December 2, 2022 Coats Museum News
The Daily Record displayed that it was the 10th of October, 1991. The news printed that Jennifer Johnson Faircloth was honored with a stork shower at the Coats Senior Center. Jennifer is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P.J. Johnson. Who knows the name of the baby that the shower honored? I bet you do know that Jennifer is a Drivers License Examiner for the state and works out of the Lillington office.
Many times I have written about Rhonda Pope who was ranked at the top of her class at the Triton High School. This article however was not school related. Rhonda Pope was engaged to Michael John Kuzma. The engagement was announced by her parents-JoAnne Pope and Sammy J. Pope. That same October 18th edition shared that the N.C. State Fair (112th) opened on the 18th.
The Coats Fire Department was the big winner in the 17th Annual Firefighters completion held on October 13th. The Town of Coats played host and the Coats Fire Department won four of the five 1st Place trophies. Twelve Fire Departments in Harnett County competed (Daily Record Oct.14, 1991).
In the Coats Museum, we have the history of the Coats Fire Department in our Research Library and we also have an exhibit containing artifacts from the fire, rescue and police departments and it does get much interest from our visitors. Our young visitors have never seen a blackjack or a breathalyzer. Have you?
Celebrations abounded in the Coats area. Mrs. Sarah Godwin had celebrated her 93rd birthday with 75 guests in the Coats Senior Center. Do you recall that you read last week about Mrs. Callie Hudson celebrating her 91st birthday and Mrs. Vera Hodges Neighbors her 90th? You also read that Mrs. Mary Penny Coats had died at 98 years of age. Isn’t it remarkable that all of this news occurred in just two editions of the Daily Record?
I do know that people were living longer with good health care and better nutrition and therefore more couples were celebrating longer years of marriage. For example, Mac Ray and Louine Stewart had celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
To celebrate a wedding anniversary one had to get married and that was what Foy Pope Summers had done. Her aunts-Willa Dean Powell, Carol McGee and Margelene Myatt – had honored Foy and Calvin Summers with a bridal shower event (Daily Record Oct. 17, 1991).
The Coats High Class of 1971 had held its 20th class reunion at the Coats Senior Center. More than 40 class members attended. Cecil and Pam Horton traveled 1,250 mile from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma earning the recognition of traveling the most miles, Mike and Cathy Eason had the most children. The couple with the youngest child was Danny and Elaine Dixon Thomas and the couple married the longest was Tim and Gale Penny.
Triton High’s Dena Denning of Coats had been named to the All-Tri-Six Conference Volleyball (Daily Record Oct. 18, 1991).
It seems that the Coats young people were really making the news in the fall of 1991. Wendy Williams, the current Miss Coats and daughter of Barney and Mary Frances Williams, gave up her title to Holly Turlington. Holly was the sixteen year –old daughter of Dennis Turlington and Barbara Stewart of Dunn. Angela Warren, daughter of Harry and Glenda Denton, was first runner-up. Crystal Kay Cutts was also a talented contestant who was the sixteen year-old daughter of Billy and Nell Cutts (Daily Record Oct. 31, 1991).
The site of the county courthouse continued to have opposition. Five of the Lillington Town Commissioners opposed the move. Other news shared was that the Keith Hills Golf Course had lost its tax status. Campbell University was billed $14, 500 for county taxes because the golf course failed to meet a state requirement (Daily Record Oct. 23, 1991).
Another wedding anniversary was celebrated by a Coats couple. This one was the 25th. Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Ennis of Coats had celebrated their silver wedding anniversary with a reception. Mrs. Ennis was the former Pat Gregory, daughter of Eloise Gregory.
How many of you recall shopping at a little shop on Coats Main Street named Creative Critters? Ann Jones and her husband Casey operated the business. It was an amazing little shop filled with the work of talented artisans. Wonder if Ann used that creative talent in the classroom? I do know that Ann, a teacher at Gentry, was voted the 1991-92 Teacher of the Year. Ann was a teacher of physical education (Daily Record Oct. 24, 1991).
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Byrd, Jr. announced the birth of a daughter, Canden Nicole Byrd (Daily Record Oct. 25, 1991). Who remembers Charles? I taught Charles in a high school history class and later, regardless of where we were, if Charles saw H.L. and me, he would make a beeline to speak to us. It saddened us very much when he died at such a young age and did not get to see this baby grow up to be such a fine young lady. In fact, I have heard that she went to ECU where she was a cheerleader.
Another person who had died young was Linda Paschal Hardison. She was only 50 when she had died on Monday near Benson. Her services were held at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. Surviving her were her husband Leslie Hardison and two children- Stewart and Amy Nicole Hardison. Her mom was the late Nell Paschal Byrd, wife of the late Fred Byrd (Daily Record Oct. 29, 1991).
Are you becoming accustomed to all the 4-way stops on many of our local highways? One that was new traffic pattern was at the intersection of Red Hill Church Road and NC27. Many people have lost their life there. That is the intersection that many visited the Bass Country Store that sold both gas and groceries. In October of 1991, the store was recognized by the CACC as the Business Focus of the Week. The business was owned and operated by Graham Bass and his mother Jackie Whittington Bass. Jackie began to operate the business in 1976. From 1979-1981, the store closed due to loss of the lease. in 1990, Graham and Sandra Bass bought out the store (Daily Record Oct. 30, 1991).
A big thank you goes to Laynelle Penny Stancil from Benson for giving an Honorarium to the Coats Museum for helping her with some Penny research-She was a delightful lady to assist and yes, she is kin to all the Penny descendants of H.H. Penny of Coats. She is remembered for the many years she spent working in First Citizens Banks in Benson and Smithfield.
