February 7, 2020 Coats Museum News
Is there anyone who attended Coats High School in the 1960’s and early 1970’s who does not remember Alex Castellanos and his father, Dr. Jose Castellaneos? Some will recall that Dr. Castellanos practiced medicine with Dr. Donald Moore before going to Raleigh to practice there. Fellow students will recall that Alex was a dedicated learner and strong Republican who in later years was a political analyst on CNN. Alex was the first student at Coats to win the Morehead Scholarship. However, in June of 1982, he made news when it was announced in the Daily Record, June 4, 1982 edition that Susan Walton and Alejandro Castellanos were married I n Raleigh and he was the son of Dr. and Mrs. Jose Castellanos of Raleigh, and formerly of Coats, N.C.
Lane Gregory Matthews, 85, of rural Coats had died at GHH. Mrs. Matthews was the widow of Henry Colon Matthews. She was the daughter of the late Andrew Gregory and Christine Stewart Gregory. Surviving her were two sons-Clyde and Billy Matthews, and one daughter, Mrs. Erma Mae Parker. Ira Gregory was a brother and her four sisters were Mrs. Jenny Ennis, Mrs. Vada Poole, Mrs. Thelma Johnson and Mrs. Alice Williams (Daily Record June 9, 1982). Don’t some of those names sound familiar?
Another outstanding lady, Mrs. Ethel L. Parrish of Angier, was written about in the news. The lady celebrated her 90th birthday with a cookout given by her children at the clubhouse of Mr. and Mrs. Carson Carter. Mrs. Parrish was the daughter of the late Joseph Marion Langdon and Susan Denning Langdon. She was married to the late Eddie Lester Parrish in 1910 and they were parents of Mrs. Rebeth Mitchell, Mrs. Thelma Mason, Raeford and Rupert Parrish, Mrs. Audrey Burchette, Mrs. Marva Lee Whittington and Mrs. Joyce Carter (Daily Record June 9, 1982).
Dan Honeycutt’s softball team won the regular season and tourney titles in the Carolina Conference. Both Donna Ennis and Denise Barnes hit well over .500, made all tournaments and were recognized for school most valuable honors (Daily Record June 4, 1982).
Peggy B. Regan of Coats and Harold T. Williams of Angier were married at the home of Linwood Carroll. She was the daughter of Mrs. Goldie B. Goodwin and the late Colon Leon Barbour. Harold was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jeppie Williams (Daily Record June 4, 1982). Did you recognize that Harold was the brother of Stacy Williams who is nationally recognized for his exemplary work in the upholstery business?
Who doesn’t like Baxter Ennis? His down to earth personality captivates audiences whether he is speaking at various organizations or doing book signings. They say that an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Baxter’s father, Preston Ennis, was an amazing gentle man who attended Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. It had to have saddened the church members to learn of his death. He was seventy-seven when had died on Tuesday. He was buried in the Ennis Family Cemetery. Surviving him were his wife, Mrs. Rena Ennis; one son, Captain Baxter Ennis; two daughters-Diane Ennis and Judy Evans. His siblings were Howard Ennis, Mrs. Alma Wood, Mrs. Lena Coats, Mrs. Vernie Creech, and Mrs. Lunette Coats (Daily Record June 9, 1982). Was Becky Ennis Adams’ deceased father (David Ennis) a brother of Preston?
Who remembers Beth Stephenson? The dark-haired beauty was not only beautiful but really smart as is proven by the awards she was recognized for in high school. But in this June 17, 1982 edition of the Daily Record shared that Beth and Charles Crumpler were planning a July 31st wedding in Greenville.
Coats Scout Troop 779 had held the Court of Honor. Scout committee members present Mr. David Barnes, Mrs. Janice Stancil, Dr. Harold Dixon and Mr. H.L. Sorrell (Daily Record June 21, 1982).
