lynne decided to take her to audition for the

MMC again, this time, she was accepted. Britney would become the youngest member joining Keri Russell , Justin

Timberlake and J.C Chavez among others. At the MMC Britney got the opportunity to do the thing she loved the

most….perform.

 

Unfortunately the MMC was taken down after 2 years and Britney returned to Kentwood once again where she

attended one normal year of highschool, had a boyfriend and was the Prom Queen. But Britney got bored, and wanted

 to go back to the spotlight once again, therefore she contacted that entairtainment lawyer again and she flew up to

New York and auditioned for a girl group called "Innonsense". After giving it a second thought, Britney decided to

go solo, and she auditioned for a set of executives at Jive Records, they loved her and signed her up immediately.

Britney was sent to the Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden to record her debut album with Max Martin

(Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi) and Rami and later back to the U.S to work with Eric Foster White.

 

Jan 12 1999, Britney's debut album "Baby one more time" is released. The world is introduced to a new singing

sensation who topped all the charts with her sexy catholic outfit video and single "Hit me baby one more time".

Britney hit it big and started selling albums and remained on the Billboard charts for over a year and her album hit

number 1 only a couple of weeks after it was released. Now Britney Spears had become a house hold name with over

LEONARD COVINGTON                                                               20 July 2010

LEONARD COVINGTON. Ref: 5693. Born: 30 Oct 1768 at Aquasco MD. Father: Levin, Father Ref: 5692. Mother:

Magruder, Susannah, Mother Ref: 4145.  Died: 14 Nov 1813 at French Mills NY aged 45.  Mar: 22 Oct 1789 at

Aquasco MD to Somerville, Susannah 4169. 2nd Mar: around 1796 at Maryland to Mackall, Rebecca 3737. Left

school at an early age to the care of a widowed mother, he and a younger brother, received a good English education

and made such acquaintance with the classics as the local institutions of learning of that day could impart. Nurtured

in the midst of the U.S. revolutionary struggle for independence, it is probable that the scenes by which he was

surrounded may have given that direction to his ambition and inspired that love of country which devoted him to her

 defence and controlled his latter destiny.

 

Among the earliest recollections of his childhood was the watching from an eminence at his home, commanding an

extensive view down the Patuxent, the predatory parties of the British soldiery, who in their boat excursions were

want to ravage and plunder the estates bordering upon the river; the same point from which he witnessed the burning

 of the mansion of a near relative at Hallowing Point, opposite Benedict, by these marauders.

 

Arrived at manhood and having grown to be a big, raw boned 6 footer who enjoyed running and wrestling, his

country firmly established under a free government and with the prospect of a career of prosperity, he contracted an

early marriage, and settled down upon his paternal acres in the avocation of a planter, that of his ancestors, with little

 expection that the career upon which he had entered would be changed to one of strife and perilous adventure.

 

His wife and first child died soon after 1790 and this tragedy gave him the wandering habit. Of those deaths, he

wrote; " made a wreck of my domestic enjoyments and rendered distasteful my rural pursuits". He went to

Philadelphia, dallied with the law and worked as an aide to Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State, splitting his

time there and managing the family estates back home. Restless at 23, he entered the United States Army as a cornet of

Cavalry on 14 March 1792.

 

Commissioned Lieutenant of Dragoons by General Washington in 1793 and volunteered to fight Indians with Gen.

"Mad Anthony" Wayne, a cavalryman who learned military tactics and mastered several Indian languages. While

moving about in the northwest frontier, Covington struck up a close relationship with Merry Rivers, a beautiful,

young, half-Irish, half-Indian maiden, whose father built forts for the Army. She travelled with him for several years

and "cared for Covington's clothes, cooked meals and took care of his manly needs".

 

He scouted for Wayne, located sites for forts, and at two major battles, Fort Recovery and Fallen Timbers, Miami,

distinguished himself in battle. Wayne praised him in official reports for his "courageous, forceful" deeds and

leadership. For his energetic charges, jumping over obstacles as in a steeple-chase, Indians gave him a name and

reputation: "The Wind of Wayne". While Wayne was negotiating, Covington continued to go scouting for fort sites

and settlements but returned to find that his love, Merry Rivers, had died of a summer fever. Although promoted to a

captaincy he resigned 12 September 1795 to engage in further agricultural pursuits and politics back in Maryland.

 

2nd Marriage; c.1796 to Mackall, Rebecca & had 6 children, names not known. He did some surveying for Jefferson,

his old boss, and was sometimes a guest at Mount Vernon. Farming was not always prosperous when tobacco prices

fell, and its production wore out the land.

 

Covington and his brother kept looking for "a land of promise" even while he, the good Jeffersonian, served both for

the Marland Senate and the House of Representatives. The frugal Covington didn't  like Annapolis or Washington,

judging from his letters, which complained about too much spending, too much drinking and gambling, and too

much "swish-swish" from powdered ladies. "Those epicurean Gents not faithful to their wives will fritter away their

marriages, rob their children, and break down the foundation of their existence".

 

He had been a member of the State House of Delegates for many years and was elected as a Democrat to the 9th

Congress (4 March 1805 to 3 March 1807), but he was a man of the outdoors, the frontier. He was appointed by his

friend, now President Jefferson as Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment of Light Dragoons on 9 January 1809 and as

Colonel on 15 February 1809, the only such regiment in the military. That year, he moved his family to the frontier of

Mississippi and bought a plantation near Natchez that he called "Propinquity" because it was close to his base.

 

Was in command at Fort Adams on the Mississippi in 1810 and took prossession of Baton Rouge and a portion of

West Florida, making these years his best. He was training troops, skirmishing with Indians, surveying the wild

country in Alabama and Florida, battling the Spanish, living outdoors, but able to return to his wife and plantation.

 

 

When war was declared on Britain he was called back to Washington, ordered to the northern frontier and appointed

Brigadier General by President Madison on 1 August 1813. He didn't like it but never flinched from an order. From

Baltimore, he wrote to his brother "I long for victory and return to the embrace of my sweet family … If you must

worry, do so about the strange gods of war". In November 1813 he was part of an invasion army of 8,000 men on 300

boats that had started at Sachets Harbour, N.Y, and floated down the St Lawrence River amid the Thousand Islands.

To move around dangerous rapids, the army had to land several times, and then back again to the water. Canadian

Militia, with their Indian allies, resisted. Covington, the cavalryman par excellence, helped beat back these nipping

attacks.

 

On 11 November 1813, the Americans ran into a combined British-Canadian force, some 1,500 in all, near

Williamsburg, Upper Canada, Ontario, some 70 miles from Montreal. The Battle of Chrysler's Field was fierce, one-

fifth of those in it were killed or wounded. Covington led an attack on the enemy's right flank and helped drive them

back. He was still on his horse urging his men forward against a second line of defence when a sharpshooter from a

farmhouse shot him through the body. He fell where he always fought, at the head of his men, and survived but two

days before he died at Frenchs Mills, New York on 14 November 1813. The campaign designed by Gen. James

Wilkinson to capture Montreal, proved to be a dismal failure and all were turned back.During his final 48 hours he

lamented to his aide-de-camp Lt. Col. Winfield Scott and others, that he had to die so far from his wife, his six

children and his brother.

 

His last words were recorded as being "Independence forever". He was buried at French Fields, where Fort

Covington, N.Y. was established by the Canadian border and named after him. Seven years later his remains along

with those of other fallen veterans were removed to Sackets Harbour, Jefferson County, New York, on 13 August

1820 and the place of burial is now known as Mount Covington.

 

Covington, Louisiana; Fort Covington, New York; Covington, Kentucky; Covington, Georgia; Covington, Ohio;

Covington County, Alabama; Covington, New York; Covington, Pennsylvania and Covington County,

Mississippi, are named after him.

 

“Fort Covington Namesake Died Leading Troops” - article by Erik M Zissu - Times Statt Writer

 

FORT COVINGTON - A British sharpshooter leveled his weapon and shortened the life of Brigadier General

Leonard Covington 176 years ago.

 

“He fell where he always fought, at the head of his men, and survived but two days," according to a serialization of a

work by historian Leonard Jamison.

 

General Covington was killed while on horseback leading his brigade in what has come to be known as the Battle of

 Chrysler's Field, which was fought in nearby Upper Canada Village on Nov. 11,1813. The anniversary of that battle

this year coincided with Veterans Day.

 

Fort Covington, previously named French Mills, was named after the general who was brought to the shores of the

Franklin County town where he died. But the body of General Covington was taken to Sackets Harbor in Jefferson

County, along with the bodies of his aides who had also fallen during combat, on a barge in 1821.

 

Today, the location of the general's grave, as well as that of Gen. Zebulon Montgomery Pike, who were the only

generals to die during the War of 1812, remains unknown.

 

Historian Robert J. Brennan who says he has the most complete records of military cemeteries in Sackets Harbor, said

it is uncertain whether the grave of the Maryland-born general will ever be located. But he has been trying to interest

 a newspaper in Covington, Kentucky, in starting a drive to place a marker at Sackets Harbor commemorating the

general and his courageous leadership.

 

Despite this project, the acts of General Covington have been revived somewhat by the placement of historical

markers around Fort Covington in recent years.

 

And in 1987, the Fort Covington Sun published 29 excerpts from Mr. Jamison's work about the little-known general

Fort Covington Town Historian Jacqueline Harvey supplied several pieces of this historical writing that illuminates

 the general's last days and his death:

 

Through the fall of 1813, the American Army was battling the British and their fleet, a Canadian militia and various

Indian bands. General Coviington participated in several of these conflicts that raged on both present-day U.S. soil

as well as on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence River.

 

On Nov.10, 11 days after the general's 45th birthday, a contingent of soldiers and an accompanying flotilla moved

down the river near Upper Canada Village. That night, the soldiers were forced to lie on their weapons to keep them

dry from a heavy rain. Voicing apprehension about the ferocity of the engagements up to that point, the soldiers

forced General Covington to address them regarding their duties.

 

“We have no choice but to onward because without independence and liberty, there would be no choice," the

general is supposed to have said.

 

Whether these words had a calming effect on the soldiers, the brigade was up in the morning and continued to march

along the St. Lawrence River toward Chrysler's Field. The British also advanced as the opposing sides reached the

field. General Covington was not required to participate in the battle, but did so to aid the American approach.

 

As he rode with his men into the fight, General Covington moved toward the British artillery. After pushing them

back from the left side of the attack, he attracted the attention of a group of sharpshooters who were holed up in a

house on the field.

 

"At this critical moment, while bravely leading his men, he was shot through the body. His fall disconcerted the

brigade and a shower of grape shot at that moment scourged it severely," one account of the battle reads.

 

From the battlefield, the general was brought across the river and up the Big Salmon River to a house in French Mills

Three days later, he died and was buried, only to be later taken to Sackets Harbor where the regiment was stationed.

 

LORENZO DOW COVINGTON                                                   20 July 2010

LORENZO DOW COVINGTON. Ref: 3395. Born: 1 Mar 1856 at Arkansas AR. Father: Rufus, Father Ref: 14169.

Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 3 Mar 1934 at Sequoyah OK aged 78.  Mar: 3 Mar 1881 at Crawford Co

AR to Kuykendall,Parthenia Jane 11136. 2nd Mar: Oct-Dec 1891 at Pancras to Kuykendall,Parthenia Jane 11136.

Interesting records exist - firstly marriage was recorded in Crawford AR in 1881, married by David Cunnett,

wittnessed by W.T. Black and G.B. Kuykendall, then again in UK Public Records Office Index in Oct-Dec1891 at

Pancras, London to same woman. Was an assistant to Flinders Petrie in his work on the pyramids. According to

Ellis Island Family History records he arrived at New York from Egypt in 1902 aged 40 presumably on return from

Lucy COVINGTON                                                                          20 July 2010

Lucy COVINGTON. Ref: 11416. Born: 24 Nov 1910 at Washington WA. Father: Freidlander, Louis T, Father Ref: 0.

 Mother: Nellie, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 20 Sep 1982 at Washington WA aged 71.  Mar: during 1935 at Washington

WA to John J 11423. She was an activist for Native American emancipation and a member of the Colville tribe which

has a reservation in north-western Washington State. Covington was the granddaughter of the last Colville chief

(Chief Moses) to be acknowledged by the tribe.

 

Political activism

In the 1950’s, termination became the governmental policy when dealing with Indians, and officials were describing

the procedure as “Indian emancipation from oppressive supervision.” However, the reality of the situation was much

darker because termination would entail the loss of tribal land which was essential to Colville and Native American

Identity. When the termination bill for the Colville was proposed, Covington saw that her tribe was in danger of

losing what she viewed as the Indian’s most vital asset. Through the use of self-determination she waged a war on

the government and the termination bill.

 

One problem Covington faced from the beginning of her struggle was the fact that many tribal members thought that

termination would be “modern and productive.” She had been on the tribal council since 1956, and many other

members favored termination. Instead of giving in to governmental pressure, Covington went to great lengths to

protect tribal lands.

 

She sold some of her cattle (a vital component of her livelihood considering she lived on a ranch), and used the

money to fund her repeated trips to Washington, D.C. where she fought to prevent Senator Henry M. Jackson of

Washington from passing the termination bill. Covington utilized unique methods and strategies to gain support for

her cause. With her magnetic personality, she organized younger members in the tribe to assist in her efforts, and even

 helped create a Colville newspaper titled Our Heritage. This helped raise awareness for her campaign and also stood

as a dedication to Indian culture. Whenever a tribal council member would present an outline for termination to

Congress, Covington protested, and in 1968, she created an anti-termination platform for the tribal election. She

enlisted the help of the Menominee leader Jim White to speak to her tribe about the actual effects of termination, and

after all of her lobbying, anti-termination advocates won a majority of the seats in the election.

 

Covington had successfully changed her tribal mindset, and the new council stamped out the termination bill for

good in 1971. Through individual activism and determination, Covington helped keep Colville tribal sovereignty

intact, and her persistence halted the liquidation and dismemberment of the Colville reservation.

 

[edit] Legacy

After the termination struggle, Covington “worked with characteristic determination to protect tribal rights and

resources, develop tribal services, govern the reservation for the benefit of tribe members, and promote inter tribal

cooperation.” Not only was she an example of Native American self-determination in action, she was a founder of the

movement itself, and her efforts (along with Ada Deer and other civil rights leaders) engendered a shift of U.S. policy

from termination to independence and autonomy. When she was seventy-one years old, Lucy Covington died of

pulmonary fibrosis. (Wikipedia)

Mary COVINGTON                                                                         20 July 2010

Mary COVINGTON. Ref: 11327. Born: around 1693 at U.S.A.. Father: Blackistone, John, Father Ref: 0. Mother:

Taylor, Hannah, Mother Ref: 0.   Mar: around 1712 at Queen Anne's Co MD to Henry Hampton 11248. Daughter of

John Blakiston. She was named as "Mary Covington" in Blakiston's his will dated Dec 2 1733 in Kent Co(?) MD.

