February 22, 2019 Coats Museum News
Spring was approaching in 1975 and at that year’s end, numbers would be compiled. The cancer death rate per 100,000 would be placed at 176.3 by the National Center for Health Statistics-up from 169.9 in 1974. A new galaxy, given the name 3C123, would be discovered to be 8 billion light-years from Earth. The Internal Revenue Service would announce that in one recent year, twenty-four people who had earned $1,000,000 or more would pay no federal taxes. In addition, fifty-four with adjusted incomes of between $500,000 and $1 million paid no taxes. In an attempt to help fight inflation, the Senate would vote to limit its own pay increase to 5 percent (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1999, pp. 216-17).
In the Coats area, Mr. and Mrs. McRay Stewart were choosing numbers for the date of their daughter’s wedding. Gail Wilder Stewart was engaged to Jerry Wayne McLamb, son of Mr. and Mrs. Vinson P. McLamb (Daily Record Mar. 17, 1975).
Nineteen year–old Gayle Stewart was working as a part-time employee of the Coats Police Department (Daily Record Mar. 18, 1975). Is this the same “Gail-Gayle” Stewart mentioned above?
Mr. Bruce Wayne Williams of Coats, son of Mr. and Mrs. Council Williams, was to marry Mary Catherine Hayes of Dunn at the Hodges Chapel Church on June 28th. Elsewhere, in Raleigh, Shearon Florence Roberts, daughter of Mrs. Ophelia Roberts, was elected executive vice president of the student government at Meredith College. Shearon was a biology major and was a 1972 Coats High graduate (Daily Record Mar. 19, 1975).
Shearon was the granddaughter of Dr. Harry C. Roberts who was not only the town’s doctor (1912 to 1925 (26) but also was the owner of the Ford dealership and electricity plant in Coats. Roberts had a mechanic at his Ford dealership by the name of Alton Stewart. Both men became pilots and both were killed in plane crashes before the decade of the 1930’s was on the calendar. However, it would be only Alton Stewart who would be the first licensed aviator in NC with his license signed by Orville Wright.
Another wedding was being planned. Teresa Lynn Godwin was to marry Donnie Ray Lee on April 12th. He was son of Mrs. Mary M. Lee (Daily Record Mar. 21, 1975).
Death visited the Barclaysville area and took Mrs. Susan Weaver Johnson, 86, of Route 2, Angier. She had died on Thursday and her services were later held at Rose Funeral Home Chapel in Benson with burial in the Harnett Memorial Park. The Rev. John Croon and Rev. R.O. Byrd officiated. Paul Johnson and Gertrude Lane survived her. Paul Weaver and John Weaver were her brothers (Daily Record Mar. 21, 1975).
Who remembers Mrs. Susan Johnson’s store on NC 55 between Angier and Coats? It was a favorite place to take tobacco barning crews to get lunches consisting of crackers and cheese, Vienna sausages and other lunch choices. She always festively decorated her place at Christmas and was given awards from Angier even though she lived several miles outside of their town.
Mr. and Mrs. Grayden Stewart had announced the engagement of their daughter Karen Stewart to Vernon Stanley Morris of Camden, S.C. She was a former Miss Dunn and Miss Benson. The wedding was planned for May 25th at Ebenezer Church.
A more somber atmosphere was on the other side of Black River when the death of J. Thurman Barefoot was announced. The forty-five year-old man had died on Monday. Rev. R.O. Byrd and Rev. Roy Phillips had held the services at Hodges Chapel. He was survived by his mother, Mrs. Pauline Barefoot Honeycutt and his brother Thomas Lee Barefoot (Daily Record Mar. 25, 1975).
Little Miss Vanessa Elizabeth Parrish, daughter of Andy and Shirley Parrish of Kansas City, Missouri, celebrated her second birthday. She was granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Parrish of Coats. Sharon Clayton, a junior at Coats High, had been appointed to serve as a page in the NC House of Representatives. She was daughter of Peggie Clayton. Rep. Carson Gregory had appointed the very active student at school and in the Coats Methodist Church (Daily Record Mar. 28, 1975).
