March 21, 2014 Coats Museum News
Wars, jobs and pursuit of an education took many of the Coats graduates away from Coats. Surely their families were elated to welcome them home for visits. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Williams visited his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Williams, in Coats. Captain and Mrs. Bobby Kelly, Elizabeth Beasley and children-Sybil and Ann-left for Kansas City, Missouri where Captain Kelly would attend his wartime outfit, the 58th Troop Carrier Wing. Mrs. Beasley would visit her sister, Mrs. W. J. Brunner. Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Nichols had attended the Nichols reunion in Durham. Mrs. Felix Stewart visited relatives in Haw River. The Coats Seniors spent 3 days in Washington, D.C. Cecil Fuquay and friends took a boat ride down the Cape Fear on the yacht of Mr. Oscar Breece of Fayetteville and also on Friday night, Cecil attended the Bachelor’s Black and White Ball on Breece’s Landing. Impressed?
Neill’s Creek Church had dedicated a handsome new building after losing the old one to fire. Cost of the new building was $30,000.00 and it was completely paid for. The old one had been destroyed by a lightning strike (Dunn Dispatch June 14, 1948).
The Jr. Woman’s Club met at the home of Mrs. M.O. Phillips with Mrs. Charles Ross as speaker. Miss Evangeline Stewart gave two musicals numbers. Members attending the meeting were Mrs. Ray Langdon, Mrs. J.A. Smith, Mrs. W.M. Keene, Miss Ruth Langdon, Miss Louise Coats, Mrs. Earl Ryals, Mrs. F.P. Cade, Mrs. J.D. Lamm, Mrs. James Robinson, Mrs. Carlyle Denton, Mrs. Thomas Williams, Mrs. Johnnie Williams, Mrs. Herbert Johnson, and Mrs. W.E. Nichols (Dunn Dispatch June 16, 1948). Did any of these ladies live outside the city limits of Coats?
The June 18, 1948 edition of the Dunn Dispatch printed that the Harnett County School Building Projects for 10 school districts and two colored districts would cost $892,297.55.
Rural phones were being sought in the Coats area. The Dunn Tobacco Market had the support of local tobacco committees made up of S.W. Denning, L.E. Wells, M.E. Ennis, W.A. Sawyer, Alvin Grimes, and W.R. Langdon. The 4-H members from Coats and Oakdale attended Camp Millstone for a five day stay. Harnett County had 1400 members (850 girls and 550 boys). Coats sent 18 members to camp. They were Shirley Ann Whittington, Benton Ennis, Sue Stewart, Shirley Norris, Don Ray Langdon, James Isaac Guy, JoAnn Ennis, Norma Jean Creech, Donnie Pollard, Willie Carol Honeycutt, C.L. Hough, Alice Fay Franklin, Joyce Lee Turlington, and Albert Gregory. The three members from Oakdale were Jesse Ray Howard, H.T. Elmore, and Peggy Barefoot (Dunn Dispatch June 16, 1948). Whose name is missing to make the total of 18 attending from Coats? Wonder if any of these individuals have visited Camp Millstone since Kent Hudson honored his parents, Mack and Juanita Hudson, with a beautiful courtyard. Juanita also worked with the committee to convert a historic home into a state 4-H museum. It’s worth a trip to that area to see that museum and the Rankin Museum in Ellerbe.
Garner Rose Ennis and Gene McLeod journeyed to White Lake with the Motor Scooter Club (Dunn Dispatch June 23, 1948).
General William C. Lee of Dunn had died of a heart attack. It was the 28th Benson Singing Convention. Mrs. Wade C. Stephenson had been married on June 5th in a candlelight service. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alton F. Grimes and Wade was the son of Mrs. Lula Stephenson and the late Mr. Stephenson of Angier (Dunn Dispatch June 25, 1948). Surely all those names bring positive thoughts to you. The late Wade was an outstanding coach, teacher, businessman and civic leader in Coats. Jenny is now Mrs. Carsie Denning and she has written a delightful and informative autobiography that can be purchased at our museum with Jenny donating the proceeds going to the museum.