Mrs. Ethel Sercy Matthews announced the engagement of her daughter, Connie Matthews,to Trent Kerry Sorrell, son of Pauline Stephenson Sorrell. Connie was a graduate of Mt. Olive College and was a teacher’s aide at Mary Stewart School. Trent was a graduate of NCSU and was employed with Stewart Greenhouses (Daily Record June 22, 1982).
Shirley Stewart, local manager of Pope Family Center of Coats, received a four-year certificate at the Awards Luncheon. Each of the 30 Pope’s Family Centers was represented. President William Pope presented the certificates (Daily Record June 24, 1982).
How many of the readers are licensed pilots? Did you know that Shelton Earl Stewart was not only a licensed pilot but also owned a plane? The respected farmer who was only 59 years old had died at Wake Medical Center. He was a Harnett native and had served in the US Navy. His services were at the Erwin Funeral Home Chapel with burial in the Harnett Memorial Park. Surviving Mr. Stewart were his wife-Julia Parker Stewart; two daughters-Mrs. Ann Little and Mrs. Lou Day. Mrs. Hazel Byrd was his sister (Daily Record June 28, 1982).
Does anyone remember when the Air Force used the C-130 aircrafts to practice the picking up of downed pilots using balloons and an apparatus equivalent to the body of a pilot so they could use that skill in Vietnam to pick up downed pilots whose planes had been either shot down or pilots had had to bail out. Did they use Earl Stewart’s farm and general area to practice the maneuver? Does anyone have a picture of those big planes over the Earl Stewart farm? My husband, H. L. Sorrell, Jr. shared seeing the huge planes practicing but not sure if they ever perfected or used this maneuver in Vietnam.
Another man with close Grove connections had died in Houston, TX. Dr. W. Royce Turner, DDS, 59, had died on June 15th. He had lived in Houston for many years where he was a member of the American Dental Association and a Veteran of WWII. He was son of Elder C.D. Turner and brother to Merwin Turner, Claxton Turner, Walter Turner and Grace Garner (Daily Record June 29, 1982).
Do the hands on the clock seem to spin faster the older you get? Does it seem that you read recently that Miss Junior Order was crowned? Now we read that a new queen was crowned. Chosen for the title was Angel Gayle Penny, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ted Penny. Lisa Ann Pleasant was second runner-up and Joyce Marie Johnson was first runner-up. Sherri Lynn Whittington and Lisa Dawn Eason were also in the event (Daily Record July 1, 1982).
Good news came to the Ruth Upchurch family. One of the Coca-Colas she had purchased resulted in her winning $2,000 in the Peel-A-Fortune Game (Daily Record July 1, 1982). Did you ask, “Haven’t other Coats citizens won money in that promotion?”
Miss Felicia Faith Johnson, a 1982 graduate of Coats High School, and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Johnson, had received a Merit Scholarship in the amount of $3000 to be used at Campbell University. Felicia was an honor student that had won her a class marshal position and she was also a Director Award Winner in the band where she was a drum major (Daily Record July 1, 1982).
Stacy Lynn Williams was born at the Johnston Memorial Hospital. Her parents were Bobby and Martie Byrd Williams of rural Coats. Her maternal grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Sherrill Byrd. Mr. and Mrs. Troy Williams and Mrs. Sally Tripp were paternal great-grandparents (Daily Record July 6, 1982).
Do you recall who the Coats police chief was in Coats in 1982? Police Chief Ken Parker was quoted in the July 7, 1982 Daily Record that the “good work” of his officers had led to the arrest of two youths who were charged with auto theft. Dan Ferrell had shown good police skills accord to the chief.
Good news came to town employees. The town commissioners reported that all full-time employees would receive a five percent salary increase and police officers a ten percent to bring their salaries to a comparative level with officers in other surrounding towns. The budget was $497,000 with 90 cents per $100 valuation tax rate (Daily Record July 7, 1982).
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Randy Collins in Angier was the lovely setting for a party honoring Mrs. W.W. Wood who was affectionately known as “Flonnie”. The 92nd birthday birthday party honoree was the former Flonnie Weaver, daughter of the late Y.T. and Annie Jones Weaver (Daily Record July 8, 1982).
