November 04, 2022 Coats Museum News
The season was summer in Coats and the June 27, 1991 edition of the Daily Record printed that a local Coats family has lost a relative to death. J. Prentis Moore, 66, of Benson had died. He was the son of the late Junious Edgar Moore and Neva Byrd Moore.
Do you have a dog? Most folks love having a pet and a dog is a very popular one. Most could share a few stories about their pets. Such was the case of the Diane Parker family of Coats who had a dog named “Duke” who was quite unusual. He loved his stuffed animals and cared for them. He did not gnaw or chew them, but carried one around in his mouth much of the time. If he dropped one, he licked it to clean it before carrying it around again. He even slept with his head on a stuffed animal. Diane loved Duke so much that he had his personal fan.
Mr. and Mrs. Robbie LaNeave announced the arrival of a daughter. The mother was the former Michelle Tart, daughter of Jerry and Carolyn L. Tart. Delbert and Edna Lockamy were the maternal grandparents.
Can you hear or read the name Earl Denning and not smile. He loved soaring above the trees in his ultra light and driving around town in his truck displaying his battery lighted Christmas tree. He always had a contagious laugh and a heart of gold. He served on the Coats High School Board for years and I will never forget part of a speech he gave at a graduation ceremony. In his presentation, Earl reminded the parents of the years that they had corrected their child for running through the house, leaving fingerprints on the refrigerator door or licking the icing from their fingers that had come from sneaking a few swipes across a freshly frosted cake. He reminded the parents of the graduates that would be memories that they would miss most now that the young graduate would be making a new life outside of their sight.
In 1991, Earl Ray Denning of Coats, an automotive mechanic instructor at Wake Technical Community College, had completed a licensing course required for instructors of mechanics in vehicle exhaust emission/safety equipment inspection (Daily Record July 3, 1991).
Another former Coats High School student leader made the July 1991 news. Major Baxter Ennis, formerly of Coats, public affairs officer for the 82nd A/B Division at Fort Bragg, addressed the Dunn Rotary Club (Daily Record July 3, 1991).
The District IV Tar Heel Jr. and Intermediate Tournament was played at the Coats Recreation Park. Elsewhere, the Coats Jr. Order Swim Club had swept victories over the Westhaven Swim Club (Daily Record July 8, 1991).
It was the time of year that Campbell sent the names of honor students to the Daily Record. The names on that list included Angela Nell Hedgepeth who had earned a place on the President’s List while Rebecca H. Plunkett Cozart, Charles Jefferson Smith and Ronald Franklin Avery were on the Dean’s List (Daily Record July 9, 1991).
Summer is a time for many wedding and two announcements were printed in two editions of the paper. James Tony Beasley, son of Mr. and Mrs. James R. Beasley of rural Coats, and Nancy Leigh Hall were united in marriage (Daily Record July 19, 1991).
Jenny West and Danny L. Pollard were united in marriage also. Other news in that same edition printed that the N.C. Legislature enacted a ban on spanking in Day Cares. Coats Mini Golf was opened at the Coats Jr. Order. Several people from Coats were involved in accidents. Dawn Denning had fallen at the family’s swimming pool and broke her arm in three places. Lathan Norris had punctured his lung in an accident (Daily Record July 11, 1991).
Another wedding had been planned. Bobby Lynn Byrd and Brenda Coats Byrd announced the forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Tammy Lynn Byrd to Randy Keith Autry. Other shared news was that Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Norris had announced the birth of a son. The new mom was the former Lewanne Snipes. Mr. and Mrs. Wade Norris were paternal grandparents (Daily Record July 12, 1991).
Something must have been going on with funding for the Coats Recreation Park. The news shared that residents who wanted to keep the Coats Recreation Department from losing $9,000 in funds went to the Town Board Meeting to show their support.
Did the young people get their early skills for sports at the park? I do know that Coats had gained a victory over Western Harnett 16-12 when the Midget District Tournament opened (Daily Record July 16, 1991).
Fear was being felt by other pet owners when it was shared that a rash of possible animal poisonings had enraged and frightened residents of Coats. Three dogs and seven cats had died from what appeared to be poisoning according to Larry D. Flowers.
What a busy day at the museum last Thursday. Beginning at 9:00 and until 5:30 proved to be a very long day but was filled with amazing accomplishments. Don Bennett has completed his research on the Coats Masonic Lodge that was once very active part in Coats when John McKay Byrd, L.L. Levinson, Delma Grimes, Stuart Turlington and many more walked the streets of Coats. More about this will come later. When a very young couple comes from Florida to check out our research on the Langdon family from Johnston and Harnett County- it gets no better.
Two Poole descendants visited last Thursday. Wanda Moody dropped by and her cousin Phillip Poole gifted the museum with some items dated 1909 that he had received as a young boy from Mary Penny Coats. We always stop what we are doing when Ralph Denning visits from Raleigh. He never leaves that we don’t learn more about the Denning, Turlington and Bayles family and even some about the houses in which they lived. Thank you, Ralph, you are a very special friend in making the Coats Museum an exciting place to visit.
Coats Boy Scout Troop 779 has had 71 Eagles since 1959. They have given so much to the community and many continue to give. Thank you, Brent Adams-an Eagle Scout of 1989-for your plumbing skills in working on our water fountain on the Heritage Square.
Thank you goes to our donors this week. Peggy Robinson was honored by Becky Adams while Ralph Denning recognized the Thursday Girls. Hilda Pope remembered Ann Beasley and Robie and Lynda Butler and H.L. and I memorialized John Cole and Marjorie Byrd McDuffie.
