May 1, 2020 Coats Museum News
The year was 1984-the year of the yuppie and the eternal question, “Where’s the beef?” With his popularity stabilizing at 50%, Ronald Reagan made the choice to run for a second term as president. Stormie Jones, age six, was the first person to have a heart and liver transplant. The Supreme Court decided that individuals could legally videotape television shows for their own use. War toys in the form of action figures made a stunning comeback with 214 million sold. Holographic 3D credit cards came into being led by Visa. Madonna made her presence felt when she recorded “Like a Virgin.” The Cosby Show and Family Ties brought a new level to TV family comedy. The economy had its best year since 1951. A total of 8,612 medals were awarded for the 1983 invasion of Grenada although only 7,000 American troops actually took part in the operation. In 1984, for the first time, the average cost of a new house topped $100,000. The US Supreme ruled that the Jaycees could be forced to admit women. Geraldine Ferraro, congresswoman from Queens, NY, was nominated for vice president of the US on the Democratic ticket. The expression “Are we having fun yet?” was popular (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Press, 1999, pp 270-276).
Correct me if I am wrong but don’t most of you recall much of the above news of 1984? I dare say that many of you remember when Peggie and Billy Pope opened a new restaurant in the Barclaysville area. It would offer barbeque, chicken, and seafood on the menu. Who can remember what the restaurant was named and what the name of it is today? We all have to agree that Peggie and Billy Pope have made a tremendous impact on the Coats economy over the years. Neither seems to be afraid of hard work but what I find most interesting about the couple is that you can’t think of one without thinking of the other-an awesome team who does not quit giving to the Coats community.
The CACC Business Focus of the Week was the Coats Motor Company. The company began its dealership in 1918 by selling, trading, and servicing Ford automobiles and tractors. The auto dealership was founded by Dr. Harry Roberts and Guy Stewart and operated as such for about two years. Mr. Stewart bought the business out a couple of years later. In 1933, Stewart switched from Ford to Chrysler-Plymouth (Daily Record Jan. 5, 1984).
I could write an entire column on those two gentlemen, their families and businesses. One item that you might find interesting is the fact that these early vehicles came in boxes, unassembled, on flatcars on the Durham and Southern Railroad. Often extra parts were in the packing and Mr. Guy built a railing around his front porch using the extras. Just for fun, find the house on McKinley Street that belonged to the Guy Stewart family.
Another item of interest is the fact that both families had aviators. In fact, Dr. Roberts was one of the earliest aviators from the Coats area and died as the result of his plane crash. Interestingly, the company in early days of business offered a free plane ride for someone wanting to buy a car.
Stewart Akerman shared with the Coats Museum a journal of everyone who traded or purchased cars from his Granddaddy Guy Stewart’s dealership in the 1939 era. First you will be amazed at the amount of cars that went through the dealership and second you will find it hard to believe the prices in the huge business journal which is currently in the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church as a part of their centennial. The Stewart family has its roots in the Bailey’s Crossroads area. In the Stewart section of the cemetery there are the remains of Daniel Stewart who was a NC State legislator and the ancestor of many of the early Stewart businessmen in the Coats area.
A birthday party honored seven year-old Tony Christopher Byrd at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tony Byrd (Daily Record Feb. 2, 1984).
Mr. and Mrs. Tony (M.J.) Upchurch of Coats announced the engagement of their daughter, Jenny Ruth Upchurch, to Craig Stephen Martin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Martin. The bride-elect was an ECU graduate and worked as a programmer for IBM and her fiancé’ was a share draft coordinator with Seymour Johnson Federal Credit Union (Daily Record Feb.3, 1984).
Vicki Faircloth and Sam Stephenson organized an event to welcome Lt. Gov. Jimmy Green to Coats (Daily Record Feb. 6, 1984).
Fire Control Technician Gune (FTG) Second Class Michael Weaver of the Naval Ship Weapons Systems Engineering Station at Port Hueneme, California had been accepted to the Officer Candidate School. The goal of the 1975 Coats High School graduate had been to become an officer (Daily Record Feb. 10, 1984). Does anyone know if Mike made that goal and if so, what was his final rank?
That same edition of the paper shared that Mr. and Mrs. Lee Von Young of Coats had announced the engagement of their daughter, Dena Leigh Young, to William Kelly Peregory, son of Shirley and W.H. Peregory. The bride was a Coats High graduate.
Ronnie Jackson, 34, of Coats, was filmed by WRAL-TV as he underwent a special surgery at Wake Medical Center as a result of an injury he had received in a 1981 auto accident. He was the son of William and Rosalee Jackson of Coats (Daily Record Feb. 22, 1984). Some former graduate will recognize that Ronnie was the sibling of Johnny and Barbara Jackson. Does anyone know if the operation was a success? Did he die very young?
