July 3, 2015 Coats
Museum News
The Christmas season was being celebrated around the world in 1952 when the family of Jacob Matthews said their final farewell to the 86 year-old man. He had died on Monday morning and his services were held at his home in Coats. He was buried in the Matthews Cemetery near Coats. He was survived by his wife, Nannie Matthews; his two sons-Lexie D. and Marvin Matthews of Angier and one daughter, Mrs. John Stewart. His five stepsons were Lawrence, Woodrow, Alvin, Sterling, and Ernest Watson (Dunn Dispatch Dec. 28, 1952).
The year was now 1953-the year in which the Korean Armistice was signed and the Soviets lost Stalin. General Dwight Eisenhower would move into the White House. In his State of the Union address on January 7, 1953, President Harry Truman had announced that the US had developed a hydrogen bomb, capable of creating explosions of a new order of magnitude dwarfing the mushroom clouds of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Dr. Jonas Salk announced the discovery and initial testing of a new vaccine that gave a lasting protection against poliomyelitis. Scrabble was the best selling board game. Bermuda shorts strolled into fashion. Low cost aerosol cans became an element of workday life and were used to propel anything from dessert topping to oil-based paint. Ian Fleming published the first of thirteen James Bond novels, Casino Royale with Agent 007. Americans fell in love with a fiberglass and plastic sports car known as the Corvette.
A few things were added to the male wardrobe-the Homburg hat (the kind worn by President Eisenhower at his inauguration instead of the tall silk one) and loafers for the feet and two pair of trousers with each suit. The first TV Guide was published. Following the longest truce negotiations in the history of warfare (two years, seventeen days and some 575 meetings between the combatants) the war in Korea was over and the armistice was signed in Panmunjom (Dickson, Paul, From Elvis to E-Mail, Springfield, Massachusetts: Federal Press, 1999, pp 59-63).
While Eisenhower was settling into his new responsibility in the White House, Rep. Carson Gregory of Harnett was serving his second term in the N.C. House. He was appointed to serve on ten committees and as chairman of the Justice of Peace Committee (Daily Record Jan. 20, 1953).
Kenneth Peacock, son of Mr. and Mrs. D.H. Peacock of Coats, completed his AF basic airman indoctrination course at Lackland AF Base near San Antonio, Texas (Daily Record January 27, 1953).
The Coats Elementary School presented a play on George Washington and family. Main players were Joe Gregory, Kent Langdon, Carol Jones, Miriam Ennis, Bobby Fish, Teddy Malone, and Larry Turlington. All students dressed in colonial costumes and wigs.
The Coats seniors presented a play also. The play entitled “Here Comes Charlie” starred Shirley Norris, Bruce Stone, Russell Lamm, C.L. Hough, Willie Carol Honeycutt, Marvin McLean, Kathleen Cobb, Marilyn Yarley, and Faye Dean Moore (Daily Record Feb. 16, 1953).
Clay Williams, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. D. Williams of Coats, married Miss Evelyn Dearman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. O.A. Dearman, of Statesville, at the home of Dr. James Sprunt, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Raleigh (Daily Record Mar. 3, 1953).
The Coats Junior-Senior Banquet was held at the Johnson’s Restaurant in Dunn. The toastmaster was Donald Blalock. Helen Sears gave the toast to the seniors and Russell Lamm responded. Jean Godwin rendered a beautiful vocal solo followed by toasts to the school faculty by Marilyn Yarely and Ann Pleasant. Principal R. Hal Smith responded (Daily Record April 17, 1953).
The Coats baseball team downed the Angier team. Leading players for Coats were Lamm, Mason, Godwin and Matthews (Daily Record April 20, 1953).
Linda Sue Turlington, young daughter of H.A. and Rachel Turlington, competed in the Daily Record Baby-Children Contest (Daily Record May 7, 1953).
The Coats people went to the polls and reelected J.D. Norris as Coats Mayor by fourteen votes. Commissioners reelected were D.H. Yarley, L.E. McKnight, Lester Williams and N.T. Coats (Daily Record May 13, 1953).
Mrs. W. E. Nichols never slowed down. She traveled to Wilmington to attend the meeting of the N.C. Federation of Women’s Club (Daily Record May 15, 1953).
