August 15, 2025 Coats Museum News
Recall from last week that you read about family names having different spellings. It was mentioned the spellings of Coates-Coats and Johnston-Johnson as examples. Can you think of others? A newspaper article and picture of Mrs. Dora Coates was printed in the Coats Museum News column last week. She was sister to Albert Coates, the founder and director of the Albert Coates Institute of Government at UNC Chapel Hill and to Kenneth Coates, professor at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. Dora was no small player in the training of teachers at East Carolina College. The article shared about her career at the now East Carolina University began in 1922 and ended 29 years later in 1951.
If you kept that Coats Museum News column, look at the name of the reporter who wrote that column. If you didn’t, the reporter’s name was Mary H. Greene. How do most folks in our area spell that last name? Is it Green or Greene?
Another family name that is prominent is Harnett and Johnston Counties is Cooke or Cook. For example, in the Nov. 17, 1995 edition of the Daily Record it was printed that Garner Cooke, 65, of Surf City, formerly of Coats, had died on Wednesday at the Veterans Hospital in Durham. The Harnett native was the son of the late Andrew M. and Mary Johnson Cooke. He was a member of the Surf City Baptist Church, and Army veteran of the Korean War and a Marine Corps veteran. Survivors included his wife, Helen Beasley Cooke, a daughter and two sons-Teresa C. Addison and Andy Glenn and Andy H. Cooke. Callie C. Williams and Elsie C. Hart were siblings.
Can you think of others in Coats that spell the last name Cook-Cooke differently? This I do know. Alma Mae Ennis was honored on her 88th birthday with a pig picking. Seven of her children were in attendance. Marquita E. Partin, Charles Ennis, Earl Ennis, Diane E. Upchurch, Billy Ray Ennis, William Henry Ennis, Jr., and Gerald Ennis (Daily Record Nov. 20, 1995). Recognize any of those folks?
Is there a Coats Woman’s Club in Coats in 2025? Coats has always had women who made a tremendous impact in the schools and community. Examples are raising money to put lights in the 1921 brick school building and later the seats in the auditorium on the third floor of that same 1921 school building. Can you fathom why they were not there as a part of the plan? Hold on, didn’t parents raise the money to put seats in the 1951 gymnasium on the Coats campus?
The Coats Woman’s Club joined seven other clubs and organizations to reconfigure an army building into the Coats Community Building. One of those club ladies was Mrs. Eva Nichols whose husband donated the land to place the community center upon. Wonder if Eva influenced the giving of those 8 lots for the placement of that building.
A later group of women in the Woman’s Club, along with Coats Kiwanis Club, placed four white brick entrance signs into Coats. Only one is in existence in 2025. The lists of projects that demanded much work and love could be named but in 1995, the Coats Woman’s Club had sponsored a raffle for a handmade Christmas tree skirt. The Victorian Christmas tree skirt was designed with a variety of Old World Santas.
The Coats Kiwanis Club of Coats in cooperation with Don Wilson, principal of Harnett Central High School, had selected Melissa Lynn Stancil to participate in the HOBY Leadership Seminar at Meredith College (Daily Record Nov. 23, 1995).
Here we go with variations in spelling of names. Estelle and Johnnie (not Johnny) Williams were the proud grandparents of Brian (not Bryan) McDonald. The couple traveled to Winston Salem to attend the Youth Appreciation Banquet where Brian was honored as the “Most Outstanding Student” at Parkland High School. Ronnie and Phyllis, formerly of Coats and Dunn, were Brian’s parents.
Would you not like to know where Brian is today- 30 years later? I do know that another Coats Grove couple was on the road also. H.A. and Rachel Turlington, Jr. attended the N.C. Farmers Show in Wilson, NC. Jerry Clower attended his 19th show. Is he still entertaining audiences?
Can you imagine being 90 years old and still working long hours to keep the Coats City Cemetery looking pretty? That was the case with Mrs. Florence Grimes, who celebrated her 90th birthday on Thanksgiving Day. Elsewhere, Mrs. Lona Gregory had celebrated her 80th with a large crowd (Daily Record Nov. 27, 1995).
Coats once had so many clubs and organizations that made an impact on various projects. Two clubs that continue to make the news today are the Kiwanis Club and the Lions Clubs. Both of these organizations have made their mark on the Coats Museum, the Community Building and the Coats Heritage Square. Financial donations, Gazebo, Community Building bathrooms and kitchen renovations were acts of sweat and love of community by members of these two clubs.
Thank you goes to the members of the Coats Kiwanis Club who have given a very generous donation to the Building Fund for a new addition. Thank you to Pat Sutton of Lillington for his generous donation to the museum. The museum volunteers are humbled by the support of out of town folks whether with visits or financial support.
Remember that there is a BINGO night the Coats Senior Center at the 5:00 on August 23rd sponsored by our own LIONS CLUB. Join them for a night at the beautiful Senior Center.
