October 13, 2017 Coats Museum News
In 1965, fifty-seven year-old Lyndon B. Johnson was in the White House serving as the 36th president of the United States. He had been born on a Texas ranch in 1908. Both his parents had been teachers. His grandfather and his father had served in the Texas legislature. Not surprisingly, Lyndon grew up to be both. The family resided in the small town named Johnson City, Texas, which was named after his grandfather. Since his family had little money, Lyndon did odd jobs to earn spending money. He shined shoes, picked cotton and worked for a road building crew.
After working in California as a fruit picker, dishwasher and handyman, he returned to Texas and worked his way through Southwest Texas State Teachers College. Later, the former president taught public speaking at Sam Houston High School for a year. He moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a secretary for a Texas congressman. That job was the beginning of Johnson’s long career in politics. You might wonder where the Johnsons acquired their wealth. Lyndon Johnson married Lady Bird Taylor who later uses her inheritance to purchase a TV station. Her investments grew into a multimillion-dollar fortune.
Johnson was the first member of the U.S. House of Representatives to go into active duty during WWII. He served in the Navy and received a Silver Star for gallantry under enemy fire. At age 44, Senator Johnson became the youngest Senate Democratic floor leader ever. He worked hard on civil rights laws and was good at getting Democrats and Republicans working together (Bumann, Joan and John Patterson, 40 Presidents Facts and Fun Willowisp Press: 1981 pp134-35).
Back in Coats High School, the students in the class of 1966 had been busy picking queens for various titles. Jeanette Stewart had been escorted by Robert Pleasant when she was crowned as Homecoming Queen. Kathy Stephenson was her attendant. Teresa Byrd and Ronny Denning had been elected Mr. and Mrs. Echoing Memories. Ruth Sorrell had worn the crown as Miss Coats High and Linda Turlington was the Sweetheart of FFA and Keith Pollard was her escort (Echoing Memories 1966 Coats High School).
The choir at the Coats Baptist Church was to present a Christmas cantata entitled “Night of Miracles.” The choir was directed by Hope Stewart (who by the way was Miss Benson), Mrs. Ann Moore and Mr. and Mrs. William Rich. Soloists were Mrs. James Jung and Mrs. Bill Moore. Dr. John Bunn was the narrator. Accompanists were to be Mrs. John Bunn and Mrs. Howard Beard (Daily Record Dec. 14, 1965).
A new arrival was in the Coats area. Mr. and Mrs. Durwood Strickland announced the birth of a daughter at Good Hope Hospital. The mom was the former Virginia Faye Stone. Another newcomer had arrived in the area. The people of the Coats Chapel Church had welcomed Rev. James Fairley (Daily Record Dec. 14, 1965).
Mr. and Mrs. George Holt Stephenson were parents of a newborn. The son had arrived on Dec. 15th at Good Hope Hospital. The former Shirley Faye Hayes was the mom (Daily Record Dec. 16, 1965).
“The Inn at Bethlehem” was to be presented at Hodges Chapel. The players were Mrs. Jimmy Neighbors, Mrs. Elaine Barefoot, Rudolph Miller, Mrs. Peggy Halbrook, Ernestine McLamb, Miss Brenda Parrish, J.W. Sorrell, Jr., Leroy Williams, Edd West, and Harold Parrish (Daily Record Dec. 16, 1965).
The huge British company Morganite was to move to Dunn in the spring of 1966 and would employ 200 people. The news was surely happy news. In Coats a different type of celebration of joy occurred when the children of Mrs. C.R. Byrd honored her on her 71st birthday (Daily Record Dec. 17, 1965).
Timmy Butts was a four year-old youngster who had special wants from Santa Claus. Timmy had wanted a big truck, a guitar, a gun, and some Christmas lights for their tree (Daily Record Dec. 22, 1965).