Did Cindy Leigh Barnes have a big wedding ceremony? I do know it was not mentioned in her wedding announcement found in the July 7, 1982 issue of the Daily Record. Cindy had married Marshall D. McLamb. I wish we had more information.
I do know that good news came to another family when they became a winner of $100 from the Coca-Cola Peel-A- Fortune contest. J.A. Langdon, Jr. had been the recipient (Daily Record July 17, 1982).
Do you think these winning families drank a lot of Cokes or were they just lucky? Do you suppose that the farmers served all Coke products at “Pepsi Breaks” when giving workers snack breaks while working in the tobacco fields or at the tobacco barns with hopes of getting a lucky bottle?
Speaking of lucky, the volunteers truly feel more than lucky to work at a museum that receives over whelming support from former students at Coats High. Without their financial support, the museum would be burdened with having to have fundraisers. Without their sharing meaningful items, the volunteers could not share stories from the Coats area. Over and over, Wallace Pollard has shown his generosity in financially supporting the museum’s operations. The Coats Museum folks appreciate you. Others give to the museum through memorials for those who have touched their lives. Thank you, Becky Adams, for remembering Don Sorrell with a memorial to the museum and to H.L. Sorrell for remembering Oscar Harris who worked so diligently for the Harnett County Community Foundation. A memorial to honor Oscar has been sent to the Coats Museum Endowment, an affiliate of that foundation.
The community is in for a very impressive program at the museum on Saturday, April 25th at 1:00. Lenny Parker, a 1973 Coats High graduate, came by the museum to bring his SBI uniform and other amazing items in connection with his job at the SBI. His stories of how he was part of a D-Mort team of experts who helped identify the bodies of victims of 9-11, plane crashes and hurricanes.
Don’t forget tomorrow, February 8th, at 1:00. A representative from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will be at the Coats Museum to share information about that organization. Also, it is important for recipients of an Eagle Scout Award share the program from the Court of Honor Eagle Scout ceremony from Scout Troop 779 for the May event at the museum.
Is there anyone who attended Coats High School in the 1960’s and early 1970’s who does not remember Alex Castellanos and his father, Dr. Jose Castellaneos? Some will recall that Dr. Castellanos practiced medicine with Dr. Donald Moore before going to Raleigh to practice there. Fellow students will recall that Alex was a dedicated learner and strong Republican who in later years was a political analyst on CNN. Alex was the first student at Coats to win the Morehead Scholarship. However, in June of 1982, he made news when it was announced in the Daily Record, June 4, 1982 edition that Susan Walton and Alejandro Castellanos were married I n Raleigh and he was the son of Dr. and Mrs. Jose Castellanos of Raleigh, and formerly of Coats, N.C.
Lane Gregory Matthews, 85, of rural Coats had died at GHH. Mrs. Matthews was the widow of Henry Colon Matthews. She was the daughter of the late Andrew Gregory and Christine Stewart Gregory. Surviving her were two sons-Clyde and Billy Matthews, and one daughter, Mrs. Erma Mae Parker. Ira Gregory was a brother and her four sisters were Mrs. Jenny Ennis, Mrs. Vada Poole, Mrs. Thelma Johnson and Mrs. Alice Williams (Daily Record June 9, 1982). Don’t some of those names sound familiar?
Another outstanding lady, Mrs. Ethel L. Parrish of Angier, was written about in the news. The lady celebrated her 90th birthday with a cookout given by her children at the clubhouse of Mr. and Mrs. Carson Carter. Mrs. Parrish was the daughter of the late Joseph Marion Langdon and Susan Denning Langdon. She was married to the late Eddie Lester Parrish in 1910 and they were parents of Mrs. Rebeth Mitchell, Mrs. Thelma Mason, Raeford and Rupert Parrish, Mrs. Audrey Burchette, Mrs. Marva Lee Whittington and Mrs. Joyce Carter (Daily Record June 9, 1982).
