January 12, 2018 Coats Museum News
Dr. Bill Patterson was born in 1911 and later recalled while growing up in town that he had been a member of the Boy Scouts in Coats and even shared some of his scout adventures and named banker Edwin Stewart as a scout leader. Question- does anyone know whether Coats has had a continuous scout troop in Coats since then? This I do know. The Boy Scout Troop 779 had had a campout on Saturday on the farm of Ira Williams at Lake Teresa. Teeny Pleasant and Ed Haponski were scout leaders (Daily Record Oct. 5, 1967). Another question-is Lake Teresa (near Linden) on the Ira Williams farm and is he not an ancestor of most of the Williams family who owns much land around the Williams Cemetery? I do know that Glenard Bailey of Baileys Crossroads owned Lake Teresa a few years ago.
When we reach October, we almost immediately think of Farmers Day and the NC State Fair. Surely H.A. Turlington had been preparing for the fair for many months. In 1967, he walked away with two grand champion honors. Were these champions-Durocs (Daily Record Oct. 9, 1967)?
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Grimes of Coats had announced the birth and death of a daughter, Janet Grimes. Douglas and Michael Grimes were siblings and Wayne was the son of Alton Grimes (Daily Record Oct.13, 1967).
A Special Bond Election was to be held on Dec.2, 1967 (Daily Record Oct. 19, 1967). Does anyone recall what the bond was to support? Was it consolidation of high schools?
Troy Vance Stewart, 64, had died in Phoenix, Arizona. Mrs. J.B. Williams and Mrs. Gaither Stewart were two of his six sisters (Daily Record Oct. 30, 1967).
Miss Eula Katherine Byrd, 60, had died on Saturday. She was survived by Mrs. Maylon Byrd, Mack, Lynn, Almond, and Silas Byrd (Daily Record Oct. 30, 1967).
We have read the death announcements of several folks so let’s interject a wedding since Beverly Langdon, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daywood Langdon, had married Cecil Lloyd Stephenson of Coats. The couple was married at the Coats Baptist Church. Both were Coats High graduates. Beverly attended Johnston School of Medical Technology and Cecil was a graduate of Fayetteville Technical Institute (Daily Record Nov. 1, 1967).
Deaths could have been the main topic of discussions around Coats for we have another announcement of one when Mrs. Hattie B. Gregory, 67, of Angier had died in Erwin. Burial was in the Williams Cemetery. She was survived by her husband, Oscar H. Gregory; two sons-Jerry and Talmadge; five daughters-Mrs. J.B. Thompson, Mrs. Ole Hamilton, Mrs. Joseph Pollard, Mrs. Bill Campbell, and Mrs. Irving Hughes (Daily Record Nov. 6, 1967). Many of those names sound familiar, right?
Marcia Kay Dorman was a math education major at NC State University. She was the daughter if Mr. and Mrs. Howard L. Smith (Daily Record Nov. 7, 1967). Does anyone know when NC State changed from the status of college to university?
If not, then surely many of you will remember M.O. Phillips. Plans were almost completed for a “M.O. Phillips Day” to honor his 30 years of service as an agriculture teacher at Coats. It was to be a kickoff for a M.O. Phillips Scholarship (Daily Record Nov. 16, 1967).
Page is a popular name in the Coats area. The Nov. 20, 1967 edition of the Daily Record printed that James Bronnie Page, 87, of Route One, Coats had died and was survived by Mrs. Ana Bayles Page. Let’s put our heads together and try to figure out who this Mr. Page might have been. When traveling from Coats toward Buies Creek, there is a brick house on the right at the bottom of the hill. The house is almost hidden today from overgrowth .There is a solar farm in the general area behind it and Phillip and Carolyn Barnes live up a bit on the left. Up on the hill there is a huge, beautiful old colonial house where the Bayles family built and lived in for years. Could these two families have been connected?
For sure we know that Mr. and Mrs. Mack Grimes were parents of a son at GHH in Erwin. Mrs. Grimes was the former Judy Blackman (Daily Record Nov. 24, 1967).
