June 22, 2012 Coats Museum News
The Harnett County News December 26, 1929 edition printed the names of the students who earned grades to place them on the Coats School honor roll lists. Miss Hudson’s first graders who made the rank were Cecil Fuquay, Delaney Turlington, Francis Grimes, Elbert Sexton, M.C. Stewart, Jr., and Dorothy Denning. Miss Rierson ‘s high first graders were Mildred Weaver, Bernice Weaver, and Prentiss Johnson. Miss Williams’s second grade honor students were Mabel Reid Turlington, Helen Williams, and Edwin Stewart. There were no third or fourth grade honor students. Did you ask, ”Wonder why?” In Miss Witty’s fifth grade class, Elise Hudson, Kathryn Smith, Ruby Mae Turlington, and Gladlys Turlington were top students. Inez Kelly, Lura Parrish, Dorothy Stewart, and Nannie Williford were the honor roll students in Miss Betts sixth grade class. Mr. Lewis had the following students on his eighth grade list: Virginia Langdon, Thetis Bayles, Elease Williams, Kitty Spence, Hattie Holmes, Grace Turlington, Lois Grimes, Allene Coats, Josie Cannady and Bernice Bayles. No students were on grade seven honor roll. Miss Johnson’s ninth grade student winners were Royeane King, Ruby Ennis, Onea Gregory, and Grace Coats. Miss Broadwell’s tenth graders were Thomas Williams, Kenneth Kelly, Iola Turner, and Thelma Parrish. Her eleventh honorees were Thelma Stancil, Annie Belle King, Lillian Hudgins, Hazel Parrish, and Thelma McLamb. There were 543 students enrolled. Was that a small number to be on the honor roll?
Parents were being encouraged by the PTA to send their children to school regularly since the daily attendance affected the number of teachers allotted to Coats in 1930-31. When you read the number of students each teacher had in a classroom in the 1929-30 school year, there has to be disbelief. Read the following numbers of students on roll and the second number indicated the average number of how many students usually attended each day. Also recall that the first grade was the only grade with two teachers as you read the following: first (86)-(72.75), second (62)- (51.65), third (68)-(56.35), fourth (45)-(40.25), fifth (66)-(63.65), sixth (53)-(44.15), seventh (36)-(34.75), eighth (43)– (40.5), ninth (29) –(27.70), tenth (32) – (31.40), and the eleventh grade had 13 students with an average daily attendance of 12.20 students. Can you imagine teaching a class and having about 12 or 13 students absent each day? Being a former teacher, I recall having 35 students in high school but I cannot imagine having 62 second graders, 68 third graders and the other high numbers mentioned above. Were students smaller in 1929? I can’t imagine that many desks and students fitting into a classroom. Also recall that Coats had only one brick school building in 1929 and the third floor of it was auditorium. Had Mr. Grimes finished the two room building he had contracted to build for $900.00? Where did these 543 students come from? Recall that Penny Rockridge School had closed in 1927 and most of those students transferred to Coats. The 1928-1929 school year was when most of the students from Sorrell and Parker Schools had enrolled at the Coats School. What other schools are out in the country just waiting to close down and send their students to Coats?
Several interesting tidbits recorded in the December 26, 1929 issue of the Harnett County News reported that David Wood was a student at NC State College in 1929. Do any of you know who some of his famous descendants are? Think actors and actresses. Another interesting tidbit was that Erwin Cotton Mills was the largest taxpayer in Harnett County paying about $90,000.00.
Many of you ride from Erwin to Angier have seen the mural painted on the wall of a building on McKinley Street. The mural was mainly painted by the late Max Beasley to share with the people that Coats was the home of Alton Stewart who was the first licensed pilot in N.C.
A plane crash killed Alton Stewart, a veteran commercial pilot, on December 25, 1929. Worth Stephenson and Hugh Blalock of Angier were killed in the same crash in Dunn, N.C. The place crashed from about 300 feet altitude. Young Stephenson, a student pilot, was believed to have been flying the plane at the time of the crash. Stewart and Blalock were in the front cockpit where a second set of controls was located. Witnesses who saw the accident and who also saw the plane takeoff said it appeared to have difficulty in doing so. After half circling the town, the plane zoomed a cotton field from low altitude, was pulled up, at about 50 feet, into a steep climb, was thrown into a vertical bank which changed into a loop. One flyer said it seemed that Stewart must have tried to take control of the plane when it became evident that it was in danger. Because of the low altitude and the presence of a passenger in the front seat made it impossible for him to bring the plane out in time. The “ship”, which belonged to Eugene Mills of Raleigh, had recently been set for stunting and was difficult to get off its back. Flyers considered it possible that the student did not know this and therefore lost control. The death dive was done on the plane’s back. The two in the front were likely killed instantly, but Stephenson was alive when help arrived.
