February 16, 2018 Coats Museum News
The Daily Record displayed the date July 30, 1968 and shared that Clarence T. Clayton, of Route One, Coats, had attended the 29th Annual Water Works Operator’s School held at NCSU in Raleigh. Elsewhere, Mr. and Mrs. William Earl Stone of Coats had announced the birth of a son in GHH. The mother was the former Shirley Allen. Another Coats couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Tart, became parents of a new son also at GHH. Mrs. Tart was the former Carolyn Lockamy (Daily Record July 30, 1968).
The word came out that all Harnett high schools were to be integrated. The Negro high schools were to be eliminated (Daily Record July 31, 1968).
In the Oakdale area, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Denning of Route One, Benson, announced the marriage of their daughter, Janet Denning, to James Harvey Wilson, son of Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Wilson of Sanford (Daily Record Aug. 2, 1968).
The news of weddings, births and deaths continued into August of 1968. Mr. and Mrs. Ronald E. Allen of Route Three, Dunn, announced the birth of a son at GHH. The former Carolyn Barefoot was the new mother (Daily Record Aug. 6, 1968).
Miss Teresa Byrd had married Donald Ray Stewart at the Oak Grove Baptist Church in Angier. Miss Glenda Flowers and Mrs. Debbie Jones Johnson were honor attendants with Miss Lu Ann Stewart, Miss Julia Byrd, Miss June Stewart and Mrs. Robert Pleasant. Miss Lisa Byrd and Miss Donna Dare Ennis were child attendants. Tony Byrd, Ken Stewart, Edward Gaskin, Nesbit Fleming, and Ronald Coats were ushers (Daily Record Aug. 6, 1968).
Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Sorrell, Jr., Felton (Bill) Wood and son Duane Wood, Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Tripp, Mr. and Mrs. Wade Coats, Mr. and Mrs. T.C. Miller and son Terry Miller, had left for a trip to Nassau. The men in the group had won the trip- all expenses paid- in a contest sponsored by State Capital Life Insurance Company (Daily Record Aug 7, 1968).
Tobacco was being harvested, corn was ripening on the stalk, cotton lint was growing in the bolls, and students were hearing reports that the school integration plan had been rejected again. The school issue was a hot one but not as hot as the temperature in Dunn which was gauged at 96 degrees by the mercury at WCKB in Dunn (Daily Record Aug. 7 and 12, 1968).
Alton Russell Neighbors, 60, had expired on Sunday. His services were at the Gospel Tabernacle Church by Rev. Raymond Potter and Rev. C.W. Kirby. He was survived by Mrs. Lillie McLamb Neighbors; one son Jesse Cleon Neighbors; three daughters- Mrs. Alma McLamb, Mrs. J.L. Adams and Mrs. Clara Lee. His two brothers were Ernest and Edgar Neighbors (Daily Record Aug. 12, 1968).
Graham M. Suggs 38, Route One, Angier, had died on Wednesday. His services were conducted at Overby Funeral Home by Rev. James L. Upchurch. Burial was in the Suggs Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Hazel Lee Suggs, and one son, Mickey, and one daughter, Donna Suggs (Daily Record Aug. 13, 1968).
Army Specialist Five Jesse R. Godwin, 26, son of Lettie M. Stephenson of Route One, Coats, was assigned to Company E, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces, in Vietnam (Daily Record Aug. 14, 1968).
Miss Susan Wood, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P.B. Wood, and James Daniel Royster, son of Dr. and Mrs. J.C. Royster, were united in marriage at the Benson Baptist Church (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1968).
Mrs. Gertie Lucas Dorman, 78, of Coats, had died Thursday in Lillington. Services were held at Cromartie Funeral Chapel by Ken Nester. She was survived by two sons-Sam Dorman and G.O. Dorman and four daughters –Mrs. W.M. Keen, Mrs. R.M. Turlington, Mrs. Mendell Marks, and Mrs. Harvey McLeod (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1968). Those names really sound familiar? Do you know anything about them?
Another familiar name appeared on the obituary list. James Herman Stone, 63, of Coats, had died at the GHH in Erwin. He was a Harnett native and was a farmer. His funeral services were at the Gift PBC in Coats. Burial was in the Nordan Family Cemetery. He was survived by one son Benny Stone and by three daughters-Mrs. C.J. Godwin, Mrs. Louise Williams, and Mrs. Ann Smith. Felton Stone, Lee Stone, Mrs. Laura Stewart, and Mrs. Flonnie Champion, were siblings (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1968).
All Harnett County high schools were accredited except Buies Creek and Anderson Creek (Daily Record Aug. 19, 1968). You have to wonder why they weren’t.
