May 22, 2020 Coats Museum News
As summer of 1984 was approaching, information was announced that the discovery of a totally effective chicken pox vaccine was made public. The government had committed itself to $4.5 billion in loan guarantees to the Continental Illinois Bank in Chicago. The first black Miss America, Vanessa Williams, relinquished her crown two months early when nude photographs of her were published in Penthouse magazine. She was the first pageant winner to give up her title (Dickson, Paul.” From Elvis to E-Mail.” Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1999, pp.271-273).
For the Coats High Seniors of 1984, they had realized the dreams of their school years and were now ready to pursue new adventures. Shall we revisit some of their memories of those years at Coats High such as selecting their superlatives? Mr. and Mrs. Echoing Memories were Jacqui McLamb and Stacy Johnson, Jr. while Best All Around went to Alice Beasley and Clark Johnson. The seniors thought the pair Most Likely to Succeed was Gina Keene and Lynn Stephenson. Mitchell Clayton and Michelle Williams were the Wittiest couple. Lisa Stephenson and Mark Patterson were the Most School Spirited. Beth Pope and Pernell Greene were the Most Athletic seniors. Most Courteous seniors were voted to be Lori Spears and Jay Holland. Connie Moore and Ronnie Tart were selected as the Cutest while Helen Dennis and Steve Denning were the Neatest. Karen Peede and Andy Williams were chosen Best Sports. The Friendliest couple was Linda Young and Lloyd Hayes. The class could count on Jatana Williams and Floyd Dean to be the Most Dependable. Joe Lee and Donna Byrd were voted the Most Talented. The Most Original went to Yvonne Todd and Anthony Mangum. The two who had super cranial powers and were selected as Most Intellectual were Patricia Royals and Lee Frye. Mark Pope and Christine Bullard were the Beau and Belle of the Class of 1984.
Shall we continue to share the history of the Coats High Class of 1984 as it was recorded in the 1984 Echoing Memories of Coats High School? On the yearbook staff was Jacqui McLamb as editor and Mark Pope as the “Jacket Journal” editor. The student leaders on the” Literary Journal” were Amy Adams and Clark Johnson. Officers of the Beta Club were Clark Johnson, Helen Dennis and Mark Patterson. Paul Capps, Tim Lane, Andrea Ennis, and Steve Lane were Student Council leaders. Mascots were Miranda Davis, Josh Coats, James Johnson and Nyla Blacknell.
The Superintendent’s Advisory Council was made up of Paul Capps, Mark Langdon, Patricia Royals and Annette McNeill. The VICA officers were Mitchell Clayton, Shelton Wise, Trace Denning, Ronnie Tart and Marvin Johnson. Beth Pope, Alice Beasley, Anita Matthews and Lee Frye were Library Club officers. Mark Patterson, Carrie Creech, Jody Pollard and Debbie Upchurch headed up the Science Club.
The French Club had Terry Dibella, Marla Langdon, Foy Pope, Andrea Ennis and Amy Ennis as leaders. Karen Peede, Beth Pope, Tonya Gauldin and Alice Beasley led the FBLA. The FHA members voted Mark Pope as their Beau while Debbie Upchurch was selected Sweetheart by the FFA members.
The officers for the FHA were Jacqui McLamb, Alice Beasley, Brookie Betts, Gina Keene, Beth Pope, Ronda Pope, Sonya Barbour, Karen Neighbors, and Patricia Royals. Paul McLeod, Lynn Stephenson, Trace Denning, Keith Roberts, Brian Whittington, Ronnie Tart, and Kevin Jernigan were officers for the
FFA. Were you amazed at the large number of opportunities for these 59 seniors and classmates?
How many of these senior names do you recognize? Where are they today? Are any of them deceased?
Shall we list the fifty-nine 1984 Coats High Seniors?