It was time for another CACC Business Focus of the Week. Powell Bros. Auto Parts and Repair was selected. John Northam of Northam Motor Company of Lillington, NC had built the Ford Dealership building in 1936 on McKinnley Street. Elvis Powell and his brother, Amos Powell, were the first to operate the Northam Motor Co. They sold Ford cars and did repairs. The brothers purchased the business and a few years later, Elvis purchased Amos’s part and Elvis became the sole owner. Elvis died on May 4, 1947 at the age of 45. In 1947, Graymon, at the age of 20, took reins of the business with the help of his wife Willa Dean Pope Powell. In 1967, Graymon and Willa Dean purchased the building from the heirs (Daily Record Feb. 23, 1984). (In 1997, the Graymon Powell family ceased to operate the business after fifty years of operation. The building was leased to D. and D. Beverage Co. in August 20, 2002 -Graymon Powell interview-2002). What’s in that building today?
The 1958 Coats High Class had their reunion on December 23. Twenty-four members attended the reunion held at Pope’s Barn (Daily Record Feb. 24, 1984). Was this the new restaurant operated by Peggie and Billy Pope?
I do know that the Coats Fire Service was selected as the Business Focus of the Week. This business was located on McKinley Street across from the Coats Town Hall, was operated by David Eason and was begun in 1966 (Daily Record Mar. 12, 1984).
The CACC held its first banquet at the Coats High School cafeteria. Newly appointed President Earl Jones presided over the 200 people who had attended. The same edition of the paper shared that Don Ennis and Jim Cashwell were in charge of the Coats 4-H Kite Festival at the Coats Recreational Park (Daily Record Mar. 16, 1984).
In the March 21, 1984 edition of the Daily Record it was printed that Wade Stephenson was awarded the Past President Award; Frances Avery-the Woman of the Year; M.O. Phillips-Man of the Year and Cecil Stephenson the Farmer of the Year at the chamber banquet.
The older residents of Coats were likely reading about the banquet with interest but surely the students were more drawn to the picture printed of the Coats base ball team. The picture recorded that the players in 1984 were Paul Capps, Tim McLeod, Mark Pope, Elton Stewart, Stacey Johnson, Lloyd Hayes, Dale Gregory, Alex Turlington, Mark Patterson, Jody Pollard, Mark Williams, Terry Dibella, Gary Matthews, Floyd Dan (manager) and Coach Billy Ray Turner (Daily Record Mar. 19, 1984).
Additional school news cited that Gina Keene, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Keene, had received a Merit Scholarship of $1,000 for four years (Daily Record Mar. 23, 1984).
It seems that we have not written about a death in the column recently but this changed when the March 21st edition of the Daily Record shared that Hubert Columbus Gregory, 67, of Coats, had died on Saturday. His services were held at the Coats Baptist Church with burial in the Coats City Cemetery. Surviving him were his wife Dorothy Matthews Gregory; two sons-Donnie Leroy and Hubert Cecil, five daughters-Mrs. Devon Johnson, Mrs. Marshall Matthews, Mrs. Billy G. McLamb, Mrs. Jerry McLeod and Wendy Gregory. Mrs. Luther Miller was the sibling named. (I loved that family. Cecil was a classmate of mine and I later taught two of Cecil’s children-Kathy and Dale. Doris later married Russell Lamm and was a neighbor of ours. Wendy, his youngest daughter, was also a student and I recall Mrs. Dorothy was such a supporter parent of her children.)
Jeff Stewart, a Coats High graduate, had received the highest honor given by the Jaycees for Outstanding Service in the community for the Durham Chamber of Commerce where Jeff was a member (Daily Record Mar.26, 1984). Those who were Coats High School classmates and teachers of Jeff were likely not surprised at this honor.
The CACC had recognized the Pope Distributing Co. on Crawford Road where a large warehouse office complex was located as the Business Focus of the week. All thirty-two Pope Family Centers were serviced from that building. W.R. Pope, Sr. founder, retired in 1967, and sold his interest to his son, W.R. Pope, Jr., and other family members. W.R., (Bill) Jr. was president (Daily Record Mar. 27, 1984). Does this company have any Pope Family Centers in 2020? Question- how could this huge warehouse be used today for the betterment of Coats?
Many visitors often tell us that they wished that they had written down stories that their parents and grandparents had told them. If you have lots of old photos, this is a good time to make sure dates and names are on each picture. You would be amazed at the number of unidentified pictures are brought to the museum, hoping that we can identify the people.
Thank you goes to Steeves and Louise Smith from Mitchell, SD for sending a generous Coats Museum memorial for Don Sorrell. The Smiths have been very supportive of our museum in the past.