Source: Robert Barnes, Maryland Genealogies, Vol 1, 1980, page 56-57. There are probably additional references to

Mary.

 

The following info links Mary Blackistone's descendents back to various British aristocracy & royalty.

 

Number = generation

 

1  Earl Ivar of the Uplands 

  2  Earl Eystein the Noisy Glumra  Abt 788 -

  +Ascrida Ragnvaldsdottir 

  3  Ragnvald the Wise Eysteinsson  Abt 872 - Abt 894

  +Ragnhild (Hildr) Hrolfsdottir 

  4  Duke Rollo Ragnvaldsson  Abt 870 - Abt 932

  +Duchess Poppa de Valois 

  5  Duke William I Longsword  - Abt 942

  +Sprota (Adela) of Senlis 

  6  Duke Richard I the Fearless  Abt 933 - Abt 996

  +Gunhilda Gunnora  Abt 936 - Abt 1031

  7  Duke Richard II the Good  Abt 958 - Abt 1026

  +Judith Bretagne  Abt 974 - Abt 1017

  8  Duke Robert II the Devil  Abt 1008 - Abt 1035

Robert (I) the Devil

 

Duke of Normandy from 1027. Also known as the Magnificent, he was the father of William the Conqueror, and was

legendary for his cruelty. He became duke after the death of his brother Richard III, in which he may have been

implicated.

 

The ‘Robert the Devil’ who is the hero of three Old French romances is a mythical figure, the product of an unholy

copulation between a demon and the duchess of Normandy who, after a life of terrible brutality, became a famously

holy hermit.

 

  +Herleva (Arlette) 

  9  King William the Conqueror I  Abt 1028 - Abt 1087

William (I) the Conqueror c. 1027–1087

 

King of England from 1066. He was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert the Devil and succeeded his father as duke of

 Normandy 1035.  Claiming that his relative King Edward the Confessor had bequeathed him the English throne,

William invaded the country 1066, defeating Harold II at Hastings, Sussex, and was crowned king of England.

He was crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066. He completed the establishment of feudalism in

England, compiling detailed records of land and property in the Domesday Book, and kept the barons firmly under

control. He died in Rouen after a fall from his horse and is buried in Caen, France. He was succeeded by his son

William II.

 

  +Matilda of Flanders 

 10  King Henry I Beauclerk  Abt 1068 - Abt 1135

Henry I 1068–1135

 

King of England from 1100. Youngest son of William the Conqueror, he succeeded his brother William II. He won

the support of the Saxons by granting them a charter and marrying a Saxon princess. An able administrator, he

established a professional bureaucracy and a system of travelling judges. He was succeeded by Stephen.

 

  +Matilda (Edith) of Scotland 

 11  Queen Matilda the Empress  Abt 1103 - Abt 1167

Matilda the Empress Maud 1102–1167

 

Claimant to the throne of England. On the death of her father, Henry I, 1135, the barons elected her cousin Stephen to

be king.  Matilda invaded England 1139, and was crowned by her supporters 1141. Civil war ensued until Stephen

was finally recognized as king 1153, with Henry II (Matilda's son) as his successor.

Matilda was recognized during the reign of Henry I as his heir. She married first the Holy Roman emperor Henry V

and, after his death, Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou (1113-1151).

 

  +Geoffrey Plantagenet V of Anjou (1113-1151) 

 12  [2] King Henry II Curtmantle FitzEmpress  Abt 1133 - Abt 1189 (King of England 1154)

Henry II 1133–1189

 

King of England from 1154, when he succeeded Stephen.  He was the son of Matilda and Geoffrey of Anjou (1113-

1151). He curbed the power of the barons, but his attempt to bring the church courts under control had to be

abandoned after the murder of Thomas à Becket.  During his reign the English conquest of Ireland began. He was

succeeded by his son Richard I.

He was lord of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and count of Anjou, Brittany, Poitou, Normandy, Maine, Gascony, and

Aquitaine. He was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine.

 

  +Rosamond Clifford  Abt 1133 - Abt 1176

 13  William Longespee 

  +Ela Fitz Patrick  1187-1191 - Abt 1261

 14  Stephen Longespee  - Bef 1274/75

  +Emmeline De Ridelisford 

 15  Emmeline De Longespee 

  +Maurice Fitz Maurice Fitz Gerald 

 16  Juliane Fitz Maurice 

  +Thomas De Clare 

 17  Margaret De Clare  - Abt 1333

  +Bartholomew De Badlesmere  - Abt 1322

 18  [4] Elizabeth De Badlesmere 

  +[3] William De Bohun  Abt 1310 - Abt 1360

 19  [5] Elizabeth De Bohun  - Abt 1385

  +[6] Robert Fitz Alan  Abt 1346 - Abt 1397

 20  [7] Elizabeth Fitz Alan  Abt 1366 - Abt 1425

  +[8] Robert Goushill  Abt 1350 -

 21  [9] Joan Goushill  Abt 1409 - Aft 1460

  +[10] Thomas Stanley  Abt 1406 - Abt 1458/59

 22  [11] Katherine Stanley 

  +[12] John Savage IV  Abt 1422 - Abt 1495

 23  [13] Margaret Savage 

  +[14] Edmund Trafford 

 24  [15] Mary Trafford  - Abt 1540

  +[16] Thomas Gerard  - Abt 1523

 25  [17] William Gerard  - Bef 1560

  +[18] Dorothy Radcliffe 

 26  [19] Thomas Gerard 

  +[20] Jaine X Gerard 

 27  [21] John Gerard 

  +[22] Isabel X Gerard  Abt 1606/07 -

 28  [23] Thomas Gerard 

  +[24] Susanna Snowe  Abt 1629 -

 29  [25] Elizabeth Gerard  - Abt 1715

  +[26] Nehemiah Blackiston 

 30  [27] John Blackiston/Blackistone 

  +[28] Hannah X Blackiston 

 31  [29] Mary (Sarah?) Blackiston

MATT COVINGTON                                                                       20 July 2010

MATT COVINGTON. Ref: 14685. Born: around 1962 at U.S.A. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother: not

known, Mother Ref: 0. Soul singer has realesed the following 12" recordings:

Baby I'm for real, We gotta live together & Naked to the World on April Records 1982-84, We got one on Expansion

 1992. He also produced the single Count on Me for Overnyte on April Records in 1984.

MICHAEL AARON COVINGTON                                               20 July 2010

MICHAEL AARON COVINGTON. Ref: 5558. Born: around 1956 at U.S.A.. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0.

Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0. Educated at Clare College, Cambridge. M. Phil 1978. Books include

Astrophotography for the Amateur (Cambridge Univ Press) 1985. Had a letter published by The Times on 5 April

1978, written 31 March 1978, voicing concern that National Front activists expelled by the National Union of

Railwaymen would automatically lose their jobs in the closed shop Rail industry.

 

Although himself anti-National Front he felt this deprived people of their civil rights because of their political

views. He cites the McCarthy era as an example and ends with the statement. "We have to play fairly, even if our

enemies don't. Fighting facism with facism will not work."  (The Times 5/4/1978, Pge 17 Col g)(Cambridge

University List of Members up to 1978)(Library details 522-63 Feltham & Hounslow ANF, Shelf ALNSC)

 

Details of Michael Covington’s published works as extracted from his Web-site

 

AI-1994-02 (Available by FTP), Michael Covington. Discontinuous Dependency Parsing of Free and Fixed Word

Order: Work in Progress. This paper briefly notes how to extend DDP (Report AI-1990-01) to handle fixed as well

as variable word order, and then briefly analyzes some aspects of its psychological reality and suggests

improvements.

 

AI-1994-01 (Available by FTP), Michael Covington. An Empirically Motivated Reinterpretation of Dependency

Grammar. This paper reviews the dependency grammar formalism, presents evidence that stacked N-bar structures are

required, and the proposes a reinterpretation of dependency grammar to make it compatible with the evidence.

 

AI-1990-01 (available by FTP), Michael A. Covington. A Dependency Parser for Variable-Word-Order Languages

 

AI-1992-03, Michael A. Covington, GB Theory as Dependency Grammar

 

Dr. Michael A. Covington, Associate Director, Artificial Intelligence Center, The University of Georgia. LaTeX

macros for linguists and Astrophotography for the Amateur

 

My credentials: Senior Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Education: B.A. (Linguistics), summa cum laude, University of Georgia, 1977. M.Phil. (Linguistics), Cambridge

University, 1978. Ph.D. (Linguistics), Yale University, 1982

 

Current research: Defeasible logic in embedded control (microcontrollers). Research on language for electronic

commerce. Research on natural language processing (several topics). Research on computers in historical linguistics.

Other research in linguistics. Research on Prolog and logic programming.

 

Other academic interests: Computer typesetting, TeX, LaTeX. Microcontrollers and microelectronics applications.

Computer ethics and security. U.Ga. computer ethics policy developed under my chairmanship.

 

Consulting areas: Prolog programming language and related technology. Computer processing of human languages.

Specialized microcomputer applications and interfacing. Computer ethics and security policy development.

 

My research: Defeasible logic in embedded control. Defeasible logic is a system of reasoning in which rules have

exceptions, and when rules conflict, the one that applies most specifically to the situation wins out. This paper

reports a successful implementation of a defeasible logic system on a PIC micro-controller via a truth table.

 

Paper in PostScript - NEW - The Georgia Microcontroller Software Archive.

 

Language for electronic commerce - I propose a new type of language for electronic commerce (LEC) in which

transactions are put together by combining meaningful elements, much as a programming language encodes

algorithms, rather than by filling in data fields on a predesigned form.

 

Such a language is preferable to existing codes such as X12 and EDIFACT because of its greater versatility.

 

Papers in PostScript: "On Designing a Language for Electronic Commerce" - "Speech Acts in Electronic

Communication, KQML, and X12"

 

Computers in historical linguistics - An algorithm to align words for historical comparison. This is the first step in a

computer implementation of the Comparative Method. Paper will appear in Computational Linguistics in early 1997.

 

 

Paper in PostScript: Natural language processing. Natural language plurals in database queries. Paper in

PostScript: Discontinuous dependency parsing: work in progress. Other work: A dependency parser for free-word-

order languages. Prolog and logic programming. Prolog Programming in Depth by Michael A. Covington, Donald

Nute, and Andre Vellino. Textbook with emphasis on practical software development. Published by Prentice-Hall in

1996. Some copies of the previous edition (1987) are available from the University of Georgia; for information, email

aspaul@uga.cc.uga.edu.

 

Natural Language Processing for Prolog Programmers, by Michael A. Covington. Textbook with emphasis on

practical software development. Published by Prentice-Hall in 1993.

 

Information about 1995 ISO Prolog standard. (FTP library) GULP 3.1, an extension of Prolog for unification-based

grammar.

 

Preprocessor for handling feature structures, such as case:nom..number:plural, in Prolog programs. Efficient Prolog: a

 practical guide

 

Other linguistics research: An empirically motivated reinterpretation of dependency grammar on the nature of the

adjunct relation)

 

GB theory as dependency grammar. Paper presented at the 1992 International Congress of Linguists.

 

Dependency grammar mailing list. Dependency grammar is the analysis of syntactic structure by means of word-to-

word links rather than phrasal trees.

 

His Home Page quotes the following:

 

Return to Artificial Intelligence, Michael A. Covington, Ph.D., Writer/Consultant. Ph.D. (Linguistics), Yale

University, 1982. Associate Research Scientist, The University of Georgia. Senior Member, Institute of Electrical

and Electronics Engineers. Contributing editor, Electronics Now Magazine. Contributing editor, Visual Developer

Magazine

 

Consulting areas: Computer security and ethics. The Internet is everywhere -- and with it, numerous opportunities

for abuse, fraud, and harassment. Does your company or institution have an acceptable-use policy for its computer

network? If so, is it detailed enough to answer users' questions, and is it ethically and legally sound? Common

mistakes include leaving important rules unstated or giving a computer technician the job of judge, jury, and

executioner in computer abuse cases.

 

I can come to your site and work with your administrators and lawyers to develop an acceptable-use policy, an

incident-handling plan, and a user-education plan. With suitable preparation this can often be done in two days,

including two talks for large audiences (one for users, one for administrators who will have to handle incidents). I

led the team that developed the acceptable-use policy for The University of Georgia, which is now a widely used

model.

 

Prolog programming language: Prolog is a logic-programming language widely used in artificial intelligence,

natural-language processing, and intelligent databases. The services I can provide include: On-site instruction: An

intensive Prolog course in three 8-hour days or (preferably) five 5-hour days, to get programmers up to speed in this

new language. The course is based on the book “Prolog Programming in Depth”, of which I am principal author, and

includes hands-on exercises.

 

Programming services: If you've bumped into a Prolog programming problem, large or small, let me help. If your

algorithm doesn't seem to fit the Prolog language, there's probably an efficient Prolog implementation just waiting to

 be discovered. An internationally recognized expert, I can work at your site or telecommute.

 

Computational linguistics/Natural language processing: If your software involves computer processing of human

languages, I can help. Services include evaluation of existing products, design, and programming assistance.

 

Electronics and computer interfacing - Gadgeteer for hire: Do you need to interface your PC to your toaster (or an

industrial machine)? I can design custom hardware and software to bridge small gaps and make the impossible

possible. Services include analog and digital design, custom-programmed microcontrollers, PC interfacing, and DOS

and Windows 95 programming. Simple solutions to complex problems are a specialty.

 

Consulting terms: Working at my site: $75-$150/hour depending on nature of work. Working at your site:

$1000/day plus expenses.

 

Message 1: Re: 7.1016, Sum: Journal proliferation: pro & con Date: Thu, 11 Jul 1996 16:44:27 EDT

From: Michael Covington <mcovingt@aisun1.ai.uga.edu>

Subject: Re: 7.1016, Sum: Journal proliferation: pro & con

 

“I want to second M. Meechan's point that publishing in a journal, even a minor one, is better than just circulating

papers to friends.

 

One peculiarity of linguistics compared to some other fields is that in linguistics, relatively few journals are

considered respectable, and publishing in a "bad" journal can allegedly lower a person's reputation.

Early in my career, I was warned not to publish in certain journals.

 

That is an unfortunate situation because it leads to people leaving their work entirely unpublished. It would be

better off to make it available, even in the humblest journal. That's what journals are for.

 

New journals are welcome, as long as they don't charge outrageous prices.”

 

Michael A. Covington http://www.ai.uga.edu/faculty/covington/

Artificial Intelligence Center The University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-7415 U.S.A. Unless specifically

indicated, I am not speaking for the University.

 

On his Daily Notebook he wrote in Nov 2006: "Veterans' Day -

Happy Armistice Day! I recently told my daughters:

 

NEHEMIAH COVINGTON                                                            20 July 2010

NEHEMIAH COVINGTON. Ref: 5675. Born: around 1628 at Huntingdonshire. Father: Thomas, Father Ref: 6477.

