February 26, 2016 Coats Museum News
Do any of you remember when you were in school and had classmates to move away and you never heard of them again? Maybe some of you remember the faces of Glenda and Emma Lou Parrish who moved to Newport News, Virginia. The Daily Record, April 1, 1957 edition shared that their father Reggie Parrish, formerly of Coats and half-sister of Mrs. Manley Parrish of Newport News, lost their half brother, Walton (Dad) Parrish. From that sentence, we will definitely conclude that “lost” has more than one meaning.
The Harnett Council of Home Demonstration Clubs selected Mrs. Johnnie Barnes of the Goodwill Club as its leader. Mrs. Carson Carter, Mrs. Joe Penny, Jr., Mrs. Gerald Hayes, and Mrs. Gaither Stewart were picked as project leaders and Mrs. Rob Adams and Mrs. Delmer Ennis were committee chairs (Daily Record April 3, 1957).
Miss Marquita Ennis had married Richard Partin, son of Mr. and Mrs. L.G. Partin. Mrs. Earl Ennis, sister-in-law, announced the marriage. The bride was the daughter of Mrs. W. H. Ennis and the late Mr. Ennis of Erwin (Daily Record April 12, 1957). Did they later have a son who became a minister?
I do know that Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Stephenson of Coats announced the engagement of their daughter, Dorothy Edna, to A/2C Robert Morris, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Morris of rural Raleigh (Daily Record April 14, 1957).
The Coats Junior-Senior Banquet was held in the Coats Baptist Church basement. Does this tell us that the cafeteria had not been built yet on the school campus? Wonder what the menu was? According to the paper the group consumed a delicious dinner of turkey and dressing, string beans, spiced peaches, cranberry on lettuce and apple pie a la mode.
Questions-was this meal catered and if so, by whom? Second, why do we call the beans-“string beans”?
I do know that Donnie Dorman and Priscilla McGee entertained with a dialogue, “Sugar Love.” Barnes Clayton and Jimmy Jones gave humorous predictions for the seniors. The group adjourned to the school gym for the reception that had the showboat theme. The entrance to the gym gave the effect of a huge boat with fishnets on the walls. Inside was a plantation scene and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. In the center, suspended from the ceiling was a huge ring filled with colored balloons and crepe paper streamers. The Keynotes Band furnished music. The junior class presented a minstrel and a Can-Can Dance was performed by the junior class girls (Daily Record April 4, 1957).
Becky Pope, a senior at Coats, was selected as the “Student of the Month”. Becky planned to attend William and Mary in Virginia in the fall (Daily Record April 8, 1957).
Miss Barbara Jean Strickland was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hubert W. Strickland of rural Dunn. They announced her engagement to Frederick Byrd, the son of Fred Byrd of Coats and Mrs. C.H. Brunk of Kinston (Daily Record April 10, 1957).
Do you remember going door to door selling magazines, candles or maybe even candy to raise money for school events? Some of us liked doing this while others of us hated it. The Coats Beta Club had a different idea on how to raise funds for the trip to the State Beta Club Convention. The group sold candy and soft drinks at the home basketball games to raise money. Those attending were Pat Stewart, Lea Joy Johnson, Delores Harmon, Becky Pope, Sue Page, Janice Lewis, Billy Langdon, James Weaver, Billy Weaver, Phillip Nordan and Sybil Beasley (Daily Record April 12, 1947).
What did the future hold for these brilliant students in this honor society? Help me out. Did Billy Langdon become a gynecologist in Virginia and was Phillip Nordan a college basketball player and currently the owner of a winery in the Piedmont section of our state. Did James Weaver retire from his US Navy career as a commander? Did Becky Pope graduate from William and Mary? What about the others?
Elsewhere, another young couple from Coats would marry in Dillon, S.C. That couple was Halford Godwin and Priscilla McGee (Daily Record April 16, 1957). Do couples continue to go to Dillon, S.C. to get married?
