April 21, 2017 Coats Museum News
It was February of 1962 and the United States had established the Military Assistance Command (MACV) in South Vietnam. At that date, some 5,000 US troops were in Vietnam with the official mission of providing training and technical assistance. For instance, the US Special Forces were training Montagnard tribesmen to fight the Viet Cong. Back in America, Lieutenant Colonel John Glenn had orbited the earth three times in the space capsule Friendship 7. Glenn was the first American in orbit while television had beamed his flight to 135,000 million Americans (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail, (Springfield, MA. 1999, Federal Street Press) p.123.
In NC, Miss Patricia Rose Collier of Raleigh, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Collier of Coats, was engaged to James Calvin Moore also of Raleigh (Daily Record Feb. 15, 1962). The next day, Mrs. Percy Parrish hosted the Coats Woman’s Club where Mr. M.O. Phillips made an interesting talk on “Civil Defense” (Daily Record Feb. 16, 1962).
When you hear the names Hoover and Betty Johnson, what pops into your mind? Surely you think of heating and air. In 1962, the couple made the news for the announcement of the arrival of a son on February 19th. Mrs. Johnson was the former Betty Moore who once lived in the Barclay’s Inn about which she once shared some terrific stories. Mr. and Mrs. Major Faircloth were new parents also. The baby daughter’s mother was the former Patricia Norris (Daily Record Feb. 20, 1962).
On the Harnett and Johnston County Line Road, the men in the Oakdale community had gathered and painted the clubroom of the Home Demonstration Club. A cold day in February was a good time for man talk and a tasty hot lunch served by the appreciative club ladies (Daily Record Feb. 20, 1962).
Wonder if the men talked about their tobacco plant beds. Had the farmers planted their Irish potatoes on a dark night to prevent having bugs on the plants? Did they have their dried peas beaten out of the hulls and winded in preparation for planting in their gardens? Did all farmers save their seeds from one crop to the next? If not, what were the names of some stores in Coats and Benson that the farmers went shopping for garden seeds and maybe even some crop seeds in 1962? Do the names Coats Mercantile, D.H. Surles, Earl’s Self Service, C.A. Stewart, Medlin and Dorman, Langdon Seed, Stephens Hardware, Howard Barnes sound familiar? What were some others?
Nora Etta Avery, a 1961 Coats High graduate, was the first contestant to enter the Miss Erwin pageant. Nora was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Avery. The Campbell freshman was a contestant in the Miss Dunn pageant earlier (Daily Record Feb. 27, 1962). Does anyone know how that pageant turned out?
Death had found its way back to Coats and took with it Mrs. Betty Coats Parrish, 81, on Tuesday. Elders B.L. Godwin and Harold Morgan conducted her services. She was survived by four daughters-Marie Tgathas, Mrs. Maxine Parrish, Mrs. Clayton Johnson and Mrs. Warren Gardner. Her two stepdaughters were Mrs. Henry Turlington and Mrs. Delma Grimes. She had one son, Dwight Coats, and two stepsons-Herman Parrish and Henry Parrish. George L. Stephenson was her brother (Daily Record Feb. 21. 1962).
The latest report was that Henry A. Turlington, Sr. would not be a candidate for the Chairman of the Harnett County Democratic Executive Committee because he had thrown his support behind Neill McKay Ross (Daily Record Feb. 21, 1962).
Again death came, or maybe it had not even left, for John W. Williams, 74, who had died on Wednesday night. Elder Henry Byrd conducted his services and the burial was in the Coats Cemetery. He was survived by his father, William Graymon (Bill Dad) Williams; his wife, Mrs. Nellie Williams; three daughters-Mrs. Carlie Ennis, Mrs. Lawrence Stewart and Mrs. Donald Lee. His three surviving brothers were Charlie, Hester, and Lester Williams. The eight surviving sisters were Miss Mollie Williams, Mrs. Nealie Lee, Mrs. Lonnie Turner, Mrs. Roscoe Turner, Mrs. Evie Ennis and Mrs. Henry Williams, Mrs. Willie Byrd and Mrs. Ora Powell. The Fidelis Class at Coats Baptist Church met with hostesses Mrs. Howard Barnes and Mrs. Carl Hough. Norfleet Gardner presented the program. The class celebrated its 44th anniversary without Mrs. Eva Nichols who was absent for the first time. She was the first president of this group (Daily Record Feb. 22, 1962).