Mother: Ann, Mother Ref: 6478.  Died: 2 May 1681 at Somerset Co. MD aged 53.  Mar: around 1648 at Northampton

MD to Vaughns, Mary 4030. 2nd Mar: July 1667 at Somerset Co. MD to Ingram, Anne 4936. Supposedly the first

Covington to reach America. Various sources suggest he first arrived in U.S. in 1652 before returning to England

shortly after having had a brush with the U.S. law for being a "single man" and was fined a quantity of tobacco (??).

He then returned 10 years later with his pregnant wife and 6 children in 1662. However many of these sources are

contradictory with regards to dates. Certainly the biggest myth expressed by researchers into Nehemiah is that he

came from Coventry, Huntingdonshire, England. This is untrue as the only Coventry in England is in Warwickshire.

However the village of Covington can be found in Huntingdonshire so this may be the cause of the confusion.

 

Another source suggests the following: "Immigrated into Virginia in 1647, a colorful individual whose life has been

well documented in many Delmarva ( Delaware) genealogies. From being accused of 'thieving cheese' and 'defaming a

woman' on the eastern shore of Virginia, as an indentured servant to High Sherriff in the new county of Somerset, in

ye new province of Maryland."

 

Listed under patent of Nicholas Waddilow and Stephen Harsey in 1647, and under patent of Nicholas Waddilow in

1649. Signed the Oath to the Commonwealth Mar, 25, 1651 at Northhampton Co. Va.  In 1666 and 1674 was sworn

in as Constable in Somerset Co.

 

1st wife born c.1626, died Apr 1667 at Great Monie. 2nd wife was a widow, she died 1678 in Maryland. He was a

Stone Mason, Grist Mill Builder & Tobacco Planter. First report of his name appears in Cavaliers & Pioneers:

Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents & Grants, 1623-1666 by Nell Marion. Said to have been transported to

Northampton County by Stephen Horsey and Nicholas Waddelow 13 July 1647. He signed engagement of loyalty to

 Commonwealth of England, March 1651/2. Was before court and fined, March 1652/3 for "incontinency before

marriage" and in April 1653, appeared before court on account of trouble he was having with a person to whom he

was evidently an indentured servant. Nehemiah went to Monie section (later Somerset County, Maryland) in 1662,

bought cattle from Thomas Leister on 4 June 1666, settled 300 acres called Covington's Vineyard on north side of

Great Monie Creek in November 1674, stating his age as about 46 years. He married his 2nd wife Anne Ingram July

1667 who was the widow of Robert Ingram, they had been transported together to Maryland in 1664. Robert had

died before July 1666 and they had had 3 sons, John, James & Robert. Nehemiah and Anne were married by William

Thorne Justice of the Peace, Somerset County.

 

Family Tree History via Internet search

 

1. Nehemiah Covington b. cir 1628, Covington, Huntingdonshire, England, m. (1) Mary _____, d. cir 1667, buried:

Great Monie Hundred, Somerset Co, MD, m. (2) ?? Jul 1667, Anne Ingram.  Nehemiah died ?? ___ 1680/1.  He's

listed under the patent of Nicholas Waddilow and Stephen Harsey in 1647 and under the patent of Nicholas

Waddilow in 1649.  Nehemiah signed the Oath to the Commonwealth 25 Mar 1651 in Northampton Co, VA.  In

1662, with his wife and children, he immigrated to Somerset Co, MD, where he acquired a patent to 300 acres of land

on the north side of Monie Creek in 1663/4.  He called his land "Covington's Vinyard."  In 1666 and 1674, he was

sworn in as Constable in Somerset Co.  Nehemiah was a prominent Quaker.

 

According to information provided to me by Martha Beth Wells she has seen a copy of the deposition with his

signature, the double owl mark (two big O's with a horizontal line above) in the original records of the Northampton

 County VA Courthouse in Eastville VA

 

Some further contribution from Jean LaCoss <jclacoss@earthlink.net> in 2006 suggests the following:

 

 "Nehemiah  (b 1628) was a Quaker and refused to contribute to the Church of England.  Therefore, he was brought

into court many times and fined, once specifically for fornication before marriage, once for stealing for which he was

fined and received "12 lashes on his naked shoulder."  He then moved to Maryland in 1662.  One report said he

married a Quaker and the Church wouldn't recognize his marriage and he was thus lashed for 'fornication'."

PAUL STUART COVINGTON                                                       20 July 2010

PAUL STUART COVINGTON. Ref: 1529. Born: 28 Apr 1970 at Dunstable. Father: Alfred Henry, Father Ref: 1109.

Mother: Williams, Janice Winifred, Mother Ref: 4769.   Mar: Jun 2004 at Bedford to name not known . Born at 14

Tarnside Close, Dunstable, Beds. In 90s lived at 82 Bowman Way, Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU6 3LE. By 2001 was

living at 1 George Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire employed as an electrician. Semi-pro footballer with Bedford

Town in 1998 along with brother Gavin.

 

Report of game Ryman League Division Two - Saturday 31st January 1998 - Bedford Town 2 Tooting & Mitcham 0

 

Manager Jimmy Bolton gave a debut to new signing Chris Dixon and Mark Quemina and Barry Ferdinand returned to

 the line up. Ferdinand nearly surprised home keeper Heeps with a long range shot in the first minute, and then a free

kick from Dave Cooper was deflected over his own bar by Dave Taylor.

 

Jason Reed also had a couple of efforts for the home side but he was well off target, and it was Tooting who created the

 best early chance when Andy Norman found Ferdinand with some space in the area, but Ferdy skied his shot over

the bar.

 

The home side forced several corners after twenty minutes, but the Tooting defence cleared without trouble, with

Gary Whelan looking commanding in the centre of defence. Play then became scrappy and there was a rash of

niggling fouls and bookings. During this period Matthias and Gleeson tried their luck with some long range shots

but they never looked like troubling Heeps.

 

With defences so much on top it looked certain that the first half would end goalless, but the home side fashioned a

goal out of nothing on 43 minutes. Full back Gavin Covington got past Tony Matthias wide on the left and was

allowed to run into the area where he crossed for Danny Nicholls to head home from the edge of the six yard box.

Bedford then nearly increased their lead when Paul Daniels headed across goal and Jason Slack just failed to get a

touch on the ball.

 

Tooting had a scare just after half time when Slack wriggled through the defence and poked the ball into the side

netting. On 53 minutes Andy Norman laid a ball back to Steve Shaw on the edge of the area, but he slightly miss-hit

his shot and it bobbled a few yards wide.

 

With Tooting making little impression on the solid Bedford defence, Jimmy Bolton made a double substitution on 60

 minutes, bringing himself and Conrad Kane on, and changing to a 4-4-2 formation. It nearly bore fruit immediately

when Ferdinand got clear on the right hand side of the area, but with several players unmarked he made a mess of his

cross.

 

The home side increased their lead on 66 minutes when a long ball over the top of the Tooting defence found Paul

Sherlock in space, and he lobbed Haakan Jensgard as he came off his line, and after this Tooting never threatened to

get back on terms.

 

Chris Dixon gave way to Barry Langford on 81 minutes, and in fact Dixon's performance was one of the few bright

spots of the afternoon as he showed some neat touches throughout. In the last few minutes, Jimmy Bolton had a

couple of wild shots and in the closing seconds Tooting were denied a consolation goal when Barry Ferdinand was

fouled by Ian Grove when through, and as Grove was the last defender he was sent off. The free kick on the edge of the

 area hit the Bedford wall, and that was it. Definitely a game to forget.

 

Tooting & Mitcham Line-up: Jensgard, Whelan, Gleeson, Taylor, Matthias, Fowler, Quemina, Shaw, Dixon,

Ferdinand, Norman. Subs : Bolton (Shaw 60), Kane (Taylor 60), Langford (Dixon 81)

 

Bedford Town: Heeps, Grove, Covington (G), Branch, Covington (P), Cooper, Sherlock, Nicholls, Reed, Slack,

PRESLEY MASON COVINGTON                                                20 July 2010

PRESLEY MASON COVINGTON. Ref: 15091. Born: 24 Jun 1869 at Alabama AL. Father: Thomas, Father Ref:

16344. Mother: Mary E, Mother Ref: 16345.  Died: 31 Dec 1942 at Jasper AL aged 73.  Mar: 25 Dec 1890 at Cascilla

MS to Martin, Annie Phelia 15092. Jasper Minister Rev Covington Who Helped Organize Many Churches Passes

Away

 

Rev. PM Covington, of Jasper, a Nazarene preacher who has taken a leading part in organizing churches of his faith in

 Mississippi and Alabama for many years, died suddenly and unexpectedly last Thursday afternoon.

 

Rev. Covington and his wife drove out the Curry road Thursday afternoon to get some pine knots to make kindling,

and parked their car in the woods near the road. Rev. Covington became desperately ill and unable to drive his car,

Mrs. Covington tried unsuccessfuly to flag down passing cars. Finally the driver of a lumber truck stopped and drove

 the Covington car to Jasper; Mrs. Covington had gotten her husband into the car. He died near Oak Hill cemetery.

Funeral services, in charge of Rev. H.H. Hooker, were held at the Jasper Nazarene church Monday, at 11 a.m., and

interment was in Oak Hill cemetery, A.B. Legg and Sons directing.

 

Surviving are the wife and a large family of children, Mrs. Susie Avout, Mrs. Lucy Kelley, Mrs. Esther Milton, Mrs.

Lottie Senn, Mrs. Irene Davidson, Charles Covington, Robert L. Beavers Covington, Mrs. Anna Mae Evans, Mrs.

Earline Hill.

 

Rev. Covington was born at Rockingham, N.C., June 24, 1869. He came to Jasper from Cascilla, Mississippi in 1910.

Prior to coming to Jasper he served two years as superintendent of the Mississippi District, which he helped

organize. He served a pastor of the Jasper Nazarene Church and served three years as superintendent of the Alabama

District.

Although he served as pastor of many churches after his arrival in Jasper in 1910, Rev. Covington claims Jasper as his

 home from 1910 until the time of his death.

 

He served as pastor of churches at Jasper, Nauvoo, Watts Chapel, Haleyville, Dora, Shiloh, Lockhart, Hickory Grove,

ROBERT COVINGTON                                                                  20 July 2010

ROBERT COVINGTON. Ref: 5718. Born: 12 Dec 1941 at Yazoo MS. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother: not

known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 17 Jan 1996 at Chicago IL aged 55. Dirk Van Klooster rang B&R with the sad news of

the death of Robert Covington. Robert died January 17th in Chicago, after suffering from kidney problems. He was a

fine blues and soul vocalist and he also played drums. His excellent album "The Golden Voice Of Robert Covington"

was issued by Red Beans Records in the USA and on Steeple Chase in Europe (see Pete Nickols review in B&R 46).

The album was reissued recently on CD by was recently released by Evidence. Born in 1941, in Yazoo City,

Mississippi,

 

Robert was an active studio drummer and club sideman, notably with the Big Four Band who supported Sunnyland

Slim throughout 1980s. More recently, he was drummer and vocalist with Mississippi Heat, appearing on their

"Singing Straight From The Heart" set, cut in September 1992. (obituary by Tony Burke)

---- Blues In The Night (Evidence ECD 26074-2) Album Review

"Blues In The Night" is a straight reissue of blues drummer and vocalist Robert Covington's 1988 album on the tiny

Red Beans label, "The Golden Voice Of Robert Covington", reissued here on CD for the first time by Evidence. It's

just too bad that Covington won't be around to enjoy the accolades this CD will undoubtedly receive now that his

music is widely available for the first time--he died in January from complications related to kidney failure.

 

Covington was a well-schooled veteran of the blues scene in his native Mississippi before he landed in Chicago,

where he gained equal measures of experience on both the north side playing before mainly white audiences who

expect a more rocked-up, boogie down version of the blues, and on the south side playing for black audiences who

generally are more impressed by strong and soulful vocals and a funky groove. Covington was an expert at

successfully walking the fine line between these two sometimes disparate approaches to the music, and his mastery is

 evident on every track on this CD. The opening track, "Trust In Me", is a beautiful Covington original with a mellow

 but insistant horn arrangement that brings to mind classic southern soul; this is followed immediately by a funked-

up, rocking cover of "I Just Want To Make Love To You", and then Covington's grinding medium slow blues "Better

Watch Your Step". In other hands this set list might sound jarring or unfocussed, but Covington and crew (a hand-

picked line-up of some of Chicago's finest contemporary blues players) make it sound completely natural--which in

Covington's case, it was.

 

Through it all, the enthusiasm Covington always displayed on his live shows comes through clearly in the finely-

tuned, husky yet flexible blues instrument he had for a voice--a voice that positively dripped with personality and

charm. Whether singing slow burning soul, driving uptempo shuffles, or anything in between, Covington's sense of

humor and the joy he took in performing can be heard clearly on every song.

 

As companies mine the recesses of their vaults for reissues of contemporary blues recordings from the '60s, '70s and

'80s, it's become painfully obvious that some of them don't hold up very well to the test of time; the very things that

made them "contemporary" in their day are the things that make them sound dated, quaint, or cliched now. That's not

the case with Robert Covington's "Blues In The Night"; this release sounds as fresh and vital now as it did when it

was originally released--maybe more so. The only thing disappointing about it is that it makes one wish that there

would be another release forthcoming, but sadly that's not in the cards. Thanks to the folks at Red Beans for

recording his only full-length release, to Evidence for reissuing it, and to especially Robert Covington himself for

SCOTT C COVINGTON                                                                  20 July 2010

SCOTT C COVINGTON. Ref: 5806. Born: 17 Jan 1976 at Fresno CA. Father: Mark, Father Ref: 5807. Mother:

Leathy, Mother Ref: 0. Photo shows: 4 Oct 1997 - Quarterback Scott Covington of Miami is dragged down by nose

guard Larry Smith of FSU in first half between Florida State and Miami at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee,

 

Covington to get his chance to shine - By Chris Perkins , Special to ESPN SportsZone

 

Scott Covington will be the starter at quarterback and that was probably the biggest question the Hurricanes had to

answer during the spring. Covington, a senior, was declared the starter by coach Butch Davis before spring practice

and did nothing to lose the job. Covington's backup is Kenny Kelly, a highly recruited sophomore from Tampa

Catholic. Kelly offers the Hurricanes more mobility and a more lively arm but Covington knows the offense better and

 makes better reads. Many thought this would still be a battle but Davis took the guesswork out.

 

Player on the spot

 

QB Scott Covington is a senior who as so frustrated a year ago he wanted to transfer. UM refused to give him his

release, however. Covington sat on the bench behind Ryan Clement for two years and now the highly recruited

California kid gets his shot at the big time. The skill-position talent is there but the line might keep Covington on

the run. Also, it's been a long time since UM has produced a top-notch quarterback.

 

*** Covington worth the wait for UM - "After frustrating years as a backup, QB Scott Covington is leading the

Canes back into the national spotlight."

by LINDA ROBERTSON - Herald Sports Writer

 

The trough of greatest despair for Scott Covington came on a February night almost two years ago. He was stuck in a

Kafkaesque trap.

