January 15, 2021 Coats Museum News
The year displayed on the calendar was 1986. The cost of a house in Levittown, Long Island was $125,000. In 1980 it was only $60,000. The national debt exceeded $2 trillion-having doubled in the last five years. Professional women outnumbered professional men for the first time. There were 29,000 more professional women. The U.S. trade deficit jumped to an unprecedented $18 billion. The penalty for inside trader Ivan Boesky for buying and selling stocks with secret information was a cool $100 million (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1991, p. 286).
In Coats, in July of 1986, the Coats Board of Commissioners discussed making application to the Region “M” Council of Government for funding for a senior center in Coats. The idea of the center had the local support of groups like the Swinging Elders. Marvin Johnson was a well-known resident who strongly believed in the project. Mrs. Margaret Hardee, area administrator of the aging program of the Region “M”, stated there were to be funds for approved municipalities. The funding would be 85% from federal, 5% state and 10% local. In other action, the town also passed a resolution in favor of Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant near Apex. It was reported that other towns in nearby counties had also approved the opening of the new plant (Daily Record July 11, 1986).
Did any of you recall the above information about the senior center and the nuclear plant? Did you know that several of our Coats folks actually worked at the plant after it was completed? Paula Dawn Stevens’s parents announced her engagement to Stacy. A. Williams, Jr. She was a 1983 graduate of Coats High School while the prospective groom was a 1984 graduate.
Mrs. Lucille Parrish Norris, 80, of Route One, had died. She was survived by her daughters-Mrs. Minnie Henry, Mrs. Claudia Norris, Mrs. Juanita Pope, Mrs. Maud Daniel and one son Utley Norris. Mrs. Delphia Norris was a sister and Mrs. Dixie Hines was a half-sister. James, Milbert (?), Owen and J.D. Parrish were half- brothers.
Mr. and Mrs. C.L. Upchurch announced the engagement of their daughter, Deborah Diane Upchurch, to Jerry Dale Lucas, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Lucas. Both were graduates of Coats High School (Daily Record July 14, 1986).
Mr. James Arthur Smith, 44, of Benson had also died. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Smith; daughters-Mrs. Annie Louise Ferguson and Miss Sarah Ann Smith and one son-James Arthur Smith, Jr. He also had five brothers (Daily Record July 17, 1986).
Deaths continued to dominate the news from Coats. The Daily Record on July 21, 1986 printed that Colon F. Collins, 76, a retired farmer from Route 3, Angier, had died. Also deceased was Council Williams, 81, of Route One, Coats. Services were held at Gift Primitive Baptist Church. Mr. Williams was survived by sons- Wadeford, Willie F., Bruce Wayne and Jerry L Williams. His daughter was Mrs. Glenda Ramer.
J. D. Norris, Sr. must have been proud to hear that his son, J.D., Jr., would be the guest evangelist at Hilltop Free Will Baptist Church in Fuquay-Varina (Daily Record July 25, 1986).
A bit of additional information about J.D. Norris, Jr. is that he earned his Doctor of Divinity and served a church in Virginia Beach, Va. Interesting also is that another of his 1960 classmates, Roland Byrd, also earned a Doctor of Divinity and served churches in the Linden-Fayetteville area. Both of these preachers have visited our Coats Museum and were delightful as the volunteers gave them tours.
Wonder how many other Coats High School classes have two ministers among their graduates. I do know that Miss Amy Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Barry Howard, was crowned as the 1986 Miss Coats Junior Order. There to crown her was Miss Lisa Williams, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Williams and sister of contestant, Paula Williams. Coats IGA sponsored Paula. Miss Denise Williams was first runner-up and “Miss Congeniality.” Denise was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Williams. She had been sponsored by Currin and Dorman Builders. Miss Michelle Annette Tart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry B. Tart, was second runner-up. Her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Lockamy, sponsored her. Another candidate was Miss Kellie Lynn Byrd, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benny Byrd, was sponsored by CAG, Inc (Daily Record July 29, 1986).