Pattie Sue McLamb, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Carlie McLamb, was a contestant in the “Miss Dunn” pageant. Pattie was a Campbell student and the former 1954 Miss Coats High. The Coats baseball team won over Angier 2-1. Kenneth O’Neal pitched and Bobby Pope, a freshman, played a magnificent game (Daily Record April 17, 1957).
Mrs. Howard Penny, arts and crafts leader of her home demonstration club, held a workshop at her home and demonstrated what could be made from a moonshine factory. After much hammering and using salt, vinegar, and steel wool, along with a liberal amount of elbow grease, the copper still was converted into nine beautiful flower planters. Mrs. Loren Sox, Mrs. Joe Penny, Jr., Mrs. Elijah Dean, Mrs. Haywood Penny, Mrs. T. H. McLeod, and Mrs. Carlie Stephenson helped in the project.
Pfc. Sherwood Godwin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Godwin, recently had completed the armored crewman course at the Seventh Army Tank Training Center in Germany (Daily Record April 18, 1957).
Mrs. Delmer Ennis of Coats was elected president of the N.C. Federation of Home Demonstration Club Women and 76 Harnett County women attended the event. The Coats baseball team defeated Buies Creek. Kenneth O’Neal and Carson Gregory, Jr. had outstanding hitting to win for Coats 10-7.
Caro Neighbors, 72, of rural Dunn had died early Sunday morning. Services and burial was at the Hodges Chapel Church. He was the son of Sylvester and Ella Sorrell Neighbors. His son was John Bruce and his daughters were Mrs. J.D. Price, Mrs. Jack Brown, and Mrs. Bryant Guthrie. His brothers were Ed, Ernest, Russell and Herman and one sister, Mrs. J. G. Hodges, survived him (Daily Record April 22, 1957).
Another young Coats couple was married. Miss Patricia McGee had married W. Maynard Moran. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R.T. McGee. Mr. Moran was the son of Etta Moran (Daily Record April 24, 1957). Did the April 16th paper not report that Patricia’s sister, Priscilla, had married Halford Godwin? Please recall that Maynard wrote the school song for Coats High.
Pvt. OK Keene, Jr. was in Korea as a member of the 7th Infantry Division. Kenneth was an Ordinance Parts Specialist in Service Company of the division’s 17th Regiment (Daily Record April 25, 1957). How many of you had Kenneth as a teacher?
We were awed by the items that Gerry Honeycutt brought by for our upcoming vintage clothes exhibit. The condition of the items do not say, “I was worn in 1921.” Thanks, Gerry. Also, thank you to Tom Stewart of Erwin who has given a copy of an interview with H.A. Turlington, Jr. almost a year to the date before H.A. died. In addition Tom gave four 1949 aerial views of the Coats area. We look forward to our visitors trying to locate landmarks on the large maps. Tom has been very generous in sharing vintage pictures of Coats people. Please thank him for preserving the heritage of our town and county.
How often does one have the luck of finding a 1913 newspaper in very good condition? It contains two pictures of Grove #3 school before the1920 brick building. What a find! We tried desperately to find a machine to print full page copies for the museum. Lynda Butler, a relentless volunteer, went on the search for such a printer. The folks at Draper and Aden and Associates responded and made several copies. Thanks so much for coming to our rescue with humor and generosity. When Lynda told them we would bake them a cake, they responded, “We are all on a diet.” Thank you and let us know when you are off your diets.
A big thank you goes to Patsy and Stacy Avery for remembering Vera Ryals Avery and Jean Stewart West with memorials to the Coats Museum. Also a thank you goes to Virginia Norris Holden (Class of 1956) for sending a check honoring the memory of Trudy Smith and to Doris Johnson Nolan forgiving a memorial for Margie Ennis Smith. All of these donors help make the museum a place to be proud of.
Please join us on the Coats Heritage Square this Sunday afternoon at 3:00. A dedication ceremony of an African American Monument containing the names of African Americans who have made a difference in the lives of so many in Harnett County will be called out from the monument. Free parking is behind the Coats Museum.
