April 7, 2017 Coats Museum News
The Daily Record posted the year 1962. It had been five years since Pat Stewart had graduated from Coats High School and had headed to Woman’s College in Greensboro. Upon graduation from there, she had made her way to New York City to become a promotional manager with Warwick and Loegler Advertising Agency. The daughter of former Mayor J.B. and Nan Stewart Williams, she had come home to Coats to visit her parents. Wonder how Pat adjusted to the change of pace in her hometown compared to what she had experienced in New York City. I do know that another Stewart woman had found her way to a faraway state. Mrs. Barbara Jean Stewart had died in Arizona. She was the 23 year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Stewart and the sister to William Earl Stewart of Coats.
Death gleans all ages for it next took Mrs. Elmore Blackwelder, 90, on Friday. The Coats lady was buried in the Williams Cemetery and was survived by two daughters, one being Mrs. Mae Coats and two sons, one being Richard Blackwelder (Daily Record Jan. 1, 1962).
Times were troubling with a war on a foreign soil that was causing concern in America. How involved would America become in Vietnam? Marine Lance Cpl. James H. Lee of Coats had undergone 6 weeks of training in Puerto Rica with the 2nd Battalion, Second Marine Division.
Back in Coats, the Class of 1949 at Coats High School had held its annual class reunion at Luke’s Café. After dinner, the Class of 1959 joined the group for an evening of dancing. Those in the Class of 1949 were Joyce Turlington Ogburn, Joyce Parrish Carter, Frances Tart Matthews, Jeanine Ennis Klutz, Lunette Sorrell Vaughn, Neal Barnes, Ruth Sexton, Evangeline Stewart, Jackie Bass, Bill Allen, and Harold Flowers. Those from the Class of 1959 who joined the 49er’s were Billy Pope, Harold Dixon, Ronnie Langdon, Larry Denning, Jimmy Johnson, Tommy Denning, Vickie Lou Lee, Sybil Beasley, Jerry and Glenda Norris, David Langdon, Phillip Nordan, Jeanette Beasley Hardee, Bland and Joy Dan Fleming, Edgar Sorrell, and David Weaver. Do you wonder how this combined reunion transpired?
I do know that Lt. Colonel and Mrs. Bob Kelly had spent the Christmas holidays with his mom, Mrs. Lucy Kelly in Coats. Another news item shared was that Marine Private Janet Howard, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Howard of Route Two, Angier, had graduated from the Aviation Familiarization School at the Naval Air Technical Center, Memphis, Tennessee (Daily Record Jan. 2, 1962).
We have read what our military folks were up to, but what about those who were a bit too young to be in the military but not too young to be on the basketball courts? The Coats young students had played a basketball game against the Erwin Redskins. Bobby Fish had led Coats to victory with 25 points; Johnny Malone hit 11; Sammy Pope dropped 7 and Gerald Hayes, Jr. and Ronald Avery had two each for the remaining points in the 50-49 Coats win. The Coats girls’ team also defeated the Redskins of Erwin by one point. Sarah Ennis led the team with 20 points and was followed by Dottie Bowden with 15. Janice Upchurch had 14 points for the final score of 49-48 (Daily Record Jan. 3, 1962).
Mr. and Mrs. Tilman Butts of Route 2, Angier had announced the marriage of their daughter, Linda Gray Butts, to Harold Elmon Barnes. The marriage took place in Dillon, S.C. on December 23 rd. Was going to Dillon, SC referred to as “running off to get married” by the earlier generations?
By the way, does the name Linda Barnes sound familiar to any of you? Linda was an outstanding teacher at Coats most of her career and was loved by her coworkers and students. Does anyone know where Linda is today?
The Coats boys’ team was in a winning streak as the Yellow Jackets defeated the Benson by a score of 40-31. Who hit the net the most? Sammy Pope had 12 points while Ray Lee shot 9. Some say that the foul shots can win or lose a game. Would it interest you to know that Coats hit 20 of their 22 free throws (Daily Record Jan. 4, 1962)?