Stewart had been working with Curtiss-Wright Flying Service for about five months. Stewart was known throughout the South and was recognized as one of the best known commercial pilots. He had worked earlier for Marshburn-Robbins flying field in Raleigh. Army pilots gave him his early training. He was highly regarded as a good pilot. The newspaper account stated that the Coats native first became interested in flying while at Pope Field, Camp Bragg, during the war. He returned home and later bought an airplane. The January 2, 1930 edition of the Harnett County News stated that Stewart was “the first aviator around this section for over a year”.
Stewart’s funeral was held in Coats at 4:30 on a Thursday afternoon. It was the simplest kind. Hosts of friends were at the service for the last farewell. Two airplanes flew overhead and dropped flowers on the grave as he was being buried. Gus Leazer of Curtiss-Wright Service was one and the other was Warren Pennington of Coastal Planes Airways. Stewart‘s parents were Mr. and Mrs. George Stewart and his wife and three children survived Stewart.
Stewart was only 31 years of age when he was killed. His pilot’s license was signed by Orville Wright and a copy of that license and other Stewart papers will be in the Aviation Display when the Coats Museum reopens.
A very special thank you for the donation from the friends of Linda and Lynwood Stancil who gave to the Coats Museum Endowment to honor their 50th anniversary. A thank you goes to the daughter of Jonah C. Johnson who gave a gift to the same endowment to honor his memory on Father’s Day and a thank you to Lenee’ Smith for her donation to the Coats Museum Building Fund to honor her dad, H.L. Sorrell, Jr. Thank you to H.L Sorrell for his donation to the endowment to honor the memory of Helen Stewart .
Please be mindful that that this Coats Museum News appeared in the Daily Record on June 22, 2012.
The Harnett County News December 26, 1929 edition printed the names of the students who earned grades to place them on the Coats School honor roll lists. Miss Hudson’s first graders who made the rank were Cecil Fuquay, Delaney Turlington, Francis Grimes, Elbert Sexton, M.C. Stewart, Jr., and Dorothy Denning. Miss Rierson ‘s high first graders were Mildred Weaver, Bernice Weaver, and Prentiss Johnson. Miss Williams’s second grade honor students were Mabel Reid Turlington, Helen Williams, and Edwin Stewart. There were no third or fourth grade honor students. Did you ask, ”Wonder why?” In Miss Witty’s fifth grade class, Elise Hudson, Kathryn Smith, Ruby Mae Turlington, and Gladlys Turlington were top students. Inez Kelly, Lura Parrish, Dorothy Stewart, and Nannie Williford were the honor roll students in Miss Betts sixth grade class. Mr. Lewis had the following students on his eighth grade list: Virginia Langdon, Thetis Bayles, Elease Williams, Kitty Spence, Hattie Holmes, Grace Turlington, Lois Grimes, Allene Coats, Josie Cannady and Bernice Bayles. No students were on grade seven honor roll. Miss Johnson’s ninth grade student winners were Royeane King, Ruby Ennis, Onea Gregory, and Grace Coats. Miss Broadwell’s tenth graders were Thomas Williams, Kenneth Kelly, Iola Turner, and Thelma Parrish. Her eleventh honorees were Thelma Stancil, Annie Belle King, Lillian Hudgins, Hazel Parrish, and Thelma McLamb. There were 543 students enrolled. Was that a small number to be on the honor roll?
