June 15, 2018 Coats Museum News
The year was 1971 and it was the year that 182 trains of the National Railroad Passenger Corp-better known as Amtrak-provided service to 300 cities. It was the year the twenty-sixth amendment to the US Constitution, lowering the minimum voting age to eighteen, was ratified as Ohio became the thirty-eighth state to approve it. The new age for voting went into effect immediately (Dickson, Paul- From Elvis to E-Mail. Springfield, Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1999-pp188-89).
In the Coats area, many baby announcements were published in the Daily Record. The babies would later be the first class to graduate from Triton High School who had attended that new high school as freshmen. Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Rowland of Route One, Coats had announced the birth of a daughter, Vanessa, on March 23, at Wake Memorial. Mrs. Rowland was the former Rosa Eloise Brewington. Jamie Mack Williams was born on March 27 at Betsy Johnson. He was son of Mary Frances and Barney Mack Williams. Mr. and Mrs. John L. Adams announced the birth of John Brent, on March 27, at Betsy Johnson. The mother was the former Shirley Jean Neighbors. Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Coleman Bryant announced the birth of Jerry Coleman Bryant, Jr. on March 26 at BJM. Brenda Faye Miller was the mom (Daily Record March 29, 1971).
The death angel took Leonora Stephenson, 65, of Route One, Coats, who had died on March 25th. Her surviving sisters were Mrs. D.R. Fish, Irene Howard and Katie Dorman. Silas Stephenson and Benny Ray Stephenson were her brothers (Daily Record Mar. 30, 1971).
Alejandra (Alex) Castellanos, son of Dr. and Mrs. Jose Castellanos of Coats, was selected for the ninth session of the NC Governor’s School of North Carolina for study in the English Department (Daily Record Apr. 1, 1971).
Lentis Poole, Lena Stanley, Etta Langdon, Ed Lewis, and Ruby Blackman had been patients in the local hospitals in the past few weeks. However, the Coats Church of God in Coats was the setting for the wedding of Barbara Jackson and Joseph William Smith. The parents of the couple were Mr. and Mrs. William T. Jackson and Mr. Walter Edward Smith, Jr. and Mrs. Ethel White (Daily Record Apr. 6, 1971).
Love Story was the movie to watch in April of 1971 but in Mary Stewart School on US 301, Supt. R.A. Gray was watching Mrs. Jewel Johnson engage her first grade students in a lesson of the “New Math” (Daily Record Apr. 14, 1971).
Ronald Coats, a city councilman, had announced that he would be a candidate for mayor of Coats. He planned to resign his seat on the council on May 4th. Three seats were up for reelection-the mayor’s seat (held by Mayor Godfrey Beasley) and commission seats held by Commissioners Cecil Fuquay and J.D. Norris. Mayor Beasley had served for eight years (four terms). The terms for Commissioner Nassie Dorman and Commissioner Ronald Coats did not expire for two years (Daily Record Apr. 16, 1971).
More local couples announced new arrivals. Mr. and Mrs. Larry Golden Ryals had a son, Michael Glenn, at BJMH in Dunn. Mrs. Ryals was the former Sandra Jean Coles. Mr. and Mrs. Randy Cook of Coats had a daughter, Sherry Lynn Cook on April 17th. Her mother was Marie C. Wilkins. Mr. and Mrs. Stacy Frye, of the Oakdale area, announced the birth of a son, James Steven, on April 20 at BJMH. The mother was the former Sue Frances Johnson (Daily Record Apr. 19, 1971).
A big crowd was on hand at Coats High School for the chartering of the Lion’s Club. The charter was presented to President Ronald Coats. An estimated 250 people attended. There were 51 charter members which was one of the largest ever organized in this district and in the state (Daily Record Apr. 20, 1971). Did the Coats Lions Club have a scrapbook with names of the charter members and pictures of this event from 1971?
I do know that Cathy Penny was entertained at a luncheon at the Velvet Cloak Inn in Raleigh. She was the bride-elect of Ronnie McLamb. Is that inn in operation now or was it taken down a few years ago? Wonder if Dr. and Mrs. Donald Moore ever attended functions there. I do know that the April 22, 1971 edition of the Daily Record printed that the couple attended the North Carolina Symphony in Pinehurst hosted by Governor Scott at $100.00 per plate at the Country Club.
Who remembers the Tri-Tones? Were they local? The same edition of the above paper wrote that they entertained the large crowd at the Lions Club charter dinner.