Dan Honeycutt’s softball team won the regular season and tourney titles in the Carolina Conference. Both Donna Ennis and Denise Barnes hit well over .500, made all tournaments and were recognized for school most valuable honors (Daily Record June 4, 1982).
Peggy B. Regan of Coats and Harold T. Williams of Angier were married at the home of Linwood Carroll. She was the daughter of Mrs. Goldie B. Goodwin and the late Colon Leon Barbour. Harold was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jeppie Williams (Daily Record June 4, 1982). Did you recognize that Harold was the brother of Stacy Williams who is nationally recognized for his exemplary work in the upholstery business?
Who doesn’t like Baxter Ennis? His down to earth personality captivates audiences whether he is speaking at various organizations or doing book signings. They say that an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Baxter’s father, Preston Ennis, was an amazing gentle man who attended Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. It had to have saddened the church members to learn of his death. He was seventy-seven when had died on Tuesday. He was buried in the Ennis Family Cemetery. Surviving him were his wife, Mrs. Rena Ennis; one son, Captain Baxter Ennis; two daughters-Diane Ennis and Judy Evans. His siblings were Howard Ennis, Mrs. Alma Wood, Mrs. Lena Coats, Mrs. Vernie Creech, and Mrs. Lunette Coats (Daily Record June 9, 1982). Was Becky Ennis Adams’ deceased father (David Ennis) a brother of Preston?
Who remembers Beth Stephenson? The dark-haired beauty was not only beautiful but really smart as is proven by the awards she was recognized for in high school. But in this June 17, 1982 edition of the Daily Record shared that Beth and Charles Crumpler were planning a July 31st wedding in Greenville.
Coats Scout Troop 779 had held the Court of Honor. Scout committee members present Mr. David Barnes, Mrs. Janice Stancil, Dr. Harold Dixon and Mr. H.L. Sorrell (Daily Record June 21, 1982).
Mrs. Ethel Sercy Matthews announced the engagement of her daughter, Connie Matthews,to Trent Kerry Sorrell, son of Pauline Stephenson Sorrell. Connie was a graduate of Mt. Olive College and was a teacher’s aide at Mary Stewart School. Trent was a graduate of NCSU and was employed with Stewart Greenhouses (Daily Record June 22, 1982).
Shirley Stewart, local manager of Pope Family Center of Coats, received a four-year certificate at the Awards Luncheon. Each of the 30 Pope’s Family Centers was represented. President William Pope presented the certificates (Daily Record June 24, 1982).
How many of the readers are licensed pilots? Did you know that Shelton Earl Stewart was not only a licensed pilot but also owned a plane? The respected farmer who was only 59 years old had died at Wake Medical Center. He was a Harnett native and had served in the US Navy. His services were at the Erwin Funeral Home Chapel with burial in the Harnett Memorial Park. Surviving Mr. Stewart were his wife-Julia Parker Stewart; two daughters-Mrs. Ann Little and Mrs. Lou Day. Mrs. Hazel Byrd was his sister (Daily Record June 28, 1982).
Does anyone remember when the Air Force used the C-130 aircrafts to practice the picking up of downed pilots using balloons and an apparatus equivalent to the body of a pilot so they could use that skill in Vietnam to pick up downed pilots whose planes had been either shot down or pilots had had to bail out. Did they use Earl Stewart’s farm and general area to practice the maneuver? Does anyone have a picture of those big planes over the Earl Stewart farm? My husband, H. L. Sorrell, Jr. shared seeing the huge planes practicing but not sure if they ever perfected or used this maneuver in Vietnam.
Another man with close Grove connections had died in Houston, TX. Dr. W. Royce Turner, DDS, 59, had died on June 15th. He had lived in Houston for many years where he was a member of the American Dental Association and a Veteran of WWII. He was son of Elder C.D. Turner and brother to Merwin Turner, Claxton Turner, Walter Turner and Grace Garner (Daily Record June 29, 1982).