Members of the Future Homemakers of America of the Coats High School entertained at a banquet at Johnson’s Restaurant in Dunn honoring their mothers and other guests. Those in attendance were Mrs. Archie Moore, Miss Faye Dean Moore, Miss Avis Squires, Miss Edith Allen, Miss Helen Sears, Miss Susan Turlington, Miss Ann Pleasant, Miss LaRue Edgerton, Miss Sue Johnson, Miss Shirley Norris, Miss Carolyn Turner, Mrs. H.A. Turlington, and Mrs. Carlie McLamb (Daily Record May 26, 1953).
The big day finally arrived for the 1953 graduates at Coats School. They had their diplomas in hand and their pictures taken on the steps in front of the high school building. Who were these proud graduates? Find a name that connects lines on your family tree. Mary Alice Stephenson, Mollie Byrd, Kathleen Cobb, Joyce Lewis, Russell Lamm, Hilda Ruth Messer, Jo Ann Ennis, Harold Williams, Norma Jean Creech, Shirley Norris, Betty Jean Miller, Mary Helen Seagroves, Albert Gregory, Jean Pope, Bruce Stone, Faye Dean Moore, Marilyn Yarley, Lucille Blackwelder, Kenneth Turlington, Willie Carol Honeycutt, C.L. Hough, Jr., J.C. Johnson, Jr., Hoover Johnson, Shirley Byrd, La Rue Edgerton, Doris Gregory, Henry Jackson, Floyd McLamb, Marvin McLean, Kelly Messer, J.W. Sorrell, Jr. and Bobby Stephenson were the graduates (Daily Record May 29, 1953).
Miss Margie Capps, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Luther Capps of Coats, received a certificate of honor at the commencement exercises for making the Grand Honor Roll of Coats School (Daily Record May 29, 1953).
Several columns back you read about another outstanding graduate of Coats High School by the name of Neal A. Barnes. Neal was elected vice president of the American Society of Agriculture Engineers at N.C. State College in Raleigh (Daily Record June 17, 1953).
Mrs. Cornelius Turner, wife of the late Elder William Green Turner, celebrated her 92nd birthday at her home on Route 3, Turlington community. A hundred and 20 relatives and friends attended. Three of her sons were Elders in the old school Baptist Church. They were Elders Luther Turner, Elmond Turner, and Dewey Turner. Other children were Walter Turner, Roscoe Turner, Mrs. Nettie Turlington, and Mrs. Laura Barbour (Daily Record June 24, 1953).
The new Coats Baptist Church had had its opening ceremony on Sunday with Dr. J. Ben Eller and large number of former pastors (Daily Record June 24, 1953). Wonder who those former pastors were?
The reunion of the Ennis Family was always a colorful event. The tradition began in 1921 by the descendants of John Austin Ennis gathering at the Primitive Zion Church with 300 present. Managers of the 1953 gathering were Joel Ennis, Curtis Ennis, Thurman Ennis, John Ennis, R.O. Ennis, and Paul L. Strickland (Daily Record July 20, 1953).
Miss Mary Jo Johnson, daughter of Joe and Mamie Johnson of Coats, married Jessie R. Mann, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Mann of Bunnlevel (Daily Record July 27, 1953).
The bitter, costly Korean War finally ended. It was then the longest and most expensive war in the U.S. history (Daily Record July 27, 1953). Wonder why this war is referred to as the “Forgotten War” since it was the longest and most costly.
Mr. and Mrs. Bernice Johnson were united in marriage on August 9, 1953 at the home of Rev. C.H. Coats of Buies Creek. Mrs. Johnson was the former Jewell Pruitt of Dunn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B.L. Pruitt. Mr. Johnson was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Johnson (Daily Record August 14, 1953).
Being a nonprofit museum means that we must depend upon the generosity of the volunteers and general public to operate the museum. We are so fortunate to have many who over and over give. Special thank you goes to Hilda Pope for giving memorials for Rev. Troy Daniels, Neill McKay Salmon, and Mack Reid Hudson, and to Lynda and Robie Butler for remembering Mack Hudson with a memorial and to H.L Sorrell for remembering Carlie C. Mc Lamb with a memorial the Coats Museum Endowment.