Mary Ellen Johnson, daughter of Mr. Herbert Johnson of Coats, had made the Dean’s List at UNC Chapel Hill. The April 23, 1971 edition of the Daily Record printed that Charlie Fredericks, 62, of Coats Route One, was killed on NC 55 outside of Coats city limits. He had stepped into the path of a car.
Paul Capps, Jr., age four and a half, was shown in the paper with a five-pound bass he had caught in Pope’s Lake. He was the grandson of J.D. Norris and son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Capps. He had pulled the bass in all by himself.
In town, Joseph Tart and Jerry Beasley had filed for commissioner seats before the May 4 deadline. There were four candidates seeking the two seats (Daily Record Apr. 26, 1971).
A total of 99 students at Coats School participated in extra reading experiences. Sharon Stanley and Ted Faircloth were pictured using the Hoffman and Craig readers in Mrs. Delores Royals’ class (Daily Record April 29, 1971). Who remembers Mrs. Royals? She was soft spoken, never raised her voice and knew her reading skills. She was recognized as one of the best teachers at the old Coats School and was the mother of Patricia Royals who was valedictorian of her graduating class.
Some of you may remember the tragic accident that took the life of a local, young teenager. Carey Lee Franklin, 14, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Franklin of near Coats, had died from injuries he received when his horse jumped into the side of car on NC 27 east of Buies Creek. He was in ninth grade at Buies Creek. He was survived by one brother, Jimmy Gregory, and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Franklin and Mrs. Rufus Stewart (Daily Record May 4, 1971).
Coats Mayor Godfrey Beasley had filed for reelection stating “There are several projects I’d like to see through completion.” He wanted some major improvements for the town and $65,000 in Federal Housing Administration funds to be used for improvements to the water system were expected. Another grant of $9,000 in FHA funds was to be used for a packer truck for garbage disposal. The town stood a chance of getting grants for a town water system if a bill pending in Congress passed.
Beasley was a native of Coats and had been mayor since retiring with 20 years service in the US Army. He was a member of the American legion, the Masons, Junior Order, charter member of the Lions Club, Executive Secretary of the Public School Maintenance Association and Editor of the Maintenance Beacon. He and his wife, the former Ann Lamm of Coats, were members of the Coats Baptist Church (Daily Record Apr. 22, 1971).
Who remembers Mrs. Mary Penny Coats? She was the widow of Roger Coats who had worked at the P.F. Pope saw mill in Coats where he dropped dead with a heart attack. Mr. Coats had owned one of the earliest cars in Coats and the restored car is now owned by Leo McDonald of Lillington. Mr. Coats was also extremely good with woodworking. It was shared that he had made his daughter Louise Coats a doll house that was the envy of all her friends. Mary Coats was the sister of Lizzie Penny Turlington, wife of Will H. Turlington who was elected sheriff of Harnett County in 1916. Mary is also remembered for quilts which she had completed dozens before her death. The May 3, 1971 edition of the Daily Record shared that her granddaughter, Pat Jackson, was married at her grandmother’s house. Pat had married Pete Carson of Garner.
Death visited the household of J.R. Lee, 52, of Raleigh on May 1, 1971. He was the brother of Mrs. Ethel L. Ennis of Coats. However in Harnett County, the baby stork was busy delivering newborns. Mr. and Mrs. Tony Ray Howard had a baby daughter on April 27, in Wake Memorial. Several other Coats folks were in local hospitals- Mrs. Michael Allen Smith, Mrs. Annie Baker, and Mrs. Gail Capri.
The same May 5, 1971 edition of the Daily Record printed that studies showed that men who smoked had an earlier death of nine times higher than one who did not smoke. Did studies like this result in tobacco ads being prohibited on TV at that time?
Have you visited the Dunn Museum of Local History yet? Lynda and Robie Butler, Jeanette Johnson, Peggy Robinson and I had a wonderful tour of the new museum. The museum folks have done an amazing amount of work and it really shows. When you have a few hours on the hot days this summer, may I suggest that you get the kids out of the house and take them to your county museums? Most are free, cool and full of amazing items which have a story to tell.
We have enjoyed our recent talks with Mary Ellen Lauder who has been visiting the museum sharing valuable news items about the early folks who grew up in Coats. While at a recent visit to the museum, Mary Ellen honored with memorials to the Coats Museum for the following deceased citizens who were very dear to many: Grace Penny, Florine Penny, Hazel P. Tart, Mack and Juanita Hudson, Eloise Johnson Brown, Herbert and McClellan Johnson and Mamie Weeks Johnson. Thank you goes to Mary Ellen for making a difference at the museum.
