April 10, 2020 Coats Museum News
The calendar continued to display 1983 and the month was August. In the national news it was reported that a group of young Milwaukeeans electronically invaded some twenty major computer systems including the one at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. It was the first major attack of the computer hackers and proved that the term “computer security” was an oxymoron (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Press, 1999, pp. 267).
On the local level, the Coats Rebels team had won the Harnett County Junior League softball tourney at Barbecue Park. Andrea Ennis and Dana Barnes were outstanding players (Daily Record Aug. 5, 1983).
Softball surely was a busy pastime in 1983 as the news about it continued to be printed in the Daily Record Aug. 5, 1983 edition. The Coats Women’s League Softball champion was the New Deal Warehouse Women’s team. The team captured the regular season and tournament championship. Who from Coats played on the team? Annette Ferguson, Rhonda Penny and Paula Blackman were named while Gary Penny was the coach.
There was a time in Coats that a trip to the Wal-Mart or Lowes was not necessary to meet the family’s needs. Coats merchants offered almost all that was needed. There were two sawmills-one where the Stewart Tire is located and the other in the general area of the fire department. There was a flour mill and two huge cotton gins-one being where Allen Faircloth is building a country restaurant and the other where the Coats Museum is located. There was a hosiery mill where the Domino’s pizza is and a window shade company was in the area of the old Howard Barnes Store and Philco appliances business. One could also buy freezers and other appliances from the Malone Company. The Lamms sold appliances and water pumps. There were as many as eight grocery stores. There were jewelry stores, dime stores, shoe stores, clothing shops, florists, dry cleaners, and fish markets. The list could go on. Read about all the businesses that the Coats Museum volunteers could locate at the time that we researched for the Heritage of Coats, NC. Thanks to Sandra Ennis Smith we were able to add the businesses that existed up to 2005.
One business that brought in hundreds of people from all over the region was the Stewart Corn Mill operated by Henry Stewart, his wife Myrtle and sons. He was brother to Guy Stewart who owned the local car dealership and was the son of Claud Daniel Stewart who was the first principal of the Coats District #3.
Do you know where this corn mill was located? I do know that the last time I talked with the late Senator Robert Morgan was when we gave him a tour of our museum and he shared that his daddy “used to” send him with bags of corn on a mule and wagon to get the corn ground into meal. He recalled that people were adamant about getting their own corn back that had been ground at the mill.
I also know that the Aug. 8, 1983 Daily Record shared that Keith Wayne Stewart of Coats had died on Sunday. Services were held in the Coats Baptist Church with burial in the Coats City Cemetery. Surviving him was a daughter, Mrs. June Rees and a son, Keith Dudley Stewart. Evangeline Stewart was his only surviving sibling. Had his brother Leverne not died a short while back? They were the sons of Henry and Myrtle Stewart and had followed them as millers until retirement.
Can you think of any round object that weighs about 21 pounds? Harold Wheeler, of Route 1, Coats, had grown a 21-pound cantaloupe in his garden (Daily Record Aug. 10, 1983). Do you suppose that he saved the seeds from the giant melon? A cantaloupe is a melon-right? Do you know people who save seeds from the fruits of their gardens to plant them for the next year’s one. I can recall that my dad would dry watermelon seeds on old newspaper pages and save a few fertilizer bags of dry peas which were later beaten out and saved to plant in rows of corn and in the vegetable garden. Neighbors even shared different varieties of seeds.
Coats had a new town clerk. Sherwood Gregory, 52, of Buies Creek, was hired as the new town clerk and tax collector (Daily Record Aug. 10, 1983).
The trampoline was a popular station in gymnastics and they were also found in many yards around the Coats area. Camps were even available for area youth such as Michelle Adams who demonstrated her skills in a picture for the Daily Record, Aug. 10 edition.
Who remembers from your school days when on occasions you were entertained in the auditorium with puppet shows and the like for an hour or so? Do you recall that on some occasions there was a trampoline and boys from the audience were called up to jump on the trampoline to entertain their fellow students with their antics making many of us go home pleading with our parents to buy us a trampoline?
I do know that Tyndall Electronics owned by Jerry Tyndall had been the CACC Business Focus of the Week. In 1975, Jerry, a design engineer, began experiencing with a metal detector in his basement and came up with a design that year and produced his first metal director (Daily Record Aug. 11, 1983). Who knows the name of his metal detector?
Mr. and Mrs. Stacy Wade Norris of Coats announced the engagement of their daughter, Cynthia Ann Norris, to Timothy Davis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Davis of Route 1, Coats (Daily Record Aug. 15, 1883).Can you believe Cindy just retired from the Harnett School System where she touched the lives of hundreds of Coats students just as her dad, Wade Norris, did with the Rescue Squad in Coats.