Mr. and Mrs. P.J. Johnson announced the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Dawn, to Jack D. Faircloth. The event was planned to be a lawn wedding at the home of Jennifer’s grandmother, Mrs. Thessie Denning Daniel (Daily Record July 31, 1986).
Over in the Bailey’s Crossroad area, the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church was scheduled to hold a Family Bible Fest. Warren Bock, pastor of the church, had invited the community to participate in the variety of classes being offered.
A party was held for the Coats Swim Club at the Coats Junior Order Pool. Team members were Blair Wiggins, Brett Bailey, Alisha Dixon, Lori Barnes, Justin Langdon, Melissa Byrd, Allison Langdon, Missy Barnes, Patrick Jenkins, Hillary Brown, Keith Harmon, Brad Butler, Jon Coats, Angela Barnes, Kelly Harmon, Elizabeth Royal, Cara Avery, Lori Bailey, Cindy Meece, April Dixon, Mandy Dixon, Anita Pleasant, Brian Harmon, Dawn McLamb, Lloyd Whittington, Nicole Lucas, Jill Pleasant, and Coach David Farquharson (Daily Record Aug. 8, 1986).
Does that party mean that they had a good showing in the final matches? I do know that this group of young swimmers grew into some of the best that have come out of Coats. Did you recognize many of the names?
Coats High School which graduated its last seniors in 1985 has had so many students who have achieved amazing success stories. Last week, James (Jim) Weaver from the CHS Class of 1957 died. Jim had earned the rank of commander in the US Navy. Another outstanding military veteran who earned the rank of Lt. Colonel in the US Army is Baxter Ennis. A proven leader in high school and a well-known officer at Fort Bragg, Baxter has never forgotten that Coats was his home town and he often comes back to the area. Baxter was one of our speakers at the Coats Centennial in 2005. When he had a book signing of his book-When Leadership Mattered, the museum was filled with former classmates and community folks who came to see and buy his book. The volunteers wish to thank Baxter for his latest donation to the Coats Museum.
The year displayed on the calendar was 1986. The cost of a house in Levittown, Long Island was $125,000. In 1980 it was only $60,000. The national debt exceeded $2 trillion-having doubled in the last five years. Professional women outnumbered professional men for the first time. There were 29,000 more professional women. The U.S. trade deficit jumped to an unprecedented $18 billion. The penalty for inside trader Ivan Boesky for buying and selling stocks with secret information was a cool $100 million (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1991, p. 286).
In Coats, in July of 1986, the Coats Board of Commissioners discussed making application to the Region “M” Council of Government for funding for a senior center in Coats. The idea of the center had the local support of groups like the Swinging Elders. Marvin Johnson was a well-known resident who strongly believed in the project. Mrs. Margaret Hardee, area administrator of the aging program of the Region “M”, stated there were to be funds for approved municipalities. The funding would be 85% from federal, 5% state and 10% local. In other action, the town also passed a resolution in favor of Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant near Apex. It was reported that other towns in nearby counties had also approved the opening of the new plant (Daily Record July 11, 1986).
Did any of you recall the above information about the senior center and the nuclear plant? Did you know that several of our Coats folks actually worked at the plant after it was completed? Paula Dawn Stevens’s parents announced her engagement to Stacy. A. Williams, Jr. She was a 1983 graduate of Coats High School while the prospective groom was a 1984 graduate.
Mrs. Lucille Parrish Norris, 80, of Route One, had died. She was survived by her daughters-Mrs. Minnie Henry, Mrs. Claudia Norris, Mrs. Juanita Pope, Mrs. Maud Daniel and one son Utley Norris. Mrs. Delphia Norris was a sister and Mrs. Dixie Hines was a half-sister. James, Milbert (?), Owen and J.D. Parrish were half- brothers.
Mr. and Mrs. C.L. Upchurch announced the engagement of their daughter, Deborah Diane Upchurch, to Jerry Dale Lucas, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Lucas. Both were graduates of Coats High School (Daily Record July 14, 1986).