The following students were named in the 1985 Together We Leave publication when the school closed as a high school.: Alice Beasley, Christine Bullard, Donna Byrd, Paul Capps, Mitchell Clayton, Floyd Dean, Stephen Denning, Trace Denning, Helen Dennis, Terry Edwards, James Ferguson, Stacy Lee Frye, Tonya Gauldin, Pernell Greene, Michael Grimes, Lloyd Hayes, Jr., Connie Holland, Jay Holland, Terri Holmes, Sue Jackson, Clark Johnson, Marvin Johnson, Stacey Johnson, Jr., Gina Keene, Joe Lee, Derrick Liles, Larry Liles, Anthony Mangum, Jacqui McLamb, Paul McLeod, Connie Moore, Michael Moore, Rhonda Norris ,Pamela Parker, Mark Patterson, Karen Peede, Teresa Pleasant, Jody Pollard, Beth Pope, Mark Pope, Keith Roberts, Patricia Royals, John Salamoni, Lori Spears, Lisa Stephenson, Lynn Stephenson, Elton Stewart, Terry Stewart, Sharon Strickland, Willie Surles, Jr., Ronnie Tart, Yvonne Todd, Jerome Warren, Jatana Williams, Michelle Williams, Andy Williams, Michael Williams, Shelton Wise, and Linda Young.
Has this class had a reunion? If they have, did they update their status and print them in a booklet? Many classes share their booklets with the museum after their reunions?
Do you know how many classes have graduated from Coats High School?
This I do know. Thelma Williams was the recipient of the Silver Pine Cone Award. She was presented the award from Lynda Butler, Harnett County Field Director, and Brenda Page, Chairman of Recognitions Committee for Harnett County (Daily Record June 11, 1984). Do you know what organization gave this award?
Sarah Turner had died at age 90. She was the wife of Alonzo Lee Turner and the daughter of William Graymon (Bill Dad) Williams and Tibitha Whitman Williams (Daily Record June 14, 1984). Did she have children and siblings?
The Coats Town Budget was presented and included a half-cent sales tax and a new garbage collection fee. The action was to help with budget expenses for the New Year (Daily Record June 15, 1984).
The Pope Family Center in Coats was recognized as the first of 32 stores opened in North and South Carolina. Other news in that Daily Record June 28, 1984 edition shared that Dwight Andrew Coats, 70, of Winston Salem, formerly of Coats, had died on June 27th. He was the son of Andrew Dallas Coats and grandson of James Thomas Coats, the town’s namesake. His wife, Lila D. Coats, and two daughters survived him. (Who were the two daughters?)
Other items in that same paper shared that Carol Jones Gregory and Kyle Hugh Gregory announced the engagement of their daughter Natalie Carol Gregory to David Gilbert. Natalie was a 1981 graduate of Cape Fear Christian Academy and was to graduate from Campbell University in July 1984. Her fiancé was a 1977 graduate of Lillington and attended ECU in Greenville.
Death touched another prominent family in the Coats area. Mrs. Alda Myrtle Avery Williams, 75, of Route One, Coats, had died on Thursday. Funeral services were at the Gift Primitive Baptist Church. Surviving were her husband-Council Williams; a daughter-Glenda Ramer; four sons-Wadeford, Willie, Jerry and Bruce Williams. Her three brothers were Ralph, Chester and David Avery (Daily Record June 29, 1984). Do you know where Mrs. Williams grew up? I do know that her brother Ralph is father to our Stacy Avery who is a remarkable volunteer and board member of the Coats Museum. Where did her siblings attend school? Her children attended Coats and were outstanding students in sports and extracurricular activities.
A wedding made the news. Paula Elayne Lucas and Randy R. Caudle, both Coats residents, were united in marriage in a double ring ceremony at the Red Hill PFWB Church (Daily Record July 5, 1984).
As you read about funerals and weddings that took place in the various churches, do you ever wonder how the churches came into being? Having extra time on hand with not having to volunteer at the museum, I have had so much enjoyment of rereading our Heritage of Coats, NC. books. Lynda Butler, along with church historians, did a remarkable job sharing the stories of the churches in the Coats area. Check out the book Volume 2 to see if your church history was shared. Reading the various entries written by Dr. Ronnie Faulkner (CHS 1970) is both informative and humorous.