Some more good news hit the press. Miss Gloria Jeanette Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Stewart, of Coats had married Robert Pleasant, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Pleasant, also of Coats. The wedding was held at Coats Baptist Church. Sondra Ennis and Ann Jones rendered the music program. The bride was escorted by her father and was attended by Teresa Byrd, Hope Stewart Turlington, Cathy Jernigan, Trula Gail Pleasant, Ann Pleasant and Nancy Cummings. Young attendants were Cindy Pleasant, Ann Pleasant, Rhonda Stewart and John Pleasant. The best man was Andrew Joyner. Ushers were Ronnie Stewart, Jeff Stewart, Ronnie Byrd, Frank Turlington, Gary Williams and Edmund Jernigan (Daily Record Nov. 20, 1967).
Ladies, do remember when as a teenage girl you would spend time reading the Sunday edition of the News and Observer Bridal Section and admire all the beautiful wedding gowns and read every word of the description of kinds of fabric, laces, pearls and sequins mentioned in the description of the dresses. Even the length of the gloves worn carried the teenage mind into a fantasy world of princes and princesses. The number of groomsmen and bridesmaids, the number of ushers, the occupation of the parents and the education and where the couple honeymooned spoke volumes to my naïve age.
In a way it is sad that those write-ups don’t appear in papers much anymore but I am sure there has to be reasons of expense that papers elect not to do much social news anymore. Being the youngest of eight girls who had all gone off to colleges and universities that had resulted in their having somewhat glamorous lives, the social reporters from the Dunn Dispatch and later the Daily Record would call my mom for any of the latest gossip. My mom was a simple housewife and she wanted no part of it even though I bet she enjoyed reading about what was going on in the lives of her neighbors and friends.
Anyway, there was some good news for those who loved snow. A small amount of snow and sleet had hit the community (Daily Record Nov. 30, 1967).
During this column, we have watched wedding rice tossed at newlyweds, shared in the joys of new life, covered our heads to protect them from sleet and snow and now we once again watch the bereaved as they wipe away tears at the burial of loved ones. The Carl Whittington family lost their patriarch. Mr. Whittington was sixty-seven and had lived on Route Three, Dunn. His Friday death was followed by services at the Primitive Zion Baptist Church and was conducted by Elders Blaney Godwin, S.D. Sauls, and T. Allen Johnson. His burial was in the Devotional Gardens. He was survived by his wife, Verta B. Whittington; six sons-Delano, Jerry, Vin, Oliver, Carl, Jr., and Donald Whittington. His three daughters were Mrs. Jackie Bass, Mrs. Edna Vaughan and Mrs. Rena McLamb (Daily Record Nov. 4, 1967).
Two new questions-were Carl and Floyd Whittington brothers and was Rena the former Rena Whittington who was mentioned in so many of those social events in the newspaper?
I do know that Airman First Class Billy J. Coats, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph S. Coats of Route 3, Dunn, was on duty at Korat Royal Thia AFB, Thailand. He was an aircraft instrument repairman and was a member of the Pacific Air Forces. He was a Coats High graduate and was married to Margaret Coats, daughter of Mrs. Maggie L. Clifton (Daily Record Dec. 5, 1967).
Sixteen girls had competed for the Miss Coats title. Janice Williams, Kay Fish, Cathy Norris, Debbie Pollard, Wanda Ennis, Mary Ellen Johnson, Jone Ennis, Janell Weaver, Beth Stephenson, Jennifer Flowers, Linda Turlington, and Louise Holmes were those listed (Daily Record Dec. 7, 1967).
Many of our readers will recognize the name Baxter Ennis who had graduated from Coats High and Campbell before entering the US Army where he retired as a Lt. Colonel. Baxter has had an exciting and productive life after leaving Coats but has not forgotten his hometown. Without fail, he has remembered the Coats Museum with an end –of- year donation since we added the exhibit hall.
Another former Coats High graduate who has also supported the museum for years is Wallace Pollard. Wallace’s sister, Linda Cobb, has served as a volunteer and board member for many years. Thank you from all the folks at the museum, Wallace, for your continued, generous financial support.
If you have any spare time on hand, go to our coatsmuseum.com website and read some of the old Coats Museum News columns. This week we posted the December 6, 2013 column which shared the Womanless Wedding held before a packed auditorium in 1947. Many who have visited our museum have commented on the wedding mural in our theater room. Many of the very young visitors giggle that we surely had some ugly women a long time ago!