Do any of you remember when you were in school and had classmates to move away and you never heard of them again? Maybe some of you remember the faces of Glenda and Emma Lou Parrish who moved to Newport News, Virginia. The Daily Record, April 1, 1957 edition shared that their father Reggie Parrish, formerly of Coats and half-sister of Mrs. Manley Parrish of Newport News, lost their half brother, Walton (Dad) Parrish. From that sentence, we will definitely conclude that “lost” has more than one meaning.
The Harnett Council of Home Demonstration Clubs selected Mrs. Johnnie Barnes of the Goodwill Club as its leader. Mrs. Carson Carter, Mrs. Joe Penny, Jr., Mrs. Gerald Hayes, and Mrs. Gaither Stewart were picked as project leaders and Mrs. Rob Adams and Mrs. Delmer Ennis were committee chairs (Daily Record April 3, 1957).
Miss Marquita Ennis had married Richard Partin, son of Mr. and Mrs. L.G. Partin. Mrs. Earl Ennis, sister-in-law, announced the marriage. The bride was the daughter of Mrs. W. H. Ennis and the late Mr. Ennis of Erwin (Daily Record April 12, 1957). Did they later have a son who became a minister?
I do know that Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Stephenson of Coats announced the engagement of their daughter, Dorothy Edna, to A/2C Robert Morris, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Morris of rural Raleigh (Daily Record April 14, 1957).
The Coats Junior-Senior Banquet was held in the Coats Baptist Church basement. Does this tell us that the cafeteria had not been built yet on the school campus? Wonder what the menu was? According to the paper the group consumed a delicious dinner of turkey and dressing, string beans, spiced peaches, cranberry on lettuce and apple pie a la mode.
Questions-was this meal catered and if so, by whom? Second, why do we call the beans-“string beans”?
I do know that Donnie Dorman and Priscilla McGee entertained with a dialogue, “Sugar Love.” Barnes Clayton and Jimmy Jones gave humorous predictions for the seniors. The group adjourned to the school gym for the reception that had the showboat theme. The entrance to the gym gave the effect of a huge boat with fishnets on the walls. Inside was a plantation scene and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. In the center, suspended from the ceiling was a huge ring filled with colored balloons and crepe paper streamers. The Keynotes Band furnished music. The junior class presented a minstrel and a Can-Can Dance was performed by the junior class girls (Daily Record April 4, 1957).
Becky Pope, a senior at Coats, was selected as the “Student of the Month”. Becky planned to attend William and Mary in Virginia in the fall (Daily Record April 8, 1957).
Miss Barbara Jean Strickland was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hubert W. Strickland of rural Dunn. They announced her engagement to Frederick Byrd, the son of Fred Byrd of Coats and Mrs. C.H. Brunk of Kinston (Daily Record April 10, 1957).
Do you remember going door to door selling magazines, candles or maybe even candy to raise money for school events? Some of us liked doing this while others of us hated it. The Coats Beta Club had a different idea on how to raise funds for the trip to the State Beta Club Convention. The group sold candy and soft drinks at the home basketball games to raise money. Those attending were Pat Stewart, Lea Joy Johnson, Delores Harmon, Becky Pope, Sue Page, Janice Lewis, Billy Langdon, James Weaver, Billy Weaver, Phillip Nordan and Sybil Beasley (Daily Record April 12, 1947).
What did the future hold for these brilliant students in this honor society? Help me out. Did Billy Langdon become a gynecologist in Virginia and was Phillip Nordan a college basketball player and currently the owner of a winery in the Piedmont section of our state. Did James Weaver retire from his US Navy career as a commander? Did Becky Pope graduate from William and Mary? What about the others?
Elsewhere, another young couple from Coats would marry in Dillon, S.C. That couple was Halford Godwin and Priscilla McGee (Daily Record April 16, 1957). Do couples continue to go to Dillon, S.C. to get married?