Recall from last week that you read about family names having different spellings. It was mentioned the spellings of Coates-Coats and Johnston-Johnson as examples. Can you think of others? A newspaper article and picture of Mrs. Dora Coates was printed in the Coats Museum News column last week. She was sister to Albert Coates, the founder and director of the Albert Coates Institute of Government at UNC Chapel Hill and to Kenneth Coates, professor at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. Dora was no small player in the training of teachers at East Carolina College. The article shared about her career at the now East Carolina University began in 1922 and ended 29 years later in 1951.
If you kept that Coats Museum News column, look at the name of the reporter who wrote that column. If you didn’t, the reporter’s name was Mary H. Greene. How do most folks in our area spell that last name? Is it Green or Greene?
Another family name that is prominent is Harnett and Johnston Counties is Cooke or Cook. For example, in the Nov. 17, 1995 edition of the Daily Record it was printed that Garner Cooke, 65, of Surf City, formerly of Coats, had died on Wednesday at the Veterans Hospital in Durham. The Harnett native was the son of the late Andrew M. and Mary Johnson Cooke. He was a member of the Surf City Baptist Church, and Army veteran of the Korean War and a Marine Corps veteran. Survivors included his wife, Helen Beasley Cooke, a daughter and two sons-Teresa C. Addison and Andy Glenn and Andy H. Cooke. Callie C. Williams and Elsie C. Hart were siblings.
Can you think of others in Coats that spell the last name Cook-Cooke differently? This I do know. Alma Mae Ennis was honored on her 88th birthday with a pig picking. Seven of her children were in attendance. Marquita E. Partin, Charles Ennis, Earl Ennis, Diane E. Upchurch, Billy Ray Ennis, William Henry Ennis, Jr., and Gerald Ennis (Daily Record Nov. 20, 1995). Recognize any of those folks?
Is there a Coats Woman’s Club in Coats in 2025? Coats has always had women who made a tremendous impact in the schools and community. Examples are raising money to put lights in the 1921 brick school building and later the seats in the auditorium on the third floor of that same 1921 school building. Can you fathom why they were not there as a part of the plan? Hold on, didn’t parents raise the money to put seats in the 1951 gymnasium on the Coats campus?
The Coats Woman’s Club joined seven other clubs and organizations to reconfigure an army building into the Coats Community Building. One of those club ladies was Mrs. Eva Nichols whose husband donated the land to place the community center upon. Wonder if Eva influenced the giving of those 8 lots for the placement of that building.
A later group of women in the Woman’s Club, along with Coats Kiwanis Club, placed four white brick entrance signs into Coats. Only one is in existence in 2025. The lists of projects that demanded much work and love could be named but in 1995, the Coats Woman’s Club had sponsored a raffle for a handmade Christmas tree skirt. The Victorian Christmas tree skirt was designed with a variety of Old World Santas.
The Coats Kiwanis Club of Coats in cooperation with Don Wilson, principal of Harnett Central High School, had selected Melissa Lynn Stancil to participate in the HOBY Leadership Seminar at Meredith College (Daily Record Nov. 23, 1995).
Here we go with variations in spelling of names. Estelle and Johnnie (not Johnny) Williams were the proud grandparents of Brian (not Bryan) McDonald. The couple traveled to Winston Salem to attend the Youth Appreciation Banquet where Brian was honored as the “Most Outstanding Student” at Parkland High School. Ronnie and Phyllis, formerly of Coats and Dunn, were Brian’s parents.
Would you not like to know where Brian is today- 30 years later? I do know that another Coats Grove couple was on the road also. H.A. and Rachel Turlington, Jr. attended the N.C. Farmers Show in Wilson, NC. Jerry Clower attended his 19th show. Is he still entertaining audiences?
Can you imagine being 90 years old and still working long hours to keep the Coats City Cemetery looking pretty? That was the case with Mrs. Florence Grimes, who celebrated her 90th birthday on Thanksgiving Day. Elsewhere, Mrs. Lona Gregory had celebrated her 80th with a large crowd (Daily Record Nov. 27, 1995).
Coats once had so many clubs and organizations that made an impact on various projects. Two clubs that continue to make the news today are the Kiwanis Club and the Lions Clubs. Both of these organizations have made their mark on the Coats Museum, the Community Building and the Coats Heritage Square. Financial donations, Gazebo, Community Building bathrooms and kitchen renovations were acts of sweat and love of community by members of these two clubs.
Thank you goes to the members of the Coats Kiwanis Club who have given a very generous donation to the Building Fund for a new addition. Thank you to Pat Sutton of Lillington for his generous donation to the museum. The museum volunteers are humbled by the support of out of town folks whether with visits or financial support.
Remember that there is a BINGO night the Coats Senior Center at the 5:00 on August 23rd sponsored by our own LIONS CLUB. Join them for a night at the beautiful Senior Center.