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                                                                                         December 7, 2018 Coats Museum News
In 1973, it had been 32 years since the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 resulting in the US entering WWII. Shall we have a little history lesson on the man who was leading our country at that time and note how his presidential decisions continue to affect our lives in 2018? The 32nd President of the U.S. was Franklin D. Roosevelt who had everything a child could want. His ancestors were all rich, famous or beautiful. He was fifth cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president. F.D. Roosevelt’s parents were very wealthy and he grew up on a 187-acre estate in Hyde Park, NY. He was educated by tutors and at boarding schools. Before he was 16, he had toured Europe eight times.
He had graduated from Harvard but dropped out of Columbia Law School after failing several courses. He however was able to pass the bar and became a lawyer. He began his political career at age 28 where he won a seat not held by a Democrat in 54 years. He served as Assistant Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson. He lost his bid to be Vice President in 1920.
He was a victim of polio in 1921 and never regained the use of his legs. While recovering from polio, he wrote a movie script based on the ship “Old Ironsides” but no one bought the script. He worked hard to recover the use of his legs but had to use crutches and a wheelchair for the remaining years of his life.
In 1928, he was elected governor of NY. While he was governor, the stock market crashed and the Depression began. He was nominated to run for president by the Democratic Party in 1932 on the promise that “Happy Days Are Here Again.”  His program the “New Deal” was to fulfill his belief that the government had a duty to help its people. One part of the New Deal was called the Works Progress Administration (WPA) which hired men and women to build roads, bridges, and dams. Government buildings were remodeled and new ones built. Did some of those workers help build the 1936 Coats High School building and auditorium?
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was to provide jobs for unemployed young men to plant trees build dams and fight forest fires. More than 2 million men served in the CCC from 1933-1945.
Social Security was part of the New Deal. Roosevelt believed each citizen had a right to a steady income when he retired. Workers would pay some out of each pay check and would have a monthly income after retirement.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was one of the biggest projects of the New Deal. He thought people should have control over the power company in their own area. TVA was a power company owned by all the people who used its electricity. The New Deal changed America and many of the policies are still in effect in 2018.
President Franklin Roosevelt was the first president to appoint a female to his cabinet.  He was the only handicapped president and the only one elected to four terms. He was first president to appear on television. It was during his terms that Prohibition had ended, the Depression had left many people without jobs and homes; the first Superman comic was printed, Walt Disney’s movie, “The Three Little Pigs” had won an Academy Award; Jesse Owens had won four gold medals at the Olympics and regular television broadcasts were started (Bumann , Joan and John Patterson.40 President. Willowisp Press: 1981, pages 114-118).
In our revisiting news in September of 1973, we read that the Coats High School Class of 1974 had decided which students best matched the characteristics of the superlatives for the yearbook. The classmates had voted Deborah Meadows and Joey Pollard as Mr. and Mrs. Echoing Memories. Obviously Ann McKoy and Michael Lee had talent to be voted the Most Talented. Marilyn Coats and Emanuel Matthews were the Most Athletic while Darlene Ryals and Barry Jo McLamb were the Friendliest. Lu Ann Stewart and Michael Wood were voted the Best All Around. Ricky Tart and Teresa Barbour were the Neatest and Randy Pope and Ann Langdon were selected the Most Intellectual. Jean Johnson and David Denning were the Most Courteous and Tony Beasley and Sue Lou Ogburn were the class’s Beau and Belle. The Most Spirited couple was Denise Adams and Ricky Jackson. Judy Stewart and Ron Robinson were Most Likely to Succeed. Polly Denton Sorrell and Johnny Hardee were the Most Dependable. Andy Lamm and LaRue Stephenson had the distinction of being the Cutest seniors. Lou Ann McLeod and Steve Johnson had the ability to make people laugh and won the title of Wittiest. Mary McKoy and Malcolm Smith were the Best Sports. Can someone tell me who was voted Most Original? (Pam Spears and Benny Blackman).  I do know that Jeffrey Denning and Penny Weaver were the class mascots. Miss Coats High Andy Lamm had as his attendant, Steve Johnson. That was in fun-right?
