December 13, 2019 Coats Museum News
The news in May of 1981 shared that Army Sgt. Major James Tadlock, Jr. received the certificate accompanying the Legion of Merit from Brig. General Leo A. Brooks, commander, U.S. Army Troop Support Agency. Tadlock received the honor for his extraordinary meritorious service throughout his prestigious military career of more than 27 years in which he served as senior enlisted aide to General Ben Harrell. During more than seven years at TSA, Tadlock directly assisted more than 12,158 active Army and reserve component food service personnel operating more than 1,305 dining facilities (Daily Record May 18, 1981).
Some 100 citizens living beyond the city limits of Coats voiced loud concerns that they wanted no part of annexation into the city limits of Coats. The town had called the hearing to consider the establishment of one –mile extraterritorial limit around the town. The board tried to assure the group that the hearing was not about annexation (Daily Record May 15, 1981).
The Coats Woman’s Club chose the Michael Allen Smith family as the Coats Family of the Year. The family was composed of Michael A. Smith, Sondra Ennis Smith and sons-Marty and Brandon. Mrs. Smith had attended ECU and graduated from Campbell University. She was a third grade teacher at Four Oaks Elementary. Michael, coordinator for vocational education programs at Four Oaks and Benson, was a graduate of CU and received his masters from ECU. Both were very active in the Coats Baptist Church. “The Smith Family is a good example of what today’s Christian American home should be, “stated Mrs. Margaret Johnson, as she presented the award to the family. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Ennis of Coats and Mr. and Mrs. S.L. Smith of Garland were parents of the couple (Daily Record May 20, 1981).
Karen Fuquay was awarded an academic scholarship to Campbell University. The Coats High 1981 graduate, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Fuquay, was chief marshal of her graduating class (Daily Record May 21, 1981). Cathy Johnson had received the Presidential Scholarship to CU in the amount of $1,000 per year. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Johnson, Jr. (Daily Record June 4, 1981).
Attorney Gerald Hayes talked with CIA Chief Bill Colby, Sheik Said, and Sheikka at a cookout (Daily Record May 25, 1981).
Mr. and Mrs. Kent Hudson of St. Simons Island, GA announced the birth of a daughter. Mrs. Hudson was the former Phyllis Penny, daughter of Mrs. John Phillips, and Kent’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. Mack R. Hudson (Daily Record May 26, 1981).
Robert V. House of Coats had received his Master of Science in Public Health during commencement on May 17th at UNC Chapel Hill. Robert planned to pursue his PhD degree from NCSU in Raleigh. Mr. and Mrs. Dave House were the parents (Daily Record May 26, 1981).
In 1981, the people of Coats should have been proud of the relentless and enthusiastic effort of the volunteer firemen who were led by Norfleet Gardner. When the Grove Rural Fire District originated, the source of income was from the rural taxpayers at a rate of 15 cents per $100 property value. The rate dropped to 12 cents in 1979. The board members voted to lower the rate to 8 cents per $100 in 1982 budget. Those Coats members in 1981 were Gail Pope, vice president; McLuin Parrish, secretary; Carlos Dixon, board member, Robert Pleasant, board member and fireman; Harold Dixon, publicity; Jim Pollard, board member and ex fireman; James Grimes, president and fireman; and Norfleet Gardner, fire chief and treasurer; and Johnny Williams, board member (Daily Record May 27, 1981).
April Michelle Nordan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Nordan, celebrated her second birthday. Bobby Tyndall and Ann Bass were two of her guests. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Norris, Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Nordan were her grandparents (Daily Record May 29, 1981).
The Coats Class of 1934 held a Reunion at Wade’s BBQ in Coats. The class members who attended were Alease Turlington Barbee, Mavor Williams Penny, Lovie Pollard Betts, Grace Wright Harmon, Alice Barnes Warren, Lela Sorrell Miller, Johnnie R. Barnes, Lindsey B. Tart, Owen H. Willis, Marjorie Matthews Byrd, Herbert L. Johnson, Joe H. Penny, and Hazel Gunter Sorrell (Daily Record May 29, 1981).
Evit W. “Preacher” Denning, 70, retired farmer of Route 2, Angier, had died on Monday. Funeral services were held at Overby-Johnson Funeral Home Chapel with burial in the Harnett Memorial Park. Survivors were his wife, Mrs. Martha Pate Denning, a daughter- Mrs. La Rue Poe, a son-Gerald Denning; two sisters-Mrs. Ollie Roper and Mrs. Kizzie Denning and four bothers -Ezra, Carsie, Hyson, and Arthur Denning (Daily Record June 3, 1981).