The season was summer in Coats and the June 27, 1991 edition of the Daily Record printed that a local Coats family has lost a relative to death. J. Prentis Moore, 66, of Benson had died. He was the son of the late Junious Edgar Moore and Neva Byrd Moore.
Do you have a dog? Most folks love having a pet and a dog is a very popular one. Most could share a few stories about their pets. Such was the case of the Diane Parker family of Coats who had a dog named “Duke” who was quite unusual. He loved his stuffed animals and cared for them. He did not gnaw or chew them, but carried one around in his mouth much of the time. If he dropped one, he licked it to clean it before carrying it around again. He even slept with his head on a stuffed animal. Diane loved Duke so much that he had his personal fan.
Mr. and Mrs. Robbie LaNeave announced the arrival of a daughter. The mother was the former Michelle Tart, daughter of Jerry and Carolyn L. Tart. Delbert and Edna Lockamy were the maternal grandparents.
Can you hear or read the name Earl Denning and not smile. He loved soaring above the trees in his ultra light and driving around town in his truck displaying his battery lighted Christmas tree. He always had a contagious laugh and a heart of gold. He served on the Coats High School Board for years and I will never forget part of a speech he gave at a graduation ceremony. In his presentation, Earl reminded the parents of the years that they had corrected their child for running through the house, leaving fingerprints on the refrigerator door or licking the icing from their fingers that had come from sneaking a few swipes across a freshly frosted cake. He reminded the parents of the graduates that would be memories that they would miss most now that the young graduate would be making a new life outside of their sight.
In 1991, Earl Ray Denning of Coats, an automotive mechanic instructor at Wake Technical Community College, had completed a licensing course required for instructors of mechanics in vehicle exhaust emission/safety equipment inspection (Daily Record July 3, 1991).
Another former Coats High School student leader made the July 1991 news. Major Baxter Ennis, formerly of Coats, public affairs officer for the 82nd A/B Division at Fort Bragg, addressed the Dunn Rotary Club (Daily Record July 3, 1991).
The District IV Tar Heel Jr. and Intermediate Tournament was played at the Coats Recreation Park. Elsewhere, the Coats Jr. Order Swim Club had swept victories over the Westhaven Swim Club (Daily Record July 8, 1991).
It was the time of year that Campbell sent the names of honor students to the Daily Record. The names on that list included Angela Nell Hedgepeth who had earned a place on the President’s List while Rebecca H. Plunkett Cozart, Charles Jefferson Smith and Ronald Franklin Avery were on the Dean’s List (Daily Record July 9, 1991).
Summer is a time for many wedding and two announcements were printed in two editions of the paper. James Tony Beasley, son of Mr. and Mrs. James R. Beasley of rural Coats, and Nancy Leigh Hall were united in marriage (Daily Record July 19, 1991).
Jenny West and Danny L. Pollard were united in marriage also. Other news in that same edition printed that the N.C. Legislature enacted a ban on spanking in Day Cares. Coats Mini Golf was opened at the Coats Jr. Order. Several people from Coats were involved in accidents. Dawn Denning had fallen at the family’s swimming pool and broke her arm in three places. Lathan Norris had punctured his lung in an accident (Daily Record July 11, 1991).
Another wedding had been planned. Bobby Lynn Byrd and Brenda Coats Byrd announced the forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Tammy Lynn Byrd to Randy Keith Autry. Other shared news was that Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Norris had announced the birth of a son. The new mom was the former Lewanne Snipes. Mr. and Mrs. Wade Norris were paternal grandparents (Daily Record July 12, 1991).
Something must have been going on with funding for the Coats Recreation Park. The news shared that residents who wanted to keep the Coats Recreation Department from losing $9,000 in funds went to the Town Board Meeting to show their support.
Did the young people get their early skills for sports at the park? I do know that Coats had gained a victory over Western Harnett 16-12 when the Midget District Tournament opened (Daily Record July 16, 1991).
Fear was being felt by other pet owners when it was shared that a rash of possible animal poisonings had enraged and frightened residents of Coats. Three dogs and seven cats had died from what appeared to be poisoning according to Larry D. Flowers.
What a busy day at the museum last Thursday. Beginning at 9:00 and until 5:30 proved to be a very long day but was filled with amazing accomplishments. Don Bennett has completed his research on the Coats Masonic Lodge that was once very active part in Coats when John McKay Byrd, L.L. Levinson, Delma Grimes, Stuart Turlington and many more walked the streets of Coats. More about this will come later. When a very young couple comes from Florida to check out our research on the Langdon family from Johnston and Harnett County- it gets no better.
Two Poole descendants visited last Thursday. Wanda Moody dropped by and her cousin Phillip Poole gifted the museum with some items dated 1909 that he had received as a young boy from Mary Penny Coats. We always stop what we are doing when Ralph Denning visits from Raleigh. He never leaves that we don’t learn more about the Denning, Turlington and Bayles family and even some about the houses in which they lived. Thank you, Ralph, you are a very special friend in making the Coats Museum an exciting place to visit.
Coats Boy Scout Troop 779 has had 71 Eagles since 1959. They have given so much to the community and many continue to give. Thank you, Brent Adams-an Eagle Scout of 1989-for your plumbing skills in working on our water fountain on the Heritage Square.
Thank you goes to our donors this week. Peggy Robinson was honored by Becky Adams while Ralph Denning recognized the Thursday Girls. Hilda Pope remembered Ann Beasley and Robie and Lynda Butler and H.L. and I memorialized John Cole and Marjorie Byrd McDuffie.