Other items appeared in the news that were not church related. Larry Edward Denning, 1959 Coats High graduate, had made the honor roll in the School of Pharmacy at UNC Chapel Hill. He had made 92.5 or better on all his courses. Outside of Coats, the former Ruby Gardner gave birth to a son, Ronald Craig Corbin. The new parents were Robert and Ruby Gardner Corbin (Daily Record Feb. 23, 1962).
Do you know what basketball player has scored the most points in one game? I do know that Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points-36 field goals and 28 foul shots-for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962 (Dickson, Paul, pg. 123). However in late February of 1962 when the Coats Yellow jackets humbled Lillington as Bobby Fish tossed 22 points to give Coats a 56-39 victory over the Cavaliers (Daily Record Feb. 26, 1962).
I don’t know who has scored the most points in any one game in Harnett County but I do know that the February 7, 1951 edition of the Daily Record wrote that Doris Johnson, star forward of the Coats High girls’ basketball team, held the conference record for the most points scored in Harnett County Schools. Does anyone know how many she scored?
Johnnie Adams, 69, of Coats had died on Monday. Elder Frank Nordan, Elder Sheperd Stephenson and Elder B.L. Godwin conducted the services. His wife, Mrs. Florence Adams, survived him. His four daughters were Mrs. Howard Whittington, Mrs. Junius Ennis, Mrs. J.L. King, Jr. and Mrs. Sam Dorman. His son was J.L. Adams (Daily Record Feb. 27, 1962).
A group from Coats-M.O. Phillips, Larry Stephenson, Larry Tadlock and Carol Jones-gave a program on Civil Defense at the Dunn PTA (Daily Record Mar. 1, 1962).
Barbara Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Johnnie Stewart of rural Coats, was chosen to be one of the two seniors in the May Court at Meredith College. She was chosen by members of her senior class at the college (Daily Record Mar. 2, 1962).
A birth and death announcement made the next edition of the Daily Record. Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Godwin were the parents of a son March 5th. Mrs. Godwin was the former Joyce Jones. Elsewhere, Mrs. Jannie Johnson, 96, of rural Angier had died. She was survived by Mrs. Alice Parrish, Mrs. Johnnie Parrish, Mrs. Frank Johnson, Mrs. W.A. Holland, Riley Johnson, and W. Henry Johnson. Was there another son (Daily Record Mar. 5, 1962)?
Coats students were busy in March of 1962. Thirteen of them at Coats High had taken the 1962 National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The test was a three-hour examination of educational development. Students who took the test were Retha Faye Byrd, Brenda Sorrell, Lynda Stewart, Paul Collier, Ronald Coats, Ralph Denning, Dwight Keen, Billy Matthews, Kenneth McLamb, G.R. Stephenson, Don Whittington, Johnnie Malone, and Nesbit Fleming (Daily Record Mar. 7, 1962).
How many of you are following that the Sears stores may be closing? Have you ever ordered from a Sears catalogue? Do you recall the last time you saw one? Last week I had the opportunity to visit with a remarkable lady named Dean Jackson. Everything about her was lovely as she talked to me about the many beautiful blooming flowers in her yard and she named each of them as she pointed them out to me. She enlightened me on so many of the families who have long histories in the Coats area. At that visit she gave to the museum a copy of the last Sears catalogue that was printed-1993. Her late husband had saved it and she decided to part with it and donate it to the Coats Museum. Thank you, Dean, you are an inspiration.
Parting in death with someone that has been a major part of one’s life is so hard. Ethel Jernigan Poole lost her husband Robert Willis Poole exactly a year ago. Ethel came by the museum to give a generous donation in his memory. Ethel, thank you and the family for your donation and I ask our readers to please keep Ethel in your prayers as she faces serious health issues.
We would also like to think John and Doris Johnson Nolan for the memorial donation for her cousin, Gwen Dixon Stewart. Yes, Doris is the basketball player mentioned above for her outstanding basketball skills. Doris’s dad, Joe Johnson, and Gwen’s grandmother, Mary “Molly” Johnson Dixon, were siblings whose Dad, Benjamin F. Johnson, operated a cotton gin and sawmill northeast of Coats in the early 1900’s.
