March 27, 2020 Coats Museum News
How many of you pay attention to bumper stickers? Do you see as many as you once saw? In 1983, the following were some very popular ones displayed on cars and trucks: “We’re spending our children’s inheritance”, “Get Revenge-Live long enough to be a burden to your children”, “If you don’t like the way I drive, get off the sidewalk”, “It’s a man’s world-unless women vote”, “Honking is for geese”, and “Every time we buy a foreign car, we put 10 Americans out of work”. (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1999, p.269). What’s your feeling on those stickers?
Good news came to the Langdons on Cane Mill Road. John S. Langdon, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood Langdon of Route 1, Coats, had completed a year of graduate school study at NCSU and had received his degree in architecture (Daily Record May 23, 1983).
Seventh graders from Lillington and Boone Trail Schools were getting a taste of farm life. The students spent a day on the farm of Max Matthews’s o f near Coats (Daily Record May 25, 1983). Wonder what Max and Dorothy showed these students.
I do know that a July 16th wedding was planned for Carolyn Rose Fowler to Landon Barefoot, Jr., of Dunn (Daily Record May 27, 1983).
Many people in the Coats and Benson area are descendants of Patrick or John Dixon who came to the Mingo Swamp area after the War of 1812. Patrick purchased land on the Mingo on the Denning Road in Johnston County near the Johnston-Harnett County Line. The following death announcement is about a lady who married one of those descendants of Patrick Dixon’s son of Lemuel Dixon. Mrs. Lettie B. Dixon, 87, of Benson had died on Saturday. Her burial was in the Dixon Family Cemetery. Her nine children were Rev. Carl, A.J., Graham, Lemuel, Eumeese, Willis Dixon, Mrs. Gertrude Parrish, Mrs. Velma Valdock and Mrs. Louise McLaurin who survived her (Daily Record May 30, 1983).
Family members, if I have misspelled names, share the correct information with me. Wonder if some of the above are alive in 2020. I do know that Rev. Carl Dixon married a lady from Ebenezer Presbyterian and Carl died a few years back. When the Coats Centennial Book Committee was researching and collecting family genealogies, we had many family gatherings in the Coats Community Building and Ebenezer Presbyterian Church to share pictures, names, and dates for the Heritage of Coats, NC. I got to meet the younger Lemuel at the Dixon –Denning Family Gathering in the community building. Lemuel died a few years ago. If you knew Lemuel, do you know if he drove for Trailways or Greyhound bus lines?
Good news came for the principal of Angier School. Mrs. Barbara Gardner, secretary at the Angier School, presented Principal Edward Miller the “Boss of the Year” award (Daily Record May 31, 1983).
Teresa Frances Langdon was married to Phillip Ray Ennis (Daily Record June 1, 1983).
There were 59 graduates of Coats High School in 1983.Vincent Beasley (president of the Student Council), Kenneth Denton (president of the senior class), Sherri Whittington (salutatorian), and Patti Dennis and Gwen Bass (co-valedictorians) were speakers at the commencements.
The 1983 graduates of Coats were Tammy Addison, Brenda Amerson, Gwendolyn Bass, Vincent Beasley, Tracy Byrd, Karen Capps, Brian Collins, Jerry Coats, Danny Denning, Pattie Dennis, Rudy Dennis, Kenneth Denton, Katie Dunston, Lisa Eason , Domini Ennis, Jonathan Todd Ennis, Pamela Ennis, Juanita Ferguson, Pamela Flowers, Vickie Gregory, David Holmes, William David Hurd, Patricia McDougald, Tracie Jernigan, Jennifer Johnson, Joyce Marie Johnson, Kim Johnson, Sherry Johnson, Thomas Johnson, Timothy King, James Lee, Raymond Lee, Lanita Matthews, Delphine McDuffie, Mark McGill, Lou Ann McKoy, Oliver McLeod, Denise Miller, June Norris, John Reaves, Valerie McKoy, Stephanie Salmon, Mellisa Stancil, Carla Stephenson, Michael Stephenson, Paula Stevens, Hubert Stewart, Samantha Stewart, William Stewart, Velton Stone, Jr., Estelle Surles, Ralph Dean Turlington, Travis Upchurch, Sherri Whittington, Liza Williams, Michael Williams, Lewis Wood, Dena Young, Ezell Young, Jr., and Kathy Young.