Mrs. Lucy B. Parrish, widow of C.C. Parrish, had died enroute to a Raleigh hospital. She was sister to Cleveland Langdon of Coats. The Intermediate G.A.’s with their director, Mrs. H.C. Hough, enjoyed a picnic and swimming at Pullen Park. Alice Stewart, Jeanine Ennis, Billy Stewart, Hayes Beasley, Reid Byrd, Fred Sexton, Sue Turlington, Betty Sue Willis, Betsy Stewart, Evangeline Stewart, Imogene Pollard, and Doris Johnson made the trip to Raleigh. Laura Frances Pope, 16, junior at Coats High School, received $25.00 as third prize in the final round of the 1948 Cooperative Contest in Raleigh. There were 2500 student participants.
Final rites were held for Otha A. Cobb, 59, of Angier. The service was held at Green Ford PBC. Elder Oscar S. Young officiated. Death at Duke Hospital was a result of a heart ailment. He was survived by brothers-L.D., J.S., L.E., G.B., and W.A. Cobb. Mrs. C.E. Pollard and Mrs. Roy Sears were his sisters (Dunn Dispatch June 28, 1948). Did he have a wife and children?
Mr. and Mrs. James Willis of Coats announced the engagement of their daughter, Jean Willis, to Sherrill Coats, son of Mr. and Mrs. Otis Coats. The wedding was to be solemnized on July 22, 1948, at the Coats Baptist Church (Dunn Dispatch June 30, 1948).
The Harnett County tax rate was set at $1.25 per $100- a cut of 8 cents per $100 (Dunn Dispatch July 2, 1948). Bet that was good news! What about all the money needed for the School Building Projects for the 10 school districts and 2 colored districts mentioned in the June 18 edition of the Dunn Dispatch?
Mrs. J.R. Butler and her nephew, Leon Thomas Fuquay of Washington, D.C., visited relatives in Harmony. Mrs. Henry Clay Stewart had spent last week visiting her uncle H.B. Wallace. Mrs. Exie Smith attended the wedding of Terry Grimes in Siler City. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Wiggins were visitors in Coats. (Did you know that he was once a mayor of Coats and was owner of several pharmacies? He was close relative of the T.O. Beasley family.)
Eleven agriculture students went to FFA camp at White Lake. The students who attended camp were Sherrill Willis, Stacy Williams, Billy Ragan, Jerry Stewart, Cecil Stephenson, Arthur Denning, Everett Reardon, Phillip Langdon, Tommy Johnson, and Max Avery. In town, Mrs. Fletcher Vann and Mrs. J.F. Parrish gave a miscellaneous shower for Jean Willis. The Parrish home was beautifully decorated for the fun and food filled event (Dunn Dispatch July 9, 1948).
A special thank you to Jennifer Flowers for donating Todd Johnson’s book-The Sweet By and By. Todd is the son of Ken and Fannie Sue Langdon Johnson. Fannie Sue is a Coats graduate and Ken donated the sheetrock for the original museum. Thank you also goes to Eric Truedale for giving the museum the pants of a WWII uniform that was worn in Belgium. Margaret House also dropped by bearing a toy truck and gold framed glasses that are over 85 years old and belonged to her brother Edwin Stewart. Ed Lauder brought the museum volunteers a child’s ironing board belonging to Mary Ellen. Wonder if Norma and Eloise also played grownup on the ironing board? Would it not be great to have the toy iron to go with it? Thanks to all of you.
The volunteers at the museum are so appreciative of all the people who donate to the museum when remembering or honoring someone. This week a thank you goes to Mary Ellen and Ed Lauder for remembering Coma Lee and Nelson Currin with memorials to the museum. The J.B. Smith family honored H.L. Sorrell with a birthday donation to the museum.