Death had once again made its presence in the Coats community. Michael Linwood Pleasant, 11 week-old son of Linwood and Lera Bennett Pleasant, had died on Saturday morning (Daily Record Jan. 8, 1962).
While Lera and Linwood were mourning the death of their son, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Barbour were celebrating the birth of their son in Good Hope. The mother was the former Ann Tart (Daily Record Jan. 9, 1962).
Deaths and births always draw readers to the newsprint. Such was the case in 1962 as readers learned that Mrs. Minnie Elizabeth Reaves, 67, of Coats had died and the family had Revs. Frank Nordan, Blaney L. Godwin and Lester Lee officiated at the funeral.
At least one good bit of excitement was in the news and it was that Benson would celebrate its 75th birthday (Daily Record Jan. 11, 1962). Question-if Benson was to celebrate its 75th birthday in 1962, when was the town chartered?
We have been reading about Home Demonstration Clubs it seems like forever. The clubs continued to have strong support from the community women such as the ladies in the Turlington HD Club where they met with Mrs. Garland Johnson as hostess. President Mrs. M.C. Stewart introduced the program on “Savings and Investments.” Mrs. Charlie Williams was elected as vice president.
Elsewhere, the Coats JV teams had defeated the Erwin Redskins in the Erwin gym. For those of you who played on those teams, do you recall the name of the coaches? Was Jean Warren the girls coach and could Chester Honeycutt, the student teacher under Mr. M.O. Phillips, been the JV boys’ coach (Daily Record Jan. 11, 1962).
Who remembers reading about a special lady named Mrs. J.R. Butler? Some may recall that she was the widow of Dr. H.C. Roberts who had died from injuries of his plane crash which occurred in the area of the street that Ruth Upchurch and Betty Vaughn reside. Dr. Roberts had made a landing strip in that area of town which was behind his Sears house located on McKinley Street. Mrs. Roberts later married a dentist from Dunn and became Mrs. J.R. Butler. They raised her two sons-Haywood and Clarence. Most know that Clarence later became a dentist in Dunn and that family had a keen interest in aviation. This edition of the paper shared that Mrs. Butler was home from Rex where she had been a patient for several days following a broken ankle (Daily Record Jan. 12, 1962).
Many people in Harnett County made their living by working at the Erwin Mills. Who knows when it was sold to Burlington Industries? According to the January 19, 1962 Daily Record it was printed that the company had been sold.
What a ride the Dunn Museum folks will travel as they move into the new site. How lucky they are to have a corner location amongst all the shops for museum goers to visit after or before a tour into glimpses into the past of Dunn. We are often asked by callers who want to visit the Coats Museum “What else can we visit while we are in Coats?”
We were delighted to have Myrtle and Howard Bridges visit the museum last week. The museum volunteers are so excited about having an exhibit displaying some of Myrtle’s collection of Depression glass. She brought a few pieces for us to see and we were awed. It is hard to believe Depression glass was given away as promotions or premium items for other products. It was packaged in cereal boxes, flour sacks, or given as incentive gifts for buying tickets at local movie theaters or products from gasoline stations and grocery stores. Selling or buying certain amounts of seeds or selling magazines or saving coupons from soap purchases could be redeemed for Depression glass.
Question-do you know the years that the most Depression glass was made and how it was made? Are there different colors and patterns? The glass was definitely before the popular use of plastic and paper products. You must come by and see the new exhibit. We are also excited that Myrtle is on board to help us with our next exhibit for the glass tunnel. She is truly a talented lady.
Desi Campbell and Peggy Robinson had a wonderful turnout for their last Sunday afternoon event. Much was enjoyed and learned about African American Heritage. We are so excited about their work. The folks at the museum are also working tirelessly to publish our book, “The Defenders of the Red, White and Blue,” which will include the names, pictures, stories, and letters that we have been able to collect about those who served our country in the armed services.
