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​                                                                                     July 27, 2018 Coats Museum News
The month was September and Coats High School students had settled in for the 1971-72 school term. The Coats FHA had the initiation of forty-four girls dressed as clowns. The theme was “The Greatest Show on Earth”. It would be five years before the new arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Capps would sit in one of those school seats at Coats High. Matt was born on September 21 at Rex Hospital. Over in Dunn, Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy O’Neal of Route 4, Dunn, had announced the birth of a son on September 18th in the Cape Fear Valley Hospital. Mrs. O’Neal was the former Ann Johnson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Johnson. Wonder how many of them would attend Disney World in Orlando, Florida which had opened (Daily Record Oct. 1, 1971).
Robert Lee Moore, son of Donald Moore of Coats, was killed when he ran into another vehicle making a left turn on US 74 five miles west of Monroe (Daily Record Oct. 4, 1971).
The Coats Girl Scouts were recognized at the Court of Awards on September 27th at the Coats Baptist Church. Mrs. Barbara Gardner and Mrs. Glenda Denning led the Brownies. Eloise Lee led the Cadettes (Daily Record Oct. 6, 1971).
Charlie Rufus Smith, 65 year-old farmer of Dunn, had died on Wednesday October 6th. He was brother to Thurman Smith. Mrs. Jean Paulette Ivey of Route One, Coats was a patient at Johnson Memorial Hospital (Daily Record October 6, 1971).
The Coats Methodist WSCS met at Thelma Byrd’s house. Members present were Etta Moran, Helen Lee, Edna Lockamy, Lib Johnson, Hautence Denning, Evelyn Ennis, Wilma Stone, Ruth Norris, Carolyn Tart, Marilyn Ennis, Thelma Byrd, Carolyn Denning, and Mamie Bennett.
The Coats 4-H met on Wednesday September 29th. President Deborah Phillips presided over the meeting where they made plans for the National 4-H Week. A few days later, Mrs. M.E. Ennis had celebrated her 73rd birthday at the Barefoot’s Café in Coats on October 8th with her son, Shelton Ennis of Dunn. A revival was held at Friendship Free Will Baptist Church in Coats where Rev. James Denton was speaker. Rev. Troy Daniel was pastor of Friendship.
Hospital patients listed in the Oct.11 -20th editions of the Daily Record were Doris Tart, Ed Penny, Omie Moore, Millard Young and Mrs. Daisy Stevens who were at the GHH.
Mrs. Juanita Hudson was named Club Woman of the Year of Oakdale Extension Homemakers Club. Mr. and Mrs. Terry Glenn Avery of Coats announced the birth of a daughter, Terri Lynn Avery. She was born at BJMH (Daily Record Oct. 25, 1971).
A seven –year –old child was injured when struck by a car in Coats. He was treated at Wake Medical. Jay Lamm was the young boy and he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Lamm. While   Jay was being treated for his injuries at Wake, Mrs. Ila A, Weaver, Mrs. Dale Ennis and Mr. Thomas Barefoot were admitted to GHH in Erwin (Daily Record Nov. 2, 1971).
Betty Ellen Dixon, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Dixon, and Tony Turlington, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wade Turlington, were engaged to be married (Daily Record Nov. 4, 1971).
The local hospitals were being filled with sick folks with Coats connections. In the Daily Record editions of the paper from November the 8th to December the 4th, the following were patients: Mrs. Catherine House, Mrs. Louise Stanley, Mrs. Mavis Stewart, Mrs. Ira Williams, James Denning, Ben Upchurch, Mrs. Maude Ennis, Kenneth Parker and Sally Betts.
Does anyone remember Mrs. Addie Reaves Turner? The death of the 83 year-old woman was announced in the Nov. 15th edition of the Daily Record.
Funeral services were held for Billy Parrish who was a 22 year-old man who worked for the Raleigh Linen Service. He was survived by his wife, Sandra Parrish and son, William D. Parrish (Daily Record Dec. 6, 1971). I wonder how many of Billy’s family and classmates live in the Coats area today.
Mrs. Maude Strickland Ennis, Coats woman, had died on December 11th. Her children were Mrs. Wilma Ennis McInturff, Raymond Ennis and Fred Ennis. Dennis Strickland was her brother. Her husband, Joel Ennis, had been a well respected merchant and town commissioner for many years. The same edition of the paper recorded that Mayor Ronald Coats shared that the citizens of Coats would have no tax increase resulting from the passing of two bonds, but water rates could increase and line extensions would not begin until June, 1972 (Daily Record, Dec. 13, 1971).