Dina Lynn Pope became the bride of Charles Alvin Coats. The Rev. R. Earl Wilbourne of the Ransom Church of God in Charlestown, West Virginia, officiated at the Gift Baptist Church (Daily Record July 10, 1984). Was Earl connected to the Pope family?
I do know that Judith Byrd Hampton, daughter of Rev. Ralph Byrd, was married to Lee Michael Bandy (?) of Norton, VA. The wedding took place at the Pleasant Valley Farm in Norfolk, VA (Daily Record July 12, 1984).
The Coats Family Center, an outlet of for the Pope Distributing Co., was the Business Focus of the Week. The Coats store was the first of 32 stores (Daily Record July 10, 1984).
Mayor Godfrey Beasley welcomed a new business to Coats-“the Community Washerette”. The owner was Nelson Currin and the manager was Mrs. Donna Currin. It was located beside the E-Z Shop on NC55 on McKinley Street (Daily Record July 24, 1984).
The Coats IGA men’s softball team had won the regular season championship. The players were Roscoe Williams, Sammy Pope, Doug Turner, Joe Ferrell, Robert Pleasant, James Johnson, Ronnie Stewart, Sammy Wagner, Tug McGraw and Kent Turlington (Daily Record July 27, 1984).
Who remembers these signs? The Girl Scouts signs were erected in Coats city limits in honor of the young girls of Coats and their outstanding work in the Girl Scouts. Thelma was the Coats Service Unit Manager.
The death of Mrs. Gladys Clevenger made the same edition of the paper. Mrs. Clevenger, 74, of Coats, had died on Wednesday. Her burial was in the Coats City Cemetery. Surviving her was a daughter, Ann Henderson and two sons-Joe and Keith Clevenger (Daily Record Aug. 2, 1984). Ann visited the museum last year and was delightful. She retired from work in Washington, DC and lives in coastal NC and promised to come back to share memories of growing up in Coats.
Thank you goes to H.L Sorrell for giving to the Coats Museum Endowment Fund to memorialize Katie Owen Morgan and to the Coats Museum Fund to remember Rex Mathis, husband of the former Norma Lee Johnson of Coats. These two individuals touched so many lives in the school systems they served.
As summer of 1984 was approaching, information was announced that the discovery of a totally effective chicken pox vaccine was made public. The government had committed itself to $4.5 billion in loan guarantees to the Continental Illinois Bank in Chicago. The first black Miss America, Vanessa Williams, relinquished her crown two months early when nude photographs of her were published in Penthouse magazine. She was the first pageant winner to give up her title (Dickson, Paul.” From Elvis to E-Mail.” Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1999, pp.271-273).
For the Coats High Seniors of 1984, they had realized the dreams of their school years and were now ready to pursue new adventures. Shall we revisit some of their memories of those years at Coats High such as selecting their superlatives? Mr. and Mrs. Echoing Memories were Jacqui McLamb and Stacy Johnson, Jr. while Best All Around went to Alice Beasley and Clark Johnson. The seniors thought the pair Most Likely to Succeed was Gina Keene and Lynn Stephenson. Mitchell Clayton and Michelle Williams were the Wittiest couple. Lisa Stephenson and Mark Patterson were the Most School Spirited. Beth Pope and Pernell Greene were the Most Athletic seniors. Most Courteous seniors were voted to be Lori Spears and Jay Holland. Connie Moore and Ronnie Tart were selected as the Cutest while Helen Dennis and Steve Denning were the Neatest. Karen Peede and Andy Williams were chosen Best Sports. The Friendliest couple was Linda Young and Lloyd Hayes. The class could count on Jatana Williams and Floyd Dean to be the Most Dependable. Joe Lee and Donna Byrd were voted the Most Talented. The Most Original went to Yvonne Todd and Anthony Mangum. The two who had super cranial powers and were selected as Most Intellectual were Patricia Royals and Lee Frye. Mark Pope and Christine Bullard were the Beau and Belle of the Class of 1984.