Deborah Lee Trodgen had married Donald Bruce Barefoot (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1983). Bruce is currently an insurance executive while Debbie is retired from the Sampson County School System. Some may know that Debbie is sister of Lenny Parker who will present “Disaster Response from a Different Perspective” after it is safe to gather more than 10 people together.
Lloyd Willis, 83, of 804 South Orange Street, died on Monday at GHH in Erwin. He was retired from the U.S Coast Guard. He was the son of the late Joseph Allen Willis and Martha Jane Suggs Willis. Entombment was in Kerrville, TX. His survivors were Bertie Willis and Jarvis A. Willis (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1983). Was he a native of Coats because I don’t recall reading about this family before?
The final contracts were signed for the Buies Creek- Coats Wastewater project costing in excess of $5 million. The contracts were hand carried to the Farmers Home Administration in Raleigh by Commissioner Tim McKinnie, a member of the Wastewater Advisory Board (Daily Record Aug, 17, 1983).
Do you recall reading that wastewater and sewage often went into the ditches and wells in the early days of Coats? How would Coats have benefitted from having this wastewater system earlier?
I do know that a very recognizable name was in the news. Mrs. Mattie Coggins Highfill, 91, of Coats, had died on Thursday. Services were held at the Coats Baptist Church and burial was in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Greensboro. Mrs. Highfill had been a public school teacher in Coats for many years before her retirement. Surviving her was her son, William R. Highfill of New Jersey (Daily Record Aug. 18, 1983).
Some will remember that her granddaughter Janet Carlson lived with her Grandmother Mattie and graduated from Coats High. After the severe crippling illness of her daughter Lorraine, Mrs. Highfill cared for her young granddaughter. Read the rest of Mrs. Highfill’s story as written by her granddaughter Janet where it can be found in the Vol. 2 of the Heritage of Coats, NC. What do I most remember about Mrs. Highfill? She was a very rigid teacher who expected perfection which is today the reason that most of my classmates and I can today recite perfectly the WWI poem entitled “In Flanders Fields”. Others might not know that Mrs. Highfill was a talented artist and we are fortunate to have on loan several of her works of art in the museum.
The Watson Insurance Agency was newly renovated in downtown Coats. Mrs. Jeneal Parrish Denton (Wade) office manager, and Mrs. Watson, the owner, had a ribbon cutting and open house at the business (Daily Record Aug. 18, 1983).
Anita Pleasant, daughter of Robert and Jeanette Pleasant, won two medals in the 7-8 age group in the final swim meet at the Cape Fear Swimming and Diving League held in the Lillington swimming pool (Daily Record Aug. 19, 1983).
Mrs. Mavis Langdon Hayes, 62, of Coats had died on Friday. Her services were at Coats Baptist Church with burial in the Bethel Church Cemetery. Surviving Mrs. Hayes were her husband-Chester Hayes, a daughter- Bonnie; two sons- William Henry and Larry Tommy Hayes. Her siblings were Mrs. Elsie Barnes, Mrs. Josephine Bullard, Mrs. Ruth Barefoot, Roy, Merchant, and J.A. Langdon, Jr (Daily Record Sept. 6, 1983).
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Parrish of Coats announced the birth of a son, Joshua Henry Parrish, who was born on September 4. Judy Gayle Norris was the mother and Mr. and Mrs. Earl Norris and Mr. and Mrs. McLurin Parrish were grandparents (Daily Record Sept. 9, 1983).
Danny McLamb and Teresa Core McLamb announced the birth of Stephen Keith McLamb. Mr. and Mrs. D.J. McLamb were paternal grandparents (Daily Record Sept. 12, 1983).
Coats Police Chief Kenneth R. Parker had resigned after a turbulent and sometimes controversial two-year term. He had accepted a position on the investigation team in Clayton (Daily Record Sept. 16, 1983).
Mr. Carlie McLamb, 73, became trapped in a well for hours after he stepped too far beyond the last rung of his ladder. He was able to grasp the ladder with his hands to save his life. He became wedged in the 20 inch well. A lifelong friend saw his truck near the well and stopped to see if he could help when he heard the call for help. Mr. Dallas Jones quickly got a rope, lowered it into the well and managed to get it around Mr. McLamb’s arms and body and pull him to safety (Daily Record Sept. 20, 1983). Don’t you love a story with a good ending?
Death is harvesting so many of our beloved Coats citizens. Harry Denton and Joyce Turlington Ogburn were outstanding folks. Harry visited and assisted us so much in getting the names of veterans for our Defenders of the Red, White and Blue. Joyce T, Ogburn was sister-in-law to one of our favorite museum ladies-Juanita O. Hudson and Joyce’s family has supported the museum financially. H.L. and I have memorialized Joyce and Harry with memorials to the museum.