The Christmas season was being celebrated around the world in 1952 when the family of Jacob Matthews said their final farewell to the 86 year-old man. He had died on Monday morning and his services were held at his home in Coats. He was buried in the Matthews Cemetery near Coats. He was survived by his wife, Nannie Matthews; his two sons-Lexie D. and Marvin Matthews of Angier and one daughter, Mrs. John Stewart. His five stepsons were Lawrence, Woodrow, Alvin, Sterling, and Ernest Watson (Dunn Dispatch Dec. 28, 1952).
The year was now 1953-the year in which the Korean Armistice was signed and the Soviets lost Stalin. General Dwight Eisenhower would move into the White House. In his State of the Union address on January 7, 1953, President Harry Truman had announced that the US had developed a hydrogen bomb, capable of creating explosions of a new order of magnitude dwarfing the mushroom clouds of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Dr. Jonas Salk announced the discovery and initial testing of a new vaccine that gave a lasting protection against poliomyelitis. Scrabble was the best selling board game. Bermuda shorts strolled into fashion. Low cost aerosol cans became an element of workday life and were used to propel anything from dessert topping to oil-based paint. Ian Fleming published the first of thirteen James Bond novels, Casino Royale with Agent 007. Americans fell in love with a fiberglass and plastic sports car known as the Corvette.
A few things were added to the male wardrobe-the Homburg hat (the kind worn by President Eisenhower at his inauguration instead of the tall silk one) and loafers for the feet and two pair of trousers with each suit. The first TV Guide was published. Following the longest truce negotiations in the history of warfare (two years, seventeen days and some 575 meetings between the combatants) the war in Korea was over and the armistice was signed in Panmunjom (Dickson, Paul, From Elvis to E-Mail, Springfield, Massachusetts: Federal Press, 1999, pp 59-63).
While Eisenhower was settling into his new responsibility in the White House, Rep. Carson Gregory of Harnett was serving his second term in the N.C. House. He was appointed to serve on ten committees and as chairman of the Justice of Peace Committee (Daily Record Jan. 20, 1953).
Kenneth Peacock, son of Mr. and Mrs. D.H. Peacock of Coats, completed his AF basic airman indoctrination course at Lackland AF Base near San Antonio, Texas (Daily Record January 27, 1953).
The Coats Elementary School presented a play on George Washington and family. Main players were Joe Gregory, Kent Langdon, Carol Jones, Miriam Ennis, Bobby Fish, Teddy Malone, and Larry Turlington. All students dressed in colonial costumes and wigs.
The Coats seniors presented a play also. The play entitled “Here Comes Charlie” starred Shirley Norris, Bruce Stone, Russell Lamm, C.L. Hough, Willie Carol Honeycutt, Marvin McLean, Kathleen Cobb, Marilyn Yarley, and Faye Dean Moore (Daily Record Feb. 16, 1953).
Clay Williams, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. D. Williams of Coats, married Miss Evelyn Dearman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. O.A. Dearman, of Statesville, at the home of Dr. James Sprunt, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Raleigh (Daily Record Mar. 3, 1953).
The Coats Junior-Senior Banquet was held at the Johnson’s Restaurant in Dunn. The toastmaster was Donald Blalock. Helen Sears gave the toast to the seniors and Russell Lamm responded. Jean Godwin rendered a beautiful vocal solo followed by toasts to the school faculty by Marilyn Yarely and Ann Pleasant. Principal R. Hal Smith responded (Daily Record April 17, 1953).
The Coats baseball team downed the Angier team. Leading players for Coats were Lamm, Mason, Godwin and Matthews (Daily Record April 20, 1953).
Linda Sue Turlington, young daughter of H.A. and Rachel Turlington, competed in the Daily Record Baby-Children Contest (Daily Record May 7, 1953).
The Coats people went to the polls and reelected J.D. Norris as Coats Mayor by fourteen votes. Commissioners reelected were D.H. Yarley, L.E. McKnight, Lester Williams and N.T. Coats (Daily Record May 13, 1953).
Mrs. W. E. Nichols never slowed down. She traveled to Wilmington to attend the meeting of the N.C. Federation of Women’s Club (Daily Record May 15, 1953).