The Daily Record posted the year 1962. It had been five years since Pat Stewart had graduated from Coats High School and had headed to Woman’s College in Greensboro. Upon graduation from there, she had made her way to New York City to become a promotional manager with Warwick and Loegler Advertising Agency. The daughter of former Mayor J.B. and Nan Stewart Williams, she had come home to Coats to visit her parents. Wonder how Pat adjusted to the change of pace in her hometown compared to what she had experienced in New York City. I do know that another Stewart woman had found her way to a faraway state. Mrs. Barbara Jean Stewart had died in Arizona. She was the 23 year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Stewart and the sister to William Earl Stewart of Coats.
Death gleans all ages for it next took Mrs. Elmore Blackwelder, 90, on Friday. The Coats lady was buried in the Williams Cemetery and was survived by two daughters, one being Mrs. Mae Coats and two sons, one being Richard Blackwelder (Daily Record Jan. 1, 1962).
Times were troubling with a war on a foreign soil that was causing concern in America. How involved would America become in Vietnam? Marine Lance Cpl. James H. Lee of Coats had undergone 6 weeks of training in Puerto Rica with the 2nd Battalion, Second Marine Division.
Back in Coats, the Class of 1949 at Coats High School had held its annual class reunion at Luke’s Café. After dinner, the Class of 1959 joined the group for an evening of dancing. Those in the Class of 1949 were Joyce Turlington Ogburn, Joyce Parrish Carter, Frances Tart Matthews, Jeanine Ennis Klutz, Lunette Sorrell Vaughn, Neal Barnes, Ruth Sexton, Evangeline Stewart, Jackie Bass, Bill Allen, and Harold Flowers. Those from the Class of 1959 who joined the 49er’s were Billy Pope, Harold Dixon, Ronnie Langdon, Larry Denning, Jimmy Johnson, Tommy Denning, Vickie Lou Lee, Sybil Beasley, Jerry and Glenda Norris, David Langdon, Phillip Nordan, Jeanette Beasley Hardee, Bland and Joy Dan Fleming, Edgar Sorrell, and David Weaver. Do you wonder how this combined reunion transpired?
I do know that Lt. Colonel and Mrs. Bob Kelly had spent the Christmas holidays with his mom, Mrs. Lucy Kelly in Coats. Another news item shared was that Marine Private Janet Howard, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Howard of Route Two, Angier, had graduated from the Aviation Familiarization School at the Naval Air Technical Center, Memphis, Tennessee (Daily Record Jan. 2, 1962).
We have read what our military folks were up to, but what about those who were a bit too young to be in the military but not too young to be on the basketball courts? The Coats young students had played a basketball game against the Erwin Redskins. Bobby Fish had led Coats to victory with 25 points; Johnny Malone hit 11; Sammy Pope dropped 7 and Gerald Hayes, Jr. and Ronald Avery had two each for the remaining points in the 50-49 Coats win. The Coats girls’ team also defeated the Redskins of Erwin by one point. Sarah Ennis led the team with 20 points and was followed by Dottie Bowden with 15. Janice Upchurch had 14 points for the final score of 49-48 (Daily Record Jan. 3, 1962).
Mr. and Mrs. Tilman Butts of Route 2, Angier had announced the marriage of their daughter, Linda Gray Butts, to Harold Elmon Barnes. The marriage took place in Dillon, S.C. on December 23 rd. Was going to Dillon, SC referred to as “running off to get married” by the earlier generations?
By the way, does the name Linda Barnes sound familiar to any of you? Linda was an outstanding teacher at Coats most of her career and was loved by her coworkers and students. Does anyone know where Linda is today?
The Coats boys’ team was in a winning streak as the Yellow Jackets defeated the Benson by a score of 40-31. Who hit the net the most? Sammy Pope had 12 points while Ray Lee shot 9. Some say that the foul shots can win or lose a game. Would it interest you to know that Coats hit 20 of their 22 free throws (Daily Record Jan. 4, 1962)?
