August 21, 2015 Coats
Museum News
Last week you read about wood knockers and the many babies born in the Coats area. You were also introduced to a few of the 1954 graduates of Coats High School. Interestingly, many of our visitors to the museum come looking for pictures of their grandparents and parents when they attended the old Coats High School. Surely many of us wonder what our parents were like as students.
Let’s revisit the 1954 yearbook at Coats and discover how those students’ lives were recorded by their classmates. On graduation night the students carried a daisy chain to honor the class of 1953. To this day, many of us wonder how many times the “daisy” chain was made of running “roses” found in the yards and road banks in the area and not daisies. The students whose grades merited a spot as a marshal were Chief Allie Mae Barnes, Helen Sears, T.J. Barnes, Ann Pleasant and Donald Blalock. At the commencement night ceremony, juniors Dunbar Stewart won the mathematics award and Allie Mae Barnes was awarded the home economics medal.
After the class reached the status as seniors, all forty of them, they elected Donald Blalock as class president; T.J. Barnes, vice president; Connie Mason, secretary; Bobby Smith, treasurer and Carolyn Turner, reporter.
Wonder how Carolyn felt as the only female class officer? I do know that I ran into W.A. Surles at the grocery store last week and asked if he remembered who served as mascot with him in 1954. He promptly replied that it was Phyllis Williams. Right he was. How many of you continue to have your class ring? The class of 1954 ordered their rings that were black with a Roman “C” on the crest. Was there any other public school in Harnett County in 1954 that could have the initial “C” on the class ring?
Another way we can discover how classmates perceived each other is to explore the list of superlatives which were nominated and voted upon by fellow students. The Class of 1954 selected the following and only the passage of time would tell if the choices became realities: Best All Around students, Ann Pleasant and T.J. Barnes; Most Likely to Succeed couple, Allie Mae Barnes and Donald Blalock. Carolyn Turner and Dunbar Stewart were voted the Most Studious and Most Dependable went to Grace Turlington and Bobby Smith. Most Athletic were chosen to be Helen Sears and Tommy Pope and Best Sports were Dorothy Stewart and Hughie Baker. Hettie Jean Byrd and W.M. Allen were the Most Popular couple and Margie Sorrell and Connie Mason were the Wittiest. Mack Stephenson and Margie Holder were the Cutest and Gloria Wilmoth and Stewart Hough were the Beau and Belle. Ann Byrd and Larry Barnes were the Friendliest and not surprising were that the class voted themselves as the Most Original. Ann Godwin was the class prophetess and Phillip Ennis was the class poet. The class flower was the yellow rose and the colors were gold and white. The two classmates who had the responsibility of recording the history of the class were Kathleen Pope and Hughie Baker.
Do any of you get called by a name other than the one on your birth certificate? Many parents and grandparents begin almost immediately to call a newborn by a nickname and sometimes it stays with around for the lifetime.
The following are the forty students who graduated from Coats in 1954 and with their name is the nickname that they were often called by others: W.M. Allen (Cat), Hughie Baker (Ed), Allie Mae Barnes (Mae), Larry Barnes (Lee), T.J. Barnes (Grandpa), Donald Blalock (Duck) and remember he was voted most likely to succeed, Ann Byrd (Giggles), Conray Byrd (Byrd), Hettie Jean Byrd (Beanie), Victor Byrd (Canary), John Bruce Ennis (Buster), Phillip Ennis (Speed), Jean Godwin (Bebop), Margie Holder (Erm), Stewart Hough (Smert), Jessie Ray Howard (Jake), Shirley Jones (Slim), Connie Mason (Monk), Leon McLamb (Weasel), Mary Florence Moore (Mert), Peggy Norris (Shorty), Kenneth Phillips (Baby Face), Ann Pleasant (Nan), Kathleen Pope (Kat), Tommy Pope, (Pope), Helen Sears ((Alene), Bobby Smith (Fuzzy), Melvin Smith (Lacy), Leon Smith (Shorty), Margie Sorrell (Teeny), Mack Stephenson (Eely), Dunbar Stewart (Marx), Dorothy Stewart (Dorshey), Louise Stone (Luncindy), Grace Turlington (Groise), Carolyn Turner (Sparky), Franklin Westbrook (Stein), Janet Williams (Spanky) and Gloria Wilmoth (Glowry) (Echo Yearbook 1954).
Folks, I don’t know about you, but I bet many of those students wonder how in the world those names were attached to them in school. Were some of them meant to be a joke? I do know that a record number of students were expected for the 1954-55 school term and Dr. and Mrs. Eastwood Turlington of Baltimore, Maryland, were honeymooning at Mont Tremblant Lodge in Quebec, Canada. Dr. Turlington was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Turlington of Turlington’s Crossroads.
Other local news reported was that the Goodwill HD Club had built their fine community building in Barclaysville and they had enjoyed a hotdog and ice cream social at the club meeting. Miss Jean Sorrell Sorrell had entered the School of Dental Hygiene at UNC Chapel Hill. Mr. J.M. Pope had opened a six acre pond located next to the Pope’s Lake near Barclaysville. Mr. Pope sold crickets, worms, live bait and catalpa worms (Daily Record Sept. 2, 1954).