The year was 1971 and it was the year that 182 trains of the National Railroad Passenger Corp-better known as Amtrak-provided service to 300 cities. It was the year the twenty-sixth amendment to the US Constitution, lowering the minimum voting age to eighteen, was ratified as Ohio became the thirty-eighth state to approve it. The new age for voting went into effect immediately (Dickson, Paul- From Elvis to E-Mail. Springfield, Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1999-pp188-89).
In the Coats area, many baby announcements were published in the Daily Record. The babies would later be the first class to graduate from Triton High School who had attended that new high school as freshmen. Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Rowland of Route One, Coats had announced the birth of a daughter, Vanessa, on March 23, at Wake Memorial. Mrs. Rowland was the former Rosa Eloise Brewington. Jamie Mack Williams was born on March 27 at Betsy Johnson. He was son of Mary Frances and Barney Mack Williams. Mr. and Mrs. John L. Adams announced the birth of John Brent, on March 27, at Betsy Johnson. The mother was the former Shirley Jean Neighbors. Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Coleman Bryant announced the birth of Jerry Coleman Bryant, Jr. on March 26 at BJM. Brenda Faye Miller was the mom (Daily Record March 29, 1971).
The death angel took Leonora Stephenson, 65, of Route One, Coats, who had died on March 25th. Her surviving sisters were Mrs. D.R. Fish, Irene Howard and Katie Dorman. Silas Stephenson and Benny Ray Stephenson were her brothers (Daily Record Mar. 30, 1971).
Alejandra (Alex) Castellanos, son of Dr. and Mrs. Jose Castellanos of Coats, was selected for the ninth session of the NC Governor’s School of North Carolina for study in the English Department (Daily Record Apr. 1, 1971).
Lentis Poole, Lena Stanley, Etta Langdon, Ed Lewis, and Ruby Blackman had been patients in the local hospitals in the past few weeks. However, the Coats Church of God in Coats was the setting for the wedding of Barbara Jackson and Joseph William Smith. The parents of the couple were Mr. and Mrs. William T. Jackson and Mr. Walter Edward Smith, Jr. and Mrs. Ethel White (Daily Record Apr. 6, 1971).
Love Story was the movie to watch in April of 1971 but in Mary Stewart School on US 301, Supt. R.A. Gray was watching Mrs. Jewel Johnson engage her first grade students in a lesson of the “New Math” (Daily Record Apr. 14, 1971).
Ronald Coats, a city councilman, had announced that he would be a candidate for mayor of Coats. He planned to resign his seat on the council on May 4th. Three seats were up for reelection-the mayor’s seat (held by Mayor Godfrey Beasley) and commission seats held by Commissioners Cecil Fuquay and J.D. Norris. Mayor Beasley had served for eight years (four terms). The terms for Commissioner Nassie Dorman and Commissioner Ronald Coats did not expire for two years (Daily Record Apr. 16, 1971).
More local couples announced new arrivals. Mr. and Mrs. Larry Golden Ryals had a son, Michael Glenn, at BJMH in Dunn. Mrs. Ryals was the former Sandra Jean Coles. Mr. and Mrs. Randy Cook of Coats had a daughter, Sherry Lynn Cook on April 17th. Her mother was Marie C. Wilkins. Mr. and Mrs. Stacy Frye, of the Oakdale area, announced the birth of a son, James Steven, on April 20 at BJMH. The mother was the former Sue Frances Johnson (Daily Record Apr. 19, 1971).
A big crowd was on hand at Coats High School for the chartering of the Lion’s Club. The charter was presented to President Ronald Coats. An estimated 250 people attended. There were 51 charter members which was one of the largest ever organized in this district and in the state (Daily Record Apr. 20, 1971). Did the Coats Lions Club have a scrapbook with names of the charter members and pictures of this event from 1971?
I do know that Cathy Penny was entertained at a luncheon at the Velvet Cloak Inn in Raleigh. She was the bride-elect of Ronnie McLamb. Is that inn in operation now or was it taken down a few years ago? Wonder if Dr. and Mrs. Donald Moore ever attended functions there. I do know that the April 22, 1971 edition of the Daily Record printed that the couple attended the North Carolina Symphony in Pinehurst hosted by Governor Scott at $100.00 per plate at the Country Club.
Who remembers the Tri-Tones? Were they local? The same edition of the above paper wrote that they entertained the large crowd at the Lions Club charter dinner.