For the class of 1981, the memories of school days are locked behind windows in which there is no key. Nothing about them can be changed only recalled as the “good years-the time of happy tears”. What memories were locked behind those windows? Brent Bowden was class president; Joel Dorman-vice president; Shelia Matthews-secretary-treasurer. The class had selected Charlie Holshouser and Venessa Porter as mascots. Let’s review the decisions made by classmates in selecting peers for various honors and recognitions. They selected Mr. and Mrs. Echoing Memories to be Sandy Langdon and Tonya Barnes. Joe Ferrell and Karen Fuquay were voted Most Intellectual; Most Original was Denise Denning and Teddy Byrd; Shelia Matthews and John Draag were the Neatest. The good looks of Sue Stewart and Edwin Ennis won them the title of Beau and Belle. Sherri Williams and Robert White were Most Athletic. Lori Sills and Tony Capps were thought to be the Most Talented. Most Likely to Succeed title went to Joel Dorman and Kathy Turlington.The sands of time revealed that Rose Young and Brent Bowden were Most Dependable while Delores Royster and Carlie Cole’s polite manners won them the votes for Friendliest. Who in the class could bring a smile from the classmates? Class history has Coleen Bacon and James Lee as the Wittiest. What did Cathy Johnson and Tim Turlington have in common? They were voted Best Sports. Charlie Ray and Carole Tart were the Most Courteous and Rodney Pleasant and Shari Gardner were the Cutest. Mary Young and Gary Baker were the Most School Spirited. Who won the prestigious Best All Around? The yearbook of 1981 shared that honor went to Levon Johnson and Brenda Roper.
Who were the seniors of 1981? See how many of them continue to live in the Coats community. Carolyn Ammons, Coleen Bacon, Gary Baker, Tonya Barnes, Roosevelt Barnes, Brent Bowden, Charles Byrd, Teddy Byrd, William Byrd, Tony Capps, Carlie Cole, Denise Denning, Joel Dorman, John Draag, Edwin Ennis, Joe Ferrell, Tim Fish, Karen Fuquay, Shari Gardner, Carol Hawley, Phil Jernigan, Cathy Johnson, Levon Johnson, Sandy Langdon, James Lee, Shelia Matthews, Donna McLeod, Cindy Mosby, Rodney Pleasant, Charlie Ray, Brenda Roper, Delores Royster, Cora Spurlock, Dorothy Seawright, Lori Sills, Faith Spears, Tim Stephenson, Sherry Stevens, Sue Stewart, Carole Tart, Kathy Turlington, Tim Turlington, Kelli Vann, Robert White, Sherri Williams, Mary Young and Rose Young (Echoing Memories Yearbook of Coats High School 1981). Have any of them retired now?
Does it seen just yesterday that we were reading that Randy Hedgepeth was the district’s nominee for the Cain Morehead Scholarship? In 1981, James Randy Hedgepeth is the 23 years old son of Mr. and Mrs. James R. Hedgepeth of Coats. Randy had entered his third year work as a student of medicine at UNC Chapel Hill. Hedgepeth was a 1975 graduate of Coats. He was a Phi Beta Kappa student, Josephus Daniels scholar and recipient of numerous academic awards at UNC (Daily Record June 10, 1981).
Randy did not return to Coats but his siblings-Danny and Angel can be seen around Coats.
Mrs. Exie Partin Matthews, 70, of Coats, had died on Monday at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh. She was the widow of Barbee W. Matthews. Services were at the Pleasant Memory Baptist Church. Surviving her were two daughters-Mrs. Dot Byrd and Mrs. Pat Briggs, and three sons-Barbee J., Phillip and Ricky Matthews (Daily Record June 10, 1981).
Mr. and Mrs. Andy Lamm of Coats announced the birth of Candace at Rex Hospital. Mrs. Lamm was the former Kathy Sue Honeycutt. Grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Warren Honeycutt and Mr. and Mrs. Russell Lamm of Coats (Daily Record June 10, 1981).
The Coats Board of Commissioners adopted the one-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction. The board unanimously approved a water rate hike of 55 cents per thousand gallons for additional usage-that was for each thousand gallons above the minimum of 2,000. The base rate of $6.50 for the first 2,000 gallons of water remained the same (Daily Record June 12, 1981). Today how many bottles of water can you buy for $6.50 at festivals? Does 55 cents per thousand gallons sound like a bargain?
The volunteers are excited that we are finding more and more information about our Eagle Scouts in Troop 779. Should you know one, please share the address or phone number with a volunteer at the Coats Museum (910 897-2525) so we can forward the Eagle information with organizers Marc Powell and Kevin Pope? This information will help us with a very informative exhibit and an exciting open house. Importantly, the museum volunteers will have verified and preserved the valuable role and impact of the young men in the Coats community.