It was February of 1962 and the United States had established the Military Assistance Command (MACV) in South Vietnam. At that date, some 5,000 US troops were in Vietnam with the official mission of providing training and technical assistance. For instance, the US Special Forces were training Montagnard tribesmen to fight the Viet Cong. Back in America, Lieutenant Colonel John Glenn had orbited the earth three times in the space capsule Friendship 7. Glenn was the first American in orbit while television had beamed his flight to 135,000 million Americans (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail, (Springfield, MA. 1999, Federal Street Press) p.123.
In NC, Miss Patricia Rose Collier of Raleigh, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Collier of Coats, was engaged to James Calvin Moore also of Raleigh (Daily Record Feb. 15, 1962). The next day, Mrs. Percy Parrish hosted the Coats Woman’s Club where Mr. M.O. Phillips made an interesting talk on “Civil Defense” (Daily Record Feb. 16, 1962).
When you hear the names Hoover and Betty Johnson, what pops into your mind? Surely you think of heating and air. In 1962, the couple made the news for the announcement of the arrival of a son on February 19th. Mrs. Johnson was the former Betty Moore who once lived in the Barclay’s Inn about which she once shared some terrific stories. Mr. and Mrs. Major Faircloth were new parents also. The baby daughter’s mother was the former Patricia Norris (Daily Record Feb. 20, 1962).
On the Harnett and Johnston County Line Road, the men in the Oakdale community had gathered and painted the clubroom of the Home Demonstration Club. A cold day in February was a good time for man talk and a tasty hot lunch served by the appreciative club ladies (Daily Record Feb. 20, 1962).
Wonder if the men talked about their tobacco plant beds. Had the farmers planted their Irish potatoes on a dark night to prevent having bugs on the plants? Did they have their dried peas beaten out of the hulls and winded in preparation for planting in their gardens? Did all farmers save their seeds from one crop to the next? If not, what were the names of some stores in Coats and Benson that the farmers went shopping for garden seeds and maybe even some crop seeds in 1962? Do the names Coats Mercantile, D.H. Surles, Earl’s Self Service, C.A. Stewart, Medlin and Dorman, Langdon Seed, Stephens Hardware, Howard Barnes sound familiar? What were some others?
Nora Etta Avery, a 1961 Coats High graduate, was the first contestant to enter the Miss Erwin pageant. Nora was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Avery. The Campbell freshman was a contestant in the Miss Dunn pageant earlier (Daily Record Feb. 27, 1962). Does anyone know how that pageant turned out?
Death had found its way back to Coats and took with it Mrs. Betty Coats Parrish, 81, on Tuesday. Elders B.L. Godwin and Harold Morgan conducted her services. She was survived by four daughters-Marie Tgathas, Mrs. Maxine Parrish, Mrs. Clayton Johnson and Mrs. Warren Gardner. Her two stepdaughters were Mrs. Henry Turlington and Mrs. Delma Grimes. She had one son, Dwight Coats, and two stepsons-Herman Parrish and Henry Parrish. George L. Stephenson was her brother (Daily Record Feb. 21. 1962).
The latest report was that Henry A. Turlington, Sr. would not be a candidate for the Chairman of the Harnett County Democratic Executive Committee because he had thrown his support behind Neill McKay Ross (Daily Record Feb. 21, 1962).
Again death came, or maybe it had not even left, for John W. Williams, 74, who had died on Wednesday night. Elder Henry Byrd conducted his services and the burial was in the Coats Cemetery. He was survived by his father, William Graymon (Bill Dad) Williams; his wife, Mrs. Nellie Williams; three daughters-Mrs. Carlie Ennis, Mrs. Lawrence Stewart and Mrs. Donald Lee. His three surviving brothers were Charlie, Hester, and Lester Williams. The eight surviving sisters were Miss Mollie Williams, Mrs. Nealie Lee, Mrs. Lonnie Turner, Mrs. Roscoe Turner, Mrs. Evie Ennis and Mrs. Henry Williams, Mrs. Willie Byrd and Mrs. Ora Powell. The Fidelis Class at Coats Baptist Church met with hostesses Mrs. Howard Barnes and Mrs. Carl Hough. Norfleet Gardner presented the program. The class celebrated its 44th anniversary without Mrs. Eva Nichols who was absent for the first time. She was the first president of this group (Daily Record Feb. 22, 1962).