The calendar continued to display 1983 and the month was August. In the national news it was reported that a group of young Milwaukeeans electronically invaded some twenty major computer systems including the one at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. It was the first major attack of the computer hackers and proved that the term “computer security” was an oxymoron (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Press, 1999, pp. 267).
On the local level, the Coats Rebels team had won the Harnett County Junior League softball tourney at Barbecue Park. Andrea Ennis and Dana Barnes were outstanding players (Daily Record Aug. 5, 1983).
Softball surely was a busy pastime in 1983 as the news about it continued to be printed in the Daily Record Aug. 5, 1983 edition. The Coats Women’s League Softball champion was the New Deal Warehouse Women’s team. The team captured the regular season and tournament championship. Who from Coats played on the team? Annette Ferguson, Rhonda Penny and Paula Blackman were named while Gary Penny was the coach.
There was a time in Coats that a trip to the Wal-Mart or Lowes was not necessary to meet the family’s needs. Coats merchants offered almost all that was needed. There were two sawmills-one where the Stewart Tire is located and the other in the general area of the fire department. There was a flour mill and two huge cotton gins-one being where Allen Faircloth is building a country restaurant and the other where the Coats Museum is located. There was a hosiery mill where the Domino’s pizza is and a window shade company was in the area of the old Howard Barnes Store and Philco appliances business. One could also buy freezers and other appliances from the Malone Company. The Lamms sold appliances and water pumps. There were as many as eight grocery stores. There were jewelry stores, dime stores, shoe stores, clothing shops, florists, dry cleaners, and fish markets. The list could go on. Read about all the businesses that the Coats Museum volunteers could locate at the time that we researched for the Heritage of Coats, NC. Thanks to Sandra Ennis Smith we were able to add the businesses that existed up to 2005.
One business that brought in hundreds of people from all over the region was the Stewart Corn Mill operated by Henry Stewart, his wife Myrtle and sons. He was brother to Guy Stewart who owned the local car dealership and was the son of Claud Daniel Stewart who was the first principal of the Coats District #3.
Do you know where this corn mill was located? I do know that the last time I talked with the late Senator Robert Morgan was when we gave him a tour of our museum and he shared that his daddy “used to” send him with bags of corn on a mule and wagon to get the corn ground into meal. He recalled that people were adamant about getting their own corn back that had been ground at the mill.
I also know that the Aug. 8, 1983 Daily Record shared that Keith Wayne Stewart of Coats had died on Sunday. Services were held in the Coats Baptist Church with burial in the Coats City Cemetery. Surviving him was a daughter, Mrs. June Rees and a son, Keith Dudley Stewart. Evangeline Stewart was his only surviving sibling. Had his brother Leverne not died a short while back? They were the sons of Henry and Myrtle Stewart and had followed them as millers until retirement.
Can you think of any round object that weighs about 21 pounds? Harold Wheeler, of Route 1, Coats, had grown a 21-pound cantaloupe in his garden (Daily Record Aug. 10, 1983). Do you suppose that he saved the seeds from the giant melon? A cantaloupe is a melon-right? Do you know people who save seeds from the fruits of their gardens to plant them for the next year’s one. I can recall that my dad would dry watermelon seeds on old newspaper pages and save a few fertilizer bags of dry peas which were later beaten out and saved to plant in rows of corn and in the vegetable garden. Neighbors even shared different varieties of seeds.
Coats had a new town clerk. Sherwood Gregory, 52, of Buies Creek, was hired as the new town clerk and tax collector (Daily Record Aug. 10, 1983).
The trampoline was a popular station in gymnastics and they were also found in many yards around the Coats area. Camps were even available for area youth such as Michelle Adams who demonstrated her skills in a picture for the Daily Record, Aug. 10 edition.
Who remembers from your school days when on occasions you were entertained in the auditorium with puppet shows and the like for an hour or so? Do you recall that on some occasions there was a trampoline and boys from the audience were called up to jump on the trampoline to entertain their fellow students with their antics making many of us go home pleading with our parents to buy us a trampoline?
I do know that Tyndall Electronics owned by Jerry Tyndall had been the CACC Business Focus of the Week. In 1975, Jerry, a design engineer, began experiencing with a metal detector in his basement and came up with a design that year and produced his first metal director (Daily Record Aug. 11, 1983). Who knows the name of his metal detector?
Mr. and Mrs. Stacy Wade Norris of Coats announced the engagement of their daughter, Cynthia Ann Norris, to Timothy Davis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Davis of Route 1, Coats (Daily Record Aug. 15, 1883).Can you believe Cindy just retired from the Harnett School System where she touched the lives of hundreds of Coats students just as her dad, Wade Norris, did with the Rescue Squad in Coats.