The news in May of 1981 shared that Army Sgt. Major James Tadlock, Jr. received the certificate accompanying the Legion of Merit from Brig. General Leo A. Brooks, commander, U.S. Army Troop Support Agency. Tadlock received the honor for his extraordinary meritorious service throughout his prestigious military career of more than 27 years in which he served as senior enlisted aide to General Ben Harrell. During more than seven years at TSA, Tadlock directly assisted more than 12,158 active Army and reserve component food service personnel operating more than 1,305 dining facilities (Daily Record May 18, 1981).
Some 100 citizens living beyond the city limits of Coats voiced loud concerns that they wanted no part of annexation into the city limits of Coats. The town had called the hearing to consider the establishment of one –mile extraterritorial limit around the town. The board tried to assure the group that the hearing was not about annexation (Daily Record May 15, 1981).
The Coats Woman’s Club chose the Michael Allen Smith family as the Coats Family of the Year. The family was composed of Michael A. Smith, Sondra Ennis Smith and sons-Marty and Brandon. Mrs. Smith had attended ECU and graduated from Campbell University. She was a third grade teacher at Four Oaks Elementary. Michael, coordinator for vocational education programs at Four Oaks and Benson, was a graduate of CU and received his masters from ECU. Both were very active in the Coats Baptist Church. “The Smith Family is a good example of what today’s Christian American home should be, “stated Mrs. Margaret Johnson, as she presented the award to the family. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Ennis of Coats and Mr. and Mrs. S.L. Smith of Garland were parents of the couple (Daily Record May 20, 1981).
Karen Fuquay was awarded an academic scholarship to Campbell University. The Coats High 1981 graduate, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Fuquay, was chief marshal of her graduating class (Daily Record May 21, 1981). Cathy Johnson had received the Presidential Scholarship to CU in the amount of $1,000 per year. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Johnson, Jr. (Daily Record June 4, 1981).
Attorney Gerald Hayes talked with CIA Chief Bill Colby, Sheik Said, and Sheikka at a cookout (Daily Record May 25, 1981).
Mr. and Mrs. Kent Hudson of St. Simons Island, GA announced the birth of a daughter. Mrs. Hudson was the former Phyllis Penny, daughter of Mrs. John Phillips, and Kent’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. Mack R. Hudson (Daily Record May 26, 1981).
Robert V. House of Coats had received his Master of Science in Public Health during commencement on May 17th at UNC Chapel Hill. Robert planned to pursue his PhD degree from NCSU in Raleigh. Mr. and Mrs. Dave House were the parents (Daily Record May 26, 1981).
In 1981, the people of Coats should have been proud of the relentless and enthusiastic effort of the volunteer firemen who were led by Norfleet Gardner. When the Grove Rural Fire District originated, the source of income was from the rural taxpayers at a rate of 15 cents per $100 property value. The rate dropped to 12 cents in 1979. The board members voted to lower the rate to 8 cents per $100 in 1982 budget. Those Coats members in 1981 were Gail Pope, vice president; McLuin Parrish, secretary; Carlos Dixon, board member, Robert Pleasant, board member and fireman; Harold Dixon, publicity; Jim Pollard, board member and ex fireman; James Grimes, president and fireman; and Norfleet Gardner, fire chief and treasurer; and Johnny Williams, board member (Daily Record May 27, 1981).
April Michelle Nordan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Nordan, celebrated her second birthday. Bobby Tyndall and Ann Bass were two of her guests. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Norris, Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Nordan were her grandparents (Daily Record May 29, 1981).
The Coats Class of 1934 held a Reunion at Wade’s BBQ in Coats. The class members who attended were Alease Turlington Barbee, Mavor Williams Penny, Lovie Pollard Betts, Grace Wright Harmon, Alice Barnes Warren, Lela Sorrell Miller, Johnnie R. Barnes, Lindsey B. Tart, Owen H. Willis, Marjorie Matthews Byrd, Herbert L. Johnson, Joe H. Penny, and Hazel Gunter Sorrell (Daily Record May 29, 1981).
Evit W. “Preacher” Denning, 70, retired farmer of Route 2, Angier, had died on Monday. Funeral services were held at Overby-Johnson Funeral Home Chapel with burial in the Harnett Memorial Park. Survivors were his wife, Mrs. Martha Pate Denning, a daughter- Mrs. La Rue Poe, a son-Gerald Denning; two sisters-Mrs. Ollie Roper and Mrs. Kizzie Denning and four bothers -Ezra, Carsie, Hyson, and Arthur Denning (Daily Record June 3, 1981).