Members of the Future Homemakers of America of the Coats High School entertained at a banquet at Johnson’s Restaurant in Dunn honoring their mothers and other guests. Those in attendance were Mrs. Archie Moore, Miss Faye Dean Moore, Miss Avis Squires, Miss Edith Allen, Miss Helen Sears, Miss Susan Turlington, Miss Ann Pleasant, Miss LaRue Edgerton, Miss Sue Johnson, Miss Shirley Norris, Miss Carolyn Turner, Mrs. H.A. Turlington, and Mrs. Carlie McLamb (Daily Record May 26, 1953).
The big day finally arrived for the 1953 graduates at Coats School. They had their diplomas in hand and their pictures taken on the steps in front of the high school building. Who were these proud graduates? Find a name that connects lines on your family tree. Mary Alice Stephenson, Mollie Byrd, Kathleen Cobb, Joyce Lewis, Russell Lamm, Hilda Ruth Messer, Jo Ann Ennis, Harold Williams, Norma Jean Creech, Shirley Norris, Betty Jean Miller, Mary Helen Seagroves, Albert Gregory, Jean Pope, Bruce Stone, Faye Dean Moore, Marilyn Yarley, Lucille Blackwelder, Kenneth Turlington, Willie Carol Honeycutt, C.L. Hough, Jr., J.C. Johnson, Jr., Hoover Johnson, Shirley Byrd, La Rue Edgerton, Doris Gregory, Henry Jackson, Floyd McLamb, Marvin McLean, Kelly Messer, J.W. Sorrell, Jr. and Bobby Stephenson were the graduates (Daily Record May 29, 1953).
Miss Margie Capps, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Luther Capps of Coats, received a certificate of honor at the commencement exercises for making the Grand Honor Roll of Coats School (Daily Record May 29, 1953).
Several columns back you read about another outstanding graduate of Coats High School by the name of Neal A. Barnes. Neal was elected vice president of the American Society of Agriculture Engineers at N.C. State College in Raleigh (Daily Record June 17, 1953).
Mrs. Cornelius Turner, wife of the late Elder William Green Turner, celebrated her 92nd birthday at her home on Route 3, Turlington community. A hundred and 20 relatives and friends attended. Three of her sons were Elders in the old school Baptist Church. They were Elders Luther Turner, Elmond Turner, and Dewey Turner. Other children were Walter Turner, Roscoe Turner, Mrs. Nettie Turlington, and Mrs. Laura Barbour (Daily Record June 24, 1953).
The new Coats Baptist Church had had its opening ceremony on Sunday with Dr. J. Ben Eller and large number of former pastors (Daily Record June 24, 1953). Wonder who those former pastors were?
The reunion of the Ennis Family was always a colorful event. The tradition began in 1921 by the descendants of John Austin Ennis gathering at the Primitive Zion Church with 300 present. Managers of the 1953 gathering were Joel Ennis, Curtis Ennis, Thurman Ennis, John Ennis, R.O. Ennis, and Paul L. Strickland (Daily Record July 20, 1953).
Miss Mary Jo Johnson, daughter of Joe and Mamie Johnson of Coats, married Jessie R. Mann, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Mann of Bunnlevel (Daily Record July 27, 1953).
The bitter, costly Korean War finally ended. It was then the longest and most expensive war in the U.S. history (Daily Record July 27, 1953). Wonder why this war is referred to as the “Forgotten War” since it was the longest and most costly.
Mr. and Mrs. Bernice Johnson were united in marriage on August 9, 1953 at the home of Rev. C.H. Coats of Buies Creek. Mrs. Johnson was the former Jewell Pruitt of Dunn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B.L. Pruitt. Mr. Johnson was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Johnson (Daily Record August 14, 1953).
Being a nonprofit museum means that we must depend upon the generosity of the volunteers and general public to operate the museum. We are so fortunate to have many who over and over give. Special thank you goes to Hilda Pope for giving memorials for Rev. Troy Daniels, Neill McKay Salmon, and Mack Reid Hudson, and to Lynda and Robie Butler for remembering Mack Hudson with a memorial and to H.L Sorrell for remembering Carlie C. Mc Lamb with a memorial the Coats Museum Endowment.