The year was 1984-the year of the yuppie and the eternal question, “Where’s the beef?” With his popularity stabilizing at 50%, Ronald Reagan made the choice to run for a second term as president. Stormie Jones, age six, was the first person to have a heart and liver transplant. The Supreme Court decided that individuals could legally videotape television shows for their own use. War toys in the form of action figures made a stunning comeback with 214 million sold. Holographic 3D credit cards came into being led by Visa. Madonna made her presence felt when she recorded “Like a Virgin.” The Cosby Show and Family Ties brought a new level to TV family comedy. The economy had its best year since 1951. A total of 8,612 medals were awarded for the 1983 invasion of Grenada although only 7,000 American troops actually took part in the operation. In 1984, for the first time, the average cost of a new house topped $100,000. The US Supreme ruled that the Jaycees could be forced to admit women. Geraldine Ferraro, congresswoman from Queens, NY, was nominated for vice president of the US on the Democratic ticket. The expression “Are we having fun yet?” was popular (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Press, 1999, pp 270-276).
Correct me if I am wrong but don’t most of you recall much of the above news of 1984? I dare say that many of you remember when Peggie and Billy Pope opened a new restaurant in the Barclaysville area. It would offer barbeque, chicken, and seafood on the menu. Who can remember what the restaurant was named and what the name of it is today? We all have to agree that Peggie and Billy Pope have made a tremendous impact on the Coats economy over the years. Neither seems to be afraid of hard work but what I find most interesting about the couple is that you can’t think of one without thinking of the other-an awesome team who does not quit giving to the Coats community.
The CACC Business Focus of the Week was the Coats Motor Company. The company began its dealership in 1918 by selling, trading, and servicing Ford automobiles and tractors. The auto dealership was founded by Dr. Harry Roberts and Guy Stewart and operated as such for about two years. Mr. Stewart bought the business out a couple of years later. In 1933, Stewart switched from Ford to Chrysler-Plymouth (Daily Record Jan. 5, 1984).
I could write an entire column on those two gentlemen, their families and businesses. One item that you might find interesting is the fact that these early vehicles came in boxes, unassembled, on flatcars on the Durham and Southern Railroad. Often extra parts were in the packing and Mr. Guy built a railing around his front porch using the extras. Just for fun, find the house on McKinley Street that belonged to the Guy Stewart family.
Another item of interest is the fact that both families had aviators. In fact, Dr. Roberts was one of the earliest aviators from the Coats area and died as the result of his plane crash. Interestingly, the company in early days of business offered a free plane ride for someone wanting to buy a car.
Stewart Akerman shared with the Coats Museum a journal of everyone who traded or purchased cars from his Granddaddy Guy Stewart’s dealership in the 1939 era. First you will be amazed at the amount of cars that went through the dealership and second you will find it hard to believe the prices in the huge business journal which is currently in the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church as a part of their centennial. The Stewart family has its roots in the Bailey’s Crossroads area. In the Stewart section of the cemetery there are the remains of Daniel Stewart who was a NC State legislator and the ancestor of many of the early Stewart businessmen in the Coats area.
A birthday party honored seven year-old Tony Christopher Byrd at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tony Byrd (Daily Record Feb. 2, 1984).
Mr. and Mrs. Tony (M.J.) Upchurch of Coats announced the engagement of their daughter, Jenny Ruth Upchurch, to Craig Stephen Martin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Martin. The bride-elect was an ECU graduate and worked as a programmer for IBM and her fiancé’ was a share draft coordinator with Seymour Johnson Federal Credit Union (Daily Record Feb.3, 1984).
Vicki Faircloth and Sam Stephenson organized an event to welcome Lt. Gov. Jimmy Green to Coats (Daily Record Feb. 6, 1984).
Fire Control Technician Gune (FTG) Second Class Michael Weaver of the Naval Ship Weapons Systems Engineering Station at Port Hueneme, California had been accepted to the Officer Candidate School. The goal of the 1975 Coats High School graduate had been to become an officer (Daily Record Feb. 10, 1984). Does anyone know if Mike made that goal and if so, what was his final rank?
That same edition of the paper shared that Mr. and Mrs. Lee Von Young of Coats had announced the engagement of their daughter, Dena Leigh Young, to William Kelly Peregory, son of Shirley and W.H. Peregory. The bride was a Coats High graduate.
Ronnie Jackson, 34, of Coats, was filmed by WRAL-TV as he underwent a special surgery at Wake Medical Center as a result of an injury he had received in a 1981 auto accident. He was the son of William and Rosalee Jackson of Coats (Daily Record Feb. 22, 1984). Some former graduate will recognize that Ronnie was the sibling of Johnny and Barbara Jackson. Does anyone know if the operation was a success? Did he die very young?