 

He felt handcuffed by his status as backup quarterback for the University of Miami football team. He felt shackled by

the school's refusal to release him from his scholarship so he could transfer to another school.

 

He couldn't throw, and he couldn't run.

 

"I didn't want to be here, and I didn't understand why they would keep me here if I didn't want to be here,'' he said. "I

felt like I didn't have a home.''

 

Covington went back to his dormitory room, lay down in his bed, thought about his predicament and wept.

 

"My future was in limbo,'' he said.

 

As he approaches the biggest game of his career, Saturday's Big East showdown at Syracuse, what's remarkable about

 Covington is not only how he overcame his potentially poisonous feelings toward the people who held him

captive, but also how he has led the school he wanted to flee back to national prominence.

 

The 19th-ranked Hurricanes (7-2, 5-1) can lock up their sixth Big East championship and a spot in the Bowl

Championship Series with a victory over Syracuse (7-3, 5-1).

 

"I never doubted myself,'' Covington said. "Going into Game 10, I've given them every reason to believe in me, too.''

 

 

He has also given those with hindsight reason to wonder why Covington wasn't the starter last season, when UM

stumbled to a 5-6 record -- its first losing season since 1979 -- under quarterback Ryan Clement.

 

Coach Butch Davis, who rejected Covington's request to transfer, said Covington may not have been able to rescue a

young, bandaged group that "clearly was a bad team last year.''

 

"But looking back, if you'd told me we'd go 5-6, I might have made different arrangements,'' said Davis, whose

predecessor, Dennis Erickson, recruited both Clement and Covington. "The fact remains that at the start of last

season, Ryan was 15-3 as a starter and rated in the top 10 in the country in pass efficiency.''

 

Covington is on that prestigious list today, with a rating of 151.01 after completing 59.9 percent of his passes for

1,922 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions.

 

"Hopefully, Scott appreciates I made the decision to keep him here in the best interests of the program and the kids,

and that it is still in his best interest to have stayed,'' Davis said. "He'll be remembered as the quarterback who

resurrected the program, and he'll impress NFL coaches and general managers as a guy who stuck it out instead of

quitting.''

 

Covington, a fifth-year senior from Laguna Niguel, Calif., has rallied his teammates with a leadership style quite

different from that of Clement. The two had an awkward relationship, in part because Covington comes across as a

laid-back California dude and Clement was more of a drill sergeant. Covington said he tends to "think more than

react.''

 

"Scott is more cool, calm and collected,'' offensive lineman Richard Mercier said. "In big games, he has a controlled

excitement. That type of confidence rubs off on guys. If we have a couple bad plays, his tone of voice calms everybody

down. He runs things very efficiently. We're getting to the line with 20 seconds on the clock.''

 

Covington, an avid surfer, said most people don't know how outgoing he is off the field or how competitive he is on

it because he was in the shadows at UM for four years "and they painted a picture of me that wasn't true.''

 

"People tend to misunderstand him because he's quietly intense,'' said Covington's father, Mark, CEO of a managed-

care company.

 

Said Covington's longtime friend, former high school teammate and surfing buddy David Cruickshank: "Scott's

pretty subtle and humble, and that may have set him back when the new coaching staff came in.''

 

Covington is making up for lost time. He will graduate in December with a business management degree. He has been

 invited to the Senior Bowl, where he will play in front of pro scouts.

 

"From Day One, everyone here had an understanding of my talents and potential,'' he said. "But I only played in spot

situations -- not enough for anyone to really see what I could do.''

 

In 1994, Covington arrived at the school he had chosen specifically because it was known as "Quarterback U,'' a

perennial top-five program. He lost the battle with Clement to be the No. 3 quarterback and decided to redshirt. He

was Clement's backup for three years.

 

"Being a two- or three-year starter is what I'd hoped for,'' he said. "Everyone who comes here has aspirations of being

a star.''

 

It was after his sophomore year that Covington decided to transfer. He figured he could return to the West Coast and

find a team that would let him start -- one that was not weakened by NCAA sanctions.

 

"We didn't like the atmosphere because all the quasi-criminal activity at UM was not what we'd signed up for,'' Mark

Covington said. "And with the change in the coaching staff, we did not feel Scott had been properly evaluated

because of his temperament. We wanted him to be where he'd be exposed to great coaching at the quarterback

position.''

 

But Davis, short on players due to the sanctions, said no to Covington's request.

 

"I was utterly confused,'' Covington said. "Do I leave anyway, pay for school myself and hope I can get into a program

 where I can play? Or stay, get an education that is paid for and see how it unfolds?''

 

Davis reassured the Covingtons that Scott would get a fair shot.

 

"Butch came forth with an agreement that Scott would truly get an opportunity or he could leave,'' Mark Covington

said. "We felt they did give him a fair chance. The past is the past. Obviously, we wish he would have had another

year as starter because the coaching staff is learning how great a leader he is.''

 

Although Covington said it was difficult to keep the faith as he waited for his chance, he came out for spring practice

in 1997 with a positive outlook.

 

"At first, I felt a little detached. My heart and mind moved away from what was going on. I wasn't as comfortable right

off the bat because of what we went through,'' he said. "But I felt no ill will or resentment. And my teammates were

behind me 100 percent. Whether they admit it or not, a lot of guys have those same feelings.''

 

Covington finally got his chance this year and has not wasted it.

 

"At the time, I couldn't understand why they made me stay at Miami,'' he said. "Now I can see why they did.''

 

COVINGTON FINALLY GETS STARTING ROLE - By Randall Mell of the Sun-Sentinel staff

 

Scott Covington gets the chance he has yearned for today.

The redshirt sophomore will make his first start as the University of Miami quarterback when the Hurricanes meet

Boston College (noon, Chs. 4 and 12) in the Orange Bowl. He has shown some impressive physical gifts in relief of

Ryan Clement, who's hobbled by a sprained ankle. Covington has shown that his may be the strongest UM arm since

 Vinny Testaverde's a decade ago. Covington has capably thrown long outs, deep slants and swing passes. Now, he's

 getting a chance to show the most important quality in a quarterback: That he can win. ``I'm ready,'' Covington said.

``I've been ready the past 10 weeks.'' Covington's biggest drawback was that he was recruited in the same class as

junior Ryan Clement, who moved ahead of him last year.

 

Covington and Clement are as different as fire and ice.

While Clement's personality seems hatched from the Dan Marino mold, Covington's is more Joe Montana. Clement is

the team's fieriest competitor, as rugged as the Rocky Mountain region he hails from. He's emotional and outspoken.

He's not afraid to chew out teammates or wrap them in bear hugs. Covington isn't easily excitable. A Los Angeles

area native, he fits the California cool image. He's soft-spoken.

 

``I'm very into the game, very focused on what's going on, but I handle game situations and pressure differently than

Ryan does,'' Covington said. ``I think it's a positive for me.''

Covington came off the bench to march the 'Canes to the goal line twice after Clement was hurt in last week's 21-7

loss to Virginia Tech, but both drives ended in interceptions.

Trailing 14-7 in the first drive, Covington lofted a nice pass in the corner of the end zone that slipped through Magic

Benton's hands for a possible game-tying touchdown. A play later, he threw a perfect pass to an open Tony Gaiter on

the 1-yard line for an easy touchdown, but Gaiter dropped it. Covington followed that with a fourth-down

interception.

``I moved the team pretty well, but unfortunately we could not get the ball in the end zone,'' Covington said. ``I think

SIMON COVINGTON                                                                     20 July 2010

SIMON COVINGTON. Ref: 2419. Born: 30 Jan 1809 at Bedford. Father: Simon, Father Ref: 2510. Mother: Brown,

Elizabeth, Mother Ref: 4161.  Died: 19 Feb 1861 at Pambula, Australia aged 52.  Mar: 12 Aug 1841 at Stroud, NSW

to Twyford, Eliza 4328. Known as Syms or Symes. Baptised in 1809 at St Pauls, Bedford.

 

Served as a Boy 2nd Class on Surveying Ship H.M.S. Beagle. 1st joined on 13/7/1831, ticket no. 3, 2nd entry on

3/12/1831, ticket no. 62. Discharged 12/5/1832. Rejoined same ship, 1/4/1833 as an Ordinary Seaman, ticket no.

105, discharged 27/11/1833. Served on H.M.S. Beagle at time of Charles Darwin's Expedition. Issued with Navy

Slops, incl Beds & Waxed Wrappers - £2 17s 10d, Dead & Run Men's Effects - 2s  6d, Tobacco - £1 18s 0d, Soap 16s

8d, Wages Monthly allowance - £2  3s 4d, Full Wages - £15 0s 10d. Nett value - £9 19s  8d  (Ships Book of

Surveying Ship H.M.S. Beagle 27/6/1831-17/11/1836) - see The Journal of Syms Covington via links.

 

Covington, who was eighteen years old when he began keeping this journal, was Charles Darwin's assistant on the

second voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, 1831-1836. Darwin was himself only 22 when he employed Covington using a

portion of the allowance he received from his father!

 

The Journal not only provides a new perspective of the journey which helped stimulate Darwin's theory of

evolution, but also includes accounts of Covington's daily duties. These included finding food for Darwin at each

port of call, and his impressions of lands and people encountered over five years of voyaging in the New World, from

the 'naked Indians' of Terra del Fuego to the citizens of Sydney, about whom Covington writes: 'Here a stranger must

take care with whom he associates, as the place consists principally of convicts, or the most notorious characters of

England; and a place I must say I was heartily happy to leave'.

 

Despite his misgivings, Covington and his Journal arrived back in Australia in 1840, when Covington emigrated to

New South Wales. He was soon married to an Australian woman from Stroud, and became Postmaster of Pambula on

the South Coast in 1854, where he remained until his death of Paralysis in 1861. He is buried at Pambula, Australia.

 

 

A pair of wooden carved shoes exists in Australia belonging to Margaret Underhill having been passed down to her

by her Grandmother who was Syms grand-daughter. These were made by Syms on the Beagle voyage, they are said to

have whale bone insets and tiny little nails, on the top it looks as if there was a little sliding lid. A photo of these

shoes hangs in Covington's Retreat, a restaurant in Pambula, Australia.

Evidently Syms and Eliza had 9 children. (Correspondence from Margaret & Keith Underhill, P.O.Box 142, Bega,

New South Wales 2550, Australia).

 

Evolution of a Novel: Mr Darwin's Shooter by Roger McDonald © all rights reserved

 

I had no intention of writing about Charles Darwin. But when I read about Syms Covington, Darwin's assistant

during the long voyage of the Beagle, I was compelled into the story.

 

A dimly lit photograph survives from the 1850s, a man with the look of a stoic, embattled survivor -- with a deaf

man's look of waiting to be surprised, with an air of almost spiritual expectation. I found myself searching Darwin's

letters, diaries, and notebooks for hints of this shadowy, unsung companion.

 

Here was a person of little importance, it seemed, a humble crew member, a walk-on extra in the life of a young

gentleman naturalist. Charles Darwin was only 23 and Syms Covington barely 15 when the Beagle's voyage started

at the end of 1831. The vessel's papers listed Covington as ship's fiddler and boy to poop cabin. In a short time,

however, references to a "servant" appeared in Darwin's letters and diaries. This was Covington. He'd found himself

signed over permanently to Darwin by the captain, Robert FitzRoy. Whether Covington volunteered, urged for the

job, or was just available is not known. In my novel, I have him urging for it -- strong with ambition to live life to the

 full.

 

From then on, in notes and correspondence, Darwin hardly ever referred to Covington by name, mostly just as "my

servant". Yet they were close. I thought of Covington as Darwin's "shadow", an intuition shared (I found when I had

finished the first draft) by Darwin's most recent biographer, Janet Brown. Lodged in Covington was a novel in

embryo.

 

In later years Darwin summarised evolution through natural selection as a process of "numerous, successive, slight

modifications". The same can be said of the writing process, as detail adapts to the needs of the story.

 

As in life, so in fiction: the beginning point is a mystery. A bubble appears from nowhere, it seems, like fizz in a glass

 of beer. Why Covington? Something that was nothing comes into existence -- an idea that won't let go. Sometimes

an annoyance (a bad idea still having to be served), sometimes a blessing. In time, with work, the first image shifts

into action, into character, into plot, and becomes a novel.

 

Darwin said nothing about what preceded life as we know it, except to make tactful noises (to keep Mrs Darwin

happy?) about a Creator breathing life into "a few forms or even one". Elsewhere in The Origin of Species he made

repeated scathing attacks on creationism. In the fiction-universe, the curtain can more easily be pushed back.

 

Even mysteries have their own shape. A repeated dream in my own childhood was of a perfect sphere in space that

was somehow doubled, one part smooth as a billiard ball, the other rough and stippled like a quondong seed or the

surface of a brain. They were two moons overlapping against the deep blackness of space. Both were equally

desirable to touch, yet struggling awake I could never decide which of the two was most satisfying.

 

If this is an obvious early memory of breast feeding it explains nothing away. Now I think it could just as easily be

the end-point of psyche as the start. Whatever, a longing for reconciliation of opposites spilled over into personality

 and shaped my engagement with language, words struggling before the ebb and flow of feeling. In the character of

Covington, similar longings occur. Here is where the historical record invites rather than unfolds an interpretation.

 

 

Midway through the voyage of the Beagle Darwin wrote to his sister back in England:

 

"Tell my father how much obliged I am for the affectionate way he speaks about my having a servant. It has made a

great difference in my comfort; there is a standing order, in the Ship, that no one, excepting in civilised ports, leaves

the vessel by himself. By thus having a constant companion, I am rendered much more independent, in that most

dependent of all lives, a life on board."

But: "My servant is an odd sort of person," Darwin continued, "I do not very much like him; but he is, perhaps from

his very oddity, very well adapted to all my purposes."

I read on in the archive, looking for clues as to why Darwin did not like Covington, why he was "odd". None

emerged.

 

Perhaps we all resent those we come to depend on absolutely … Maybe this was just a class thing … If so, did

Covington buck against his lowly station in life? … Make himself uppity to the upper-class Darwin? … Was it his

looks, like Billy Budd in Herman Melville? … His beliefs?...An over-willingness to please? … A stickiness of

manner? … Was it his sexuality?

 

What might it have been in Covington's presence that evoked this negative but needful prickliness in Darwin?

 

Fiction comes out of just this vacuum of explanation, charting a relationship whose inner life begs to be imagined.

 

At the same time, as Isaac Bashevis Singer has observed, a novel must be full of detail just as music must be full of

notes.

 

I filled myself with seafaring lore and combed through Darwin's letters and diaries catching hold of clues. Covington

learned collecting, preserving, shooting and packing skills from Darwin, slitting open birds' stomachs, poking

through half-digested contents, digging bones of prehistoric animals from Patagonian river banks, hefting, carting,

sorting, storing. Seeking a language for Covington to represent an older, more trusting religion, and to stand against

Darwin's "modern" pattern of thought, I delved into "Pilgrim's Progress". This is perhaps the most anxiety-ridden

book I have ever read, and as a homeopathic against its potential to swamp Covington with dampness of soul I gave

him a vigorous libido and an honest heart. Strength of character emerges naturally from such a doubling. It gave

Covington a trump card to play against his master, even if unconsciously.