All Harnett County high schools were totally integrated. Mobile classrooms were necessary to house the increase in student population because of the integration of the Negro students (Daily Record Aug. 26, 1968).
Revs. Condary Ellis and Ralph O. Byrd had held funeral services at Hodges Chapel Church for Johnnie A. Miller, 67, of Route 3, Dunn, who had died on Thursday. His burial was in the Devotional Gardens near Dunn. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Beulah Brown Miller, two daughters-Mrs. Edison Byrd and Mrs. Mrs. Leray Ennis. His two sons were Theron Miller and Rudolph Miller. Emory L. Miller and Mrs. Eva Smith were his siblings. He was a retired farmer (Daily Record Aug. 26, 1968).
Private Cecil Wayne Stephenson, the 21 year-old-son of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Stephenson of Coats, was enrolled in the US Army Signal School, Fort Monmouth, N.J. for intensive training in a specialist course limited to soldiers of outstanding promise. Cecil was a 1965 graduate of Coats and the husband of Beverly Langdon Stephenson (Daily Record Aug. 1968).
The high school plan presented for integration had finally been accepted by Judge Butler and Harnett County School leaders then had to plan for elementary school integration (Daily Record Aug. 28, 1968).
Claude Byrd, 66, had died in Duke Hospital. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Pearl Norris Byrd and his stepmother, Mrs. Lida Byrd. Sherrill Byrd, Claude Byrd, Jr., and A.V. Byrd were his sons. Mrs. Maude Smith, Mrs. Mildred Pollard, Mrs. Margaret Whitman, and Mrs. Shirley Creswell were his daughters (Daily Record Aug. 30, 1968). Was Shirley a military veteran?
Mr. and Mrs. H.A. Turlington, Jr. had announced the engagement of their daughter, Laura Ann Turlington, to Fred Thomas Denning, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Denning. Laura was a graduate of Hardbargers Business College and Tommy was an ECU graduate (Daily Record Sept. 3, 1968).
Most students at Coats had left the heat of farm work and had returned to the classrooms in September of 1968. The seniors of 1969 had elected Tim McKinnie as class president; Mike Hudson as vice-president; Gayle Wilkins as secretary and Jone Ennis, Randy Rambeau, and Mary Frances Weaver as treasurers. The Coats Seniors of 1969 had begun school in 1957 and recorded that “thousands of echoes from thousands of memories were embedded deep in their hearts”.
There were echoes of trips to Raleigh, Chapel Hill and eighth grade parties. There were sounds of freedom and work in high school. Barry Butts, Clyde Ennis, Don Ennis, Mike Hudson, Harry Matthews, Tim McKinnie, Keith McLeod, Randy Rambeau, Jeff Turlington, Lynda Daniel, Betsy Weaver, and Pat West were inducted into the Beta Honor Society (Coats High School Echoing Memories 1969).
One of the many blessings in my life was having this Class of 1969 as my first graduating class. They were, then and are now, truly some of the best people I have ever met. Many of them have made a difference in our Coats Museum. At our Defenders of the Red White and Blue Open House, one saw Lynda Daniel Butler cheerfully running around making sure that all were welcomed and informed about the exhibits not knowing that she had spent days putting together some of the exhibits and preparing some of the food for the enjoyment of the visitors. Keith McLeod, Clyde Ennis, Mary Frances Weaver Williams, and Dana Coats Byrd have been so supportive in sharing display items, giving money and dropping in for visits.
You might wonder how the open house and genealogy festival turned out last Saturday on a somewhat rainy and busy day for most people in Coats with Valentine suppers and our favorite basketball teams competing for a win. The event was awesome. A steady flow of visitors met our local artists-Diane Allen, Myrtle Bridges and Sandra Denning. Many purchased the books of our local authors-Charles Malone and Dr. Michael Potts. Larry Johnson, the Liberty Man, traveled through torrents of rain to travel from Richmond, VA to attend the event where he actually had a chance to connect with one of his first students, Judy Ennis from Raleigh. Larry and his cousin, Mary Ellen Lauder, shared family stories. Even our youngest visitor, Lucas McCauley, did not want to leave his favorite exhibits, Toyland and Grandma’s Attic.
We welcomed to Coats visitors from nineteen North Carolina towns and two from Virginia and South Carolina to purchase copies of our military book Defenders of the Red, White and Blue and to attend the Desil Campbell’s Genealogy Festival. We were excited to see friends from other museums support our event. If you were unable to attend to purchase Defenders of the Red, White and Blue, one can be purchased on Thursdays from 9-3 and on Sundays from 2-5.