Wars, jobs and pursuit of an education took many of the Coats graduates away from Coats. Surely their families were elated to welcome them home for visits. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Williams visited his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Williams, in Coats. Captain and Mrs. Bobby Kelly, Elizabeth Beasley and children-Sybil and Ann-left for Kansas City, Missouri where Captain Kelly would attend his wartime outfit, the 58th Troop Carrier Wing. Mrs. Beasley would visit her sister, Mrs. W. J. Brunner. Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Nichols had attended the Nichols reunion in Durham. Mrs. Felix Stewart visited relatives in Haw River. The Coats Seniors spent 3 days in Washington, D.C. Cecil Fuquay and friends took a boat ride down the Cape Fear on the yacht of Mr. Oscar Breece of Fayetteville and also on Friday night, Cecil attended the Bachelor’s Black and White Ball on Breece’s Landing. Impressed?
Neill’s Creek Church had dedicated a handsome new building after losing the old one to fire. Cost of the new building was $30,000.00 and it was completely paid for. The old one had been destroyed by a lightning strike (Dunn Dispatch June 14, 1948).
The Jr. Woman’s Club met at the home of Mrs. M.O. Phillips with Mrs. Charles Ross as speaker. Miss Evangeline Stewart gave two musicals numbers. Members attending the meeting were Mrs. Ray Langdon, Mrs. J.A. Smith, Mrs. W.M. Keene, Miss Ruth Langdon, Miss Louise Coats, Mrs. Earl Ryals, Mrs. F.P. Cade, Mrs. J.D. Lamm, Mrs. James Robinson, Mrs. Carlyle Denton, Mrs. Thomas Williams, Mrs. Johnnie Williams, Mrs. Herbert Johnson, and Mrs. W.E. Nichols (Dunn Dispatch June 16, 1948). Did any of these ladies live outside the city limits of Coats?
The June 18, 1948 edition of the Dunn Dispatch printed that the Harnett County School Building Projects for 10 school districts and two colored districts would cost $892,297.55.
Rural phones were being sought in the Coats area. The Dunn Tobacco Market had the support of local tobacco committees made up of S.W. Denning, L.E. Wells, M.E. Ennis, W.A. Sawyer, Alvin Grimes, and W.R. Langdon. The 4-H members from Coats and Oakdale attended Camp Millstone for a five day stay. Harnett County had 1400 members (850 girls and 550 boys). Coats sent 18 members to camp. They were Shirley Ann Whittington, Benton Ennis, Sue Stewart, Shirley Norris, Don Ray Langdon, James Isaac Guy, JoAnn Ennis, Norma Jean Creech, Donnie Pollard, Willie Carol Honeycutt, C.L. Hough, Alice Fay Franklin, Joyce Lee Turlington, and Albert Gregory. The three members from Oakdale were Jesse Ray Howard, H.T. Elmore, and Peggy Barefoot (Dunn Dispatch June 16, 1948). Whose name is missing to make the total of 18 attending from Coats? Wonder if any of these individuals have visited Camp Millstone since Kent Hudson honored his parents, Mack and Juanita Hudson, with a beautiful courtyard. Juanita also worked with the committee to convert a historic home into a state 4-H museum. It’s worth a trip to that area to see that museum and the Rankin Museum in Ellerbe.
Garner Rose Ennis and Gene McLeod journeyed to White Lake with the Motor Scooter Club (Dunn Dispatch June 23, 1948).
General William C. Lee of Dunn had died of a heart attack. It was the 28th Benson Singing Convention. Mrs. Wade C. Stephenson had been married on June 5th in a candlelight service. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alton F. Grimes and Wade was the son of Mrs. Lula Stephenson and the late Mr. Stephenson of Angier (Dunn Dispatch June 25, 1948). Surely all those names bring positive thoughts to you. The late Wade was an outstanding coach, teacher, businessman and civic leader in Coats. Jenny is now Mrs. Carsie Denning and she has written a delightful and informative autobiography that can be purchased at our museum with Jenny donating the proceeds going to the museum.