The Daily Record displayed that it was the 10th of October, 1991. The news printed that Jennifer Johnson Faircloth was honored with a stork shower at the Coats Senior Center. Jennifer is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P.J. Johnson. Who knows the name of the baby that the shower honored? I bet you do know that Jennifer is a Drivers License Examiner for the state and works out of the Lillington office.
Many times I have written about Rhonda Pope who was ranked at the top of her class at the Triton High School. This article however was not school related. Rhonda Pope was engaged to Michael John Kuzma. The engagement was announced by her parents-JoAnne Pope and Sammy J. Pope. That same October 18th edition shared that the N.C. State Fair (112th) opened on the 18th.
The Coats Fire Department was the big winner in the 17th Annual Firefighters completion held on October 13th. The Town of Coats played host and the Coats Fire Department won four of the five 1st Place trophies. Twelve Fire Departments in Harnett County competed (Daily Record Oct.14, 1991).
In the Coats Museum, we have the history of the Coats Fire Department in our Research Library and we also have an exhibit containing artifacts from the fire, rescue and police departments and it does get much interest from our visitors. Our young visitors have never seen a blackjack or a breathalyzer. Have you?
Celebrations abounded in the Coats area. Mrs. Sarah Godwin had celebrated her 93rd birthday with 75 guests in the Coats Senior Center. Do you recall that you read last week about Mrs. Callie Hudson celebrating her 91st birthday and Mrs. Vera Hodges Neighbors her 90th? You also read that Mrs. Mary Penny Coats had died at 98 years of age. Isn’t it remarkable that all of this news occurred in just two editions of the Daily Record?
I do know that people were living longer with good health care and better nutrition and therefore more couples were celebrating longer years of marriage. For example, Mac Ray and Louine Stewart had celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
To celebrate a wedding anniversary one had to get married and that was what Foy Pope Summers had done. Her aunts-Willa Dean Powell, Carol McGee and Margelene Myatt – had honored Foy and Calvin Summers with a bridal shower event (Daily Record Oct. 17, 1991).
The Coats High Class of 1971 had held its 20th class reunion at the Coats Senior Center. More than 40 class members attended. Cecil and Pam Horton traveled 1,250 mile from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma earning the recognition of traveling the most miles, Mike and Cathy Eason had the most children. The couple with the youngest child was Danny and Elaine Dixon Thomas and the couple married the longest was Tim and Gale Penny.
Triton High’s Dena Denning of Coats had been named to the All-Tri-Six Conference Volleyball (Daily Record Oct. 18, 1991).
It seems that the Coats young people were really making the news in the fall of 1991. Wendy Williams, the current Miss Coats and daughter of Barney and Mary Frances Williams, gave up her title to Holly Turlington. Holly was the sixteen year –old daughter of Dennis Turlington and Barbara Stewart of Dunn. Angela Warren, daughter of Harry and Glenda Denton, was first runner-up. Crystal Kay Cutts was also a talented contestant who was the sixteen year-old daughter of Billy and Nell Cutts (Daily Record Oct. 31, 1991).
The site of the county courthouse continued to have opposition. Five of the Lillington Town Commissioners opposed the move. Other news shared was that the Keith Hills Golf Course had lost its tax status. Campbell University was billed $14, 500 for county taxes because the golf course failed to meet a state requirement (Daily Record Oct. 23, 1991).
Another wedding anniversary was celebrated by a Coats couple. This one was the 25th. Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Ennis of Coats had celebrated their silver wedding anniversary with a reception. Mrs. Ennis was the former Pat Gregory, daughter of Eloise Gregory.
How many of you recall shopping at a little shop on Coats Main Street named Creative Critters? Ann Jones and her husband Casey operated the business. It was an amazing little shop filled with the work of talented artisans. Wonder if Ann used that creative talent in the classroom? I do know that Ann, a teacher at Gentry, was voted the 1991-92 Teacher of the Year. Ann was a teacher of physical education (Daily Record Oct. 24, 1991).
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Byrd, Jr. announced the birth of a daughter, Canden Nicole Byrd (Daily Record Oct. 25, 1991). Who remembers Charles? I taught Charles in a high school history class and later, regardless of where we were, if Charles saw H.L. and me, he would make a beeline to speak to us. It saddened us very much when he died at such a young age and did not get to see this baby grow up to be such a fine young lady. In fact, I have heard that she went to ECU where she was a cheerleader.
Another person who had died young was Linda Paschal Hardison. She was only 50 when she had died on Monday near Benson. Her services were held at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. Surviving her were her husband Leslie Hardison and two children- Stewart and Amy Nicole Hardison. Her mom was the late Nell Paschal Byrd, wife of the late Fred Byrd (Daily Record Oct. 29, 1991).
Are you becoming accustomed to all the 4-way stops on many of our local highways? One that was new traffic pattern was at the intersection of Red Hill Church Road and NC27. Many people have lost their life there. That is the intersection that many visited the Bass Country Store that sold both gas and groceries. In October of 1991, the store was recognized by the CACC as the Business Focus of the Week. The business was owned and operated by Graham Bass and his mother Jackie Whittington Bass. Jackie began to operate the business in 1976. From 1979-1981, the store closed due to loss of the lease. in 1990, Graham and Sandra Bass bought out the store (Daily Record Oct. 30, 1991).
A big thank you goes to Laynelle Penny Stancil from Benson for giving an Honorarium to the Coats Museum for helping her with some Penny research-She was a delightful lady to assist and yes, she is kin to all the Penny descendants of H.H. Penny of Coats. She is remembered for the many years she spent working in First Citizens Banks in Benson and Smithfield.