Folks, does anyone know the story behind the building of the Pope’s Lake. How was it dug? Does it have any connection to the Black River? Was it there when Harnett was part of Cumberland? Did it ever have another name? There has to be a story behind that beautiful lake.
Remember reading that the Coats School 1954-55 enrollment would be a record breaker. Well, it was. The school peaked at 1024 students. Were some of these baby boomers? How many students were in each room? I do know that Mrs. Louella Godwin Whittington of Benson had died on Monday. She was the daughter of the late Rossie and Sarah Barefoot Godwin. Mrs. Earl Ray Honeycutt was a daughter as was Mrs. Vernon Wood who was a stepdaughter (Daily Record Sept. 8, 1954).
At the Coats High School, the 1954-55 yearbook recorded that Billy Barnes was elected class president, Sue Johnson, vice president; Margie Capps, secretary; Wanda Whittington, treasurer; Joyce Williams, reporter; Glenn Lewis, historian; Susan Turlington, class prophet and Ann Page, testator. Who were the class mascots? Michael Stephenson and Beth Stephenson won the votes.
Mrs. Selma Johnson’s son, Pvt. Johnny V. Stephenson of Coats, had completed the eight weeks Cook’s Course conducted by the Third Army Food Service at Fort Jackson. Cpl. Zennie L Poole, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Zennie Poole, Sr., was returning to the US after he had served in Korea with the 624th Transportatioon Port Company. He had serviced as a mechanic in his unit after entering the army in November of 1952 and had been overseas since May of1953. Elsewhere in Coats, the Stewart Brothers wanted to buy timber in the Coats area. Large or small tracts were of interest to the businessmen (Daily Record Sept. 13, 1954).
The museum has been buzzing with visitors this week-many from far away. Tours were given to folks from Texas, Florida, Illinois, Virginia and Maryland along with lots of in state folks. We also were honored to have Desi Campbell from Charlotte use our museum as one setting for his documentary. Historians, researchers, authors and genealogists- Bryan Avery, Hill Murchison, John and Linda Overbee, Peggy Robinson- were videoed answering questions on a variety of topics related to growing up in Harnett County.
A special thank you goes to George and Lenna Sweat for remembering James Grimes with a memorial to the museum. We cannot give a tour without talking about James Grimes as we share stories about his collection of old phones, his granddaddy’s banjo and his WWII US Navy uniform in our exhibits.
Last week you read about wood knockers and the many babies born in the Coats area. You were also introduced to a few of the 1954 graduates of Coats High School. Interestingly, many of our visitors to the museum come looking for pictures of their grandparents and parents when they attended the old Coats High School. Surely many of us wonder what our parents were like as students.
Let’s revisit the 1954 yearbook at Coats and discover how those students’ lives were recorded by their classmates. On graduation night the students carried a daisy chain to honor the class of 1953. To this day, many of us wonder how many times the “daisy” chain was made of running “roses” found in the yards and road banks in the area and not daisies. The students whose grades merited a spot as a marshal were Chief Allie Mae Barnes, Helen Sears, T.J. Barnes, Ann Pleasant and Donald Blalock. At the commencement night ceremony, juniors Dunbar Stewart won the mathematics award and Allie Mae Barnes was awarded the home economics medal.
After the class reached the status as seniors, all forty of them, they elected Donald Blalock as class president; T.J. Barnes, vice president; Connie Mason, secretary; Bobby Smith, treasurer and Carolyn Turner, reporter.
Wonder how Carolyn felt as the only female class officer? I do know that I ran into W.A. Surles at the grocery store last week and asked if he remembered who served as mascot with him in 1954. He promptly replied that it was Phyllis Williams. Right he was. How many of you continue to have your class ring? The class of 1954 ordered their rings that were black with a Roman “C” on the crest. Was there any other public school in Harnett County in 1954 that could have the initial “C” on the class ring?
Another way we can discover how classmates perceived each other is to explore the list of superlatives which were nominated and voted upon by fellow students. The Class of 1954 selected the following and only the passage of time would tell if the choices became realities: Best All Around students, Ann Pleasant and T.J. Barnes; Most Likely to Succeed couple, Allie Mae Barnes and Donald Blalock. Carolyn Turner and Dunbar Stewart were voted the Most Studious and Most Dependable went to Grace Turlington and Bobby Smith. Most Athletic were chosen to be Helen Sears and Tommy Pope and Best Sports were Dorothy Stewart and Hughie Baker. Hettie Jean Byrd and W.M. Allen were the Most Popular couple and Margie Sorrell and Connie Mason were the Wittiest. Mack Stephenson and Margie Holder were the Cutest and Gloria Wilmoth and Stewart Hough were the Beau and Belle. Ann Byrd and Larry Barnes were the Friendliest and not surprising were that the class voted themselves as the Most Original. Ann Godwin was the class prophetess and Phillip Ennis was the class poet. The class flower was the yellow rose and the colors were gold and white. The two classmates who had the responsibility of recording the history of the class were Kathleen Pope and Hughie Baker.