 

I gained a picture of Darwin enjoying himself and always collecting ahead of his ideas -- as when he desperately

wanted to bag a particular small ostrich he'd heard about, then thoughtlessly cooked and ate one, realising too late it

 was the rare species he sought. Later it was named after him, the rhea Darwinii. Novels get written the same way, I

reflected. Action precedes the idea, otherwise no life.

 

I had started with poetry, as a younger writer, but became impatient with the narrow range of life that arrived in my

work. Twenty years ago I turned to novels seeking a wider canvas. After writing six, plus an autobiographical work,

Shearers' Motel, using fictional technique to grasp the essence of an experience, certain patterns become clearer. Even

the novels that are full of social and historical detail, like Mr Darwin's Shooter and my first novel, 1915, are slaves to

 fictional demand just as surely as more image-based novels like Water Man and The Slap. Call it manifest shape,

inherent structure, or the destiny of character.

 

A novel is like an individual in this sense. We can plot our personal histories, but can only guess beyond them.

Despite our deepest psychologies we cannot say why we are who we are. We are mysteries to ourselves. We can plan

 our lives and see intention thrown by the wayside almost as a joke. Lying in the gutter we reach for the stars.

 

In another sense the novel is not like an individual at all: it is in the hands of an attentive god, the author, and

invested with purpose -- call it meaningful redemption of its mystifying beginning.

 

To say this about our own lives is an assumption that most of us including Darwin are reluctant to make, though like

 a novelist Darwin saw far and wide jammed up with close and grainy. Also like a novelist he was guided by a

formative image -- late in life he recalled a childhood memory: locked in a room as punishment, he ran around trying

to break the windows to get out. Complementing this, I invented a formative image for Covington: a young man

leaping a stile in a stained glass window, John Bunyan's Christian glimpsed from his mother's lap in his earliest

memories.

 

The two young men, servant and master, were to remain as close as man and wife (metaphorically speaking in their

cluttered lodgings on land and sea) almost constantly from 1832 to 1839, during the entire voyage of the Beagle and

for the two and a half crucial years following. "Servant" was a term covering many duties in their time together.

 

Covington was taxidermist, valet, trusted house-servant, clerk and copyist. He pickled fish, prepared botanical

specimens, and became expert with insects and all manner of wriggling, fluttering, crawling life. As the voyage

proceeded he emerged as a prodigious collector, shooting most of Darwin's birds (including the famous finches taken

 on the Galapagos islands) and being responsible, it seems, for all of Darwin's insects collected during his brief

sojourn in Sydney. By the end, Covington was badly deaf from all the shooting.

 

Darwin's archive is an immense resource: he remains the most thoroughly documented scientific genius of the

nineteenth century. The voyage of the Beagle was a period of adventure and travel forcibly linked to an intellectual

drama "far more thrilling" (as Stephen Jay Gould has observed) than the voyage itself, thanks to "the impact upon

human history" of the religious and scientific conflict aroused by Darwin.

 

I wondered about that conflict cutting deep into an individual's psychological sense of himself. Covington's, that is.

 

 

He was born obscurely in Bedford, the home town of John Bunyan and religious non-conformity. Building from this

lone early established fact, I created him imbued with trusting faith from childhood, coming from an older England, a

stranger to the Anglicanism of the ruling order. Darwin was the son of the richest man in Derbyshire, and was

halfheartedly planning to serve as a curate when he returned to England, if only he could find a parish with scope for

nature study.

 

It was not to be. As even the sketchiest reading of The Origin of Species will reveal, Darwin became remorselessly

and even aggressively atheist as time went on.

 

While I invented no facts around the Darwin archive, I interpreted Covington for fictional purposes by taking the

known facts of his life into the realm of speculation. This applies particularly to the parts of Covington's life pre-

Darwin, and to episodes in South America where an older woman urged her passion into Covington's life with later

consequences for the plot. Also to the last year of his life, 1860 through to early 1861, as Covington awaited the

arrival in Australia of The Origin of Species and I strove for some sort of reconciliation between science and religion

in the spirit of this one person, Covington.

 

Early in the book I found myself writing the following, the first notes of an overture demanding an entire relationship

 to unfold, with implications for plot and character throughout: "Entering the Heads of Port Jackson just after dawn

the captain found Covington utterly stricken. His eyes were open, watchful, but he uttered not a word. With sails

slack and the schooner steady on the tide the sufferer was offloaded forthwith and rowed to a Dr MacCracken's

cottage in an arm of the harbour at Watson's Bay."

 

(To allow readers interested to see where fact and fiction vary, I appended a list of sources and acknowledgements in

an author's note at the back of the book.)

 

Covington's archive by comparison with Darwin's is tiny. It consists of a contested birth-date, a scrappy diary held

in the Mitchell Library, Sydney, a few watercolours, a photograph, and scattered mentions in Darwin's letters and

diaries.

 

Involved in the writing process, for me, is something closely related to formative imagery -- a kind of abstraction

hovering just ahead of me, the feeling of a cat's cradle or a spindly constellation, an odd-shaped map of lines and

connections. It is almost like a pre-appprehended form, an image of where the novel's growth has to go before it will

stop, and enough light has been shed. Morphology is the name of the subject in natural history, its most interesting

department, according to Darwin, "its very soul." It sometimes feels as if each book has a pre-existing soul and the

only duty of the writer is to bring it up in colour, shape, and extent.

 

Beforehand, with a novel, I have what might be roughly described as a subject area (war, flight, horses, water

divining, fire, evolution) but no idea where I will go in terms of character, incident, and detail, except that thrown far

ahead of me is the feeling I have to reach and satisfy. This feeling is almost the definition of impossibility, the crux to

me personally, though it might pass almost unnoticed by the reader (because when I get there, an inner knot

dissolves, its shadow fades against the texture of the whole). In Mr Darwin's Shooter the point I aimed to reach was a

reconciliation of science and religion. Where could this happen except in the dramatised life of an individual?

 

The letters Darwin wrote to Covington later in life were especially useful clues to work backwards from. Blandly

friendly on the surface, wearily nostalgic, they cannot be described as warm-hearted. Whimsically envious of

Covington's financial success and improved station in life, and of the health of Covington's children, they are none

the less condescending, in my view -- the letters of a distant master to a stolid old servant. Darwin sent Covington a

silver ear trumpet and asked him to collect barnacles from nearby rocks, and wrote congratulating him on how well

they were packed. Was there a touch of guilt in that ear trumpet? Darwin still wanted favours from Covington, and

was never known for his gratitude.

 

I based my story on such slender threads, perhaps, but I wanted more from this relationship than was there on show. I

wanted love, maybe as an antidote to Darwin's spiritual bleakness. I wanted redemption. For this Covington's nature

 had to be passionate all through.

 

When I looked at Covington's photograph I saw that stoic, embattled survivor, that deaf man's look of waiting to be

surprised. What was Covington holding in? I wanted this man bursting into bloom behind Darwin's back for his

whole life. And so the real Covington and the fictional Covington travel parallel but not together in my pages.

 

In my other books, these knots of being have involved depicting a son's meeting the gloomy, zombie-like father who

died before he was born (Water Man); a moment of rebirth expressed through repeated live burial (Rough Wallaby);

the unrestrained flight of heavy objects (Slipstream); death by fire as the complete expression of a life (The Slap);

boys overcoming the physical nightmare of war (1915).

 

Transformation of self, severely frustrated, seems to be a guiding light in my fiction. Facing, and somehow

overcoming, a prospect of live burial (actual or metaphorical) is in every book I have written. Perhaps this will

change. The other pattern obvious to me is that the main male character in every book is inarticulate in some sense. In

The Slap this is true to the fullest extent -- a full voice is denied to the main character in maturity. The same fate

threatens Covington as in later years he awaits the arrival of The Origin of Species in Australia and truculently

wonders if history has left him out.

 

As for the famous finches, which play a small but crucial part in the novel, Darwin had assumed, when they were on

the Galapagos, that as the islands were close together "no reason was possible for their harbouring different species

true to their own islands", and so, as a creationist (still) he had not labelled them by island. But the real Covington

had labelled by island the birds he had shot for his own private and potentially saleable collection. When they were

back in London Darwin called for these birds to be examined by John Gould at the Zoological Society.

 

There at 36 Great Marlborough Street Darwin sorted, listed, and wrote up the immense haul of material with

Covington at his side. It was during this time that he first admitted to natural selection in private notes. Thus I

propose that my fictional Covington, alone, and excluding Darwin's more illustrious contemporaries in this period

after the voyage, had not just an instinct for but a knowledge of what Darwin was grappling with in his

understanding.

 

Then came the day in 1839 when Darwin announced his impending marriage. He presented Covington with a golden

guinea, dismissed him from his service, and Covington (somewhat stung, as might be imagined, but stoical) took ship

 for New South Wales.

 

In Australia Covington married, had the same number of children as Darwin, prospered financially, became innkeeper

and postmaster at Pambula, in southern New South Wales. He maintained his polite correspondence with Darwin

over more than twenty years. (Covington's side of the correspondence has been lost.)

 

Looking back over his life I have Covington obsessively ask a question: Had Darwin on their voyage found proof of

 natural selection as a theory able to explain life on earth as completely as creationism? More importantly, had

Covington himself handed the proof over to Darwin -- willingly and blindly? Had he thus committed, as he puts it to

 himself, a crime against God and his own good nature?

 

Had there been a violation of good will? Worse -- insult from the arrangement of reality itself?

 

On the eve of publication of The Origin of Species Darwin wrote to his former servant:

 

"Dear Covington, I have for some years been preparing a work for publication which I commenced twenty years ago,

and for which I sometimes find extracts in your handwriting! The work will be my biggest; it treats on the origin of

varieties of our domestic animals and plants, and on the origin of species in a state of nature. I have to discuss every

branch of natural history, and the work is beyond my strength and tries me sorely."

 

It was a lot of work they had done together, so much that Darwin's latest biographer, Janet Brown, in Charles

Darwin: Voyaging (1995) names Covington as "the unacknowledged shadow behind Darwin's every triumph." It is

no mere whim therefore to elevate him somewhat in character from the plain, worthy, and dutiful picture that emerges

by reflection in Darwin's letters to him, and in Covington's own rather scrappy and unimaginative diary. Luckily

fiction is able to do that, and go where history cannot tread.

 

The reconciliation of science and religion is a metaphysical question that is often written about as an aspect of

sociology, ready to happen "out there". Yet where can it happen except in this unique universe of one? Because plot

is one of the requirements of fiction, a "when" as well as a "who" is demanded. Writing this novel I had to be patient

until the moment of reconciliation materialised, dramatically speaking, and then I could bring the pages to a close.

 

Roger McDonald, Edgecliff, NSW. Mr Darwin's Shooter was published in 1998 by published by Alfred A. Knopf.

This essay was funded by the Literature Fund of the Australia Council.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"New book offers fictional portrait of "Beagle" voyager " - Review by Michael Sims

 

FEBRUARY 8, 1999:  The most recent of Charles Darwin's many biographers describes Syms Covington, Darwin's

assistant aboard the Beagle, as the "unacknowledged shadow behind Darwin's every triumph." This view is a

revisionist promotion, but the Australian novelist Roger McDonald tops it in his new book, Mr. Darwin's Shooter.

McDonald's clever and moving historical novel places Syms Covington in center stage and recasts Darwin as a

supporting actor.

 

McDonald is a passionate writer who loves the tastes and textures of the world but never loses touch with the

shifting, tempestuous emotions of his characters. Such attention and imagination naturally beget an original prose

style, but it is still surprising and fun to find McDonald so playful and Dickensian in his new book. Not

surprisingly, he is also a poet and essayist.

 

The hero of Mr. Darwin's Shooter is a surprising choice. Syms Covington is not an important historical figure just

now receiving his due. He was simply in the right place at the right time and had the talent and character to fill a

minor but essential role--man Friday, "shooter," and factotum to the young adventurer who would become one of the

most influential scientists in history. Nowadays, only archaeologists of Darwin's era remember Syms Covington.

But the limitations of our knowledge about the historical Covington don't apply to fiction. Art, as someone once

said, exists to cut the raw taste of the facts. And fortunately, Covington's shadowy role caught the imagination of a

talented novelist. Rather than offering dry variations on a historical theme, Roger McDonald gives us a wild

adventure around the world that has something of the verve of Robert Louis Stevenson and the lyricism of Herman

Melville.

There is no grander theme than the determination of our place in the world, and there is no moment in history more

fascinating than Darwin's much-mythologized voyage of discovery. However, you don't need to have read Darwin's

own account of the Beagle voyage to appreciate McDonald's book. McDonald has created earthy, convincing,

sometimes heartbreaking characters, and, like a film director, has placed their story in lovingly detailed sets. Every

page sparkles with bits of business that flesh out the reader's picture of daily 19th-century existence. Even more

impressive, the writer captures the taken-for-granted assumptions of an era dramatically different from our own.

 

Darwin needed a "shooter" because one of his chief goals, as unpaid naturalist on what was primarily a surveying

mission, was the collection of animals, plants, and minerals new to science. This task required the killing of a great

many animals and the immediate preservation of their corpses. Covington was only 15 years old when he first

undertook these tasks aboard H.M.S. Beagle. Darwin himself was in his early 20s.

 

McDonald's Covington is unrefined to the point of wildness, but he is an astute observer. He sees straight through

the protective manners of those around him. Darwin himself comes across as a young, well-meaning stuffed shirt:

"Darwin refined his manner of keeping him at arm's length without spoiling his use. None of this was lost on

Covington, who might have no science but could read the emotions the way naturalists read their Carolus Linnaeus."

 

 

In the first chapter, Syms Covington is 12 years old, running wild, still marinating in a primitive fundamentalism.

 

McDonald's book follows him through his first meeting with Darwin, during his life aboard the Beagle, and on into

middle age.

 

Covington, we learn, is most charming in his youth. The naif's discovery of the world rediscovers it for us. But

Darwin and his shooter are out in the world not merely to admire nature's artworks but to determine their place in a

scheme of things. In this regard, McDonald nicely captures the flavor of scientific adventure in the 1830s. "From birds

 to stones and bones and back to birds again," he writes, "the mood was always the looking under of surfaces."

 

Contrary to their frequent simplistic portrayals, artists and scientists are not enemies. Their tasks require the same

tools--observation and imagination. Roger McDonald's Mr. Darwin's Shooter, like Darwin's own Voyage of the

Beagle, proves this point. In either science or art, the most important thing is always the looking under of surfaces.

 

---------------------------------------------------------

In Darwin's Shadow - Imagining the life of the man who did the field work for `The Origin of Species'

 

Review by Norah Vincent, Boston Globe, Sunday, January 24, 1999.