Other items appeared in the news that were not church related. Larry Edward Denning, 1959 Coats High graduate, had made the honor roll in the School of Pharmacy at UNC Chapel Hill. He had made 92.5 or better on all his courses. Outside of Coats, the former Ruby Gardner gave birth to a son, Ronald Craig Corbin. The new parents were Robert and Ruby Gardner Corbin (Daily Record Feb. 23, 1962).
Do you know what basketball player has scored the most points in one game? I do know that Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points-36 field goals and 28 foul shots-for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962 (Dickson, Paul, pg. 123). However in late February of 1962 when the Coats Yellow jackets humbled Lillington as Bobby Fish tossed 22 points to give Coats a 56-39 victory over the Cavaliers (Daily Record Feb. 26, 1962).
I don’t know who has scored the most points in any one game in Harnett County but I do know that the February 7, 1951 edition of the Daily Record wrote that Doris Johnson, star forward of the Coats High girls’ basketball team, held the conference record for the most points scored in Harnett County Schools. Does anyone know how many she scored?
Johnnie Adams, 69, of Coats had died on Monday. Elder Frank Nordan, Elder Sheperd Stephenson and Elder B.L. Godwin conducted the services. His wife, Mrs. Florence Adams, survived him. His four daughters were Mrs. Howard Whittington, Mrs. Junius Ennis, Mrs. J.L. King, Jr. and Mrs. Sam Dorman. His son was J.L. Adams (Daily Record Feb. 27, 1962).
A group from Coats-M.O. Phillips, Larry Stephenson, Larry Tadlock and Carol Jones-gave a program on Civil Defense at the Dunn PTA (Daily Record Mar. 1, 1962).
Barbara Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Johnnie Stewart of rural Coats, was chosen to be one of the two seniors in the May Court at Meredith College. She was chosen by members of her senior class at the college (Daily Record Mar. 2, 1962).
A birth and death announcement made the next edition of the Daily Record. Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Godwin were the parents of a son March 5th. Mrs. Godwin was the former Joyce Jones. Elsewhere, Mrs. Jannie Johnson, 96, of rural Angier had died. She was survived by Mrs. Alice Parrish, Mrs. Johnnie Parrish, Mrs. Frank Johnson, Mrs. W.A. Holland, Riley Johnson, and W. Henry Johnson. Was there another son (Daily Record Mar. 5, 1962)?
Coats students were busy in March of 1962. Thirteen of them at Coats High had taken the 1962 National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The test was a three-hour examination of educational development. Students who took the test were Retha Faye Byrd, Brenda Sorrell, Lynda Stewart, Paul Collier, Ronald Coats, Ralph Denning, Dwight Keen, Billy Matthews, Kenneth McLamb, G.R. Stephenson, Don Whittington, Johnnie Malone, and Nesbit Fleming (Daily Record Mar. 7, 1962).
How many of you are following that the Sears stores may be closing? Have you ever ordered from a Sears catalogue? Do you recall the last time you saw one? Last week I had the opportunity to visit with a remarkable lady named Dean Jackson. Everything about her was lovely as she talked to me about the many beautiful blooming flowers in her yard and she named each of them as she pointed them out to me. She enlightened me on so many of the families who have long histories in the Coats area. At that visit she gave to the museum a copy of the last Sears catalogue that was printed-1993. Her late husband had saved it and she decided to part with it and donate it to the Coats Museum. Thank you, Dean, you are an inspiration.
Parting in death with someone that has been a major part of one’s life is so hard. Ethel Jernigan Poole lost her husband Robert Willis Poole exactly a year ago. Ethel came by the museum to give a generous donation in his memory. Ethel, thank you and the family for your donation and I ask our readers to please keep Ethel in your prayers as she faces serious health issues.
We would also like to think John and Doris Johnson Nolan for the memorial donation for her cousin, Gwen Dixon Stewart. Yes, Doris is the basketball player mentioned above for her outstanding basketball skills. Doris’s dad, Joe Johnson, and Gwen’s grandmother, Mary “Molly” Johnson Dixon, were siblings whose Dad, Benjamin F. Johnson, operated a cotton gin and sawmill northeast of Coats in the early 1900’s.