The Student Council officers for 1974 were President Michael Wood, Vice-President Vonda Young, Secretary-Treasurer Dudley Denning, and Historian Cathy Barefoot. The Flag Bearers for the year Pam Stephenson, Anita Wolf, Bonnie Lee, Cathy Roberts and Marilyn Pollard.
Surely all the students had looked forward to the release of the school newspaper each month. Randy Hedgepeth, Becky Suggs, Sandy Neighbors, Ann McKoy, Randy Pope, Vonda Young, Sarah Norris, Ron Robinson, Mary McKoy published the news with the assistance of Miss McNeill who helped the students meet their deadlines.
Students who had shown superb academic success were Lu Ann Stewart, Ann Langdon, Denise Adams, Randy Hedgepeth, Charles McLeod, Leonard Rowland, Susan Matthews and Doris Turlington.
Beauty abounded at Coats High (Sorry--Andy) but Darlene Ryals was the real Miss Coats High. Her beautiful attendants were Deborah Meadows, Ann McKoy, Becky Suggs, Chrishel Ray, Diane Flowers, Jenia Rowland, and Cathy Barefoot.
Outstanding play on the football field had earned Malcolm Smith being named All-Conference halfback (1974 Echoing Memories Coats High School).
Outside the Coats High School campus, death had taken a former student’s father, Raymond Allen Tart, 57, of Coats. He had died in Good Hope Hospital. Rev. John. W. Smith held his services at Skinner-Drew Funeral Home. He was husband of Pearl T. Tart and father to Maylon, Raymond and Mrs. Donald Pleasant (Daily Record Oct. 3, 1973).
Time had come for the filings for seats on the Coats town board. Two incumbents, J.D. Norris and Nassie Dorman, had filed for reelection. Hubert Rowland and John Wiggins had filed along with Mayor Ronald Coats who had no opposition (Daily Record Oct. 5, 1973).
Larry Byrd, an Integon Life Insurance Agent, said that he was 100 percent in favor of the ban on long distance tolls between Dunn and Lillington telephone exchanges (Daily Record Oct. 9, 1973).
Who remembers when there was a charge to call towns like Benson, Lillington, Angier and even Fayetteville? I do know one of the favorite topics often shared when individuals when they observe our telephone exhibit is about the party lines that they remember when growing up. How many digits were in your first phone number?
Rev. and Mrs. Ralph Byrd had a beautiful family. Pictured in the Daily Record Oct. 10, 1974 edition was their daughter Pat who worked for the PCA and joined co-workers in wearing uniforms covered with PCA trademarks.
Mayor Ronald Coats came in second place in a pie-eating contest between local town mayors. Mayor George Joseph of Erwin had won 1st and Mayor Whitley Hood of Benson had won 3rd place (Daily Record Oct. 12, 1973). Albert Regan had joined the group of men seeking a seat on the town board in Coats (Daily Record Oct. 15, 1973).
We always enjoy chatting with the folks who drop by to share items with the museum. Juanita Youngblood from Dunn found a 1950’s picture of a young Dixon girl who was a relative of the Alton Stewart family. After scanning the picture to place it in our Alton Stewart Notebook,  we discovered a letter telling about the Dixon, Messer and Alton Strewart connection with a picture of a former Miss Benson.  The volunteers feel that the Benson beauty is a relative of the little girl in the picture from Juanita. Thank you, Juanita, for adding information to our Research Library.
Lynda Butler enjoyed giving a tour to her cousin Rhonda Denning Stephenson last Thursday.  Rhonda brought her grandson who at age six is very knowledgeable in history.  We always enjoy their visit when he is on track-out. Thank you goes to Rhonda and Randy for their faithful support of the museum.