 

 

Mr. Darwin's Shooter

By Roger McDonald. Atlantic Monthly Press. 365 pp. $25.

 

It's a fair bet you haven't heard of Roger McDonald, but that's about to change, once word gets around about his

near-perfect new novel, ``Mr. Darwin's Shooter.'' Although this Australian novelist has won his country's National

Book Award, his books (``Slipstream,'' ``Water Man,'' and ``1915'') are all but out of print in this country. In the

coming months, that too may change. In this latest novel, McDonald has given us a work of distinction that should

establish him on this side of the world as a widely read man of letters.

 

``Mr. Darwin's Shooter'' is the story of Syms Covington, Charles Darwin's real-life manservant and right-hand man on

 and off the HMS Beagle from 1832 to 1839. Covington is mentioned only briefly in Darwin's letters, and not very

flatteringly: ``My servant,'' wrote Darwin in a letter to his sister from aboard the Beagle, ``is an odd sort of person; I

do not very much like him; but he is, perhaps, from his very oddity, very well adapted to all my purposes.''

 

Only a few scant details of Covington's life were discoverable in Darwin's papers, or in Covington's (his small,

unpublished diary is housed in Sydney's Mitchell Library). McDonald was able, however, to piece together

evidence showing that Covington was, as Darwin biographer Janet Brown wrote, ``the unacknowledged shadow

behind [Darwin's] every triumph.'' Further documentation suggested to McDonald that the specimens Covington

collected on the Galapagos Islands (particularly the finches he took back to England as private souvenirs), being

better labeled than Darwin's, were the actual specimens Darwin borrowed to use as proof of his theory of natural

selection. Yet Covington was never given credit for this contribution, nor for the vital role he played in Darwin's

field work as a whole.

 

Covington was the man who did most of the killing, fetching, and skinning in South America. He even served as

Darwin's secretary upon their return to England. For two years they lived in the same house, with Darwin busily

sorting his data and Covington recopying Darwin's notes. In 1839, Covington emigrated to Australia and

maintained a correspondence with Darwin until he received his long-awaited copy of ``The Origin of Species.''

Covington died soon thereafter, ``of a paralysis,'' in 1861.

 

Those are most of the available facts on Covington. From them, McDonald constructs an imagined life story, and a

remarkably complex inner life for a man history might have otherwise recorded only as a footnote, or worse, a footman.

 

 

At age 12, McDonald's Covington leaves his native Bedford and becomes a deck hand on a British naval schooner

bound for Lisbon, then Brazil, Argentina, Cape Horn, and beyond. ``Part of their orders as naval surveyors,'' writes

McDonald, ``was the getting of creatures.'' Thus, Covington, along with a handful of other young recruits, earns his

sea legs and begins learning the trade that will make him useful to Darwin. Under the tutelage of his mentor, seaman

John Phipps, Covington memorizes his catechism, which includes copious passages from John Bunyan. Little does

Covington know that his deepening faith and his naturalist's trade will come into heady and shattering conflict over

the course of his life. McDonald suggests that this conflict in Covington's heart and mind, so representative of the

larger conflict that erupted throughout the world in response to Darwin's theories, was the eventual cause of his

sudden death.

 

But for McDonald, Covington epitomizes far more than the cognitive dissonance that evolutionary theory wrought

among the faithful. ``Mr. Darwin's Shooter'' is as much about class in 19th-century England as it is about the conflict

between science and religion, or between proof and belief. On the outside, Covington is a common man, a butcher's

son, simple, carnal, stalwart, and brusque. Conversely, Darwin is a refined, supremely well-educated gentleman. The

gap between them is enormous and, in keeping with the inveterate rigidity of social status in England at the time,

unbridgeable. McDonald implies (strongly) that Covington's lowliness goes a long way toward explaining why

Darwin never recognized his contribution to the ``Origin'' project, much less ever gave credence to the man's obvious

 intelligence and intuitive depth. One might even go so far as to say that, if Covington had been a ``gentleman'' of

Darwin's own class, it would have been almost unthinkable for Darwin to omit at least some reference to his

assistant/partner. McDonald entwines these two thematic threads expertly when he has Covington finally receive his

 copy of ``The Origin'' in his dotage in Australia. The expectant Covington fails to find any mention of his name in the

 book, and explodes with two decades' worth of pent-up rage. The crushing blow of being dismissed, coupled with

the psychic weight of thinking himself, as he says, ``an accomplice to a great murderer,'' is too much for Covington.

 

``They were the greats of English science and had no idea what Darwin was proposing. But Covington did. Just the

two of them did. . . . That Noah, whose Ark was often compared with their cramped old vessel as a preserver of

creation, was nothing but a bearded braggart whose tale was woven from hempen homespun.''

 

McDonald's language is so marvelously taut, his imagery so fresh (``his brain was a bucket of jewels''; ``He was like a

whipped spaniel over the quickness of her passion;'' ``Covington had charge of the notes and read them with all the

understanding of a fly seeing a pinpoint of light in a dark room and dimly buzzing''), that in reading him, you feel

newly -- and, maybe, for the first time in a long time -- pleasantly acquainted with unselfish poetry. This writer is

supremely generous with his gifts. His words don't aim to dazzle or intimidate. Instead they mean to pull a sensible

shape from the murk of received experience and the fertile lacunae of history. McDonald achieves all this and more by

evoking in us a sympathy that warms and instructs.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Review from Antipodes, June 1999

The timeless conflict between science and religion finds new meaning in Mr. Darwin's Shooter.

 

Roger McDonald.

Mr. Darwin's Shooter

New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1998. $25.00. 365 pages.

ISBN 0 87113 733 X.

 

A YOUNG WOMAN with wanderlust, a degree from a prestigious college, and a background in the Roman Catholic

church was asked if there were anywhere on earth she still wanted to go. Yes, she replied, the Galapagos. Why? I've

been fascinated by Darwin since we learned about him in school and I want to see the place where he formulated his

theories.

 

Fascination with the ideas of Charles Darwin started with the publication of The Origin of Species by Means of

Natural Selection in 1859 and continues to this day. In a world where tinsel celebrities seem to reign, the quiet,

thoughtful Darwin still compels the interest of the best and brightest. These interests will be well served by Roger

McDonald's new book, Mr. Darwin's Shooter.

 

McDonald is one of Australia's finest writers. Like David Malouf, he started as a poet, published by the University

of Queensland Press, and soon found his other calling in fiction, often rooted in history. Combining the language

skills of a gifted poet with the research instincts of a scholar, he has created in the new novel a work of great appeal

as well as an impressive blend of fact and fiction.

 

Controversy over Darwin's work started early and continues. The famous Scopes monkey trial in the 1920s settled

nothing, as Scopes, prosecuted by William Jennings Bryan, was convicted of teaching the heretical ideas of Darwin -

- but exonerated in the court of public opinion by the arguments of the brilliant Clarence Darrow. Bryan died shortly

after the conclusion of the trial, some said of a broken heart. Science proved stronger than faith, and the great orator

could not bear the thought of the world without the faith of his fathers. In Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged

Dictionary, Darwinism is defined as the theory that species originate by descent through the natural selection of

individuals best adapted to reproductive success. Creationism is, in contrast, the doctrine that the deity created life

in the same forms as they now exist, as related in the Old Testament of the Bible.

 

In intellect Syms (Simon) Covington was not on the level of these men, but he is very much a part of Darwin's story.

He was the "shooter," the fellow who obtained the animal specimens that became the basis of the postulations on the

origin and descent of man. All the shooting, in fact, ruined his hearing. Born in England, the son of a horse butcher,

he lost his job in a tannery at age twelve and went to sea under the aegis of John Phipps, an evangelical sailor with a

special fondness for boys.

 

Covington, as imagined by McDonald, is self-educated, exuberant, profoundly Christian in his faith. He might be

seen as the antithesis of Darwin, but McDonald is too subtle a writer and thinker to present such a black and white

contrast. In his later years, Covington begins to suspect what Darwin is up to, and he is both resentful and proud.

When he learns about Darwin's book, he eagerly awaits its arrival. Was he used as a dupe to make the case for

evolution and atheism? Will he nonetheless be given credit for his contribution?

 

In the first section, McDonald presents Covington's early years, his background in the town of Bedford, England,

and his affectionate family. Bedford was also the home of John Bunyan, and his Pilgrim's Progress was a cornerstone

of Covington's non-conformist, Congregational faith. Then, in a transition some readers may find unsettling, we fast

forward to Australia and a middle-aged, deaf Covington, saved from an almost fatal attack of appendicitis by an

American doctor, David MacCracken. Soon he and the doctor become friends, although later the volatile Covington

will nearly break the doctor's jaw. He begins to open up to his new friend, and tells the story of his eight years with

Darwin, six on the Beagle and two as a servant in Darwin's London house. Every aspect of the relationship is

developed, from the boy's first sighting of the "toff" he later served to the farewell when Darwin tells Covington he is

to be married and gives him a gold guinea as a parting gift.

 

During the rest of the book, McDonald shifts back and forth between Covington's early years and his middle age in

Australia. Deaf, something of a physical wreck, prosperous, a paterfamilias with an illegitimate daughter from an early

 liaison, Covington becomes a sympathetic, fully realized character, while Darwin remains something of a mystery,

almost peripheral to the story. Charles Darwin may have up-ended the natural world, but in the social sphere he

remained a Victorian gentleman, a snob, an observer of the status quo. Covington notes Darwin's desire to have a

position as a parson with a good income and pretty wife in the vicarage.

 

A reader may ponder if the narrative might have been stronger in straight chronological order. Dr. MacCracken may

be seen as somewhat extraneous to the narrative, but he falls in love with Covington's love child, and a bit of

romance is always welcome, especially in a book as masculine in view and tone as this one. Admirers of Conrad and

Melville will see McDonald as walking in a similar path, although he is certainly far more of an optimist than either

of those venerables.

 

Roger McDonald captures the essence of the collecting and categorizing that went into Darwin's formulations. In

Covington he gives a brilliant fictionalized portrait of a real person-a devout Everyman, reacting with pride for his

part in and horror at the implications of The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man. McDonald shows the ultimate

 irony --how Covington, a truly godly man -- was instrumental in the success of Darwin's endeavor. The contrasts in

the book -- master/servant, upper-class snob/working class striver, intellectual esthete/devout sensualist -- provide

the tensions that propel the narrative. Covington actually kept a diary, which has never been published, but the

portrait presented here is McDonald's creation.

 

McDonald captures the language of the ordinary sailor as well as his interior life as he gives us memorable

descriptions of life aboard the Beagle and of the landscapes in South America. In the novel's words, "On they had

sailed to the weird Galapagos, the Encantadas or enchanted Isles, so named because contrary currents bewitched

shipmasters' intentions -- the cold sea lapping the equator's burning hot sands, home of cactus, tortoise and lizard,

where Covington shot Darwin's birds." Only three pages are devoted to the Galapagos, yet they are three dazzling

pages.

McDonald also gives a vivid portrait of mid-nineteenth-century Australia. He is a brilliant descriptive writer and his

 evocation of the Australian landscape is exceptional. A proud if sometimes critical Australian, McDonald may have

been attracted to Covington because the man emigrated to Australia and built a good life for himself and his family.

 

In an afterword, McDonald quotes a letter from Darwin to his sister in 1834: "My servant [Covington] is an odd sort

of person; I do not very much like him; but he is, perhaps from his very oddity, very well adapted to all my purposes."

 McDonald goes on to explain:

 

In basing Mr. Darwin's Shooter on real people and actual events I have relied on many historical sources. Charles

Darwin's archive is immense: he remains the most thoroughly documented scientific genius of the nineteenth century.

 Syms Covington's archive by comparison is tiny. It consists of a contested birth-date, a scrappy diary, a few

watercolours, and a scattered mention in Darwin's letters and diaries. Yet Covington was at Darwin's side almost

constantly from 1832 to 1839, during the voyage of the Beagle and for the two and a half crucial years following,

when they lived in the same house and Darwin formulated his theory of natural selection in private notes. After

Covington's emigration to Australia in 1839 they maintained a collecting relationship that ended with the arrival of

The Origin of Species in Australia and, shortly afterwards, Covington's death ('of a paralysis') on 19 February 1861.

 

In the 1950s an eastern university offered an undergraduate course in Darwin, Freud, and Marx as the three thinkers

who had most influenced the twentieth century. This teacher viewed Marx and Freud as the major forces, with Darwin

 mostly a good collector and classifier. Today it is likely that Darwin would be viewed as the greatest influence, who

 redefined the human race's past and place in the universe, and provided a challenge to religious beliefs that even the

most outspoken heretic never achieved.

 

Darwin was a born aristocrat, son of a wealthy and indulgent father, and with an English reticence to boast or self-

advertise. Yet his findings and insights were revolutionary and have changed the world-view far more than anyone

might have imagined at mid-century. One consequence of reading McDonald's book may be to quicken a reader's

interest in the great Darwin himself. McDonald also cites in the afterword the various sources he consulted. He says

he learned of Covington while reading Darwin by Desmond and Moore (London, 1991). The most recent biography,

Charles Darwin: Voyaging by Janet Browne (London, 1995), refers to Covington as "the unacknowledged shadow

behind [Darwin's] every triumph."

 

Pearl Bowman, City University of New York

 

-----------------------------------------------------------

Extract from webpage Australian Artists:  "sketcher, naturalist and postmaster, was an 18-year-old cabin boy when

he became Charles Darwin's servant on HMS Beagle in 1831-36. His only known art works are pencil sketches

produced on this voyage (Mitchell Library), including Entrance to the River Derwent, Van Diemen's Land, Showing

 the Lighthouse and King George's Sound, Western Australia. They are simple records of place in no way comparable

 with drawings by the Beagle's official artists Conrad Martens and his predecessor Augustus Earle. But after Martens

was signed off at Valparaiso in 1834 the expedition lacked any professional draughtsman. Covington obviously

drew his sketches at the behest of his admired master; his years with Darwin always remained the high point of his

life.

 

At Sydney in 1836, Covington went insect hunting with Darwin. Between them they collected ninety-two different

species, thirty-one previously unknown to science. Darwin later noted that Covington had also 'shot and prepared

nearly all the specimens I brought home'. Paid off on 17 October 1836 after returning to London, Covington spent

the next two and a half years helping Darwin arrange and document the material collected on the voyage. Then he

decided to migrate to New South Wales, a surprising decision given his description of it as a place consisting

'princibly [sic] of convicts, or the most notorious characters of England - & a place I must say I was heartily glad to

leave'.

 

Bearing references from Darwin to William Sharp Macleay, Captain Phillip Parker King, Thomas Mitchell and an

open letter of introduction, he reached Sydney in late 1839 or early 1840. He apparently first found employment with

STENTON THOMAS COVINGTON                                             20 July 2010

STENTON THOMAS COVINGTON. Ref: 857. Born: 4 Nov 1856 at Croydon. Father: Thomas, Father Ref: 868.