Pattie Sue McLamb, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Carlie McLamb, was a contestant in the “Miss Dunn” pageant. Pattie was a Campbell student and the former 1954 Miss Coats High. The Coats baseball team won over Angier 2-1. Kenneth O’Neal pitched and Bobby Pope, a freshman, played a magnificent game (Daily Record April 17, 1957).
Mrs. Howard Penny, arts and crafts leader of her home demonstration club, held a workshop at her home and demonstrated what could be made from a moonshine factory. After much hammering and using salt, vinegar, and steel wool, along with a liberal amount of elbow grease, the copper still was converted into nine beautiful flower planters. Mrs. Loren Sox, Mrs. Joe Penny, Jr., Mrs. Elijah Dean, Mrs. Haywood Penny, Mrs. T. H. McLeod, and Mrs. Carlie Stephenson helped in the project.
Pfc. Sherwood Godwin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Godwin, recently had completed the armored crewman course at the Seventh Army Tank Training Center in Germany (Daily Record April 18, 1957).
Mrs. Delmer Ennis of Coats was elected president of the N.C. Federation of Home Demonstration Club Women and 76 Harnett County women attended the event. The Coats baseball team defeated Buies Creek. Kenneth O’Neal and Carson Gregory, Jr. had outstanding hitting to win for Coats 10-7.
Caro Neighbors, 72, of rural Dunn had died early Sunday morning. Services and burial was at the Hodges Chapel Church. He was the son of Sylvester and Ella Sorrell Neighbors. His son was John Bruce and his daughters were Mrs. J.D. Price, Mrs. Jack Brown, and Mrs. Bryant Guthrie. His brothers were Ed, Ernest, Russell and Herman and one sister, Mrs. J. G. Hodges, survived him (Daily Record April 22, 1957).
Another young Coats couple was married. Miss Patricia McGee had married W. Maynard Moran. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R.T. McGee. Mr. Moran was the son of Etta Moran (Daily Record April 24, 1957). Did the April 16th paper not report that Patricia’s sister, Priscilla, had married Halford Godwin? Please recall that Maynard wrote the school song for Coats High.
Pvt. OK Keene, Jr. was in Korea as a member of the 7th Infantry Division. Kenneth was an Ordinance Parts Specialist in Service Company of the division’s 17th Regiment (Daily Record April 25, 1957). How many of you had Kenneth as a teacher?
We were awed by the items that Gerry Honeycutt brought by for our upcoming vintage clothes exhibit. The condition of the items do not say, “I was worn in 1921.” Thanks, Gerry. Also, thank you to Tom Stewart of Erwin who has given a copy of an interview with H.A. Turlington, Jr. almost a year to the date before H.A. died. In addition Tom gave four 1949 aerial views of the Coats area. We look forward to our visitors trying to locate landmarks on the large maps. Tom has been very generous in sharing vintage pictures of Coats people. Please thank him for preserving the heritage of our town and county.
How often does one have the luck of finding a 1913 newspaper in very good condition? It contains two pictures of Grove #3 school before the1920 brick building. What a find! We tried desperately to find a machine to print full page copies for the museum. Lynda Butler, a relentless volunteer, went on the search for such a printer. The folks at Draper and Aden and Associates responded and made several copies. Thanks so much for coming to our rescue with humor and generosity. When Lynda told them we would bake them a cake, they responded, “We are all on a diet.” Thank you and let us know when you are off your diets.
A big thank you goes to Patsy and Stacy Avery for remembering Vera Ryals Avery and Jean Stewart West with memorials to the Coats Museum. Also a thank you goes to Virginia Norris Holden (Class of 1956) for sending a check honoring the memory of Trudy Smith and to Doris Johnson Nolan forgiving a memorial for Margie Ennis Smith. All of these donors help make the museum a place to be proud of.
Please join us on the Coats Heritage Square this Sunday afternoon at 3:00. A dedication ceremony of an African American Monument containing the names of African Americans who have made a difference in the lives of so many in Harnett County will be called out from the monument. Free parking is behind the Coats Museum.