It was time for another CACC Business Focus of the Week. Powell Bros. Auto Parts and Repair was selected. John Northam of Northam Motor Company of Lillington, NC had built the Ford Dealership building in 1936 on McKinnley Street. Elvis Powell and his brother, Amos Powell, were the first to operate the Northam Motor Co. They sold Ford cars and did repairs. The brothers purchased the business and a few years later, Elvis purchased Amos’s part and Elvis became the sole owner. Elvis died on May 4, 1947 at the age of 45. In 1947, Graymon, at the age of 20, took reins of the business with the help of his wife Willa Dean Pope Powell. In 1967, Graymon and Willa Dean purchased the building from the heirs (Daily Record Feb. 23, 1984). (In 1997, the Graymon Powell family ceased to operate the business after fifty years of operation. The building was leased to D. and D. Beverage Co. in August 20, 2002 -Graymon Powell interview-2002). What’s in that building today?
The 1958 Coats High Class had their reunion on December 23. Twenty-four members attended the reunion held at Pope’s Barn (Daily Record Feb. 24, 1984). Was this the new restaurant operated by Peggie and Billy Pope?
I do know that the Coats Fire Service was selected as the Business Focus of the Week. This business was located on McKinley Street across from the Coats Town Hall, was operated by David Eason and was begun in 1966 (Daily Record Mar. 12, 1984).
The CACC held its first banquet at the Coats High School cafeteria. Newly appointed President Earl Jones presided over the 200 people who had attended. The same edition of the paper shared that Don Ennis and Jim Cashwell were in charge of the Coats 4-H Kite Festival at the Coats Recreational Park (Daily Record Mar. 16, 1984).
In the March 21, 1984 edition of the Daily Record it was printed that Wade Stephenson was awarded the Past President Award; Frances Avery-the Woman of the Year; M.O. Phillips-Man of the Year and Cecil Stephenson the Farmer of the Year at the chamber banquet.
The older residents of Coats were likely reading about the banquet with interest but surely the students were more drawn to the picture printed of the Coats base ball team. The picture recorded that the players in 1984 were Paul Capps, Tim McLeod, Mark Pope, Elton Stewart, Stacey Johnson, Lloyd Hayes, Dale Gregory, Alex Turlington, Mark Patterson, Jody Pollard, Mark Williams, Terry Dibella, Gary Matthews, Floyd Dan (manager) and Coach Billy Ray Turner (Daily Record Mar. 19, 1984).
Additional school news cited that Gina Keene, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Keene, had received a Merit Scholarship of $1,000 for four years (Daily Record Mar. 23, 1984).
It seems that we have not written about a death in the column recently but this changed when the March 21st edition of the Daily Record shared that Hubert Columbus Gregory, 67, of Coats, had died on Saturday. His services were held at the Coats Baptist Church with burial in the Coats City Cemetery. Surviving him were his wife Dorothy Matthews Gregory; two sons-Donnie Leroy and Hubert Cecil, five daughters-Mrs. Devon Johnson, Mrs. Marshall Matthews, Mrs. Billy G. McLamb, Mrs. Jerry McLeod and Wendy Gregory. Mrs. Luther Miller was the sibling named. (I loved that family. Cecil was a classmate of mine and I later taught two of Cecil’s children-Kathy and Dale. Doris later married Russell Lamm and was a neighbor of ours. Wendy, his youngest daughter, was also a student and I recall Mrs. Dorothy was such a supporter parent of her children.)
Jeff Stewart, a Coats High graduate, had received the highest honor given by the Jaycees for Outstanding Service in the community for the Durham Chamber of Commerce where Jeff was a member (Daily Record Mar.26, 1984). Those who were Coats High School classmates and teachers of Jeff were likely not surprised at this honor.
The CACC had recognized the Pope Distributing Co. on Crawford Road where a large warehouse office complex was located as the Business Focus of the week. All thirty-two Pope Family Centers were serviced from that building. W.R. Pope, Sr. founder, retired in 1967, and sold his interest to his son, W.R. Pope, Jr., and other family members. W.R., (Bill) Jr. was president (Daily Record Mar. 27, 1984). Does this company have any Pope Family Centers in 2020? Question- how could this huge warehouse be used today for the betterment of Coats?
Many visitors often tell us that they wished that they had written down stories that their parents and grandparents had told them. If you have lots of old photos, this is a good time to make sure dates and names are on each picture. You would be amazed at the number of unidentified pictures are brought to the museum, hoping that we can identify the people.
Thank you goes to Steeves and Louise Smith from Mitchell, SD for sending a generous Coats Museum memorial for Don Sorrell. The Smiths have been very supportive of our museum in the past.