Deborah Lee Trodgen had married Donald Bruce Barefoot (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1983). Bruce is currently an insurance executive while Debbie is retired from the Sampson County School System. Some may know that Debbie is sister of Lenny Parker who will present “Disaster Response from a Different Perspective” after it is safe to gather more than 10 people together.
Lloyd Willis, 83, of 804 South Orange Street, died on Monday at GHH in Erwin. He was retired from the U.S Coast Guard. He was the son of the late Joseph Allen Willis and Martha Jane Suggs Willis. Entombment was in Kerrville, TX. His survivors were Bertie Willis and Jarvis A. Willis (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1983). Was he a native of Coats because I don’t recall reading about this family before?
The final contracts were signed for the Buies Creek- Coats Wastewater project costing in excess of $5 million. The contracts were hand carried to the Farmers Home Administration in Raleigh by Commissioner Tim McKinnie, a member of the Wastewater Advisory Board (Daily Record Aug, 17, 1983).
Do you recall reading that wastewater and sewage often went into the ditches and wells in the early days of Coats? How would Coats have benefitted from having this wastewater system earlier?
I do know that a very recognizable name was in the news. Mrs. Mattie Coggins Highfill, 91, of Coats, had died on Thursday. Services were held at the Coats Baptist Church and burial was in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Greensboro. Mrs. Highfill had been a public school teacher in Coats for many years before her retirement. Surviving her was her son, William R. Highfill of New Jersey (Daily Record Aug. 18, 1983).
Some will remember that her granddaughter Janet Carlson lived with her Grandmother Mattie and graduated from Coats High. After the severe crippling illness of her daughter Lorraine, Mrs. Highfill cared for her young granddaughter. Read the rest of Mrs. Highfill’s story as written by her granddaughter Janet where it can be found in the Vol. 2 of the Heritage of Coats, NC. What do I most remember about Mrs. Highfill? She was a very rigid teacher who expected perfection which is today the reason that most of my classmates and I can today recite perfectly the WWI poem entitled “In Flanders Fields”. Others might not know that Mrs. Highfill was a talented artist and we are fortunate to have on loan several of her works of art in the museum.
The Watson Insurance Agency was newly renovated in downtown Coats. Mrs. Jeneal Parrish Denton (Wade) office manager, and Mrs. Watson, the owner, had a ribbon cutting and open house at the business (Daily Record Aug. 18, 1983).
Anita Pleasant, daughter of Robert and Jeanette Pleasant, won two medals in the 7-8 age group in the final swim meet at the Cape Fear Swimming and Diving League held in the Lillington swimming pool (Daily Record Aug. 19, 1983).
Mrs. Mavis Langdon Hayes, 62, of Coats had died on Friday. Her services were at Coats Baptist Church with burial in the Bethel Church Cemetery. Surviving Mrs. Hayes were her husband-Chester Hayes, a daughter- Bonnie; two sons- William Henry and Larry Tommy Hayes. Her siblings were Mrs. Elsie Barnes, Mrs. Josephine Bullard, Mrs. Ruth Barefoot, Roy, Merchant, and J.A. Langdon, Jr (Daily Record Sept. 6, 1983).
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Parrish of Coats announced the birth of a son, Joshua Henry Parrish, who was born on September 4. Judy Gayle Norris was the mother and Mr. and Mrs. Earl Norris and Mr. and Mrs. McLurin Parrish were grandparents (Daily Record Sept. 9, 1983).
Danny McLamb and Teresa Core McLamb announced the birth of Stephen Keith McLamb. Mr. and Mrs. D.J. McLamb were paternal grandparents (Daily Record Sept. 12, 1983).
Coats Police Chief Kenneth R. Parker had resigned after a turbulent and sometimes controversial two-year term. He had accepted a position on the investigation team in Clayton (Daily Record Sept. 16, 1983).
Mr. Carlie McLamb, 73, became trapped in a well for hours after he stepped too far beyond the last rung of his ladder. He was able to grasp the ladder with his hands to save his life. He became wedged in the 20 inch well. A lifelong friend saw his truck near the well and stopped to see if he could help when he heard the call for help. Mr. Dallas Jones quickly got a rope, lowered it into the well and managed to get it around Mr. McLamb’s arms and body and pull him to safety (Daily Record Sept. 20, 1983). Don’t you love a story with a good ending?
Death is harvesting so many of our beloved Coats citizens. Harry Denton and Joyce Turlington Ogburn were outstanding folks. Harry visited and assisted us so much in getting the names of veterans for our Defenders of the Red, White and Blue. Joyce T, Ogburn was sister-in-law to one of our favorite museum ladies-Juanita O. Hudson and Joyce’s family has supported the museum financially. H.L. and I have memorialized Joyce and Harry with memorials to the museum.