Dr. Bill Patterson was born in 1911 and later recalled while growing up in town that he had been a member of the Boy Scouts in Coats and even shared some of his scout adventures and named banker Edwin Stewart as a scout leader. Question- does anyone know whether Coats has had a continuous scout troop in Coats since then? This I do know. The Boy Scout Troop 779 had had a campout on Saturday on the farm of Ira Williams at Lake Teresa. Teeny Pleasant and Ed Haponski were scout leaders (Daily Record Oct. 5, 1967). Another question-is Lake Teresa (near Linden) on the Ira Williams farm and is he not an ancestor of most of the Williams family who owns much land around the Williams Cemetery? I do know that Glenard Bailey of Baileys Crossroads owned Lake Teresa a few years ago.
When we reach October, we almost immediately think of Farmers Day and the NC State Fair. Surely H.A. Turlington had been preparing for the fair for many months. In 1967, he walked away with two grand champion honors. Were these champions-Durocs (Daily Record Oct. 9, 1967)?
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Grimes of Coats had announced the birth and death of a daughter, Janet Grimes. Douglas and Michael Grimes were siblings and Wayne was the son of Alton Grimes (Daily Record Oct.13, 1967).
A Special Bond Election was to be held on Dec.2, 1967 (Daily Record Oct. 19, 1967). Does anyone recall what the bond was to support? Was it consolidation of high schools?
Troy Vance Stewart, 64, had died in Phoenix, Arizona. Mrs. J.B. Williams and Mrs. Gaither Stewart were two of his six sisters (Daily Record Oct. 30, 1967).
Miss Eula Katherine Byrd, 60, had died on Saturday. She was survived by Mrs. Maylon Byrd, Mack, Lynn, Almond, and Silas Byrd (Daily Record Oct. 30, 1967).
We have read the death announcements of several folks so let’s interject a wedding since Beverly Langdon, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daywood Langdon, had married Cecil Lloyd Stephenson of Coats. The couple was married at the Coats Baptist Church. Both were Coats High graduates. Beverly attended Johnston School of Medical Technology and Cecil was a graduate of Fayetteville Technical Institute (Daily Record Nov. 1, 1967).
Deaths could have been the main topic of discussions around Coats for we have another announcement of one when Mrs. Hattie B. Gregory, 67, of Angier had died in Erwin. Burial was in the Williams Cemetery. She was survived by her husband, Oscar H. Gregory; two sons-Jerry and Talmadge; five daughters-Mrs. J.B. Thompson, Mrs. Ole Hamilton, Mrs. Joseph Pollard, Mrs. Bill Campbell, and Mrs. Irving Hughes (Daily Record Nov. 6, 1967). Many of those names sound familiar, right?
Marcia Kay Dorman was a math education major at NC State University. She was the daughter if Mr. and Mrs. Howard L. Smith (Daily Record Nov. 7, 1967). Does anyone know when NC State changed from the status of college to university?
If not, then surely many of you will remember M.O. Phillips. Plans were almost completed for a “M.O. Phillips Day” to honor his 30 years of service as an agriculture teacher at Coats. It was to be a kickoff for a M.O. Phillips Scholarship (Daily Record Nov. 16, 1967).
Page is a popular name in the Coats area. The Nov. 20, 1967 edition of the Daily Record printed that James Bronnie Page, 87, of Route One, Coats had died and was survived by Mrs. Ana Bayles Page. Let’s put our heads together and try to figure out who this Mr. Page might have been. When traveling from Coats toward Buies Creek, there is a brick house on the right at the bottom of the hill. The house is almost hidden today from overgrowth .There is a solar farm in the general area behind it and Phillip and Carolyn Barnes live up a bit on the left. Up on the hill there is a huge, beautiful old colonial house where the Bayles family built and lived in for years. Could these two families have been connected?
For sure we know that Mr. and Mrs. Mack Grimes were parents of a son at GHH in Erwin. Mrs. Grimes was the former Judy Blackman (Daily Record Nov. 24, 1967).