Shall we continue to share the history of the Coats High Class of 1984 as it was recorded in the 1984 Echoing Memories of Coats High School? On the yearbook staff was Jacqui McLamb as editor and Mark Pope as the “Jacket Journal” editor. The student leaders on the” Literary Journal” were Amy Adams and Clark Johnson. Officers of the Beta Club were Clark Johnson, Helen Dennis and Mark Patterson. Paul Capps, Tim Lane, Andrea Ennis, and Steve Lane were Student Council leaders. Mascots were Miranda Davis, Josh Coats, James Johnson and Nyla Blacknell.
The Superintendent’s Advisory Council was made up of Paul Capps, Mark Langdon, Patricia Royals and Annette McNeill. The VICA officers were Mitchell Clayton, Shelton Wise, Trace Denning, Ronnie Tart and Marvin Johnson. Beth Pope, Alice Beasley, Anita Matthews and Lee Frye were Library Club officers. Mark Patterson, Carrie Creech, Jody Pollard and Debbie Upchurch headed up the Science Club.
The French Club had Terry Dibella, Marla Langdon, Foy Pope, Andrea Ennis and Amy Ennis as leaders. Karen Peede, Beth Pope, Tonya Gauldin and Alice Beasley led the FBLA. The FHA members voted Mark Pope as their Beau while Debbie Upchurch was selected Sweetheart by the FFA members.
The officers for the FHA were Jacqui McLamb, Alice Beasley, Brookie Betts, Gina Keene, Beth Pope, Ronda Pope, Sonya Barbour, Karen Neighbors, and Patricia Royals. Paul McLeod, Lynn Stephenson, Trace Denning, Keith Roberts, Brian Whittington, Ronnie Tart, and Kevin Jernigan were officers for the
FFA. Were you amazed at the large number of opportunities for these 59 seniors and classmates?
How many of these senior names do you recognize? Where are they today? Are any of them deceased?
Shall we list the fifty-nine 1984 Coats High Seniors?
The following students were named in the 1985 Together We Leave publication when the school closed as a high school.: Alice Beasley, Christine Bullard, Donna Byrd, Paul Capps, Mitchell Clayton, Floyd Dean, Stephen Denning, Trace Denning, Helen Dennis, Terry Edwards, James Ferguson, Stacy Lee Frye, Tonya Gauldin, Pernell Greene, Michael Grimes, Lloyd Hayes, Jr., Connie Holland, Jay Holland, Terri Holmes, Sue Jackson, Clark Johnson, Marvin Johnson, Stacey Johnson, Jr., Gina Keene, Joe Lee, Derrick Liles, Larry Liles, Anthony Mangum, Jacqui McLamb, Paul McLeod, Connie Moore, Michael Moore, Rhonda Norris ,Pamela Parker, Mark Patterson, Karen Peede, Teresa Pleasant, Jody Pollard, Beth Pope, Mark Pope, Keith Roberts, Patricia Royals, John Salamoni, Lori Spears, Lisa Stephenson, Lynn Stephenson, Elton Stewart, Terry Stewart, Sharon Strickland, Willie Surles, Jr., Ronnie Tart, Yvonne Todd, Jerome Warren, Jatana Williams, Michelle Williams, Andy Williams, Michael Williams, Shelton Wise, and Linda Young.
Has this class had a reunion? If they have, did they update their status and print them in a booklet? Many classes share their booklets with the museum after their reunions?
Do you know how many classes have graduated from Coats High School?
This I do know. Thelma Williams was the recipient of the Silver Pine Cone Award. She was presented the award from Lynda Butler, Harnett County Field Director, and Brenda Page, Chairman of Recognitions Committee for Harnett County (Daily Record June 11, 1984). Do you know what organization gave this award?
Sarah Turner had died at age 90. She was the wife of Alonzo Lee Turner and the daughter of William Graymon (Bill Dad) Williams and Tibitha Whitman Williams (Daily Record June 14, 1984). Did she have children and siblings?
The Coats Town Budget was presented and included a half-cent sales tax and a new garbage collection fee. The action was to help with budget expenses for the New Year (Daily Record June 15, 1984).
The Pope Family Center in Coats was recognized as the first of 32 stores opened in North and South Carolina. Other news in that Daily Record June 28, 1984 edition shared that Dwight Andrew Coats, 70, of Winston Salem, formerly of Coats, had died on June 27th. He was the son of Andrew Dallas Coats and grandson of James Thomas Coats, the town’s namesake. His wife, Lila D. Coats, and two daughters survived him. (Who were the two daughters?)