Mr. James Arthur Smith, 44, of Benson had also died. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Smith; daughters-Mrs. Annie Louise Ferguson and Miss Sarah Ann Smith and one son-James Arthur Smith, Jr. He also had five brothers (Daily Record July 17, 1986).
Deaths continued to dominate the news from Coats. The Daily Record on July 21, 1986 printed that Colon F. Collins, 76, a retired farmer from Route 3, Angier, had died. Also deceased was Council Williams, 81, of Route One, Coats. Services were held at Gift Primitive Baptist Church. Mr. Williams was survived by sons- Wadeford, Willie F., Bruce Wayne and Jerry L Williams. His daughter was Mrs. Glenda Ramer.
J. D. Norris, Sr. must have been proud to hear that his son, J.D., Jr., would be the guest evangelist at Hilltop Free Will Baptist Church in Fuquay-Varina (Daily Record July 25, 1986).
A bit of additional information about J.D. Norris, Jr. is that he earned his Doctor of Divinity and served a church in Virginia Beach, Va. Interesting also is that another of his 1960 classmates, Roland Byrd, also earned a Doctor of Divinity and served churches in the Linden-Fayetteville area. Both of these preachers have visited our Coats Museum and were delightful as the volunteers gave them tours.
Wonder how many other Coats High School classes have two ministers among their graduates. I do know that Miss Amy Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Barry Howard, was crowned as the 1986 Miss Coats Junior Order. There to crown her was Miss Lisa Williams, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Williams and sister of contestant, Paula Williams. Coats IGA sponsored Paula. Miss Denise Williams was first runner-up and “Miss Congeniality.” Denise was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Williams. She had been sponsored by Currin and Dorman Builders. Miss Michelle Annette Tart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry B. Tart, was second runner-up. Her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Lockamy, sponsored her. Another candidate was Miss Kellie Lynn Byrd, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benny Byrd, was sponsored by CAG, Inc (Daily Record July 29, 1986).
Mr. and Mrs. P.J. Johnson announced the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Dawn, to Jack D. Faircloth. The event was planned to be a lawn wedding at the home of Jennifer’s grandmother, Mrs. Thessie Denning Daniel (Daily Record July 31, 1986).
Over in the Bailey’s Crossroad area, the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church was scheduled to hold a Family Bible Fest. Warren Bock, pastor of the church, had invited the community to participate in the variety of classes being offered.
A party was held for the Coats Swim Club at the Coats Junior Order Pool. Team members were Blair Wiggins, Brett Bailey, Alisha Dixon, Lori Barnes, Justin Langdon, Melissa Byrd, Allison Langdon, Missy Barnes, Patrick Jenkins, Hillary Brown, Keith Harmon, Brad Butler, Jon Coats, Angela Barnes, Kelly Harmon, Elizabeth Royal, Cara Avery, Lori Bailey, Cindy Meece, April Dixon, Mandy Dixon, Anita Pleasant, Brian Harmon, Dawn McLamb, Lloyd Whittington, Nicole Lucas, Jill Pleasant, and Coach David Farquharson (Daily Record Aug. 8, 1986).
Does that party mean that they had a good showing in the final matches? I do know that this group of young swimmers grew into some of the best that have come out of Coats. Did you recognize many of the names?
Coats High School which graduated its last seniors in 1985 has had so many students who have achieved amazing success stories. Last week, James (Jim) Weaver from the CHS Class of 1957 died. Jim had earned the rank of commander in the US Navy. Another outstanding military veteran who earned the rank of Lt. Colonel in the US Army is Baxter Ennis. A proven leader in high school and a well-known officer at Fort Bragg, Baxter has never forgotten that Coats was his home town and he often comes back to the area. Baxter was one of our speakers at the Coats Centennial in 2005. When he had a book signing of his book-When Leadership Mattered, the museum was filled with former classmates and community folks who came to see and buy his book. The volunteers wish to thank Baxter for his latest donation to the Coats Museum.