March 11, 2022 Coats Museum News
The calendar continued to display June 1989. A beauty pageant had been held where eight girls had competed for the title of Miss Coats. The results had been announced and the Daily Record of June 23, 1989 shared that Donna Lynn Currin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Durane Currin, was crowned the new Miss Coats. Tanya Parrish, daughter of Mr. Earl J. Parrish and Mrs. Judy M. Turlington, was first runner-up. Sharon Hope Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hughie Paul Brown, was second runner-up. Karen Wade walked away with the Miss Congeniality award; Tonia Dean was Miss Photogenic. Other contestants were Kimberly Hrush, Janice Lackey, and Bonita Hodges.
The pageant was sponsored by the CACC and the chairperson was Joyce Rambeau. An interesting sidenote is that Donna Lynn enjoyed being asked to be a judge for the Ms. N.C. A.S. C.C. District 11 Senior Citizens Pageant in Fayetteville.
Aubrey Love Johnson, 18, of Rt. 2, Coats, had died. She was the wife of Timothy Johnson and the daughter of Gayle S. Love. Her maternal grandmother was Ethel Poole of Coats who survived her. Another death announcement came in for Maybell Norris Pleasant, 70, of Route 3, Dunn. She was survived by her husband, Clifford M. Pleasant; her daughters-Carolyn Wood and Shirley Pleasant; and sons-Jerry, Larry, and Ronald Pleasant. Bertie Moore, Inez Ivey, and Mavis Stewart were her sisters and her brothers were Odell, Oliver, Rayshell and Jim Norris. She had eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren (Daily Record June 26, 1989).
It saddens a neighborhood to read about deaths among us just as we are elated to read good news happening to those we know. For example, how wonderful it was to learn that Sonya Gail Barbour, daughter of Doyle and Ethel Barbour, had received her BS in Secondary Education from Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, TN. Sonya was a member of the school’s honor society and planned to pursue postgraduate studies. Do you remember her as a talented pianist at Coats High?)
How about this name-Anita Pleasant? Her name has been consistently in the articles for several weeks. Anita Pleasant, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Pleasant, and Brian Harmon, son of Mr. and Mrs. Benny Harmon, were the Co-Valedictorians for the eighth grade class at Coats School. Both students also excelled at sports and had earned titles of Most Valuable Player (Daily Record June 27, 1989).
Now here are some names that you will recognize also. Teresa Webb, bride-elect of Lane Gregory, was feted with a bridal shower by Lane’s aunts-Eula Stancil, Gail Gregory and Mary Stevens. While one group was celebrating an upcoming wedding, another group was celebrating the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Willie and Mazelle Godwin Strickland. Some were sending up prayers for Hester Williams who was sick and condolences to the family of little Candice l. McLeod McLeod (Daily Record June 29, 1989).
Possibly you will know something about this gentleman. J. Arthur Tripp, 91, a retired farmer of Route 3, Dunn had died. He was a longtime member of the Hodges Chapel Church and was survived by his son-Elbert and Dwight Tripp. Rachel Tripp Turlington was his daughter. Nine grandchildren and 11-great grandchildren called him Granddaddy (Daily Record July 3, 1989).
Byrd’s Insurance Agency, formerly known as Grady Matthews Insurance, was recognized by the CCAC as the Business of the Week. The business was operated by Teddy J. Byrd (Daily Record July 5, 1989).
The Ennis name is one of the more popular ones in our Grove area so it is just expected to see the name in the news often as was the case in the July 7, 1989 Daily Record . Peggy Lynn Ennis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lynwood Ennis of Route 3, Dunn, NC, married Scott Lee Faircloth, son of Mrs. Mary L Faircloth and the late Jack Faircloth. The grandparents of the bride were Mrs. Evelyn Ennis and the late Mr. Hubert Ennis and the late Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Allen.
Mary K. Johnson, 80, of Coats, had died. She was survived by her sons-Bobby, Charles, Glenn and Gerald Johnson. Her daughters were Margie Johnson, Sue Thornton, and Shirley Lane. Her brother was Wilbur Partin (Daily Record July 10, 1989).Question- did her husband not die a few months ago? Have you ever heard the expression that someone mourned themselves to death? Do you think that might have happened to Mrs. Johnson?
Deaths, births and business focuses continued to capture the news. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Shelton Beasley announced the engagement of their daughter, Laura Elaine Beasley, to William Elmond Parrish, son of Mr. and Mrs. Landis Coats. Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Kent Johnson of Route 1, Coats, announced the birth of a daughter, Amber Ashton Johnson. The baby’s grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Hoover Johnson and Mrs. Ruth Stephenson and the late Walter Stewart.
J.E. Womble and Sons, Inc. was the CACC Business Focus of the Week. The business was located in Lillington and had branched out from hardware and general merchandise to include management (Daily Record July 12, 1989). Question-does the Womble family have any connection to the Oscar Turlington descendants at Turlington Crossroads?