Mrs. Lucy B. Parrish, widow of C.C. Parrish, had died enroute to a Raleigh hospital. She was sister to Cleveland Langdon of Coats. The Intermediate G.A.’s with their director, Mrs. H.C. Hough, enjoyed a picnic and swimming at Pullen Park. Alice Stewart, Jeanine Ennis, Billy Stewart, Hayes Beasley, Reid Byrd, Fred Sexton, Sue Turlington, Betty Sue Willis, Betsy Stewart, Evangeline Stewart, Imogene Pollard, and Doris Johnson made the trip to Raleigh. Laura Frances Pope, 16, junior at Coats High School, received $25.00 as third prize in the final round of the 1948 Cooperative Contest in Raleigh. There were 2500 student participants.
Final rites were held for Otha A. Cobb, 59, of Angier. The service was held at Green Ford PBC. Elder Oscar S. Young officiated. Death at Duke Hospital was a result of a heart ailment. He was survived by brothers-L.D., J.S., L.E., G.B., and W.A. Cobb. Mrs. C.E. Pollard and Mrs. Roy Sears were his sisters (Dunn Dispatch June 28, 1948). Did he have a wife and children?
Mr. and Mrs. James Willis of Coats announced the engagement of their daughter, Jean Willis, to Sherrill Coats, son of Mr. and Mrs. Otis Coats. The wedding was to be solemnized on July 22, 1948, at the Coats Baptist Church (Dunn Dispatch June 30, 1948).
The Harnett County tax rate was set at $1.25 per $100- a cut of 8 cents per $100 (Dunn Dispatch July 2, 1948). Bet that was good news! What about all the money needed for the School Building Projects for the 10 school districts and 2 colored districts mentioned in the June 18 edition of the Dunn Dispatch?
Mrs. J.R. Butler and her nephew, Leon Thomas Fuquay of Washington, D.C., visited relatives in Harmony. Mrs. Henry Clay Stewart had spent last week visiting her uncle H.B. Wallace. Mrs. Exie Smith attended the wedding of Terry Grimes in Siler City. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Wiggins were visitors in Coats. (Did you know that he was once a mayor of Coats and was owner of several pharmacies? He was close relative of the T.O. Beasley family.)
Eleven agriculture students went to FFA camp at White Lake. The students who attended camp were Sherrill Willis, Stacy Williams, Billy Ragan, Jerry Stewart, Cecil Stephenson, Arthur Denning, Everett Reardon, Phillip Langdon, Tommy Johnson, and Max Avery. In town, Mrs. Fletcher Vann and Mrs. J.F. Parrish gave a miscellaneous shower for Jean Willis. The Parrish home was beautifully decorated for the fun and food filled event (Dunn Dispatch July 9, 1948).
A special thank you to Jennifer Flowers for donating Todd Johnson’s book-The Sweet By and By. Todd is the son of Ken and Fannie Sue Langdon Johnson. Fannie Sue is a Coats graduate and Ken donated the sheetrock for the original museum. Thank you also goes to Eric Truedale for giving the museum the pants of a WWII uniform that was worn in Belgium. Margaret House also dropped by bearing a toy truck and gold framed glasses that are over 85 years old and belonged to her brother Edwin Stewart. Ed Lauder brought the museum volunteers a child’s ironing board belonging to Mary Ellen. Wonder if Norma and Eloise also played grownup on the ironing board? Would it not be great to have the toy iron to go with it? Thanks to all of you.
The volunteers at the museum are so appreciative of all the people who donate to the museum when remembering or honoring someone. This week a thank you goes to Mary Ellen and Ed Lauder for remembering Coma Lee and Nelson Currin with memorials to the museum. The J.B. Smith family honored H.L. Sorrell with a birthday donation to the museum.