Do the hands on the clock seem to spin faster the older you get? Does it seem that you read recently that Miss Junior Order was crowned? Now we read that a new queen was crowned. Chosen for the title was Angel Gayle Penny, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ted Penny. Lisa Ann Pleasant was second runner-up and Joyce Marie Johnson was first runner-up. Sherri Lynn Whittington and Lisa Dawn Eason were also in the event (Daily Record July 1, 1982).
Good news came to the Ruth Upchurch family. One of the Coca-Colas she had purchased resulted in her winning $2,000 in the Peel-A-Fortune Game (Daily Record July 1, 1982). Did you ask, “Haven’t other Coats citizens won money in that promotion?”
Miss Felicia Faith Johnson, a 1982 graduate of Coats High School, and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Johnson, had received a Merit Scholarship in the amount of $3000 to be used at Campbell University. Felicia was an honor student that had won her a class marshal position and she was also a Director Award Winner in the band where she was a drum major (Daily Record July 1, 1982).
Stacy Lynn Williams was born at the Johnston Memorial Hospital. Her parents were Bobby and Martie Byrd Williams of rural Coats. Her maternal grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Sherrill Byrd. Mr. and Mrs. Troy Williams and Mrs. Sally Tripp were paternal great-grandparents (Daily Record July 6, 1982).
Do you recall who the Coats police chief was in Coats in 1982? Police Chief Ken Parker was quoted in the July 7, 1982 Daily Record that the “good work” of his officers had led to the arrest of two youths who were charged with auto theft. Dan Ferrell had shown good police skills accord to the chief.
Good news came to town employees. The town commissioners reported that all full-time employees would receive a five percent salary increase and police officers a ten percent to bring their salaries to a comparative level with officers in other surrounding towns. The budget was $497,000 with 90 cents per $100 valuation tax rate (Daily Record July 7, 1982).
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Randy Collins in Angier was the lovely setting for a party honoring Mrs. W.W. Wood who was affectionately known as “Flonnie”. The 92nd birthday birthday party honoree was the former Flonnie Weaver, daughter of the late Y.T. and Annie Jones Weaver (Daily Record July 8, 1982).
Did Cindy Leigh Barnes have a big wedding ceremony? I do know it was not mentioned in her wedding announcement found in the July 7, 1982 issue of the Daily Record. Cindy had married Marshall D. McLamb. I wish we had more information.
I do know that good news came to another family when they became a winner of $100 from the Coca-Cola Peel-A- Fortune contest. J.A. Langdon, Jr. had been the recipient (Daily Record July 17, 1982).
Do you think these winning families drank a lot of Cokes or were they just lucky? Do you suppose that the farmers served all Coke products at “Pepsi Breaks” when giving workers snack breaks while working in the tobacco fields or at the tobacco barns with hopes of getting a lucky bottle?
Speaking of lucky, the volunteers truly feel more than lucky to work at a museum that receives over whelming support from former students at Coats High. Without their financial support, the museum would be burdened with having to have fundraisers. Without their sharing meaningful items, the volunteers could not share stories from the Coats area. Over and over, Wallace Pollard has shown his generosity in financially supporting the museum’s operations. The Coats Museum folks appreciate you. Others give to the museum through memorials for those who have touched their lives. Thank you, Becky Adams, for remembering Don Sorrell with a memorial to the museum and to H.L. Sorrell for remembering Oscar Harris who worked so diligently for the Harnett County Community Foundation. A memorial to honor Oscar has been sent to the Coats Museum Endowment, an affiliate of that foundation.
The community is in for a very impressive program at the museum on Saturday, April 25th at 1:00. Lenny Parker, a 1973 Coats High graduate, came by the museum to bring his SBI uniform and other amazing items in connection with his job at the SBI. His stories of how he was part of a D-Mort team of experts who helped identify the bodies of victims of 9-11, plane crashes and hurricanes.
Don’t forget tomorrow, February 8th, at 1:00. A representative from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will be at the Coats Museum to share information about that organization. Also, it is important for recipients of an Eagle Scout Award share the program from the Court of Honor Eagle Scout ceremony from Scout Troop 779 for the May event at the museum.