Mrs. Julia Isabelle Turlington Gregory, 82, had died on Sunday. Her services were held at the Erwin Chapel PFWB Church. Rev. R.O. Byrd and Rev. Leon Hawley officiated. She had three sons-Ralph, Rev. Lee, and Bobby Turlington. Her daughters were Thelma Johnson, Eloise Gregory, Margaret Gregory, and Kathleen Bowden (Daily Record Mar. 31, 1975).
Lt. Colonel William Sherrill Willis, 42, son of Mrs. Kitty B. Willis and the late Manley Willis of Coats, was killed in the crash of the C5A Galaxy plane carrying Vietnamese orphans. Others were also killed in the crash of the mercy airlift. Surviving Lt. Col. Willis were his wife, Mrs. Doris Messer Willis, three sons-Barry, Mark and William Sherrill Willis, Jr. Miss Karen Willis was a daughter. Charles Willis and Frances Willis were brothers (Daily Record Apr. 4, 1975).
How many young Coats men gave their lives for our country during the Vietnam War?
I do know that Mrs. Carson Gregory was hospitalized after a fall at her home (Daily Record Apr. 7, 1975).
Donnie A. Carroll, 52, of Route One, Angier, had died on Thursday. He was the brother of Mrs. Silas Faulkner and Tommy Carroll of Coats. His services were held at the Bethel Primitive Baptist Church and cemetery. Another Coats man had also died. Melvin Miller, 60, had died on Sunday. His services were held at the Coats Methodist Church and were conducted by the Rev. R.O. Byrd and Rev. Pyler. Burial was in the Erwin Memorial Cemetery. Mr. Miller was survived by his widow, Mrs. Annie P. Miller; two daughters-Betty Wilkins and Carol Penny; one son, Kenneth Miller. Mrs. Flonnie West and Mrs. Mabel Norris were his sisters. Luther Miller was his only brother (Daily Record Apr. 7, 1975).
The Miller family was a neighbor of my family when I was but a child but I well remember how much my parents thought of them. Betty lives in Johnston County now and H.L and I recently saw her at a fundraiser at her church. She continues to be beautiful, friendly and soft spoken. Betty is niece of the late J.D. Norris who was a former town commissioner and mayor of Coats. J.D. and Herbert L. Johnson were known far and wide as they sold real estate throughout the area.
C. Thomas Williams, Coats rural mail carrier, had been admitted to lifetime membership in the exclusive Million Mile Club of National Safety Council for driving more than a million miles without a preventable accident. Amongst the good news, was the announcement the death of William H. Langdon, 73, husband of Martha Johnson Langdon and father of Steve Langdon. His services were held at the Full Gospel Tabernacle and at the Johnson Ferguson Cemetery near Durham (Daily Record Apr. 10, 1975).
The next edition of the Daily Record printed that Harold Caudle, 55, an employee of Acme Cleaners, had died in Fayetteville in the Veterans Hospital. He was brother of Mrs. Dessie Norris.
Airman Clarence H. Neighbors, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Neighbors, Sr., had been selected for technical training in the US Air Force Aircraft Maintenance field at Chanute AFB, Illinois. He was a 1974 graduate of Coats High School (Daily Record Apr. 15, 1975). C.H.’s oldest sister, Brookie Neighbors Honeycutt, retired from her role as principal of the West Johnston High School. His grandmother, Mrs. Vara Neighbors, was a “go to person” when we wanted information about the Oakdale area.
The museum has had a flurry of activity with community folks dropping in to share stories and items that will enhance the Coats Museum. Jean and Mark Powell have compiled a scrapbook of pictures and documents of Mark’s parents-Graymon and Willa Dean Pope Powell. Among the collection were old report cards and certificates disclosing the names of former teachers. The hand drawn floor plan with the names of teachers in the classrooms at Coats High School in the late 1930-early 40’s is priceless.
Mary Ellen Lauder shared a 1961 calendar with H.L. Johnson’s name advertising Chilean soda. Can that product be purchased today? We know him better by Herbert L. Johnson. A big thank you goes to all who continue to bring in exciting new items from the town and communities’ past.