Mother: Saunders,Sarah Anna Maria, Mother Ref: 5178.  Died: Nov 1935 at Marylebone aged 79.  Mar: Apr-Jun

1896 at Croydon to Bolger-Gibbs, Annie C 4404. Child Eric Stenton(288).- note he was born 8 years before marriage

 to Annie C

 

Left Liverpool to Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1925 then from Southampton by boat in 1927 & again in 1931 destined for

Jakarta, Batavia, Indonesia.

 

Educated privately at King's College School, London. Director of the Westminster Fire-Office, 27 King St, Covent

Garden. Awarded F.R.G.S, M.R.I & M.J.S. Hobbies included open space and play-grounds work, since 1873. In 1903

lived at 100 Beulah Hill, Norwood, S.E.London. The Lodge, Gibson's Hill, Streatham, Surrey & Stepholme, Fowey,

Cornwall. Was a member of- West Indian & Royal Fowey Yacht Clubs. In fire insurance for over 50 years; Member of

the West India Committee; Hon. Freeman of the Borough of Fowey; travelled extensively in Russia and the Far East,

as well as in the U.S.A. and Canada; joined the Board of the Westminster Fire Office after many years as Secretary; 

 

Was on the Council of the National Trust, and has given to the nation both headlands of Fowey Harbour, and to the

town, woods overlooking; Vice-Chairman of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association; Member of the Council

for the preservation of Rural England and of the Commons Preservation Society.

 

He co-ordinated local efforts to acquire some 35 acres of The Rookery & Norwood Grove for the local public. He

organised fund raising and the Archbishop of Canterbury became patron of his scheme to raise £16,700. It took 12

months to achieve his goal, obtaining funds from London County Council, £5000, Croydon Corporation, £2000,

Lambeth Council, £1500 and Wandsworth Council, £1500. He contributed £300 of his own money to start the appeal

 and paid all the costs of the appeal hearing. Norwood Grove was finally opened to the public by H.R.H. The Prince

of Wales on Tuesday, 16 November 1926. A nearby road Covington Way was named in honour of Stenton T.

Covington.

 

The Order of Proceedings for the opening cites that "His Royal Highness will arrive at the main entrance of the house

 at 3 o'clock, where he will be received by His Worship the Mayor of Croydon (Mr Councillor Camden Field) and

Mrs Camden Field, the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and Lady Ashcombe, Mr and Mrs Stenton Covington and the Town

 Clerk of Croydon (Dr J.M. Newnham O.B.E.) and Mrs Newnham.

 

"......... Mr. Covington, Honorary Secretary of the Acquisition Committee, will ask the Prince to receive and hand the

Title Deeds to the Mayor of Croydon. Mr Covington, speaking for the Committee, will ask the Prince to set his seal

upon the work of the Committee by accepting the Deeds for that purpose and by declaring the property open and

dedicated to the public use and enjoyment for ever." Also in attendance was Crescens Kingsley Covington Esq M.C.,

 a Representative of the Acquisition Committee.  (Who Was Who 1929-40)(Post Office London Directory

1904)(Kelly's Directory 1903 Surrey & Middlesex).

TRISHA COVINGTON                                                                    20 July 2010

TRISHA COVINGTON. Ref: 5722. Born: around 1974 at Cleveland OH. Father: not known, Father Ref: 0. Mother:

not known, Mother Ref: 0. is an African-American R&B singer who scored a top 40 R&B hit in 1994 in the U.S.

"Why You Wanna Play Me Out?" which reached number 26. She had been signed to Columbia Records from 1994-

1998. Her follow up single, "Slow Down," was released on 1 Oct 1995, and reached No. 79 in the US. That year also

saw the release of her debut album, Call Me.

 

In 2008, she appeared on Randy Jackson's compilation album Randy Jackson's Music Club, Volume One, on the song

 "What Am I So Afraid Of" with Keke Wyatt and Kiley Dean.

 

Personnel on "Call Me": Trisha Covington (vocals), Alan "Byrd" Tatum , Larry Johnson, Kyle West, Clarence

Covington, Jr. (various instruments), Randy D. Jackson, John "Jay" Mitchell, Kenny "Smoove" Kornegay, Darin

"Pianoman" Whittington (various instruments, background vocals), Tim Heintz, Roman Johnson, David Kahne

(keyboards), Dexter Story, Tim Story (drum programming), Sherree Ford-Payne, Marc Nelson, Joe Stonestreet, Maisha

Dunn, Eric Garner (background vocals).

 

Producers: Alan "Byrd" Tatum (track 1); Randy D. Jackson (tracks 2, 4); Marc Nelson, Kyle West, Randy Jackson

(track 3); Chris Taylor (track 5); Clarence Covington, Jr. (track 6); Cadillac & Wine (track 7); Clarence Covington,

Jr., Randy D. Jackson (tracks 8, 11): Randy D. Jackson, John "Jay" Mitchell (track 9); Kenny "Smoove" Kornegay

(track 10); Kenny "Smoove" Kornegay, Alan "Byrd" Tatum (track 12).

 

Engineers: Conley Abrams (track 1); Allen Abrahamson (tracks 2, 4, 8-9, 11); Michael Fennel, Paul Logas, Allen

Abrahamson (tracks 3); Chris Taylor, Allen Abrahamson (track 5); Ted Vautrinot (track 6); Don Juan (track 7);

Jonnie Most (track 10). Album Released: 01/10/1995 on Columbia, Stereo/Studio. Tracks:  Why You Wanna Play

Me Out?, Same Old Thang,  Slow Down, All In Love Is Fair, So Tight, Call Me, Let's Get It On, Bedtime, Don't Leave

 Me Lonely, Givin' It Up, Anything, Anytime,  Why You Wanna Play Me Out? (K's Reprise)

Virginia Maria COVINGTON                                                       20 July 2010

Virginia Maria COVINGTON. Ref: 9462. Born: 12 July 1955 at Tampa FL. Father: Hernadez, Father Ref: 0. Mother:

not known, Mother Ref: 0. Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington was born in Tampa,

Florida, on July 12, 1955, the daughter of a Cuban mother. She is married and has three children.

 

Judge Covington graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tampa in 1976, where

 she received the Outstanding Female Graduate Award, Class of 1976-77. In 1977, Judge Covington received the

degree of Master of Business Administration, also from the University of Tampa. Judge Covington then attended

Georgetown University Law Center, where she was elected to The Tax Lawyer law review and received her Juris

Doctor degree in 1980. After graduation, Judge Covington was a trial attorney for the Federal Trade Commission and

thereafter became

an Assistant State Attorney for Hillsborough County, Florida. Judge Covington joined the United States Attorney's

 Office in 1983.

 

From January 1989 until September 24, 2001, she was Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Section of the United States

Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida. Judge

Covington received an award for outstanding contribution to the asset forfeiture program by the Executive Office for

Asset Forfeiture in 1993. She also received Director's Awards

in 1990 and in 1996, as well as numerous commendations from law enforcement agencies.

 

Judge Covington has lectured extensively on asset forfeiture, money laundering, and complex prosecutions to

prosecutors and law enforcement personnel throughout the United States. She also has lectured to prosecutors, law

enforcement personnel, and judges in Chile, Argentina,

Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Honduras on trial advocacy practices and procedures. In addition, she

served as a liaison between the Department of Justice and the Bolivian Government, assisting the Bolivians with

their asset forfeiture program.

 

She is the 1999 winner of the Raymond E. Fernandez Award given by the Hillsborough County Sheriff 's Hispanic

Advisory Council to the individual who has made outstanding contributions to the criminal justice system. In

October 2001, Judge Covington was honored to serve as the keynote speaker at the Orange County Bar

Association's Hispanic

Heritage Celebration Luncheon.

 

Judge Covington has long been active in community affairs. She served as Chair of the Board of Counselors of the

University of Tampa; President of Tampa Hispanic Heritage;

Regional President of the National Hispanic Prosecutors Association; and Chair of the Government Law Section of

the Hillsborough County Bar Association. She also has been a

member of the Hispanic Needs and Services Council; the Hispanic Professional Women's Association; and the

Hispanic National Bar Association, as well as numerous other community and professional organizations.

 

Additionally, Judge Covington is a founding member and has been elected to the Executive Board of the Herbert G.

Goldburg Criminal Law American Inn of Court. Governor Jeb Bush appointed Judge Covington to the Second

District

Court of Appeal, and she began her service on September 25, 2001.

 

According to a Gay Rights Info website, Judge Covington is perceived to be "extremely anti-gay" because of a ruling

in a case which determined that " a female-to-male transsexual is still legally female." Because the Plaintiff was still

WARREN LEWIS COVINGTON                                                  20 July 2010

WARREN LEWIS COVINGTON. Ref: 5585. Born: 7 Aug 1921 at Philadelphia PA. Father: Lewis Knox, Father Ref:

 17018. Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 24 Aug 1999 at New York NY aged 78.  Mar: around 1945 at

U.S.A. to Kathee 4653. Composer, Conductor, Arranger, Trombonist, Singer. Address, 1939 Valentine's Road,

Westbury, Long Island, New York. Studied trombone in Philadelphia suburbs, first job with Isham Jones in 1939,

subsequently with Mitchell Ayres and Horace Heidt Band with Frankie Carle (Piano) and Fazola Irving Prestopnik

(Clarinet), until 1943, when he joined the Coast Guard. Warren is described as "A brilliant lead trombonist". In Tars

& Spars show while in service.

 

Joined Les Brown after discharge in late 1945, for 5 months working with Steve Madrick, Ted Nash, Eddie Scherr

(Sax), Don Jacoby, Jimmy Zito (Trumpet), Geoff Clarkson (Piano) and Doris Day (Vocals) before joining Gene Krupa

in 1946. From 1946 to 1956 he was on CBS staff in New York. Led a group called The Commanders 1946-47. Joined

the Tommy Dorsey Band in 1950 and assumed leadership in February 1958 after Dorsey's death, taking it on the road

 and making records on the Decca label, with his wife Kathee Covington, as singer. The band became known under

his own name after 1961. They toured England in 1974. Their most well known recording is said to be "The Tipsy

Trombone". Dorsey had been Warren's early influence.

 

Also recorded with studio big bands accompanying Charles Mingus (1971), Randy Weston (1972), Bobby Hacket

(1973) and George Benson (1974). He continues to be active as a studio musician and in films.  (The Big Bands -

George T Simon) (The Encyclopeadia Of Jazz & The Encyclopeadia Of Jazz in the 60s - Leonard Feather) (The

Encyclopeadia Of Jazz in the 70s - Leonard Feather/I.Gitter)

 

Info from website: http://nfo.net/usa/c5.html "As a child, Covington first studied trombone, with a private instructor

in a suburb of his hometown. He subsequently studied composition with Danny Hurd at New York University; and

voice with Dr. Stetson Humphrey in Hollywood, California. His career began in the late 1930s. In 1939, he played

with Isham Jones. He worked with the Horace Heidt orchestra from 1941-'43. In the mid-1940s, he worked with Les

Brown and Gene Krupa orchestras before joining CBS's music staff. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Coast

 Guard, 1943-45, incl. "Tars and Spars" show. From 1946 and 1947, Covington led The Commanders group

 

In 1950, he first recorded with Tommy Dorsey's band, and in 1958 became the leader after Dorsey died. From 1961

into the '70s, Covington toured with the band (heading it under his name). During the '70s, he was heard on various

film soundtracks, and also recorded with 'studio' big bands accompanying such stars as Bobby Hackett, Randy

Weston, Charles Mingus, and George Benson.

 

There is an interesting sidenote to Covington's stay with Heidt. Heidt had gotten the idea to own three places. He

actually did buy the 'Casino Gardens', in Santa Monica, California. He also wanted to buy the 'Graystone Manor' in

Detroit, and the 'Glen Island Casino', in New Rochelle, NY (then owned by the city). It was Heidt's idea to set up

two more bands, - the Frankie Carle Orchestra, the Warren Covington Orchestra and his own Horace Heidt Orchestra.

 These three bands would rotate, broadcasting from each venue. As a benefit of the broadcasts, the bands could then

set up tours. The plan came crashing down when an ASCAP-BMI fight caused a ban on recordings. In November

1945, Covington resumed work as a sideman, with Les Brown, remaining with Brown for five or six months, followed

 by a brief period with Gene Krupa.

 

After his service discharge at the end of WWII, Covington became a 'sessions' man in the New York city studios. He

spent about 10 years in the studios. In September 1950, he even played in Tommy Dorsey's band on a pair of

recording sessions. In 1956-'57, while on the staff at CBS, he began to think about forming his own band. With the

help of the Willard Alexander booking agency, he was signed as leader of 'The Commanders', a recording group on

the Decca label. Then Tommy Dorsey died. The Dorsey estate contacted the Willard Alexander booking agency, and

the Estate and Agency selected Covington as front man for a new Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, In February 1958,

Covington and the band hit the road

 

Covington led the Dorsey band for 3-1/2 years, through September 1961. However, having to play 6-7 nights a week

 took its toll, and even before his contract was up, he began hoping for a less hectic pace. So, he gave the estate a

year's notice, and then continued on as 'Warren Covington and orchestra', doing that ever since.

 

In 1969, he cut some Dorsey-style recordings of recent pop songs for the 'Reader's Digest'.company A few years later,

 he applied to the U.S. Patent Office for rights to the names "The Pied Pipers" and "The Clambake 7." Covington used

the trademarks in his various tributes to the Tommy Dorsey band, including a 22-day tour to the United Kingdom in

1974, that also featured Dorsey alumni Sy Oliver, Skeets Herfurt, Johnny Mince, and Pee Wee Erwin. The "Tommy

Dorsey Orchestra led by Warren Covington" also appeared on a PBS-TV fundraiser, "Big Band Bash," taped in New

York City in 1978; and also appeared at one of President Reagan's inaugural balls in Washington, D.C. in January

1985.

 

During his long career, Covington's musical talent helped the Big Bands of Les Brown, Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa,

and even the Allman Brothers rock band. He also helped such singers as crooner Perry Como. His talent was also

used in the Hollywood studios, including playing on the soundtrack of "The Godfather". "

 

Personal contribution from daughter-in-law Elizabeth in March 2010 reads "Warren Lewis Covington was my father-

in-law, born August 7, 1921 in Philadelphia,  he passed away in 1999.  Lewis K. Covington (K is for Knox) was my

husbands great grandfather. Yesterday I traced Lewis Covington born 1785, Culpeper, Virginia.   Married to Sally

Ann Beazley born 1814, Culpeper Virginia, married 13 September 1834 in Caroline, Virginia.  They had ten children

and a son named Lewis Covington born 1844, Culpeper, Va.  Lewis served  in the America Civil War, Confederacy,

in the ranch Light Artillery Battery Virginia from 8 February 1863 to 7 October 1864  He was promoted to Full

Corporal on 18 Aug 1864.