For the class of 1981, the memories of school days are locked behind windows in which there is no key. Nothing about them can be changed only recalled as the “good years-the time of happy tears”. What memories were locked behind those windows? Brent Bowden was class president; Joel Dorman-vice president; Shelia Matthews-secretary-treasurer. The class had selected Charlie Holshouser and Venessa Porter as mascots. Let’s review the decisions made by classmates in selecting peers for various honors and recognitions. They selected Mr. and Mrs. Echoing Memories to be Sandy Langdon and Tonya Barnes. Joe Ferrell and Karen Fuquay were voted Most Intellectual; Most Original was Denise Denning and Teddy Byrd; Shelia Matthews and John Draag were the Neatest. The good looks of Sue Stewart and Edwin Ennis won them the title of Beau and Belle. Sherri Williams and Robert White were Most Athletic. Lori Sills and Tony Capps were thought to be the Most Talented. Most Likely to Succeed title went to Joel Dorman and Kathy Turlington.The sands of time revealed that Rose Young and Brent Bowden were Most Dependable while Delores Royster and Carlie Cole’s polite manners won them the votes for Friendliest. Who in the class could bring a smile from the classmates? Class history has Coleen Bacon and James Lee as the Wittiest. What did Cathy Johnson and Tim Turlington have in common? They were voted Best Sports. Charlie Ray and Carole Tart were the Most Courteous and Rodney Pleasant and Shari Gardner were the Cutest. Mary Young and Gary Baker were the Most School Spirited. Who won the prestigious Best All Around? The yearbook of 1981 shared that honor went to Levon Johnson and Brenda Roper.
Who were the seniors of 1981? See how many of them continue to live in the Coats community. Carolyn Ammons, Coleen Bacon, Gary Baker, Tonya Barnes, Roosevelt Barnes, Brent Bowden, Charles Byrd, Teddy Byrd, William Byrd, Tony Capps, Carlie Cole, Denise Denning, Joel Dorman, John Draag, Edwin Ennis, Joe Ferrell, Tim Fish, Karen Fuquay, Shari Gardner, Carol Hawley, Phil Jernigan, Cathy Johnson, Levon Johnson, Sandy Langdon, James Lee, Shelia Matthews, Donna McLeod, Cindy Mosby, Rodney Pleasant, Charlie Ray, Brenda Roper, Delores Royster, Cora Spurlock, Dorothy Seawright, Lori Sills, Faith Spears, Tim Stephenson, Sherry Stevens, Sue Stewart, Carole Tart, Kathy Turlington, Tim Turlington, Kelli Vann, Robert White, Sherri Williams, Mary Young and Rose Young (Echoing Memories Yearbook of Coats High School 1981). Have any of them retired now?
Does it seen just yesterday that we were reading that Randy Hedgepeth was the district’s nominee for the Cain Morehead Scholarship? In 1981, James Randy Hedgepeth is the 23 years old son of Mr. and Mrs. James R. Hedgepeth of Coats. Randy had entered his third year work as a student of medicine at UNC Chapel Hill. Hedgepeth was a 1975 graduate of Coats. He was a Phi Beta Kappa student, Josephus Daniels scholar and recipient of numerous academic awards at UNC (Daily Record June 10, 1981).
Randy did not return to Coats but his siblings-Danny and Angel can be seen around Coats.
Mrs. Exie Partin Matthews, 70, of Coats, had died on Monday at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh. She was the widow of Barbee W. Matthews. Services were at the Pleasant Memory Baptist Church. Surviving her were two daughters-Mrs. Dot Byrd and Mrs. Pat Briggs, and three sons-Barbee J., Phillip and Ricky Matthews (Daily Record June 10, 1981).
Mr. and Mrs. Andy Lamm of Coats announced the birth of Candace at Rex Hospital. Mrs. Lamm was the former Kathy Sue Honeycutt. Grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Warren Honeycutt and Mr. and Mrs. Russell Lamm of Coats (Daily Record June 10, 1981).
The Coats Board of Commissioners adopted the one-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction. The board unanimously approved a water rate hike of 55 cents per thousand gallons for additional usage-that was for each thousand gallons above the minimum of 2,000. The base rate of $6.50 for the first 2,000 gallons of water remained the same (Daily Record June 12, 1981). Today how many bottles of water can you buy for $6.50 at festivals? Does 55 cents per thousand gallons sound like a bargain?
The volunteers are excited that we are finding more and more information about our Eagle Scouts in Troop 779. Should you know one, please share the address or phone number with a volunteer at the Coats Museum (910 897-2525) so we can forward the Eagle information with organizers Marc Powell and Kevin Pope? This information will help us with a very informative exhibit and an exciting open house. Importantly, the museum volunteers will have verified and preserved the valuable role and impact of the young men in the Coats community.