Mary Ellen Johnson, daughter of Mr. Herbert Johnson of Coats, had made the Dean’s List at UNC Chapel Hill. The April 23, 1971 edition of the Daily Record printed that Charlie Fredericks, 62, of Coats Route One, was killed on NC 55 outside of Coats city limits. He had stepped into the path of a car.
Paul Capps, Jr., age four and a half, was shown in the paper with a five-pound bass he had caught in Pope’s Lake. He was the grandson of J.D. Norris and son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Capps. He had pulled the bass in all by himself.
In town, Joseph Tart and Jerry Beasley had filed for commissioner seats before the May 4 deadline. There were four candidates seeking the two seats (Daily Record Apr. 26, 1971).
A total of 99 students at Coats School participated in extra reading experiences. Sharon Stanley and Ted Faircloth were pictured using the Hoffman and Craig readers in Mrs. Delores Royals’ class (Daily Record April 29, 1971). Who remembers Mrs. Royals? She was soft spoken, never raised her voice and knew her reading skills. She was recognized as one of the best teachers at the old Coats School and was the mother of Patricia Royals who was valedictorian of her graduating class.
Some of you may remember the tragic accident that took the life of a local, young teenager. Carey Lee Franklin, 14, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Franklin of near Coats, had died from injuries he received when his horse jumped into the side of car on NC 27 east of Buies Creek. He was in ninth grade at Buies Creek. He was survived by one brother, Jimmy Gregory, and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Franklin and Mrs. Rufus Stewart (Daily Record May 4, 1971).
Coats Mayor Godfrey Beasley had filed for reelection stating “There are several projects I’d like to see through completion.” He wanted some major improvements for the town and $65,000 in Federal Housing Administration funds to be used for improvements to the water system were expected. Another grant of $9,000 in FHA funds was to be used for a packer truck for garbage disposal. The town stood a chance of getting grants for a town water system if a bill pending in Congress passed.
Beasley was a native of Coats and had been mayor since retiring with 20 years service in the US Army. He was a member of the American legion, the Masons, Junior Order, charter member of the Lions Club, Executive Secretary of the Public School Maintenance Association and Editor of the Maintenance Beacon. He and his wife, the former Ann Lamm of Coats, were members of the Coats Baptist Church (Daily Record Apr. 22, 1971).
Who remembers Mrs. Mary Penny Coats? She was the widow of Roger Coats who had worked at the P.F. Pope saw mill in Coats where he dropped dead with a heart attack. Mr. Coats had owned one of the earliest cars in Coats and the restored car is now owned by Leo McDonald of Lillington. Mr. Coats was also extremely good with woodworking. It was shared that he had made his daughter Louise Coats a doll house that was the envy of all her friends. Mary Coats was the sister of Lizzie Penny Turlington, wife of Will H. Turlington who was elected sheriff of Harnett County in 1916. Mary is also remembered for quilts which she had completed dozens before her death. The May 3, 1971 edition of the Daily Record shared that her granddaughter, Pat Jackson, was married at her grandmother’s house. Pat had married Pete Carson of Garner.
Death visited the household of J.R. Lee, 52, of Raleigh on May 1, 1971. He was the brother of Mrs. Ethel L. Ennis of Coats. However in Harnett County, the baby stork was busy delivering newborns. Mr. and Mrs. Tony Ray Howard had a baby daughter on April 27, in Wake Memorial. Several other Coats folks were in local hospitals- Mrs. Michael Allen Smith, Mrs. Annie Baker, and Mrs. Gail Capri.
The same May 5, 1971 edition of the Daily Record printed that studies showed that men who smoked had an earlier death of nine times higher than one who did not smoke. Did studies like this result in tobacco ads being prohibited on TV at that time?
Have you visited the Dunn Museum of Local History yet? Lynda and Robie Butler, Jeanette Johnson, Peggy Robinson and I had a wonderful tour of the new museum. The museum folks have done an amazing amount of work and it really shows. When you have a few hours on the hot days this summer, may I suggest that you get the kids out of the house and take them to your county museums? Most are free, cool and full of amazing items which have a story to tell.
We have enjoyed our recent talks with Mary Ellen Lauder who has been visiting the museum sharing valuable news items about the early folks who grew up in Coats. While at a recent visit to the museum, Mary Ellen honored with memorials to the Coats Museum for the following deceased citizens who were very dear to many: Grace Penny, Florine Penny, Hazel P. Tart, Mack and Juanita Hudson, Eloise Johnson Brown, Herbert and McClellan Johnson and Mamie Weeks Johnson. Thank you goes to Mary Ellen for making a difference at the museum.