The Daily Record displayed the date July 30, 1968 and shared that Clarence T. Clayton, of Route One, Coats, had attended the 29th Annual Water Works Operator’s School held at NCSU in Raleigh. Elsewhere, Mr. and Mrs. William Earl Stone of Coats had announced the birth of a son in GHH. The mother was the former Shirley Allen. Another Coats couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Tart, became parents of a new son also at GHH. Mrs. Tart was the former Carolyn Lockamy (Daily Record July 30, 1968).
The word came out that all Harnett high schools were to be integrated. The Negro high schools were to be eliminated (Daily Record July 31, 1968).
In the Oakdale area, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Denning of Route One, Benson, announced the marriage of their daughter, Janet Denning, to James Harvey Wilson, son of Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Wilson of Sanford (Daily Record Aug. 2, 1968).
The news of weddings, births and deaths continued into August of 1968. Mr. and Mrs. Ronald E. Allen of Route Three, Dunn, announced the birth of a son at GHH. The former Carolyn Barefoot was the new mother (Daily Record Aug. 6, 1968).
Miss Teresa Byrd had married Donald Ray Stewart at the Oak Grove Baptist Church in Angier. Miss Glenda Flowers and Mrs. Debbie Jones Johnson were honor attendants with Miss Lu Ann Stewart, Miss Julia Byrd, Miss June Stewart and Mrs. Robert Pleasant. Miss Lisa Byrd and Miss Donna Dare Ennis were child attendants. Tony Byrd, Ken Stewart, Edward Gaskin, Nesbit Fleming, and Ronald Coats were ushers (Daily Record Aug. 6, 1968).
Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Sorrell, Jr., Felton (Bill) Wood and son Duane Wood, Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Tripp, Mr. and Mrs. Wade Coats, Mr. and Mrs. T.C. Miller and son Terry Miller, had left for a trip to Nassau. The men in the group had won the trip- all expenses paid- in a contest sponsored by State Capital Life Insurance Company (Daily Record Aug 7, 1968).
Tobacco was being harvested, corn was ripening on the stalk, cotton lint was growing in the bolls, and students were hearing reports that the school integration plan had been rejected again. The school issue was a hot one but not as hot as the temperature in Dunn which was gauged at 96 degrees by the mercury at WCKB in Dunn (Daily Record Aug. 7 and 12, 1968).
Alton Russell Neighbors, 60, had expired on Sunday. His services were at the Gospel Tabernacle Church by Rev. Raymond Potter and Rev. C.W. Kirby. He was survived by Mrs. Lillie McLamb Neighbors; one son Jesse Cleon Neighbors; three daughters- Mrs. Alma McLamb, Mrs. J.L. Adams and Mrs. Clara Lee. His two brothers were Ernest and Edgar Neighbors (Daily Record Aug. 12, 1968).
Graham M. Suggs 38, Route One, Angier, had died on Wednesday. His services were conducted at Overby Funeral Home by Rev. James L. Upchurch. Burial was in the Suggs Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Hazel Lee Suggs, and one son, Mickey, and one daughter, Donna Suggs (Daily Record Aug. 13, 1968).
Army Specialist Five Jesse R. Godwin, 26, son of Lettie M. Stephenson of Route One, Coats, was assigned to Company E, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces, in Vietnam (Daily Record Aug. 14, 1968).
Miss Susan Wood, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P.B. Wood, and James Daniel Royster, son of Dr. and Mrs. J.C. Royster, were united in marriage at the Benson Baptist Church (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1968).
Mrs. Gertie Lucas Dorman, 78, of Coats, had died Thursday in Lillington. Services were held at Cromartie Funeral Chapel by Ken Nester. She was survived by two sons-Sam Dorman and G.O. Dorman and four daughters –Mrs. W.M. Keen, Mrs. R.M. Turlington, Mrs. Mendell Marks, and Mrs. Harvey McLeod (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1968). Those names really sound familiar? Do you know anything about them?
Another familiar name appeared on the obituary list. James Herman Stone, 63, of Coats, had died at the GHH in Erwin. He was a Harnett native and was a farmer. His funeral services were at the Gift PBC in Coats. Burial was in the Nordan Family Cemetery. He was survived by one son Benny Stone and by three daughters-Mrs. C.J. Godwin, Mrs. Louise Williams, and Mrs. Ann Smith. Felton Stone, Lee Stone, Mrs. Laura Stewart, and Mrs. Flonnie Champion, were siblings (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1968).
All Harnett County high schools were accredited except Buies Creek and Anderson Creek (Daily Record Aug. 19, 1968). You have to wonder why they weren’t.