Parents were being encouraged by the PTA to send their children to school regularly since the daily attendance affected the number of teachers allotted to Coats in 1930-31. When you read the number of students each teacher had in a classroom in the 1929-30 school year, there has to be disbelief. Read the following numbers of students on roll and the second number indicated the average number of how many students usually attended each day. Also recall that the first grade was the only grade with two teachers as you read the following: first (86)-(72.75), second (62)- (51.65), third (68)-(56.35), fourth (45)-(40.25), fifth (66)-(63.65), sixth (53)-(44.15), seventh (36)-(34.75), eighth (43)– (40.5), ninth (29) –(27.70), tenth (32) – (31.40), and the eleventh grade had 13 students with an average daily attendance of 12.20 students. Can you imagine teaching a class and having about 12 or 13 students absent each day? Being a former teacher, I recall having 35 students in high school but I cannot imagine having 62 second graders, 68 third graders and the other high numbers mentioned above. Were students smaller in 1929? I can’t imagine that many desks and students fitting into a classroom. Also recall that Coats had only one brick school building in 1929 and the third floor of it was auditorium. Had Mr. Grimes finished the two room building he had contracted to build for $900.00? Where did these 543 students come from? Recall that Penny Rockridge School had closed in 1927 and most of those students transferred to Coats. The 1928-1929 school year was when most of the students from Sorrell and Parker Schools had enrolled at the Coats School. What other schools are out in the country just waiting to close down and send their students to Coats?
Several interesting tidbits recorded in the December 26, 1929 issue of the Harnett County News reported that David Wood was a student at NC State College in 1929. Do any of you know who some of his famous descendants are? Think actors and actresses. Another interesting tidbit was that Erwin Cotton Mills was the largest taxpayer in Harnett County paying about $90,000.00.
Many of you ride from Erwin to Angier have seen the mural painted on the wall of a building on McKinley Street. The mural was mainly painted by the late Max Beasley to share with the people that Coats was the home of Alton Stewart who was the first licensed pilot in N.C.
A plane crash killed Alton Stewart, a veteran commercial pilot, on December 25, 1929. Worth Stephenson and Hugh Blalock of Angier were killed in the same crash in Dunn, N.C. The place crashed from about 300 feet altitude. Young Stephenson, a student pilot, was believed to have been flying the plane at the time of the crash. Stewart and Blalock were in the front cockpit where a second set of controls was located. Witnesses who saw the accident and who also saw the plane takeoff said it appeared to have difficulty in doing so. After half circling the town, the plane zoomed a cotton field from low altitude, was pulled up, at about 50 feet, into a steep climb, was thrown into a vertical bank which changed into a loop. One flyer said it seemed that Stewart must have tried to take control of the plane when it became evident that it was in danger. Because of the low altitude and the presence of a passenger in the front seat made it impossible for him to bring the plane out in time. The “ship”, which belonged to Eugene Mills of Raleigh, had recently been set for stunting and was difficult to get off its back. Flyers considered it possible that the student did not know this and therefore lost control. The death dive was done on the plane’s back. The two in the front were likely killed instantly, but Stephenson was alive when help arrived.
Stewart had been working with Curtiss-Wright Flying Service for about five months. Stewart was known throughout the South and was recognized as one of the best known commercial pilots. He had worked earlier for Marshburn-Robbins flying field in Raleigh. Army pilots gave him his early training. He was highly regarded as a good pilot. The newspaper account stated that the Coats native first became interested in flying while at Pope Field, Camp Bragg, during the war. He returned home and later bought an airplane. The January 2, 1930 edition of the Harnett County News stated that Stewart was “the first aviator around this section for over a year”.
Stewart’s funeral was held in Coats at 4:30 on a Thursday afternoon. It was the simplest kind. Hosts of friends were at the service for the last farewell. Two airplanes flew overhead and dropped flowers on the grave as he was being buried. Gus Leazer of Curtiss-Wright Service was one and the other was Warren Pennington of Coastal Planes Airways. Stewart‘s parents were Mr. and Mrs. George Stewart and his wife and three children survived Stewart.
Stewart was only 31 years of age when he was killed. His pilot’s license was signed by Orville Wright and a copy of that license and other Stewart papers will be in the Aviation Display when the Coats Museum reopens.
A very special thank you for the donation from the friends of Linda and Lynwood Stancil who gave to the Coats Museum Endowment to honor their 50th anniversary. A thank you goes to the daughter of Jonah C. Johnson who gave a gift to the same endowment to honor his memory on Father’s Day and a thank you to Lenee’ Smith for her donation to the Coats Museum Building Fund to honor her dad, H.L. Sorrell, Jr. Thank you to H.L Sorrell for his donation to the endowment to honor the memory of Helen Stewart .
Please be mindful that that this Coats Museum News appeared in the Daily Record on June 22, 2012.