Death had once again made its presence in the Coats community. Michael Linwood Pleasant, 11 week-old son of Linwood and Lera Bennett Pleasant, had died on Saturday morning (Daily Record Jan. 8, 1962).
While Lera and Linwood were mourning the death of their son, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Barbour were celebrating the birth of their son in Good Hope. The mother was the former Ann Tart (Daily Record Jan. 9, 1962).
Deaths and births always draw readers to the newsprint. Such was the case in 1962 as readers learned that Mrs. Minnie Elizabeth Reaves, 67, of Coats had died and the family had Revs. Frank Nordan, Blaney L. Godwin and Lester Lee officiated at the funeral.
At least one good bit of excitement was in the news and it was that Benson would celebrate its 75th birthday (Daily Record Jan. 11, 1962). Question-if Benson was to celebrate its 75th birthday in 1962, when was the town chartered?
We have been reading about Home Demonstration Clubs it seems like forever. The clubs continued to have strong support from the community women such as the ladies in the Turlington HD Club where they met with Mrs. Garland Johnson as hostess. President Mrs. M.C. Stewart introduced the program on “Savings and Investments.” Mrs. Charlie Williams was elected as vice president.
Elsewhere, the Coats JV teams had defeated the Erwin Redskins in the Erwin gym. For those of you who played on those teams, do you recall the name of the coaches? Was Jean Warren the girls coach and could Chester Honeycutt, the student teacher under Mr. M.O. Phillips, been the JV boys’ coach (Daily Record Jan. 11, 1962).
Who remembers reading about a special lady named Mrs. J.R. Butler? Some may recall that she was the widow of Dr. H.C. Roberts who had died from injuries of his plane crash which occurred in the area of the street that Ruth Upchurch and Betty Vaughn reside. Dr. Roberts had made a landing strip in that area of town which was behind his Sears house located on McKinley Street. Mrs. Roberts later married a dentist from Dunn and became Mrs. J.R. Butler. They raised her two sons-Haywood and Clarence. Most know that Clarence later became a dentist in Dunn and that family had a keen interest in aviation. This edition of the paper shared that Mrs. Butler was home from Rex where she had been a patient for several days following a broken ankle (Daily Record Jan. 12, 1962).
Many people in Harnett County made their living by working at the Erwin Mills. Who knows when it was sold to Burlington Industries? According to the January 19, 1962 Daily Record it was printed that the company had been sold.
What a ride the Dunn Museum folks will travel as they move into the new site. How lucky they are to have a corner location amongst all the shops for museum goers to visit after or before a tour into glimpses into the past of Dunn. We are often asked by callers who want to visit the Coats Museum “What else can we visit while we are in Coats?”
We were delighted to have Myrtle and Howard Bridges visit the museum last week. The museum volunteers are so excited about having an exhibit displaying some of Myrtle’s collection of Depression glass. She brought a few pieces for us to see and we were awed. It is hard to believe Depression glass was given away as promotions or premium items for other products. It was packaged in cereal boxes, flour sacks, or given as incentive gifts for buying tickets at local movie theaters or products from gasoline stations and grocery stores. Selling or buying certain amounts of seeds or selling magazines or saving coupons from soap purchases could be redeemed for Depression glass.
Question-do you know the years that the most Depression glass was made and how it was made? Are there different colors and patterns? The glass was definitely before the popular use of plastic and paper products. You must come by and see the new exhibit. We are also excited that Myrtle is on board to help us with our next exhibit for the glass tunnel. She is truly a talented lady.
Desi Campbell and Peggy Robinson had a wonderful turnout for their last Sunday afternoon event. Much was enjoyed and learned about African American Heritage. We are so excited about their work. The folks at the museum are also working tirelessly to publish our book, “The Defenders of the Red, White and Blue,” which will include the names, pictures, stories, and letters that we have been able to collect about those who served our country in the armed services.
