April 24, 2015 Coats
Museum News
It was in May of 1952 and boys throughout the county were being called up for pre-induction by the Harnett County Draft Board. Two of the young men from Coats were Louis Edward Harmon and Sherrill Edison Byrd. The same edition of the paper also printed that Virginia Ann Turlington and Alene Pleasant were students at Peace College in Raleigh. Does anyone recognize the names of these young people (Daily Record May 2, 1952)?
I do know the Coats baseball team continued to win. The paper wrote that the Coats team “licked” Buies Creek 8-7. Gail Pope, Rex Godwin, and Hoover Johnson had impressive performances on the diamond (Daily Record May 5, 1952).
Max Beasley, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. T.O Beasley of Coats, had been advanced to Aviation Electrician-mate, third class, while serving with the fleet Aircraft Service Squadron 182 based at Naval Air Station, Norfolk, VA. (Daily Record May 8, 1952).
Elsewhere in Coats, Mrs. Pearlie M. Bowden could share that her husband, Marine Private James H. Bowden, had graduated from “Boot Camp” at Paris Island, S.C. (Daily Record May 12, 1952).
Do any of you remember Miss Wilhemina Utley who taught music at Coats and other places as well? She presented a number of her music pupils in a chapel program. Those participating were a piano duet by Billy Smith and Barbara Stewart; a piano duet by Conrey Flowers and Sandra Poole-“Racing Pony”; songs (a) “Wishing” (b) “The Swing”- Joy Starling, Joy Stephenson , Judith Godwin, Joyce Vaughn, Carol Pope, and Sue Noles; vocal duet-“With a Song in My Heart”-Ray Barnes and Ann Pleasant; piano duet-“Le Caviller” by Margie Sorrell and Susan Turlington; and a piano solo-“Majesty of Deep”- by Sue Langdon.
Do you remember those music recitals from your school days? Weren’t they always near the end of school which made it even more exciting because summer was right around the corner? That meant the days would be filled with sleeping late, movies, beach and lake trips-right? Not likely-Coats was a farming community. It meant long hours in the corn fields, cotton patches, tobacco fields and vegetable gardens where the values of hard work, working together, and doing the jobs well were learned. It was during those summer months that some realized that getting a higher education, enlisting into military service or seeking work in the cities would take them away from the heat and toil of the farms.
Many loved the farm community life because it offered other things exiting to do. For example, the home demonstration clubs were beneficial venues for the ladies in the communities to work together. The Goodwill HD Club from Barclaysville had sponsored a cake sale at Stephens Hardware in Coats. The proceeds would go toward a clubhouse. Another opportunity to work for the community was to be in the Coats Fellowship Club. In May of 1952, that club had to replace Clyde Ennis who had served as treasurer of the group because he had taken a job with Carolina Trailways. Mr. E.T. Malone replaced him. The Coats Woman’s Club was another means to socialize and do projects for the good of themselves and the area. Mrs. Owen Odum, with Mrs. Charlie Williams as co –hostess, had met at the home of Mrs. Odum where they heard Dean Burkot from Campbell College present a program on surnames (Daily Record May 12, 1952).
The Harnett Democrats picked Grove I precinct leaders: Mrs. Naomi Hudson, vice chair; Everett Barnes, chair; Eddie Parrish, T.O. Beasley and Richard Hayes, committeemen. Grove II precinct leaders picked were Mrs. Donald Moore, vice chair; D.E. Lasater, chairman; Ted Malone, H.A. Turlington, L.E. McKnight and Mrs. Allene T. Honeycutt, committeemen. Elsewhere, Mrs. Preston Ennis assisted President Mrs. J.A. Ennis at the Oakdale HD Club meeting (Daily Record May 12, 1952).
Other news shared that little Nebsitt Fleming, a first grader at Coats School, was honored on his seventh birthday in his classroom. Miss Bobby Gray Turlington was engaged to marry Frederick Howard Adams, son of Rev. Floyd T. Adams. Bobby was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Turlington.
Coats High School was surely proud that the cafeteria had received an “A” rating under Mrs. Lillian Earp as manager. This was the basement cafeteria in the 1920-21 brick building. On Mother’s Day at the Coats Baptist Church, Mrs. Bishop was recognized as the oldest mother and Mrs. Margaret House was the youngest one. Mr. and Mrs. Sherrill Coats of Camp Lee, VA. and Mr. and Mrs. Neal Barnes of Raleigh were weekend guests of Mrs. James Willis. Miss Patsy Grimes, a student at Flora McDonald College, spent the weekend with her father, Clyde Grimes (Daily Record May 16, 1952).
Mrs. Tom Nordan assisted Wilhemina Utley, well-known music teacher, in a recital at Benson High School. Dr. Leslie Campbell addressed the Coats Senior Class at graduation on May 23, 1952. Mr. and Mrs. Dewey A. Yarley had as their guest, Mr. O.F. Autry. Mr. Mayton Upchurch, Jr., Mrs. Upchurch and Janice visited Mrs. Upchurch’s sister, Mrs. Zack McNeely of Rocky Mount. Mr. E.H. Dixon visited his daughter, Mrs. Mrs. M.D. Bryant and husband. Mrs. W.E. Nichols and Mrs. Donald Moore attended the Democratic Convention in Lillington and heard Terry Sanford of Fayetteville.
Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Matthews and children, Lucinda and Mickey, visited Mrs. Matthews’s sister. Mrs. Fred Fleming and sons Nesbitt and Bland, along with Mr. and Mrs. Guy Stewart, spent the week at Lake Waccamaw. Laura Frances Pope, Wilma Barnes, Doris Messer and Sherrill Willis were home from ECC.
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Penny, Sr. traveled to Johnston County to visit their oldest daughter, Mrs. Lentis Sorrell and her family. Mrs. Clyde Bryan taught six weeks of summer school for those who needed to make up work they failed or those who needed to meet requirements of the grade to which they were to be promoted.
A farmer could trade up to $150.00 for a mule or horse on a Farmall A or Cub Tractor or equipment at McLamb’s Machinery. LeRoy Jackson of near Bailey’s Crossroads, a rising junior at N.C. State College, was elected president of the three colleges Interfraternity Council. He was son of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Jackson.
Miss. Larue Coats, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jeptha Coats, married Carroll Hall, Jr. at the home of her parents. Blaney Godwin conducted the double ring ceremony. The bride wore a white nylon satin gown with a lace bolero and a nylon net accordion-pleated skirt. The bride was a graduate of Benson High School and the Raleigh School of Commerce. The groom was the son of Carroll Hall of Bristol, VA. and was in the US Naval Reserves. How many of you know what the name of their family business?
Thank you goes to Lynda and Robie Butler, the Coats Kiwanis Club, Mike and Claudia Tocci, Kenneth Ennis, JoAnn Turlington and the Victor Gregory Class at Ebenezer for their memorials to honor Dennis Adams. Thanks to the Butlers for remembering Lynda’s cousin, Carsie Denning, Sr. Also thank you to Hilda Pope and H.L. Sorrell for giving to the Coats Museum Endowment to honor Carsie, Sr.
The donation of the old 1914-22 Coats School building given by Carsie’s nephew and niece, Billy and Peggie Pope, made Carsie’s dream a reality to have a community museum. A farm boy who grew up to serve his country in WW II and the Korean Conflict was able to write three books. Two about his experiences on the farm and on the battlefield and the third about M.O. Phillips, a man whom he felt had such an impact on the young men in his agriculture classes at Coats School. The museum has copies of those informative and very entertaining books by Carsie as well a book written by his wife Jenny about her life down a country road. Carsie, you will be missed.
It was in May of 1952 and boys throughout the county were being called up for pre-induction by the Harnett County Draft Board. Two of the young men from Coats were Louis Edward Harmon and Sherrill Edison Byrd. The same edition of the paper also printed that Virginia Ann Turlington and Alene Pleasant were students at Peace College in Raleigh. Does anyone recognize the names of these young people (Daily Record May 2, 1952)?
I do know the Coats baseball team continued to win. The paper wrote that the Coats team “licked” Buies Creek 8-7. Gail Pope, Rex Godwin, and Hoover Johnson had impressive performances on the diamond (Daily Record May 5, 1952).
Max Beasley, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. T.O Beasley of Coats, had been advanced to Aviation Electrician-mate, third class, while serving with the fleet Aircraft Service Squadron 182 based at Naval Air Station, Norfolk, VA. (Daily Record May 8, 1952).
Elsewhere in Coats, Mrs. Pearlie M. Bowden could share that her husband, Marine Private James H. Bowden, had graduated from “Boot Camp” at Paris Island, S.C. (Daily Record May 12, 1952).
Do any of you remember Miss Wilhemina Utley who taught music at Coats and other places as well? She presented a number of her music pupils in a chapel program. Those participating were a piano duet by Billy Smith and Barbara Stewart; a piano duet by Conrey Flowers and Sandra Poole-“Racing Pony”; songs (a) “Wishing” (b) “The Swing”- Joy Starling, Joy Stephenson , Judith Godwin, Joyce Vaughn, Carol Pope, and Sue Noles; vocal duet-“With a Song in My Heart”-Ray Barnes and Ann Pleasant; piano duet-“Le Caviller” by Margie Sorrell and Susan Turlington; and a piano solo-“Majesty of Deep”- by Sue Langdon.
Do you remember those music recitals from your school days? Weren’t they always near the end of school which made it even more exciting because summer was right around the corner? That meant the days would be filled with sleeping late, movies, beach and lake trips-right? Not likely-Coats was a farming community. It meant long hours in the corn fields, cotton patches, tobacco fields and vegetable gardens where the values of hard work, working together, and doing the jobs well were learned. It was during those summer months that some realized that getting a higher education, enlisting into military service or seeking work in the cities would take them away from the heat and toil of the farms.
Many loved the farm community life because it offered other things exiting to do. For example, the home demonstration clubs were beneficial venues for the ladies in the communities to work together. The Goodwill HD Club from Barclaysville had sponsored a cake sale at Stephens Hardware in Coats. The proceeds would go toward a clubhouse. Another opportunity to work for the community was to be in the Coats Fellowship Club. In May of 1952, that club had to replace Clyde Ennis who had served as treasurer of the group because he had taken a job with Carolina Trailways. Mr. E.T. Malone replaced him. The Coats Woman’s Club was another means to socialize and do projects for the good of themselves and the area. Mrs. Owen Odum, with Mrs. Charlie Williams as co –hostess, had met at the home of Mrs. Odum where they heard Dean Burkot from Campbell College present a program on surnames (Daily Record May 12, 1952).
The Harnett Democrats picked Grove I precinct leaders: Mrs. Naomi Hudson, vice chair; Everett Barnes, chair; Eddie Parrish, T.O. Beasley and Richard Hayes, committeemen. Grove II precinct leaders picked were Mrs. Donald Moore, vice chair; D.E. Lasater, chairman; Ted Malone, H.A. Turlington, L.E. McKnight and Mrs. Allene T. Honeycutt, committeemen. Elsewhere, Mrs. Preston Ennis assisted President Mrs. J.A. Ennis at the Oakdale HD Club meeting (Daily Record May 12, 1952).
Other news shared that little Nebsitt Fleming, a first grader at Coats School, was honored on his seventh birthday in his classroom. Miss Bobby Gray Turlington was engaged to marry Frederick Howard Adams, son of Rev. Floyd T. Adams. Bobby was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Turlington.
Coats High School was surely proud that the cafeteria had received an “A” rating under Mrs. Lillian Earp as manager. This was the basement cafeteria in the 1920-21 brick building. On Mother’s Day at the Coats Baptist Church, Mrs. Bishop was recognized as the oldest mother and Mrs. Margaret House was the youngest one. Mr. and Mrs. Sherrill Coats of Camp Lee, VA. and Mr. and Mrs. Neal Barnes of Raleigh were weekend guests of Mrs. James Willis. Miss Patsy Grimes, a student at Flora McDonald College, spent the weekend with her father, Clyde Grimes (Daily Record May 16, 1952).
Mrs. Tom Nordan assisted Wilhemina Utley, well-known music teacher, in a recital at Benson High School. Dr. Leslie Campbell addressed the Coats Senior Class at graduation on May 23, 1952. Mr. and Mrs. Dewey A. Yarley had as their guest, Mr. O.F. Autry. Mr. Mayton Upchurch, Jr., Mrs. Upchurch and Janice visited Mrs. Upchurch’s sister, Mrs. Zack McNeely of Rocky Mount. Mr. E.H. Dixon visited his daughter, Mrs. Mrs. M.D. Bryant and husband. Mrs. W.E. Nichols and Mrs. Donald Moore attended the Democratic Convention in Lillington and heard Terry Sanford of Fayetteville.
Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Matthews and children, Lucinda and Mickey, visited Mrs. Matthews’s sister. Mrs. Fred Fleming and sons Nesbitt and Bland, along with Mr. and Mrs. Guy Stewart, spent the week at Lake Waccamaw. Laura Frances Pope, Wilma Barnes, Doris Messer and Sherrill Willis were home from ECC.
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Penny, Sr. traveled to Johnston County to visit their oldest daughter, Mrs. Lentis Sorrell and her family. Mrs. Clyde Bryan taught six weeks of summer school for those who needed to make up work they failed or those who needed to meet requirements of the grade to which they were to be promoted.
A farmer could trade up to $150.00 for a mule or horse on a Farmall A or Cub Tractor or equipment at McLamb’s Machinery. LeRoy Jackson of near Bailey’s Crossroads, a rising junior at N.C. State College, was elected president of the three colleges Interfraternity Council. He was son of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Jackson.
Miss. Larue Coats, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jeptha Coats, married Carroll Hall, Jr. at the home of her parents. Blaney Godwin conducted the double ring ceremony. The bride wore a white nylon satin gown with a lace bolero and a nylon net accordion-pleated skirt. The bride was a graduate of Benson High School and the Raleigh School of Commerce. The groom was the son of Carroll Hall of Bristol, VA. and was in the US Naval Reserves. How many of you know what the name of their family business?
Thank you goes to Lynda and Robie Butler, the Coats Kiwanis Club, Mike and Claudia Tocci, Kenneth Ennis, JoAnn Turlington and the Victor Gregory Class at Ebenezer for their memorials to honor Dennis Adams. Thanks to the Butlers for remembering Lynda’s cousin, Carsie Denning, Sr. Also thank you to Hilda Pope and H.L. Sorrell for giving to the Coats Museum Endowment to honor Carsie, Sr.
The donation of the old 1914-22 Coats School building given by Carsie’s nephew and niece, Billy and Peggie Pope, made Carsie’s dream a reality to have a community museum. A farm boy who grew up to serve his country in WW II and the Korean Conflict was able to write three books. Two about his experiences on the farm and on the battlefield and the third about M.O. Phillips, a man whom he felt had such an impact on the young men in his agriculture classes at Coats School. The museum has copies of those informative and very entertaining books by Carsie as well a book written by his wife Jenny about her life down a country road. Carsie, you will be missed.