On Class and Awards Day, the following athletes were honored: Jamie Regan, Patricia Royals, Melinda Stanley, Andrea Ennis, Foy Pope, Dana Barnes, Joyce Marie Johnson, Kris Norris, Dena Young, Beth Pope, Penny Weaver, Denise Williams, Lisa Eason, Mark Pope, Clark Johnson, Lloyd Hayes, Thomas Johnson, Jody Pollard, Trace Denning, Steve Denning, Elton Stewart, Terry Dibella, Gary Matthews, Andy Williams, Antonio Purcell, Michael Grimes, Mark Williams and Stacey Johnson (Daily Record June 2, 1983).
The CACC Business Focus of the Week recognized Doyle Barbour Grocery, Gas, Seed and Feed Company. Doyle and Ethel Barbour had purchased the Howard Barnes Store in 1977 (Daily Record June 2, 1983).
The 1983 Miss Coats Jr. Order pageant contestants were Jacqui McLamb, Beverly Steele, Michelle Champion, Beth Pope and Alice Beasley. The current Miss Junior Order was Joyce Marie Johnson (Daily Record June 10, 1983).
The Coats Board of Commissioners voted to retain the local board of elections composed of Lottie Lamm, M.O. Phillips and Howard Beard (Daily Record June 10, 1983).
A Coats Bike-A-Thon for St. Jude’s Hospital had many young participants. The bikers were Michelle Sears, Mandy Dixon, Charlie Holshouser, Alicia Dixon, April Dixon, Michael Surerus, , Shayne DePue, Anthony Davis, Ramona Sullivan, Jennifer Tysinger, Matt Capps, Robert Ferguson, Mike Brown, Curtis Patterson, James Warren, Eddie Loyd and Gabriel Knittle (Daily Record June 10, 1983).
The Coats High School honored its bus drivers during the school’s awards day. Those honored were Thomas Johnson, Travis Upchurch, Paul McLeod, Vickie Gregory, Michael Stephenson, Buster Stone, Hubert Stewart, Kenneth Denton and Denise Miller (Daily Record June 14, 1983).
The Coats Board agonized over the budget cutbacks in the police, recreation, general government, sanitation, and fire department. The cutbacks were due to revenue figures being lower such as not passing on increased water charges to the citizens but rather absorbing them into the current year’s budget (Daily Record June 14, 1983).
The Coats Police Chief went on television to dramatize his displeasure over the proposed budget for the 1983-84. Parker said he would lose one officer. He stated he felt the board preferred to fund the recreation department rather than the police department (Daily Record June14, 1983).
Michelle Champion was crowned Miss Coats Junior Order. The pageant was held at the Coats Community Center. Beverly Steele was fourth runner-up; Beth Pope was first runner-up and Miss Congeniality. Alice Beasley was second runner-up. Jacqui McLamb was third runner-up. Joyce Marie Johnson crowned the queen (Daily Record June 15, 1983).
Who remembers Kenneth Ennis and his skill on the basketball team back in the 1960’s? In 1983, Kenneth was recognized for his sales ability. Kenneth was an independent life insurance agent and was among the 4,600 members of the Million Round Table that gathered in Dallas, TX (Daily Record June 15, 1983).
Another one of Coats’s many businesses was recognized by the CACC. The business was Wade’s Restaurant operated by Wade Stephenson (Daily Record June 15, 1983).
Betsy Laurin Pollard of Chapel Hill, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Baxton Pollard, had spent extended time in Great Britain. Betsy had received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Betsy’s trip to Great Britain was part of the “Work in Britain” program that was sponsored by the Council on International Educational Exchange in New York. Betsy had worked as a feature writer photographer for Triangle Pointer, the area’s official guide magazine. She was a 1979 graduate of Coats High School. Mr. and Mrs. Callie Pollard and Mrs. Pauline McLaurin were her grandparents (Daily Record June 1983).