Spring was approaching in 1975 and at that year’s end, numbers would be compiled. The cancer death rate per 100,000 would be placed at 176.3 by the National Center for Health Statistics-up from 169.9 in 1974. A new galaxy, given the name 3C123, would be discovered to be 8 billion light-years from Earth. The Internal Revenue Service would announce that in one recent year, twenty-four people who had earned $1,000,000 or more would pay no federal taxes. In addition, fifty-four with adjusted incomes of between $500,000 and $1 million paid no taxes. In an attempt to help fight inflation, the Senate would vote to limit its own pay increase to 5 percent (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1999, pp. 216-17).
In the Coats area, Mr. and Mrs. McRay Stewart were choosing numbers for the date of their daughter’s wedding. Gail Wilder Stewart was engaged to Jerry Wayne McLamb, son of Mr. and Mrs. Vinson P. McLamb (Daily Record Mar. 17, 1975).
Nineteen year–old Gayle Stewart was working as a part-time employee of the Coats Police Department (Daily Record Mar. 18, 1975). Is this the same “Gail-Gayle” Stewart mentioned above?
Mr. Bruce Wayne Williams of Coats, son of Mr. and Mrs. Council Williams, was to marry Mary Catherine Hayes of Dunn at the Hodges Chapel Church on June 28th. Elsewhere, in Raleigh, Shearon Florence Roberts, daughter of Mrs. Ophelia Roberts, was elected executive vice president of the student government at Meredith College. Shearon was a biology major and was a 1972 Coats High graduate (Daily Record Mar. 19, 1975).
Shearon was the granddaughter of Dr. Harry C. Roberts who was not only the town’s doctor (1912 to 1925 (26) but also was the owner of the Ford dealership and electricity plant in Coats. Roberts had a mechanic at his Ford dealership by the name of Alton Stewart. Both men became pilots and both were killed in plane crashes before the decade of the 1930’s was on the calendar. However, it would be only Alton Stewart who would be the first licensed aviator in NC with his license signed by Orville Wright.
Another wedding was being planned. Teresa Lynn Godwin was to marry Donnie Ray Lee on April 12th. He was son of Mrs. Mary M. Lee (Daily Record Mar. 21, 1975).
Death visited the Barclaysville area and took Mrs. Susan Weaver Johnson, 86, of Route 2, Angier. She had died on Thursday and her services were later held at Rose Funeral Home Chapel in Benson with burial in the Harnett Memorial Park. The Rev. John Croon and Rev. R.O. Byrd officiated. Paul Johnson and Gertrude Lane survived her. Paul Weaver and John Weaver were her brothers (Daily Record Mar. 21, 1975).
Who remembers Mrs. Susan Johnson’s store on NC 55 between Angier and Coats? It was a favorite place to take tobacco barning crews to get lunches consisting of crackers and cheese, Vienna sausages and other lunch choices. She always festively decorated her place at Christmas and was given awards from Angier even though she lived several miles outside of their town.
Mr. and Mrs. Grayden Stewart had announced the engagement of their daughter Karen Stewart to Vernon Stanley Morris of Camden, S.C. She was a former Miss Dunn and Miss Benson. The wedding was planned for May 25th at Ebenezer Church.
A more somber atmosphere was on the other side of Black River when the death of J. Thurman Barefoot was announced. The forty-five year-old man had died on Monday. Rev. R.O. Byrd and Rev. Roy Phillips had held the services at Hodges Chapel. He was survived by his mother, Mrs. Pauline Barefoot Honeycutt and his brother Thomas Lee Barefoot (Daily Record Mar. 25, 1975).
Little Miss Vanessa Elizabeth Parrish, daughter of Andy and Shirley Parrish of Kansas City, Missouri, celebrated her second birthday. She was granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Parrish of Coats. Sharon Clayton, a junior at Coats High, had been appointed to serve as a page in the NC House of Representatives. She was daughter of Peggie Clayton. Rep. Carson Gregory had appointed the very active student at school and in the Coats Methodist Church (Daily Record Mar. 28, 1975).