All Harnett County high schools were totally integrated. Mobile classrooms were necessary to house the increase in student population because of the integration of the Negro students (Daily Record Aug. 26, 1968).
Revs. Condary Ellis and Ralph O. Byrd had held funeral services at Hodges Chapel Church for Johnnie A. Miller, 67, of Route 3, Dunn, who had died on Thursday. His burial was in the Devotional Gardens near Dunn. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Beulah Brown Miller, two daughters-Mrs. Edison Byrd and Mrs. Mrs. Leray Ennis. His two sons were Theron Miller and Rudolph Miller. Emory L. Miller and Mrs. Eva Smith were his siblings. He was a retired farmer (Daily Record Aug. 26, 1968).
Private Cecil Wayne Stephenson, the 21 year-old-son of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Stephenson of Coats, was enrolled in the US Army Signal School, Fort Monmouth, N.J. for intensive training in a specialist course limited to soldiers of outstanding promise. Cecil was a 1965 graduate of Coats and the husband of Beverly Langdon Stephenson (Daily Record Aug. 1968).
The high school plan presented for integration had finally been accepted by Judge Butler and Harnett County School leaders then had to plan for elementary school integration (Daily Record Aug. 28, 1968).
Claude Byrd, 66, had died in Duke Hospital. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Pearl Norris Byrd and his stepmother, Mrs. Lida Byrd. Sherrill Byrd, Claude Byrd, Jr., and A.V. Byrd were his sons. Mrs. Maude Smith, Mrs. Mildred Pollard, Mrs. Margaret Whitman, and Mrs. Shirley Creswell were his daughters (Daily Record Aug. 30, 1968). Was Shirley a military veteran?
Mr. and Mrs. H.A. Turlington, Jr. had announced the engagement of their daughter, Laura Ann Turlington, to Fred Thomas Denning, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Denning. Laura was a graduate of Hardbargers Business College and Tommy was an ECU graduate (Daily Record Sept. 3, 1968).
Most students at Coats had left the heat of farm work and had returned to the classrooms in September of 1968. The seniors of 1969 had elected Tim McKinnie as class president; Mike Hudson as vice-president; Gayle Wilkins as secretary and Jone Ennis, Randy Rambeau, and Mary Frances Weaver as treasurers. The Coats Seniors of 1969 had begun school in 1957 and recorded that “thousands of echoes from thousands of memories were embedded deep in their hearts”.
There were echoes of trips to Raleigh, Chapel Hill and eighth grade parties. There were sounds of freedom and work in high school. Barry Butts, Clyde Ennis, Don Ennis, Mike Hudson, Harry Matthews, Tim McKinnie, Keith McLeod, Randy Rambeau, Jeff Turlington, Lynda Daniel, Betsy Weaver, and Pat West were inducted into the Beta Honor Society (Coats High School Echoing Memories 1969).
One of the many blessings in my life was having this Class of 1969 as my first graduating class. They were, then and are now, truly some of the best people I have ever met. Many of them have made a difference in our Coats Museum. At our Defenders of the Red White and Blue Open House, one saw Lynda Daniel Butler cheerfully running around making sure that all were welcomed and informed about the exhibits not knowing that she had spent days putting together some of the exhibits and preparing some of the food for the enjoyment of the visitors. Keith McLeod, Clyde Ennis, Mary Frances Weaver Williams, and Dana Coats Byrd have been so supportive in sharing display items, giving money and dropping in for visits.
You might wonder how the open house and genealogy festival turned out last Saturday on a somewhat rainy and busy day for most people in Coats with Valentine suppers and our favorite basketball teams competing for a win. The event was awesome. A steady flow of visitors met our local artists-Diane Allen, Myrtle Bridges and Sandra Denning. Many purchased the books of our local authors-Charles Malone and Dr. Michael Potts. Larry Johnson, the Liberty Man, traveled through torrents of rain to travel from Richmond, VA to attend the event where he actually had a chance to connect with one of his first students, Judy Ennis from Raleigh. Larry and his cousin, Mary Ellen Lauder, shared family stories. Even our youngest visitor, Lucas McCauley, did not want to leave his favorite exhibits, Toyland and Grandma’s Attic.
We welcomed to Coats visitors from nineteen North Carolina towns and two from Virginia and South Carolina to purchase copies of our military book Defenders of the Red, White and Blue and to attend the Desil Campbell’s Genealogy Festival. We were excited to see friends from other museums support our event. If you were unable to attend to purchase Defenders of the Red, White and Blue, one can be purchased on Thursdays from 9-3 and on Sundays from 2-5.