Notes from Belle Williams shared news from Coats in the July 13, 1989 edition of the Daily Record. She reported that Tim and Gale Penny had moved back to Coats and had bought a house beside Mr. and Mrs. Joe Tart. She extended sympathy to the family of Mrs. Blanche Gregory who had lost Maude Williams Turlington of Erwin. Zelda Pope had lost her sister, Clyda Byrd Southerland of Clayton. Belle also shared with her readers that Maude Avery was home after sustaining a broken hip.
Belle also informed that her brother-in-law Gail Pope was really enjoying his retirement of only one week. Wonder if he was one of the 200 descendents of John Rufus Pope and Frances Wood Pope who met at Pope’s Barn. Willis Pope, 83, was the only direct descendent of the couple and he celebrated his birthday at the same reunion.
Recently, I spent several hours studying the old road maps of Harnett County beginning with 1911. The roads today have variations of many of those roads. One example of a change was written about in July 14, 1989 edition of the Daily record. It was written that the official rerouting of NC 27 took travelers from Benson to Coats across NC55 onto S.R.2080 and over to S.R. 1006 (Old Stage Road) for about two miles east of Buies Creek.
Do you recall what a heated rerouting issue that was in Coats? I do know that Mrs. Frances Marie Parrish, 52, of Route 2, Coats had died leaving her son, Mark L. Penny and grandson, Jason Faircloth to mourn her (Dailey Record July 14, 1989).
How awful would it be to get a phone call that your house was on fire and you were in the Midwest? That was the case for Donald and Maggie Keeler. The couple lived in their beautiful brick home located along NC 55 about two miles north of Coats. The house sustained about $125,000.00 in damage. The fire was most certainly caused by a lightning strike according to firefighters. During the 3 to 3 1/2 years that the couple had lived in the house, this was the second time a fire had been caused by lightning. They had been able to save the house from damage the first time.
We were sad to read that Kevin Pope, a museum board member, had lost his father-in-law, Jonah Weaver, last week. Both Kathy and Kevin were former students of mine and we are proud to memorialize the one they cared for and loved so much.
Drop by the museum to see the Easter decorations. Mark your calendar for September 10th and meet Lenny Parker at the Coats Community Building. We have rescheduled his presentation of his work with the DMORT team following the attack on the Twin Towers in 2001. Much more information will follow as the date approaches.
Lenny Parker and his 1973 Coats High team of classmates will meet at the Coats Museum to trim the shrubbery on April 9th. The work will be followed with all classmates enjoying hotdogs and hamburgers for lunch. Catching up again with each other and reconnecting with their former teachers should be a amazing event. Coats High Class of 1973- the volunteers are so appreciative of your work at the museum and we look forward to giving you and the teachers a grand tour of your town museum.
The calendar continued to display June 1989. A beauty pageant had been held where eight girls had competed for the title of Miss Coats. The results had been announced and the Daily Record of June 23, 1989 shared that Donna Lynn Currin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Durane Currin, was crowned the new Miss Coats. Tanya Parrish, daughter of Mr. Earl J. Parrish and Mrs. Judy M. Turlington, was first runner-up. Sharon Hope Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hughie Paul Brown, was second runner-up. Karen Wade walked away with the Miss Congeniality award; Tonia Dean was Miss Photogenic. Other contestants were Kimberly Hrush, Janice Lackey, and Bonita Hodges.
The pageant was sponsored by the CACC and the chairperson was Joyce Rambeau. An interesting sidenote is that Donna Lynn enjoyed being asked to be a judge for the Ms. N.C. A.S. C.C. District 11 Senior Citizens Pageant in Fayetteville.
Aubrey Love Johnson, 18, of Rt. 2, Coats, had died. She was the wife of Timothy Johnson and the daughter of Gayle S. Love. Her maternal grandmother was Ethel Poole of Coats who survived her. Another death announcement came in for Maybell Norris Pleasant, 70, of Route 3, Dunn. She was survived by her husband, Clifford M. Pleasant; her daughters-Carolyn Wood and Shirley Pleasant; and sons-Jerry, Larry, and Ronald Pleasant. Bertie Moore, Inez Ivey, and Mavis Stewart were her sisters and her brothers were Odell, Oliver, Rayshell and Jim Norris. She had eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren (Daily Record June 26, 1989).
It saddens a neighborhood to read about deaths among us just as we are elated to read good news happening to those we know. For example, how wonderful it was to learn that Sonya Gail Barbour, daughter of Doyle and Ethel Barbour, had received her BS in Secondary Education from Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, TN. Sonya was a member of the school’s honor society and planned to pursue postgraduate studies. Do you remember her as a talented pianist at Coats High?)
How about this name-Anita Pleasant? Her name has been consistently in the articles for several weeks. Anita Pleasant, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Pleasant, and Brian Harmon, son of Mr. and Mrs. Benny Harmon, were the Co-Valedictorians for the eighth grade class at Coats School. Both students also excelled at sports and had earned titles of Most Valuable Player (Daily Record June 27, 1989).
Now here are some names that you will recognize also. Teresa Webb, bride-elect of Lane Gregory, was feted with a bridal shower by Lane’s aunts-Eula Stancil, Gail Gregory and Mary Stevens. While one group was celebrating an upcoming wedding, another group was celebrating the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Willie and Mazelle Godwin Strickland. Some were sending up prayers for Hester Williams who was sick and condolences to the family of little Candice l. McLeod McLeod (Daily Record June 29, 1989).