Do any of you get called by a name other than the one on your birth certificate? Many parents and grandparents begin almost immediately to call a newborn by a nickname and sometimes it stays with around for the lifetime.
The following are the forty students who graduated from Coats in 1954 and with their name is the nickname that they were often called by others: W.M. Allen (Cat), Hughie Baker (Ed), Allie Mae Barnes (Mae), Larry Barnes (Lee), T.J. Barnes (Grandpa), Donald Blalock (Duck) and remember he was voted most likely to succeed, Ann Byrd (Giggles), Conray Byrd (Byrd), Hettie Jean Byrd (Beanie), Victor Byrd (Canary), John Bruce Ennis (Buster), Phillip Ennis (Speed), Jean Godwin (Bebop), Margie Holder (Erm), Stewart Hough (Smert), Jessie Ray Howard (Jake), Shirley Jones (Slim), Connie Mason (Monk), Leon McLamb (Weasel), Mary Florence Moore (Mert), Peggy Norris (Shorty), Kenneth Phillips (Baby Face), Ann Pleasant (Nan), Kathleen Pope (Kat), Tommy Pope, (Pope), Helen Sears ((Alene), Bobby Smith (Fuzzy), Melvin Smith (Lacy), Leon Smith (Shorty), Margie Sorrell (Teeny), Mack Stephenson (Eely), Dunbar Stewart (Marx), Dorothy Stewart (Dorshey), Louise Stone (Luncindy), Grace Turlington (Groise), Carolyn Turner (Sparky), Franklin Westbrook (Stein), Janet Williams (Spanky) and Gloria Wilmoth (Glowry) (Echo Yearbook 1954).
Folks, I don’t know about you, but I bet many of those students wonder how in the world those names were attached to them in school. Were some of them meant to be a joke? I do know that a record number of students were expected for the 1954-55 school term and Dr. and Mrs. Eastwood Turlington of Baltimore, Maryland, were honeymooning at Mont Tremblant Lodge in Quebec, Canada. Dr. Turlington was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Turlington of Turlington’s Crossroads.
Other local news reported was that the Goodwill HD Club had built their fine community building in Barclaysville and they had enjoyed a hotdog and ice cream social at the club meeting. Miss Jean Sorrell Sorrell had entered the School of Dental Hygiene at UNC Chapel Hill. Mr. J.M. Pope had opened a six acre pond located next to the Pope’s Lake near Barclaysville. Mr. Pope sold crickets, worms, live bait and catalpa worms (Daily Record Sept. 2, 1954).
Folks, does anyone know the story behind the building of the Pope’s Lake. How was it dug? Does it have any connection to the Black River? Was it there when Harnett was part of Cumberland? Did it ever have another name? There has to be a story behind that beautiful lake.
Remember reading that the Coats School 1954-55 enrollment would be a record breaker. Well, it was. The school peaked at 1024 students. Were some of these baby boomers? How many students were in each room? I do know that Mrs. Louella Godwin Whittington of Benson had died on Monday. She was the daughter of the late Rossie and Sarah Barefoot Godwin. Mrs. Earl Ray Honeycutt was a daughter as was Mrs. Vernon Wood who was a stepdaughter (Daily Record Sept. 8, 1954).
At the Coats High School, the 1954-55 yearbook recorded that Billy Barnes was elected class president, Sue Johnson, vice president; Margie Capps, secretary; Wanda Whittington, treasurer; Joyce Williams, reporter; Glenn Lewis, historian; Susan Turlington, class prophet and Ann Page, testator. Who were the class mascots? Michael Stephenson and Beth Stephenson won the votes.
Mrs. Selma Johnson’s son, Pvt. Johnny V. Stephenson of Coats, had completed the eight weeks Cook’s Course conducted by the Third Army Food Service at Fort Jackson. Cpl. Zennie L Poole, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Zennie Poole, Sr., was returning to the US after he had served in Korea with the 624th Transportatioon Port Company. He had serviced as a mechanic in his unit after entering the army in November of 1952 and had been overseas since May of1953. Elsewhere in Coats, the Stewart Brothers wanted to buy timber in the Coats area. Large or small tracts were of interest to the businessmen (Daily Record Sept. 13, 1954).
The museum has been buzzing with visitors this week-many from far away. Tours were given to folks from Texas, Florida, Illinois, Virginia and Maryland along with lots of in state folks. We also were honored to have Desi Campbell from Charlotte use our museum as one setting for his documentary. Historians, researchers, authors and genealogists- Bryan Avery, Hill Murchison, John and Linda Overbee, Peggy Robinson- were videoed answering questions on a variety of topics related to growing up in Harnett County.
A special thank you goes to George and Lenna Sweat for remembering James Grimes with a memorial to the museum. We cannot give a tour without talking about James Grimes as we share stories about his collection of old phones, his granddaddy’s banjo and his WWII US Navy uniform in our exhibits.