Betsy was such a talented individual. Does anyone know where Betsy is today? Not many students from Coats graduated from the School of Journalism at UNC Chapel Hill. Mildred Johnson from the Coats High Class of 1941 did and later she covered the US Capitol for the magazine that became the US News and Report. Did Ted Malone also attend that school? Are there others?
Death of a young boy made the news in the June 20, 1983 Edition the Daily Record. Johnny L. Pate, 10 year-old of Coats, fell to his death from the back of a truck. His burial was in the Moore Family Cemetery. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Pate. Johnny, Jason, Nathan, Stanley, Wanda, Robin, and Kathy were siblings.
The Coats Town Commissioners voted for a five-man police department after much conflict. The Chief of Police had threatened to resign (Daily Record June 21, 1983). It must have been difficult to find funds to keep up all the necessary needs of a small town.
Over the years it has been a pleasure to share the history of the people in the small town of Coats, NC and Grove Township. There was a time when only twenty people picked up their mail in a place called Troyville which was renamed Coats on the post offices and postmasters records in 1903.The town was later chartered as Coats in March of 1905. You have followed its growth to over 2,000 people in 2020.
Over the years, the good and bad choices made by the leaders and citizens of the town were recorded on the pages of time. One thing which has always been evident is that Coats has always had some remarkable citizens who really cared about their town. As I wrote about them, I felt like they were role models for the generations that followed them. The museum volunteers and I learned to love them through the newsprint of the Daily Record. The deaths of some of these citizens were like losing a family member.
Many of these outstanding citizens were remembered through wall plaques, benches and bricks via the 2005 Coats Centennial project. With each new improvement at the Coats Museum, more and more people have come forth to honor or memorialize those who have made a positive difference in their lives or the lives of the community folks.
H.L. and I are honored to memorialize Della Norris Young Pleasant whose son Tommy Young from Coats Cabinets was so involved in construction of our beautiful display cabinets in our Research Library and Kress and Nell Penny Williams Exhibit Hall. We also remembered Carolyn Adams Williams whose husband James was always willing to share his talent at so many Coats High School events of which we were a part.
How many of you pay attention to bumper stickers? Do you see as many as you once saw? In 1983, the following were some very popular ones displayed on cars and trucks: “We’re spending our children’s inheritance”, “Get Revenge-Live long enough to be a burden to your children”, “If you don’t like the way I drive, get off the sidewalk”, “It’s a man’s world-unless women vote”, “Honking is for geese”, and “Every time we buy a foreign car, we put 10 Americans out of work”. (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1999, p.269). What’s your feeling on those stickers?
Good news came to the Langdons on Cane Mill Road. John S. Langdon, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood Langdon of Route 1, Coats, had completed a year of graduate school study at NCSU and had received his degree in architecture (Daily Record May 23, 1983).
Seventh graders from Lillington and Boone Trail Schools were getting a taste of farm life. The students spent a day on the farm of Max Matthews’s o f near Coats (Daily Record May 25, 1983). Wonder what Max and Dorothy showed these students.
I do know that a July 16th wedding was planned for Carolyn Rose Fowler to Landon Barefoot, Jr., of Dunn (Daily Record May 27, 1983).
Many people in the Coats and Benson area are descendants of Patrick or John Dixon who came to the Mingo Swamp area after the War of 1812. Patrick purchased land on the Mingo on the Denning Road in Johnston County near the Johnston-Harnett County Line. The following death announcement is about a lady who married one of those descendants of Patrick Dixon’s son of Lemuel Dixon. Mrs. Lettie B. Dixon, 87, of Benson had died on Saturday. Her burial was in the Dixon Family Cemetery. Her nine children were Rev. Carl, A.J., Graham, Lemuel, Eumeese, Willis Dixon, Mrs. Gertrude Parrish, Mrs. Velma Valdock and Mrs. Louise McLaurin who survived her (Daily Record May 30, 1983).