 

My husbands family made it a little easier to follow them from generation to generation as they all carried the name

Lewis or Lewis C. Covington.  Don's great father was Lewis K. Covington, born May 5, 1888, Philadelphia, Pa,  His

 father was Lewis K Covington born 1858 in Philadelphia, Pa.  Lewis K. Covington born 1844 in Culpeper, Va.,

moved to Philadelphia, Pa. 

 

There is a link out of Virginia with a Lewis Covington going back to England, in the Huntingdon area.  I am still

working on tracing records to be sure this is correct. 

 

My husband's father was Warren Lewis Covington, who was a famous trombonist worked with Les Brown,

Lombardi and eventually took over the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra when Mr. Dorsey died.  He went on to do most of

the music at the Ed Sullivan Studio, sessions in "The Godfather", "Barbarela", etc.,  Warren did well with his hit gold

record "Tea for Two Cha Cha" in the late fifties.  Warren Lewis Covington, unfortunately broke the chain naming his

male children Lewis, the oldest Donald Warren Covington (my husband), Dennis, Dave, Cathie, Christopher and

Saundra.  Warren was married three times, Florence Deans(first three boys) from Philadelphia, Beverly (called her

Kathie) (two girls and a boy) and Sylvia, no children with Warren,  who is still living in Florida.

 

You might want to check www.FamilySearch.com, I found allot of information and www.Ancestry.com.  You can also

 look up Warren I. Covington on line and they give you his bio.  The problem being there are few items that are

incorrect.  Warren died in the Tampa area and they do not mention his first wife, Flo or Florence (he called her Terre)"

Wickcliffe COVINGTON                                                                20 July 2010

Wickcliffe COVINGTON. Ref: 4402. Born: 2 Jul 1867 at Shelby Co KY. Father: Wickliffe, Robert, Father Ref: 0.

Mother: Cooper, Sarah Steele, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 1 Dec 1938 at Bowling Green KY aged 71.  Mar: during 1892 at

Kentucky KY to Robert Wells 5498. She was an American painter, notable as a student of Ella Sophonisba

Hergesheimer. The daughter of Robert Wickliffe and Sarah Steele (Venable) Cooper, she studied at Sayre Female

Institute, the New England Conservatory of Music and the Art Students League of New York. She also studied art

with James Carroll Beckwith, Kenyon Cox, William Merritt Chase and Wayman Elbridge Adams. She later taught art

at Potter College for Young Ladies in Bowling Green. In 1892, she married Robert Wells Covington, an attorney.

(Wikipedia entry)

 

Kentucky Women Artists 1850-1970 website adds - After resigning her teaching position, she converted a log cabin

 near the Covington home into a studio where she taught private lessons and painted. Wickliffe was educated at the

Sayre Female Institute in Lexington, the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and New York City's Art

Students League.

 

She studied with Carroll Beckwith, Kenyon Cox, William M. Chase and Wayman Adams. Known locally for her

portraits of prominent Bowling Green citizens, Covington also executed flower paintings and still lifes. The subject

of this painting is Bowling Green lawyer and state legislator Clarence Underwood McElroy. Covington's work was

exhibited throughout the South and West where the Covingtons had a second home in Carmel, CaliforniaS

WILLIAM COVINGTON                                                                20 July 2010

WILLIAM COVINGTON. Ref: 3345. Born: 15 Nov 1618 at Harrold. Father: William, Father Ref: 2642. Mother: not

known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 4 Nov 1696 at Essex Co VA aged 78.  Mar: around 1639 at Pavenham to Ann 4024.

2nd Mar: around 1649 at Essex Co VA to Haywarton, Dorothy 6169. Christened: 15 Nov 1618 at Harrold. Said to

have emigrated to the U.S. around 1645. Was in US before Dec 26 1668. Said to have received lands in 1670 for

transporting emigrants to the colonies. He patented land in 1687 on the Dragon Swamp, between Covington's

swamp and Chaney's swamp, this was known as the Quarter Plantation. And is located south of the present

Tappahannock VA.

 

He owned 1000 acres called Dragon Run and established Covingtons Mill in 1690 (the mill was rebuilt in 1808 and

 still stands today in Essex County)

 

1697 - The will of William Covington dated 4 Nov 1696 was proved in court on 10 May 1697, Essex County,

Virginia, Deed Book 9, Page 105, attested by Thomas Haywarton & Thomas Watkins.. One of his daughters, name

not known,  married a William Brothers in 1683. He left all his land to his wife and 3 (?) sons (richard, Thomas &

William). He also left a cow to one EllinorCorpe, who may have been his daughter, although this relationship is not

mentioned in the will. A cow was also left to his grand-daughter Mary.

 

(some info from Thomas Falconer book dated 1994 pages 54-68) (additional datafrom Martin Bryan Covington)

 

Additional info from submission to Genealogy.com by Anne R Bruce: " descend from Thomas Howerton (often

spelled Hayworten, etc.) of Virginia. In reading your list, here, it refers over and over to Dorothy, the wife of the

emigrant William Covington as a daughter of Thomas Howerton.

 

The Howertons don't have any proof that she was a Howerton but we acknowledge an extremely close friendship

between the two men. She may have been a sister, but he was, by the existing records and deeds, a single man as late

as 1670.

 

If she was not a Howerton, the Covington records should reflect that her last name is unknown.

 

William and Thomas did come to Virginia early, but as indentured servants transported by John and George Mott.

This information was compiled by Howerton researcher, Bryan Howerton, whose work in always documented. The

data discovered is:

 

Thomas Howerton was born about 1640 in England, exact location not yet discovered. He came to the Virginia

colony about 1663 as he was one of 313 people claimed as "headrights" by the brothers Mott on 17 October, 1670.

The Motts were awarded a Patent for 15,564 acres of land on waters draining into the Rappahannock River as

compensation for the indentured people whom they had transported to the colony. William Covington, who became a

 partner of Thomas Howerton, was included in the group of people for whose transport the Motts received the land

patent.

 

So, in or around 1663, the Covington ancestor and the Howerton ancestor arrived together, as indentured men. We

don't know the name of the wife of Thomas Howerton, but we know the first name of the wife of William Covington- it

 was Dorothy, but she and Wiliam were contemporaries of Thomas Howerton, not younger!

 

By 1670, close to seven years after arrival, William and Dorothy Covington and Thomas 'Haywarton' paid 3000

pounds of tobacco to a William Richards for 300 acres on Dragon Swamp.

 

We have never established any proof that Dorothy was a Howerton. What is the Covington proof of her surname?

Thomas may not have even been married in 1670, as William and Dorothy sign as husband and wife, and Thomas

Howerton signs alone, the deed dated 10 October, 1670.

The land on Dragon Swamp they bought as partners, is a part, evidently of the 15,564 acres that the Motts were

awarded.

 

On 3 April, 1683, William Covington and Thomas Howerton were dividing the Dragon Swamp land. The abstract I

have seen on this Agreement to divide omits the name of Dorothy.

On 4 April, 1683, "Agreement between Howerton and Covington to divide land from Mr. Mott. Howerton to have

land on the south side and Covington to have land on the north side of Dragon Swamp.

 

On 17 April, 1683; Thomas Howerton witnessed a deed from William Covington to his brothers."

 

The early Old Rappahannock and Essex records are the ones abstracted for all the data above.

 

WILLIAM JACOB COVINGTON                                                 20 July 2010

WILLIAM JACOB COVINGTON. Ref: 11420. Born: 1 Jul 1838 at Spartanburg Co SC. Father: not known, Father

Ref: 0. Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 24 Jan 1910 at Memphis TN aged 71. Pvt. William Jacob Covington

 was the first district Court Clerk of the Camp County, Texas. A year following the American Civil War, Covington

moved to Texas, and there in 1876, he was elected to serve as the first district court clerk of the newly formed Camp

County, Texas.

 

He was born in a two-story chestnut log home built by his relatives in 1799. Private (Pvt.) Covington fought in

eight major Civil War battles. Among these were the battle of Harpers Ferry, Antietam, battle of Fredericksburg,

battle of Chancellorsville, battle of Gettysburg and battle of Williamsport also known as Falling Waters.

 

After surviving the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, he was captured at Falling Waters, Maryland on July 14,

1863 during Lee's retreat from Baltimore, Maryland. From Baltimore he was sent to Point Lookout POW camp.

 

Pvt. Covington was among the 975 repatriated soldiers who traveled the New York exchange steamer to City Point,

VA, after being formally exchanged on March 19, 1863. A few months later he rejoined his 18th North Carolina unit.

During the Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road, he was wounded and re-captured. His leg was amputated at City Point

and again at Campbell Gen. Hospital in DC. He was sent to two different hospitals in Washington, DC (where the

Mall is now located by the Smithsonian Institution).

 

Signing his parole in July 18, 1865, he was released and with one leg and a pair of crutches he made his way

"walking" back to Spartenburg Dist. South Carolina. Before arriving at home he met his older brother who had been

shot through the neck and captured late in the war. The two arrived home together, both had been long given up for

dead.

 

After the harvesting of crops in the early fall of 1870, the Covington, Weaver and McIntyre families traveled by

covered wagons from Rutherford Co., NC to Upshur Co., Texas, arriving in late 1870. In 1874, Camp County, Texas

was formed out of Upshur Co., Texas and Covington was elected as the first district/county court clerk of the newly

created Camp County. The positions for district and county clerks were a consolidated position in Texas until the

end of the reconstruction period in 1876.

 

Pvt. Covington was buried at the St. John's Episcopal Church Cemetery adjacent to the Memphis Museum, Central

Ave., Memphis, TN. His place of burial was designated with an official historical plaque from the State of Texas

WILLIAM JOEL COVINGTON                                                    20 July 2010

WILLIAM JOEL COVINGTON. Ref: 14347. Born: 8 Nov 1977 at Rockingham NC. Father: Gene, Father Ref: 14349.

 Mother: Gates, Deboroh, Mother Ref: 14350.   Mar: around 2000 at U,S to Crystal 14351. Known as Bucky, he was

born in Rockingham, North Carolina, to Mr. Gene Covington and Deborah Gates on November 8, 1977 - along with

his identical twin brother, Robert David "Rocky" Covington. He worked at Covington's Body Shop in Hamlet (910)

582-1768 584 Mill Rd, Hamlet, NC 28345. Their biological parents have divorced and remarried; their stepparents

are Tracey Covington and Alan Gates. The Gates reside in Wagram.

 

Bucky is the nickname he also shares with his grandfather. He graduated in the class of 1996 from Richmond Senior

High School. Bucky and Rocky are musicians; the latter being the former lead singer of the North Carolina band

Swamp Cat. In 1998 when the Covington twins were 20 years old, they were in a minor automobile mishap. Bucky

allegedly assumed to be Rocky. They were processed for deceiving the authorities. The plaintiff failed to verify the

right person since the twins were identical.

 

Before the American Idol tour, the twins painted cars at Covington's Body Shop in Hamlet (910) 582-1768 584 Mill

Rd, Hamlet. In 2006, Bucky was married to Crystal for seven years (however, on February 13, 2007, Crystal

announced that she will file for divorce). After Idol, Bucky wrote in USA Today that he bought a house in Franklin,

Tennessee near Nashville. Rocky and his wife Terra also moved into the same house in January. Rocky also joined as

the drummer in Bucky's band.

 

At the age of 18, Covington taught himself how to play the guitar and began performing at clubs. He is also a

guitarist, bassist, drummer and songwriter. Over the years, Covington has expanded his talents, both country and

rock. After some time, he elected to perform both original and cover material in a cross-genre vein.

 

American Idol

In the 2005-06 season, the Covington twins auditioned for American Idol in Greensboro, NC individually. Of the

two, Bucky advanced to the final twelve. On March 22, Bucky remained in the bottom three, along with Lisa Tucker

and Kevin Covais. On April 12 when Covington was in the bottom three with Ace Young and Elliott Yamin, the

votes went to the latter two.

 

In the Top 8 results show of Season six of American Idol, He appeared in one of the front rows. Since being on Idol he

 has had his teeth capped.

 

Debut album: Bucky Covington

In November and December of 2006, Bucky Covington performed on the GAC Country Music Christmas tour, making

 him the 1st Idol from the 5th season to be part of a major non-American Idol concert tour.

 

Covington negotiated with Buena Vista Music Group's country label, Lyric Street Records. His debut single, "A

Different World," was released to country radio on January 16, 2007 - coinciding with the premiere of American Idol

(Season 6). Its initial debut on radio was on Sirius Satellite Radio's New Country channel in late December 2006.

 

His debut album, Bucky Covington, was released on April 17, 2007, to positive reviews. It debuted on the Billboard

 200 at #4 selling 61,000 copies. It also debuted at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart, making the album the best

opening week for a debut album by a male on the chart since Billy Ray Cyrus' 1992 debut with Some Gave All.

Thanks to his exposure on "American Idol", Covington's debut surpassed the previous record held by Jason Michael

Carroll's Waitin' in the Country. The single "Empty Handed" will appear in NASCAR 08 as part of the in-game

soundtrack.

 

Controversy

"Empty Handed" deals majorly with drugs, suicide, and religion, that on NASCAR 08 most of the second verse has

words cut out. Words include "Amphetemines", "Surgery", "Drugs", "Devil", and "Purging", and even Jesus Christ's

name is cut out of the song.

 

Quotes

• "I learned two words a long time ago that help out a lot: 'Screw it.' If something's bothering you, don't dwell on it.

Just let it go. Worrying ain't gonna do nothing but make it worse." (Entertainment Weekly interview, 04/13/06)

• "Chase your dreams. They don't come to you."

WILLIAM WILKES COVINGTON                                               20 July 2010

WILLIAM WILKES COVINGTON. Ref: 5820. Born: 19 Mar 1887 at Henryville TN. Father: not known, Father Ref:

0. Mother: not known, Mother Ref: 0.  Died: 10 Dec 1931 at Denison TX aged 44. Known as Tex. Sibling: Clarence

Otto aka Sam Covington (5823).

Baseball player. Bats: Left Throws: Right. Height: 6'1". Weight: 175 lbs. Major League Debut: Apr 25, 1911

 

CAREER STATISTICS - PITCHING TOTALS - HOW MUCH HE PITCHED

Year  TM  LG   G  GS  CG  GF    IP     BF/9

1911  Det  AL  17   6    5    4    83.2    39

1912  Det  AL  14   9    2    3    63.1    37

Totals              31  15    7    7    147    76

 

WHAT HE GAVE UP

Year     H     R   ER   HR   SH   BB   HB   IBB   K   WP   BK   BAVG A

1911    94   43   38    2      0     33    10     0   29    2      1       .297

1912    58   33   29    0      0     30     3      0   19    5      0       .253

Totals  152  76   67   2      0     63    13     0   48    7      1       .278

 

THE RESULTS

Year  Won Lost Sh O  Sv   ERA

1911     7      1       0      0    4.09

1912     3      4       1      0    4.12

Total    10      5       1      0    4.10

 

CAREER STATISTICS - BATTING TOTALS BATTING

Year     POS    G

1911        P     17

1912        P     14