Possibly you will know something about this gentleman. J. Arthur Tripp, 91, a retired farmer of Route 3, Dunn had died. He was a longtime member of the Hodges Chapel Church and was survived by his son-Elbert and Dwight Tripp. Rachel Tripp Turlington was his daughter. Nine grandchildren and 11-great grandchildren called him Granddaddy (Daily Record July 3, 1989).
Byrd’s Insurance Agency, formerly known as Grady Matthews Insurance, was recognized by the CCAC as the Business of the Week. The business was operated by Teddy J. Byrd (Daily Record July 5, 1989).
The Ennis name is one of the more popular ones in our Grove area so it is just expected to see the name in the news often as was the case in the July 7, 1989 Daily Record . Peggy Lynn Ennis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lynwood Ennis of Route 3, Dunn, NC, married Scott Lee Faircloth, son of Mrs. Mary L Faircloth and the late Jack Faircloth. The grandparents of the bride were Mrs. Evelyn Ennis and the late Mr. Hubert Ennis and the late Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Allen.
Mary K. Johnson, 80, of Coats, had died. She was survived by her sons-Bobby, Charles, Glenn and Gerald Johnson. Her daughters were Margie Johnson, Sue Thornton, and Shirley Lane. Her brother was Wilbur Partin (Daily Record July 10, 1989).Question- did her husband not die a few months ago? Have you ever heard the expression that someone mourned themselves to death? Do you think that might have happened to Mrs. Johnson?
Deaths, births and business focuses continued to capture the news. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Shelton Beasley announced the engagement of their daughter, Laura Elaine Beasley, to William Elmond Parrish, son of Mr. and Mrs. Landis Coats. Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Kent Johnson of Route 1, Coats, announced the birth of a daughter, Amber Ashton Johnson. The baby’s grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Hoover Johnson and Mrs. Ruth Stephenson and the late Walter Stewart.
J.E. Womble and Sons, Inc. was the CACC Business Focus of the Week. The business was located in Lillington and had branched out from hardware and general merchandise to include management (Daily Record July 12, 1989). Question-does the Womble family have any connection to the Oscar Turlington descendants at Turlington Crossroads?
Notes from Belle Williams shared news from Coats in the July 13, 1989 edition of the Daily Record. She reported that Tim and Gale Penny had moved back to Coats and had bought a house beside Mr. and Mrs. Joe Tart. She extended sympathy to the family of Mrs. Blanche Gregory who had lost Maude Williams Turlington of Erwin. Zelda Pope had lost her sister, Clyda Byrd Southerland of Clayton. Belle also shared with her readers that Maude Avery was home after sustaining a broken hip.
Belle also informed that her brother-in-law Gail Pope was really enjoying his retirement of only one week. Wonder if he was one of the 200 descendents of John Rufus Pope and Frances Wood Pope who met at Pope’s Barn. Willis Pope, 83, was the only direct descendent of the couple and he celebrated his birthday at the same reunion.
Recently, I spent several hours studying the old road maps of Harnett County beginning with 1911. The roads today have variations of many of those roads. One example of a change was written about in July 14, 1989 edition of the Daily record. It was written that the official rerouting of NC 27 took travelers from Benson to Coats across NC55 onto S.R.2080 and over to S.R. 1006 (Old Stage Road) for about two miles east of Buies Creek.
Do you recall what a heated rerouting issue that was in Coats? I do know that Mrs. Frances Marie Parrish, 52, of Route 2, Coats had died leaving her son, Mark L. Penny and grandson, Jason Faircloth to mourn her (Dailey Record July 14, 1989).
How awful would it be to get a phone call that your house was on fire and you were in the Midwest? That was the case for Donald and Maggie Keeler. The couple lived in their beautiful brick home located along NC 55 about two miles north of Coats. The house sustained about $125,000.00 in damage. The fire was most certainly caused by a lightning strike according to firefighters. During the 3 to 3 1/2 years that the couple had lived in the house, this was the second time a fire had been caused by lightning. They had been able to save the house from damage the first time.
We were sad to read that Kevin Pope, a museum board member, had lost his father-in-law, Jonah Weaver, last week. Both Kathy and Kevin were former students of mine and we are proud to memorialize the one they cared for and loved so much.
Drop by the museum to see the Easter decorations. Mark your calendar for September 10th and meet Lenny Parker at the Coats Community Building. We have rescheduled his presentation of his work with the DMORT team following the attack on the Twin Towers in 2001. Much more information will follow as the date approaches.
Lenny Parker and his 1973 Coats High team of classmates will meet at the Coats Museum to trim the shrubbery on April 9th. The work will be followed with all classmates enjoying hotdogs and hamburgers for lunch. Catching up again with each other and reconnecting with their former teachers should be a amazing event. Coats High Class of 1973- the volunteers are so appreciative of your work at the museum and we look forward to giving you and the teachers a grand tour of your town museum.