Family members, if I have misspelled names, share the correct information with me. Wonder if some of the above are alive in 2020. I do know that Rev. Carl Dixon married a lady from Ebenezer Presbyterian and Carl died a few years back. When the Coats Centennial Book Committee was researching and collecting family genealogies, we had many family gatherings in the Coats Community Building and Ebenezer Presbyterian Church to share pictures, names, and dates for the Heritage of Coats, NC. I got to meet the younger Lemuel at the Dixon –Denning Family Gathering in the community building. Lemuel died a few years ago. If you knew Lemuel, do you know if he drove for Trailways or Greyhound bus lines?
Good news came for the principal of Angier School. Mrs. Barbara Gardner, secretary at the Angier School, presented Principal Edward Miller the “Boss of the Year” award (Daily Record May 31, 1983).
Teresa Frances Langdon was married to Phillip Ray Ennis (Daily Record June 1, 1983).
There were 59 graduates of Coats High School in 1983.Vincent Beasley (president of the Student Council), Kenneth Denton (president of the senior class), Sherri Whittington (salutatorian), and Patti Dennis and Gwen Bass (co-valedictorians) were speakers at the commencements.
The 1983 graduates of Coats were Tammy Addison, Brenda Amerson, Gwendolyn Bass, Vincent Beasley, Tracy Byrd, Karen Capps, Brian Collins, Jerry Coats, Danny Denning, Pattie Dennis, Rudy Dennis, Kenneth Denton, Katie Dunston, Lisa Eason , Domini Ennis, Jonathan Todd Ennis, Pamela Ennis, Juanita Ferguson, Pamela Flowers, Vickie Gregory, David Holmes, William David Hurd, Patricia McDougald, Tracie Jernigan, Jennifer Johnson, Joyce Marie Johnson, Kim Johnson, Sherry Johnson, Thomas Johnson, Timothy King, James Lee, Raymond Lee, Lanita Matthews, Delphine McDuffie, Mark McGill, Lou Ann McKoy, Oliver McLeod, Denise Miller, June Norris, John Reaves, Valerie McKoy, Stephanie Salmon, Mellisa Stancil, Carla Stephenson, Michael Stephenson, Paula Stevens, Hubert Stewart, Samantha Stewart, William Stewart, Velton Stone, Jr., Estelle Surles, Ralph Dean Turlington, Travis Upchurch, Sherri Whittington, Liza Williams, Michael Williams, Lewis Wood, Dena Young, Ezell Young, Jr., and Kathy Young.
On Class and Awards Day, the following athletes were honored: Jamie Regan, Patricia Royals, Melinda Stanley, Andrea Ennis, Foy Pope, Dana Barnes, Joyce Marie Johnson, Kris Norris, Dena Young, Beth Pope, Penny Weaver, Denise Williams, Lisa Eason, Mark Pope, Clark Johnson, Lloyd Hayes, Thomas Johnson, Jody Pollard, Trace Denning, Steve Denning, Elton Stewart, Terry Dibella, Gary Matthews, Andy Williams, Antonio Purcell, Michael Grimes, Mark Williams and Stacey Johnson (Daily Record June 2, 1983).
The CACC Business Focus of the Week recognized Doyle Barbour Grocery, Gas, Seed and Feed Company. Doyle and Ethel Barbour had purchased the Howard Barnes Store in 1977 (Daily Record June 2, 1983).
The 1983 Miss Coats Jr. Order pageant contestants were Jacqui McLamb, Beverly Steele, Michelle Champion, Beth Pope and Alice Beasley. The current Miss Junior Order was Joyce Marie Johnson (Daily Record June 10, 1983).
The Coats Board of Commissioners voted to retain the local board of elections composed of Lottie Lamm, M.O. Phillips and Howard Beard (Daily Record June 10, 1983).
A Coats Bike-A-Thon for St. Jude’s Hospital had many young participants. The bikers were Michelle Sears, Mandy Dixon, Charlie Holshouser, Alicia Dixon, April Dixon, Michael Surerus, , Shayne DePue, Anthony Davis, Ramona Sullivan, Jennifer Tysinger, Matt Capps, Robert Ferguson, Mike Brown, Curtis Patterson, James Warren, Eddie Loyd and Gabriel Knittle (Daily Record June 10, 1983).