Other items in that same paper shared that Carol Jones Gregory and Kyle Hugh Gregory announced the engagement of their daughter Natalie Carol Gregory to David Gilbert. Natalie was a 1981 graduate of Cape Fear Christian Academy and was to graduate from Campbell University in July 1984. Her fiancé was a 1977 graduate of Lillington and attended ECU in Greenville.
Death touched another prominent family in the Coats area. Mrs. Alda Myrtle Avery Williams, 75, of Route One, Coats, had died on Thursday. Funeral services were at the Gift Primitive Baptist Church. Surviving were her husband-Council Williams; a daughter-Glenda Ramer; four sons-Wadeford, Willie, Jerry and Bruce Williams. Her three brothers were Ralph, Chester and David Avery (Daily Record June 29, 1984). Do you know where Mrs. Williams grew up? I do know that her brother Ralph is father to our Stacy Avery who is a remarkable volunteer and board member of the Coats Museum. Where did her siblings attend school? Her children attended Coats and were outstanding students in sports and extracurricular activities.
A wedding made the news. Paula Elayne Lucas and Randy R. Caudle, both Coats residents, were united in marriage in a double ring ceremony at the Red Hill PFWB Church (Daily Record July 5, 1984).
As you read about funerals and weddings that took place in the various churches, do you ever wonder how the churches came into being? Having extra time on hand with not having to volunteer at the museum, I have had so much enjoyment of rereading our Heritage of Coats, NC. books. Lynda Butler, along with church historians, did a remarkable job sharing the stories of the churches in the Coats area. Check out the book Volume 2 to see if your church history was shared. Reading the various entries written by Dr. Ronnie Faulkner (CHS 1970) is both informative and humorous.
Dina Lynn Pope became the bride of Charles Alvin Coats. The Rev. R. Earl Wilbourne of the Ransom Church of God in Charlestown, West Virginia, officiated at the Gift Baptist Church (Daily Record July 10, 1984). Was Earl connected to the Pope family?
I do know that Judith Byrd Hampton, daughter of Rev. Ralph Byrd, was married to Lee Michael Bandy (?) of Norton, VA. The wedding took place at the Pleasant Valley Farm in Norfolk, VA (Daily Record July 12, 1984).
The Coats Family Center, an outlet of for the Pope Distributing Co., was the Business Focus of the Week. The Coats store was the first of 32 stores (Daily Record July 10, 1984).
Mayor Godfrey Beasley welcomed a new business to Coats-“the Community Washerette”. The owner was Nelson Currin and the manager was Mrs. Donna Currin. It was located beside the E-Z Shop on NC55 on McKinley Street (Daily Record July 24, 1984).
The Coats IGA men’s softball team had won the regular season championship. The players were Roscoe Williams, Sammy Pope, Doug Turner, Joe Ferrell, Robert Pleasant, James Johnson, Ronnie Stewart, Sammy Wagner, Tug McGraw and Kent Turlington (Daily Record July 27, 1984).
Who remembers these signs? The Girl Scouts signs were erected in Coats city limits in honor of the young girls of Coats and their outstanding work in the Girl Scouts. Thelma was the Coats Service Unit Manager.
The death of Mrs. Gladys Clevenger made the same edition of the paper. Mrs. Clevenger, 74, of Coats, had died on Wednesday. Her burial was in the Coats City Cemetery. Surviving her was a daughter, Ann Henderson and two sons-Joe and Keith Clevenger (Daily Record Aug. 2, 1984). Ann visited the museum last year and was delightful. She retired from work in Washington, DC and lives in coastal NC and promised to come back to share memories of growing up in Coats.
Thank you goes to H.L Sorrell for giving to the Coats Museum Endowment Fund to memorialize Katie Owen Morgan and to the Coats Museum Fund to remember Rex Mathis, husband of the former Norma Lee Johnson of Coats. These two individuals touched so many lives in the school systems they served.