This writer could not have been happier when it was noted that all the Coats citizens would finally have access to clean water in the town. I well remember writing about the loss of the hosiery mill, flour mill, sawmill, Roberts electric  company and  residences due to fires and school closings due to lack of enough water. I wrote of times when a neighbor’s waste drained into the wells of their neighbors and there were no waste disposal systems except ditches and outdoor toilets for most households. I wrote of the times when neighbor versus neighbor opposed each other in wanting or not wanting a town water system for fear of a tax increase.
Mr. and Mrs. Terry Abney of Coats were likely more interested in bringing home their new baby son than water rate increases. Christopher Fitzgerald was born on December 13th at Betsy Johnson Memorial Hospital. Another Coats couple also became the parents of a son, Donald Devon Moore. Mr. and Mrs. Riley Devon Moore were the parents of the arrival on December 13th at Betsy Johnson Memorial Hospital in Dunn (Daily Record Dec. 14, 1971).
Liston Stewart, who was admitted to the hospital, had died at the Betsy Johnson Memorial Hospital on Tuesday. He was survived by his wife, Faye Denton Stewart, and one stepson, Ricky Washington. His siblings were Mrs. J.W. Lewis, Mrs. Lottie Mae Creech, Clayton and Elton Stewart (Daily Record 15, 1971).
The page on the calendar displayed a new year-1972. How many can remember what your life was like in 1972? When students came home from school, did they have to head to the pea patch to pick September peas or maybe pick cotton until the sun slowly disappeared behind the trees on the horizon? Possibly some of them had to pick peanuts off the vines or cook supper since their mom and dad worked away from the farm and expected an older child to babysit their younger siblings or do the laundry and cook supper. Did some of them waste away the afternoons in front of television, ride their bikes or shoot hoops with friends?
This I do know. The year 1972 was a year of protests against the Vietnam War and the nation’s rivers, lakes, and air needed to be cleaned up. Inflation was rising. However, there was good news in our area. Miss Lois Kay Parrish had become the bride of Mr. Walter Gene Blackwelder, Jr. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thurman Lee Parrish of Route One, Lillington. Assisting with the reception were Mrs. Rudolph Yarborough, Mrs. Elijah Weaver and Mrs. Clayton Johnson. While these ladies were partying, Mrs. Vivian Hayes, Mrs. Joseph Henry Parrish and Mrs. James Coats were patients in GHH (Daily Record Jan. 3, 1972).
What an amazing last week at the museum. On Tuesday we welcomed a group from Garner. They are in the planning stages for a museum in their downtown with the idea of having it in the town’s old train depot. How excited we were to share the journey of another group of Coats citizens who had a similar dream in 1990 to convert an old school building into a Coats Museum. On Wednesday, several of the Coats Museum volunteers traveled to Lillington to support that town’s effort to convert one of the beautiful old houses in their town into a museum.
Thursday was filled with activity also. Ted Penny dropped by to donate the Funeral Registries for Roy Penny, Louella Penny and Joseph Penny. The signatures of many of the folks that I have written about over the years appeared in those books for sharing flowers, food and visits. Just observing the handwriting was awesome.
Thank you to the many friends of Becky Adams who continue to remember her mother, Wynona Ennis, with memorials to the museum. This week’s thank you’s go to Jess and Michelle Alphin, Peggy Robinson, Sandra Coats Byrd and Linda Cobb.
 The volunteers invite you to see the new addition in our Cotton Museum. Johnny and Donna K. Herring have donated a large ceramic figurine of a farmer plowing with a mule which Lynda displayed among all the antique farm implement s.Did you ask “What’s the big deal about a man plowing with a mule?” You would be surprised at the number of younger visitors who come to the museum who have no knowledge of the role that many of the antique farm implements on display or the importance that mules and other farm animals played in the survival of the farm families before the tractor came on the scene. A thank you goes to Johnny and Donna for sharing.
Preacher Tom Coats, the man who along with several of his children gave some of the land in Coats for the train depot and railroad track, must have possessed a gene of benevolence which continues to show up in his descendants. Dana Coats Byrd consistently finds reasons to donate money and items for the betterment of the museum. A great-grandchild, Clyde Thomas Gaster, has visited several times this summer donating his military overcoat and amazing family photographs. Clyde and Betty dropped by on Thursday with his US Army military shirt and additional pictures.  What a surprise it was to one volunteer when he asked to add the names Clyde Thomas and Betty P. Gaster to the Donor Wall. A sincere thank you to Betty and Clyde Gaster, Dana and Randy Byrd and Joyce Parrish Turner for helping  make the museum the destination of so many visitors to our small town that bears the name of your beloved ancestor-James Thomas Coats.