On most days, you will find Everett Yarbrough playing table tennis at Westminster Oaks. With two gold medals and another silver to his credit from the Senior Games table tennis competition, Everett seems every bit the pro. His passion for the game is contagious as he recruits and teaches newcomers to play.
Everett first came to Tallahassee as an aspiring music student at Florida State University. Although his interest eventually turned to studying history, he played the French horn in FSU’s marching band and was a member of the 1949 Marching Chiefs. He served in the Navy during the Korean War, lending his talent for the French horn whenever he could. He became a history teacher, with a deep interest in the American Revolution and Civil War, and taught for most of his adult life. The military veteran carried his interest to participating in Honor Flights to Washington, D.C., for several years.
After his beloved wife, Marie, passed away following a battle with dementia, Everett and two friends co-founded the Westminster Alzheimer’s Awareness Group. The group evolved to bring six different Alzheimer’s organizations together for a single collaborative forum attended by more than 400 people, successfully increasing awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in the Tallahassee area. In addition to his dedicated work with the Westminster group, Everett contributes much of his time to several caregiver groups and regularly gives presentations on the demands of caregiving.
Everett maintains his fondness for music and still enjoys the French horn and participates in the Westminster Singers, routinely performing at senior communities. A devoted family man, he displays a deep love for his children and grandchildren – one of whom followed in his footsteps and now plays the French horn with the Detroit Symphony.
Looking back on his accomplishments, Everett Yarbrough is proudest of his active work in raising Alzheimer’s awareness in the community.