The Coats High School honored its bus drivers during the school’s awards day. Those honored were Thomas Johnson, Travis Upchurch, Paul McLeod, Vickie Gregory, Michael Stephenson, Buster Stone, Hubert Stewart, Kenneth Denton and Denise Miller (Daily Record June 14, 1983).
The Coats Board agonized over the budget cutbacks in the police, recreation, general government, sanitation, and fire department. The cutbacks were due to revenue figures being lower such as not passing on increased water charges to the citizens but rather absorbing them into the current year’s budget (Daily Record June 14, 1983).
The Coats Police Chief went on television to dramatize his displeasure over the proposed budget for the 1983-84. Parker said he would lose one officer. He stated he felt the board preferred to fund the recreation department rather than the police department (Daily Record June14, 1983).
Michelle Champion was crowned Miss Coats Junior Order. The pageant was held at the Coats Community Center. Beverly Steele was fourth runner-up; Beth Pope was first runner-up and Miss Congeniality. Alice Beasley was second runner-up. Jacqui McLamb was third runner-up. Joyce Marie Johnson crowned the queen (Daily Record June 15, 1983).
Who remembers Kenneth Ennis and his skill on the basketball team back in the 1960’s? In 1983, Kenneth was recognized for his sales ability. Kenneth was an independent life insurance agent and was among the 4,600 members of the Million Round Table that gathered in Dallas, TX (Daily Record June 15, 1983).
Another one of Coats’s many businesses was recognized by the CACC. The business was Wade’s Restaurant operated by Wade Stephenson (Daily Record June 15, 1983).
Betsy Laurin Pollard of Chapel Hill, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Baxton Pollard, had spent extended time in Great Britain. Betsy had received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Betsy’s trip to Great Britain was part of the “Work in Britain” program that was sponsored by the Council on International Educational Exchange in New York. Betsy had worked as a feature writer photographer for Triangle Pointer, the area’s official guide magazine. She was a 1979 graduate of Coats High School. Mr. and Mrs. Callie Pollard and Mrs. Pauline McLaurin were her grandparents (Daily Record June 1983).
Betsy was such a talented individual. Does anyone know where Betsy is today? Not many students from Coats graduated from the School of Journalism at UNC Chapel Hill. Mildred Johnson from the Coats High Class of 1941 did and later she covered the US Capitol for the magazine that became the US News and Report. Did Ted Malone also attend that school? Are there others?
Death of a young boy made the news in the June 20, 1983 Edition the Daily Record. Johnny L. Pate, 10 year-old of Coats, fell to his death from the back of a truck. His burial was in the Moore Family Cemetery. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Pate. Johnny, Jason, Nathan, Stanley, Wanda, Robin, and Kathy were siblings.
The Coats Town Commissioners voted for a five-man police department after much conflict. The Chief of Police had threatened to resign (Daily Record June 21, 1983). It must have been difficult to find funds to keep up all the necessary needs of a small town.
Over the years it has been a pleasure to share the history of the people in the small town of Coats, NC and Grove Township. There was a time when only twenty people picked up their mail in a place called Troyville which was renamed Coats on the post offices and postmasters records in 1903.The town was later chartered as Coats in March of 1905. You have followed its growth to over 2,000 people in 2020.
Over the years, the good and bad choices made by the leaders and citizens of the town were recorded on the pages of time. One thing which has always been evident is that Coats has always had some remarkable citizens who really cared about their town. As I wrote about them, I felt like they were role models for the generations that followed them. The museum volunteers and I learned to love them through the newsprint of the Daily Record. The deaths of some of these citizens were like losing a family member.
Many of these outstanding citizens were remembered through wall plaques, benches and bricks via the 2005 Coats Centennial project. With each new improvement at the Coats Museum, more and more people have come forth to honor or memorialize those who have made a positive difference in their lives or the lives of the community folks.
H.L. and I are honored to memorialize Della Norris Young Pleasant whose son Tommy Young from Coats Cabinets was so involved in construction of our beautiful display cabinets in our Research Library and Kress and Nell Penny Williams Exhibit Hall. We also remembered Carolyn Adams Williams whose husband James was always willing to share his talent at so many Coats High School events of which we were a part.