web1_TTL031316hoyt.adult_.bdy_.jpg

Raymond Hoyt celebrated his 90th birthday

web1_TTL030816SidariSettelment2.jpg

Medical malpractice trial over Jennifer Sidari’s death ends in settlement

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; For this assignment, a phone call to former police chief Joe Coyne wouldn&#8217;t do.</p><p>Former city police chief and current Mayor Tony George went knocking to ask Coyne to serve as grand marshal of the city&#8217;s 36th annual St. Patrick&#8217;s Day Parade.</p><p>Of course, he wouldn&#8217;t turn it down, Coyne said after George made it official Monday.</p><p>&#8220;Oh God, no. No. When one policeman needs another policeman, it&#8217;s called backup. I was there. He came to my home,&#8221; Coyne said.</p><p>Coyne will be there Sunday, riding in a car driven by District Judge Tom Malloy, waving to the crowds expected to line the parade route along South Main Street to Public Square. The yearly celebration of the Wyoming Valley&#8217;s Irish heritage draws thousands to the downtown and the choice of grand marshal to oversee it all precedes the spectacle.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m thrilled and I&#8217;m honored,&#8221; said Coyne about serving as this year&#8217;s grand marshal.</p><p>A lifelong resident of the city, Coyne joined the police force in 1961 and served as chief from 1985 to 1997 under three mayors, Thomas McLaughlin, Lee Namey and Tom McGroarty. George, who served as police chief from 2001 to 2004 under McGroarty, said most of his career with the department was under Coyne.</p><p>The mayor provided a litany of Coyne&#8217;s accomplishments, memberships and awards, including:</p><p>&#8226; Enlistment in the U.S. Coast Guard during his senior year at Coughlin High School. He earned his high school diploma while serving his country during the Korean War from 1951 through 1954.</p><p>&#8226; While working full-time as a police officer, he earned an associate&#8217;s degree in criminal justice from King&#8217;s College, where he was a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society.</p><p>&#8226; Under his leadership, the police department formed its Emergency Response Unit and its bicycle and horse patrols. It also became a key part of the state Office of Attorney General&#8217;s Drug Task Force.</p><p>&#8226; He is a past president of the Luzerne County Chiefs of Police Association, and a lifetime member of it and the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, the Northeast Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Fraternal Order of Police.</p><p>&#8226; Other memberships include the board of directors of the Victims Resource Center, the Pennsylvania Police Accreditation Review, the Wilkes-Barre YMCA Board of Directors, a fourth degree member and trustee of the Knights of Columbus, the Korean War Veterans and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Coast Guard Veterans Association.</p><p>&#8226; Coyne was the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Wilkes-Barre &#8220;Man of the Year&#8221; in 1990.</p><p>&#8226; He was the recipient of the William Van Essen Award in 2000 presented by the Northeast Pennsylvania Optometric Society and the Pennsylvania Optometric Society for his support of the Wilkes-Barre Association for the Blind.</p><p>Coyne and his wife, Rose, have two daughters, Janet Evanchick and Ann Ocwa; three grandchildren, Robert Evanchick, Christine Corbett and Lauren Ocwa; and great-granddaughter, Autumn Grace Evanchick.</p><p>Family members will attend the parade with him and he&#8217;ll also have a walking stick to steady his gait. He gripped the handle of the gnarly stick, stripped of its bark and varnished, at Monday&#8217;s announcement.</p><p>&#8220;That was a gift many years ago given to me by a grateful citizen in the city of Wilkes-Barre,&#8221; he said. &#8220;At the time, I didn&#8217;t think I&#8217;d ever have any use for it, but now at the age of 84, I use it just for a little balance and show, like today.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816Coyne1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Former Wilkes-Barre police chief Joe Coyne, right, speaks Monday during a press conference at which Mayor Tony George, right, announced Coyne as his choice for grand marshal of this Sunday&#8217;s St. Patrick&#8217;s Day Parade. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816Coyne1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Former Wilkes-Barre police chief Joe Coyne, right, speaks Monday during a press conference at which Mayor Tony George, right, announced Coyne as his choice for grand marshal of this Sunday&#8217;s St. Patrick&#8217;s Day Parade. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816Coyne2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George, right, announces on Monday that former city police chief Joe Coyne, left, will serve as grand marshal of this Sunday&#8217;s St. Patrick&#8217;s Day Parade. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL030816Coyne2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George, right, announces on Monday that former city police chief Joe Coyne, left, will serve as grand marshal of this Sunday&#8217;s St. Patrick&#8217;s Day Parade. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Former Wilkes-Barre Police Chief Joe Coyne named grand marshal of city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade