April 26, 2019 Coats Museum News
The month was August in 1976 and the Daily Record was filled with much Coats area news. Mrs. Elsie S. Gregory, 56, of Coats, had died. Services were held at the Rose and Graham Funeral Chapel in Coats with burial in the Devotional Gardens. She was survived by her husband, Woodrow Gregory, and children-Kenneth and Wayne and daughter, Lynda Gregory Weeks (Daily Record Aug. 2, 1976).
Another death touched some individuals in the Coats area. Edward Ennis, 58, of Benson, owner of Ennis’s Barber Shop in Dunn, had died on Tuesday. He was son of the late Nady Ennis and Lovie Jane Pleasant Ennis (Daily Record Aug. 4, 1976).
Mrs. Anne Moore, who lived in Coats, was seeking one of the three seats in the NC Senate and she wanted to improve reading and writing skills, to reform public schools, and to give teachers a greater voice (Daily Record Aug. 11, 1976). Many people thought Mrs. Moore was ahead of her time. I do know she will be remembered for having a beautiful singing voice and being a very rigid and respected professor at Campbell University (Daily Record Aug. 11, 1976).
Miss Cherie Byrd and her chaperone Mrs. Magdalene Dupree were at the Miss Junior Order Beauty Pageant (Daily Record Aug. 13, 1976).
Bob Etheridge, Chairman of the HCBOC, was campaigning in Coats with supporters-Layton Godwin, Max Beasley, Mack R. Hudson, and Nassie Dorman. About 150 people attended the “Burger for Bob” dinner. Other HCBOC members were Jesse Alphin, Lloyd Stewart, Jack Brock and W.J. Cotton (Daily Record Aug. 13, 1976).
Beer and wine sales passed in Coats by a 3 to 1 margin. Carson Gregory won his bid to be reelected to the NC House. He received 5,826 votes while his opponent had received 4,859 (Daily Record Aug. 18, 1976).
Town Manager Mahlon Parker informed the Board of Town Commissioners that the town would receive $14, 375 for a crime prevention officer. Do you wonder how it was to be spent? It was designated $480 for travel to law enforcement school, $520 for supplies, $6,109 for police car and $7, 266 for officer salary with benefits. Did you think that I had some numbers wrong?
I do know that seven businesses had applied for beer and wine licenses-Lamm’s Grocery, Short Stop, Gladys’s Grill, Messer Grocery, Turlington Bait Shop and New Market. What was the seventh? The stores offering the wine and beer had to have at least $1,500 in groceries. Licenses varied from 89 to 150 dollars. Is that how it works today?
Death returned to the Williams family in Coats. Dennis Williams, 74, had funeral services at the Rose Funeral Chapel with his burial in the Williams Cemetery. He was survived by Mrs. Esther Stone Williams, Mrs. Dora Denning, Mrs. Eunice Morgan, Tebo Williams, Allie Williams, and Lee Williams (Daily Record Aug. 26, 1976).
The Swinging Elders (Mrs. Lula Beasley, Mrs. Vira Campbell, Mrs. Mae Coats, Mrs. Carlie Spivey, Mrs. Estelle Stewart, Mrs. Pearl Hasty, Mrs. Thelma Byrd, Mrs. Florence Adams, and Mrs. Mary Hough) were part of the RSVP Rhythm Band that had played at Charles Parrish Nursing Home. Elsewhere, Mr. M.O. Phillips had been appointed to serve as Director of Corporate Relations for the school’s Department of Advancement at Campbell College (Daily Record Aug. 27, 1976).
Dr. Harold Dixon, a Coats dentist, raised his bid to $36,500 for the Coats Teacherage. The two story 6,000 square foot building was offered for sale by the HCBOE. The town had bid $36,380 for the building which they planned to use as the town hall (Daily Record Sept. 10, 1976
The DOT had approved a $122,555 contract to grade, drain, and pave work on McKinley Street (NC55) in Coats. It was to improve one quarter of a mile from Main Street to NC27 (Daily Record Sept. 13, 1976).
The HCBOE approved the hiring of 62 teacher aides. The board approved one new Coats bus driver, Donald Charles. The Coats Junior Order would again sponsor the Coats Farmer’s Day and Wagon Train (Daily Record Sept. 14, 1976).
Harold Dixon, program chairman, stated that a wildlife exhibit of birds and animals and other exhibits would be on for National Hunting and Fishing Day. Movies were to be shown on care of fishing gear and art of casting. All types of offerings were to be available to the outdoorsman (Daily Record Sept. 21, 1976).
Mr. and Mrs. Barry Joe Butts of Coats announced the birth of a son, Barry Joe Butts, Jr., The mother was the former Dixie Pulse of Spring Lake (Daily Record Sept. 27, 1976).
The two winning names were drawn from a hat to determine which of the 860 donators to the Coats Rescue Squad would receive prize offerings. Tommy L. Mills of Lillington and Elsie West of Benson were winners of either a rod and reel or television (Daily Record Sept. 30, 1976).
Several weeks ago, Annie Mae Barefoot Pleasant and Judy Barefoot Joyner visited our museum. While at the museum we talked about the house that Annie Mae grew up in on Bailey Road near Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. If I am not mistaken, Annie said prior to moving into a new house on the now Bailey’s Crossroads Road that they had lived in the Claud Daniel Stewart House. Claud Daniel was an educator and principal at both Ennis and Coats School. Claud Daniel had a house full of children. Likely many of you recognize the names-Guy, Henry and Latta Stewart. Guy owned a Coats car dealership; Henry operated the Stewart Corn Mill and Latta was father to Dorothea Stewart Gilbert. The October 5, 1976 Daily Record printed that Klyce Elon Stewart, formerly of Coats, had died on Sunday. His services were at the Rose’s Funeral Chapel in Coats with burial in the Coats City Cemetery. Four sons-Terry, Mark, Bruce, and Rodney Stewart, survived him. Keith Wayne, Laverne and Evangeline were his siblings. He was son of Henry Stewart. Mr. Stewart was from Orlando, FL where he had worked at a hotel. Did he ever return to Coats after graduating from school?
This I do know. Midget Queen Joyce Johnson, daughter of P.J. and Jeanette Johnson, and Pee Wee Queen Melinda Stanley, daughter of Mrs. Linda Stanley, were chosen as queens for the Coats Homecoming game. Runner-up for the Midget Queen was Shari Gardner and runner-up for Pee Wee was Lisa Eason (Daily Record Oct. 15, 1976).
Surely the trees were dropping leaves blanketing the grounds as Ruth Collier and her daughter, Diane Norris, were talking about flowers in preparation for a December 11 wedding of Diane and Joey Stewart, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Haponski of Coats.
Who remembers Darrell Saunders of Coats? He had joined the faculty of Campbell College as an associated professor of physical education (Daily Record Oct. 20, 1976).
The town of Coats sponsored and paid for a trip to the NC Zoo for the 4-Hers from Coats. Keith Parrish drove the bus and his wife Martha Parrish was the 4-H program assistant. The Goodwill Extension Homemakers Club had met with Mrs. Rebeth Mitchell. Guests were Mrs. H. A. Turlington, Mrs. Hunter Ogburn and Miss Amy Carter. The business was to nominate members for various awards on Achievement Night. Mrs. Sue Parrish was nominated for President of the Year, Martha Parrish for Club Woman of the Year and Mrs. Betty Sullivan for the VEEP Volunteer Award.
Edna Susan Matthews of Route One, Coats had won the Acteen Scholarship at Campbell College for the year 1976-77. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dallas Matthews (Daily Record Oct. 26, 1976).
At the Coats Town Board meeting, the audit had shown that the town was in good shape. The board voted to apply for a $100,000 loan to finance a municipal or recreation area. They also approved $1,000 to the Coats Rescue Squad. They also voted to forward assessment for the cost of curb and gutter work on North McKinley Street (Daily Record Oct. 27. 1976).
The Coats Town Board decided to use loan funds to purchase lands for ball fields, tennis courts and basketball courts. The 40-year loan was to be paid with the town’s share of beer and wine sales. Other news in that edition of the paper shared that Melody L. Neighbors, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Neighbors was engaged to Julius Daniel Gardner, son of Mrs. Sidie Lane Gardner of Coats (Daily Record Oct. 28, 1976).
The Coats Town Board was asked by Ann Thornton to act upon all dogs running loose in town. I have a question for those who have followed the Museum News since 2009. Do you remember reading that cows, hogs and chickens were known to roam the yards of Coats? The town had to call out folks to keep these animals under control and to clean up their yards because of complaints from neighbors of foul odors. I found it was funny that someone would be fined if their chickens were caught outside their yards because I thought who could tell whose chickens were whose and yell “That’s not my chicken!”
Storms were brewing but that did not prevent Larry Campbell from Seven Lakes from returning to the Coats Museum to continue his research on the Campbell family with Myrtle Bridges. He mentioned his uncle was Nathan Campbell who was a graduate of Coats High School, a military veteran and a surgeon in AZ. I checked our “Together We Leave” 1985 Reunion book and found that Nathan had indeed attended and graduated from Coats School in 1934 and in the 1985 Reunion book, he shared that he was a surgeon in Beaverton, AZ. Two pictures of Dr. Campbell as a student are in the book. Time given to the museum is filled with amazing moments.
If you have a copy of “Together We Leave”, you might be surprised how many names you recognize who graduated with Nathan Campbell in the Coats Class of 1934. Visit the museum’s research library to look at our copy if you don’t have one and while there, take a tour of our two museums. I promise you will leave learning something you did not know.
Guess who came to the museum to see his US Navy Blue Angels space suit? Rudy and Judy Hall Eubanks spent a couple of hours touring and sharing information with the volunteers. We also enjoyed a visit from Stacy Avery who once again shared his and Patsy’s generosity to the museum as they gave a memorial for my sister Sue Johnson Richey who was a classmate of Patsy’s. Thank you so much! Thank you also goes to Keith and Karen Parrish. Karen dropped by to give each volunteer a beautiful bag of Easter goodies. Volunteers love working because we witness the best in people.
The month was August in 1976 and the Daily Record was filled with much Coats area news. Mrs. Elsie S. Gregory, 56, of Coats, had died. Services were held at the Rose and Graham Funeral Chapel in Coats with burial in the Devotional Gardens. She was survived by her husband, Woodrow Gregory, and children-Kenneth and Wayne and daughter, Lynda Gregory Weeks (Daily Record Aug. 2, 1976).
Another death touched some individuals in the Coats area. Edward Ennis, 58, of Benson, owner of Ennis’s Barber Shop in Dunn, had died on Tuesday. He was son of the late Nady Ennis and Lovie Jane Pleasant Ennis (Daily Record Aug. 4, 1976).
Mrs. Anne Moore, who lived in Coats, was seeking one of the three seats in the NC Senate and she wanted to improve reading and writing skills, to reform public schools, and to give teachers a greater voice (Daily Record Aug. 11, 1976). Many people thought Mrs. Moore was ahead of her time. I do know she will be remembered for having a beautiful singing voice and being a very rigid and respected professor at Campbell University (Daily Record Aug. 11, 1976).
Miss Cherie Byrd and her chaperone Mrs. Magdalene Dupree were at the Miss Junior Order Beauty Pageant (Daily Record Aug. 13, 1976).
Bob Etheridge, Chairman of the HCBOC, was campaigning in Coats with supporters-Layton Godwin, Max Beasley, Mack R. Hudson, and Nassie Dorman. About 150 people attended the “Burger for Bob” dinner. Other HCBOC members were Jesse Alphin, Lloyd Stewart, Jack Brock and W.J. Cotton (Daily Record Aug. 13, 1976).
Beer and wine sales passed in Coats by a 3 to 1 margin. Carson Gregory won his bid to be reelected to the NC House. He received 5,826 votes while his opponent had received 4,859 (Daily Record Aug. 18, 1976).
Town Manager Mahlon Parker informed the Board of Town Commissioners that the town would receive $14, 375 for a crime prevention officer. Do you wonder how it was to be spent? It was designated $480 for travel to law enforcement school, $520 for supplies, $6,109 for police car and $7, 266 for officer salary with benefits. Did you think that I had some numbers wrong?
I do know that seven businesses had applied for beer and wine licenses-Lamm’s Grocery, Short Stop, Gladys’s Grill, Messer Grocery, Turlington Bait Shop and New Market. What was the seventh? The stores offering the wine and beer had to have at least $1,500 in groceries. Licenses varied from 89 to 150 dollars. Is that how it works today?
Death returned to the Williams family in Coats. Dennis Williams, 74, had funeral services at the Rose Funeral Chapel with his burial in the Williams Cemetery. He was survived by Mrs. Esther Stone Williams, Mrs. Dora Denning, Mrs. Eunice Morgan, Tebo Williams, Allie Williams, and Lee Williams (Daily Record Aug. 26, 1976).
The Swinging Elders (Mrs. Lula Beasley, Mrs. Vira Campbell, Mrs. Mae Coats, Mrs. Carlie Spivey, Mrs. Estelle Stewart, Mrs. Pearl Hasty, Mrs. Thelma Byrd, Mrs. Florence Adams, and Mrs. Mary Hough) were part of the RSVP Rhythm Band that had played at Charles Parrish Nursing Home. Elsewhere, Mr. M.O. Phillips had been appointed to serve as Director of Corporate Relations for the school’s Department of Advancement at Campbell College (Daily Record Aug. 27, 1976).
Dr. Harold Dixon, a Coats dentist, raised his bid to $36,500 for the Coats Teacherage. The two story 6,000 square foot building was offered for sale by the HCBOE. The town had bid $36,380 for the building which they planned to use as the town hall (Daily Record Sept. 10, 1976
The DOT had approved a $122,555 contract to grade, drain, and pave work on McKinley Street (NC55) in Coats. It was to improve one quarter of a mile from Main Street to NC27 (Daily Record Sept. 13, 1976).
The HCBOE approved the hiring of 62 teacher aides. The board approved one new Coats bus driver, Donald Charles. The Coats Junior Order would again sponsor the Coats Farmer’s Day and Wagon Train (Daily Record Sept. 14, 1976).
Harold Dixon, program chairman, stated that a wildlife exhibit of birds and animals and other exhibits would be on for National Hunting and Fishing Day. Movies were to be shown on care of fishing gear and art of casting. All types of offerings were to be available to the outdoorsman (Daily Record Sept. 21, 1976).
Mr. and Mrs. Barry Joe Butts of Coats announced the birth of a son, Barry Joe Butts, Jr., The mother was the former Dixie Pulse of Spring Lake (Daily Record Sept. 27, 1976).
The two winning names were drawn from a hat to determine which of the 860 donators to the Coats Rescue Squad would receive prize offerings. Tommy L. Mills of Lillington and Elsie West of Benson were winners of either a rod and reel or television (Daily Record Sept. 30, 1976).
Several weeks ago, Annie Mae Barefoot Pleasant and Judy Barefoot Joyner visited our museum. While at the museum we talked about the house that Annie Mae grew up in on Bailey Road near Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. If I am not mistaken, Annie said prior to moving into a new house on the now Bailey’s Crossroads Road that they had lived in the Claud Daniel Stewart House. Claud Daniel was an educator and principal at both Ennis and Coats School. Claud Daniel had a house full of children. Likely many of you recognize the names-Guy, Henry and Latta Stewart. Guy owned a Coats car dealership; Henry operated the Stewart Corn Mill and Latta was father to Dorothea Stewart Gilbert. The October 5, 1976 Daily Record printed that Klyce Elon Stewart, formerly of Coats, had died on Sunday. His services were at the Rose’s Funeral Chapel in Coats with burial in the Coats City Cemetery. Four sons-Terry, Mark, Bruce, and Rodney Stewart, survived him. Keith Wayne, Laverne and Evangeline were his siblings. He was son of Henry Stewart. Mr. Stewart was from Orlando, FL where he had worked at a hotel. Did he ever return to Coats after graduating from school?
This I do know. Midget Queen Joyce Johnson, daughter of P.J. and Jeanette Johnson, and Pee Wee Queen Melinda Stanley, daughter of Mrs. Linda Stanley, were chosen as queens for the Coats Homecoming game. Runner-up for the Midget Queen was Shari Gardner and runner-up for Pee Wee was Lisa Eason (Daily Record Oct. 15, 1976).
Surely the trees were dropping leaves blanketing the grounds as Ruth Collier and her daughter, Diane Norris, were talking about flowers in preparation for a December 11 wedding of Diane and Joey Stewart, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Haponski of Coats.
Who remembers Darrell Saunders of Coats? He had joined the faculty of Campbell College as an associated professor of physical education (Daily Record Oct. 20, 1976).
The town of Coats sponsored and paid for a trip to the NC Zoo for the 4-Hers from Coats. Keith Parrish drove the bus and his wife Martha Parrish was the 4-H program assistant. The Goodwill Extension Homemakers Club had met with Mrs. Rebeth Mitchell. Guests were Mrs. H. A. Turlington, Mrs. Hunter Ogburn and Miss Amy Carter. The business was to nominate members for various awards on Achievement Night. Mrs. Sue Parrish was nominated for President of the Year, Martha Parrish for Club Woman of the Year and Mrs. Betty Sullivan for the VEEP Volunteer Award.
Edna Susan Matthews of Route One, Coats had won the Acteen Scholarship at Campbell College for the year 1976-77. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dallas Matthews (Daily Record Oct. 26, 1976).
At the Coats Town Board meeting, the audit had shown that the town was in good shape. The board voted to apply for a $100,000 loan to finance a municipal or recreation area. They also approved $1,000 to the Coats Rescue Squad. They also voted to forward assessment for the cost of curb and gutter work on North McKinley Street (Daily Record Oct. 27. 1976).
The Coats Town Board decided to use loan funds to purchase lands for ball fields, tennis courts and basketball courts. The 40-year loan was to be paid with the town’s share of beer and wine sales. Other news in that edition of the paper shared that Melody L. Neighbors, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Neighbors was engaged to Julius Daniel Gardner, son of Mrs. Sidie Lane Gardner of Coats (Daily Record Oct. 28, 1976).
The Coats Town Board was asked by Ann Thornton to act upon all dogs running loose in town. I have a question for those who have followed the Museum News since 2009. Do you remember reading that cows, hogs and chickens were known to roam the yards of Coats? The town had to call out folks to keep these animals under control and to clean up their yards because of complaints from neighbors of foul odors. I found it was funny that someone would be fined if their chickens were caught outside their yards because I thought who could tell whose chickens were whose and yell “That’s not my chicken!”
Storms were brewing but that did not prevent Larry Campbell from Seven Lakes from returning to the Coats Museum to continue his research on the Campbell family with Myrtle Bridges. He mentioned his uncle was Nathan Campbell who was a graduate of Coats High School, a military veteran and a surgeon in AZ. I checked our “Together We Leave” 1985 Reunion book and found that Nathan had indeed attended and graduated from Coats School in 1934 and in the 1985 Reunion book, he shared that he was a surgeon in Beaverton, AZ. Two pictures of Dr. Campbell as a student are in the book. Time given to the museum is filled with amazing moments.
If you have a copy of “Together We Leave”, you might be surprised how many names you recognize who graduated with Nathan Campbell in the Coats Class of 1934. Visit the museum’s research library to look at our copy if you don’t have one and while there, take a tour of our two museums. I promise you will leave learning something you did not know.
Guess who came to the museum to see his US Navy Blue Angels space suit? Rudy and Judy Hall Eubanks spent a couple of hours touring and sharing information with the volunteers. We also enjoyed a visit from Stacy Avery who once again shared his and Patsy’s generosity to the museum as they gave a memorial for my sister Sue Johnson Richey who was a classmate of Patsy’s. Thank you so much! Thank you also goes to Keith and Karen Parrish. Karen dropped by to give each volunteer a beautiful bag of Easter goodies. Volunteers love working because we witness the best in people.