Some more good news hit the press. Miss Gloria Jeanette Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Stewart, of Coats had married Robert Pleasant, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Pleasant, also of Coats. The wedding was held at Coats Baptist Church. Sondra Ennis and Ann Jones rendered the music program. The bride was escorted by her father and was attended by Teresa Byrd, Hope Stewart Turlington, Cathy Jernigan, Trula Gail Pleasant, Ann Pleasant and Nancy Cummings. Young attendants were Cindy Pleasant, Ann Pleasant, Rhonda Stewart and John Pleasant. The best man was Andrew Joyner. Ushers were Ronnie Stewart, Jeff Stewart, Ronnie Byrd, Frank Turlington, Gary Williams and Edmund Jernigan (Daily Record Nov. 20, 1967).
Ladies, do remember when as a teenage girl you would spend time reading the Sunday edition of the News and Observer Bridal Section and admire all the beautiful wedding gowns and read every word of the description of kinds of fabric, laces, pearls and sequins mentioned in the description of the dresses. Even the length of the gloves worn carried the teenage mind into a fantasy world of princes and princesses. The number of groomsmen and bridesmaids, the number of ushers, the occupation of the parents and the education and where the couple honeymooned spoke volumes to my naïve age.
In a way it is sad that those write-ups don’t appear in papers much anymore but I am sure there has to be reasons of expense that papers elect not to do much social news anymore. Being the youngest of eight girls who had all gone off to colleges and universities that had resulted in their having somewhat glamorous lives, the social reporters from the Dunn Dispatch and later the Daily Record would call my mom for any of the latest gossip. My mom was a simple housewife and she wanted no part of it even though I bet she enjoyed reading about what was going on in the lives of her neighbors and friends.
Anyway, there was some good news for those who loved snow. A small amount of snow and sleet had hit the community (Daily Record Nov. 30, 1967).
During this column, we have watched wedding rice tossed at newlyweds, shared in the joys of new life, covered our heads to protect them from sleet and snow and now we once again watch the bereaved as they wipe away tears at the burial of loved ones. The Carl Whittington family lost their patriarch. Mr. Whittington was sixty-seven and had lived on Route Three, Dunn. His Friday death was followed by services at the Primitive Zion Baptist Church and was conducted by Elders Blaney Godwin, S.D. Sauls, and T. Allen Johnson. His burial was in the Devotional Gardens. He was survived by his wife, Verta B. Whittington; six sons-Delano, Jerry, Vin, Oliver, Carl, Jr., and Donald Whittington. His three daughters were Mrs. Jackie Bass, Mrs. Edna Vaughan and Mrs. Rena McLamb (Daily Record Nov. 4, 1967).
Two new questions-were Carl and Floyd Whittington brothers and was Rena the former Rena Whittington who was mentioned in so many of those social events in the newspaper?
I do know that Airman First Class Billy J. Coats, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph S. Coats of Route 3, Dunn, was on duty at Korat Royal Thia AFB, Thailand. He was an aircraft instrument repairman and was a member of the Pacific Air Forces. He was a Coats High graduate and was married to Margaret Coats, daughter of Mrs. Maggie L. Clifton (Daily Record Dec. 5, 1967).
Sixteen girls had competed for the Miss Coats title. Janice Williams, Kay Fish, Cathy Norris, Debbie Pollard, Wanda Ennis, Mary Ellen Johnson, Jone Ennis, Janell Weaver, Beth Stephenson, Jennifer Flowers, Linda Turlington, and Louise Holmes were those listed (Daily Record Dec. 7, 1967).
Many of our readers will recognize the name Baxter Ennis who had graduated from Coats High and Campbell before entering the US Army where he retired as a Lt. Colonel. Baxter has had an exciting and productive life after leaving Coats but has not forgotten his hometown. Without fail, he has remembered the Coats Museum with an end –of- year donation since we added the exhibit hall.
Another former Coats High graduate who has also supported the museum for years is Wallace Pollard. Wallace’s sister, Linda Cobb, has served as a volunteer and board member for many years. Thank you from all the folks at the museum, Wallace, for your continued, generous financial support.
If you have any spare time on hand, go to our coatsmuseum.com website and read some of the old Coats Museum News columns. This week we posted the December 6, 2013 column which shared the Womanless Wedding held before a packed auditorium in 1947. Many who have visited our museum have commented on the wedding mural in our theater room. Many of the very young visitors giggle that we surely had some ugly women a long time ago!