Mrs. Julia Isabelle Turlington Gregory, 82, had died on Sunday. Her services were held at the Erwin Chapel PFWB Church. Rev. R.O. Byrd and Rev. Leon Hawley officiated. She had three sons-Ralph, Rev. Lee, and Bobby Turlington. Her daughters were Thelma Johnson, Eloise Gregory, Margaret Gregory, and Kathleen Bowden (Daily Record Mar. 31, 1975).
Lt. Colonel William Sherrill Willis, 42, son of Mrs. Kitty B. Willis and the late Manley Willis of Coats, was killed in the crash of the C5A Galaxy plane carrying Vietnamese orphans. Others were also killed in the crash of the mercy airlift. Surviving Lt. Col. Willis were his wife, Mrs. Doris Messer Willis, three sons-Barry, Mark and William Sherrill Willis, Jr. Miss Karen Willis was a daughter. Charles Willis and Frances Willis were brothers (Daily Record Apr. 4, 1975).
How many young Coats men gave their lives for our country during the Vietnam War?
I do know that Mrs. Carson Gregory was hospitalized after a fall at her home (Daily Record Apr. 7, 1975).
Donnie A. Carroll, 52, of Route One, Angier, had died on Thursday. He was the brother of Mrs. Silas Faulkner and Tommy Carroll of Coats. His services were held at the Bethel Primitive Baptist Church and cemetery. Another Coats man had also died. Melvin Miller, 60, had died on Sunday. His services were held at the Coats Methodist Church and were conducted by the Rev. R.O. Byrd and Rev. Pyler. Burial was in the Erwin Memorial Cemetery. Mr. Miller was survived by his widow, Mrs. Annie P. Miller; two daughters-Betty Wilkins and Carol Penny; one son, Kenneth Miller. Mrs. Flonnie West and Mrs. Mabel Norris were his sisters. Luther Miller was his only brother (Daily Record Apr. 7, 1975).
The Miller family was a neighbor of my family when I was but a child but I well remember how much my parents thought of them. Betty lives in Johnston County now and H.L and I recently saw her at a fundraiser at her church. She continues to be beautiful, friendly and soft spoken. Betty is niece of the late J.D. Norris who was a former town commissioner and mayor of Coats. J.D. and Herbert L. Johnson were known far and wide as they sold real estate throughout the area.
C. Thomas Williams, Coats rural mail carrier, had been admitted to lifetime membership in the exclusive Million Mile Club of National Safety Council for driving more than a million miles without a preventable accident. Amongst the good news, was the announcement the death of William H. Langdon, 73, husband of Martha Johnson Langdon and father of Steve Langdon. His services were held at the Full Gospel Tabernacle and at the Johnson Ferguson Cemetery near Durham (Daily Record Apr. 10, 1975).
The next edition of the Daily Record printed that Harold Caudle, 55, an employee of Acme Cleaners, had died in Fayetteville in the Veterans Hospital. He was brother of Mrs. Dessie Norris.
Airman Clarence H. Neighbors, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Neighbors, Sr., had been selected for technical training in the US Air Force Aircraft Maintenance field at Chanute AFB, Illinois. He was a 1974 graduate of Coats High School (Daily Record Apr. 15, 1975). C.H.’s oldest sister, Brookie Neighbors Honeycutt, retired from her role as principal of the West Johnston High School. His grandmother, Mrs. Vara Neighbors, was a “go to person” when we wanted information about the Oakdale area.
The museum has had a flurry of activity with community folks dropping in to share stories and items that will enhance the Coats Museum. Jean and Mark Powell have compiled a scrapbook of pictures and documents of Mark’s parents-Graymon and Willa Dean Pope Powell. Among the collection were old report cards and certificates disclosing the names of former teachers. The hand drawn floor plan with the names of teachers in the classrooms at Coats High School in the late 1930-early 40’s is priceless.
Mary Ellen Lauder shared a 1961 calendar with H.L. Johnson’s name advertising Chilean soda. Can that product be purchased today? We know him better by Herbert L. Johnson. A big thank you goes to all who continue to bring in exciting new items from the town and communities’ past.