The Goodwill HD Club had its annual Christmas party at Luke Barefoot’s in Coats. Mrs. Everett Barnes was president. Mrs. Rupert Parrish and Mrs. Kizzie Pope directed games. Dallas Jones, Mrs. D.A. Langdon and Mr. and Mrs. Carson Carter were winners of the prizes.
Donald Stewart of Coats, brother of Bobby Stewart and Mary Allred of Dunn, was missing in action. His wife, Wanda Adams Stewart and baby, lived in Angier. She was notified that her husband’s plane was missing after participating in a raid in Vietnam (Daily Record Dec. 23, 1965).
Mrs. Annie Vaughn Johnson, 71, of Durham, mother of Mrs. W.B. Langdon of Coats, had died on Monday (Daily Record Dec. 26, 1965).
Another Coats family was touched by death during the Christmas season. The Harvey Gill family mourned his death. He was only 52 years old and had died at Betsy Johnson Hospital after he sustained serious injuries in an automobile accident on December 17th. Mary Gill was his widow and Betty Jean Gill was a daughter (Daily Record Dec, 29 & 30, 1965).
Bruce Barefoot, a Coats student, was the winner in a creed contest when the Harnett County FFA Federation had its annual contest at Lillington High School. All of you know Bruce is an outstanding insurance executive in Benson and Dunn in 2017, right?
Wonder if the same folks will remember Mr. Wilbert Hockaday, 62, of Benson? He was the father of Mrs. Roscoe Jones of Coats. He had died on Tuesday (Daily Record Dec. 30, 1965).
It was a new year-1966-the year in which a little war had become a big one and unrest grew on campus and in the ghetto. President Johnson nominated Dr. Robert Weaver to become the first black U.S. Cabinet member in the U.S. history. The Harvard graduate became secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A number of groups were being formed to advance the cause of women- The National Organization for Women (NOW) drew much attention. Simon and Garfunkel were tops in pop music. Ralph Nader, a young lawyer, became the leader of consumerism and auto safety legislation. The use of consciousness-raising drugs- mainly LSD and marijuana- gained national attention. “Batman” was TV’s biggest hit. The Supreme Court handed down a decision in Miranda vs. Arizona ruling that criminal suspects must be advised of their rights before they can be interrogated. In 1966, U.S. factory workers took home an average of $91.80 a week. There were 78 million passenger cars on the roads of America. The Pentagon announced 5,008 American had died in Vietnam; however, 52,500 Americans had died on the roads. Seventeen million enrollees were on Medicare. “Star Trek” made its television debut (Dickson, Paul, From Elvis to E-Mail Merriam-Webster-Massachusetts 1999, 149-155).
The Woodrow Langdon home was filled with joy when their three sons-Dr. and Mrs. Billy Langdon who was doing his residency at Richmond Medical College and Charles W. Langdon, a dental student at UNC Chapel Hill, were home to celebrate the Christmas season. The third son, Lt. Ronald Langdon, who was stationed in Anchorage, was also home on a 20-day leave (Daily Record Jan. 3, 1966).
Sarah Ellen Ennis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Ennis of Route 1, Benson and a senior at the School of Nursing at ECC, was completing part of her nursing degree requirements at Umstead Hospital at Butner. Sarah was a 1962 graduate of Coats High School (Daily Record Jan. 6, 1966).
Another girl from the Bailey’s Crossroads area, Judy Elizabeth Barefoot, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey V. Barefoot, had married Edwin Michael Joyner of rural Coats on November 25th. The bride was a student at N.C. State University and the groom was at Campbell University (Daily Record Jan. 5, 1966).
What do you think about when you hear the name –Earl Denning? Is it his flying high in the sky in his ultralite or his riding around town with a lighted Christmas tree attacked to the front of his vehicle? Earl and Diane Pope Denning announced the birth of a son at Good Hope Hospital. Did this baby grow up to become one the Blues Brothers at Coats Methodist Church?
Laura Grace Ennis, the daughter of Mrs. W. Nelson Ennis of Route 3, Dunn, had been promoted to secretary to the claim superintendent in the Raleigh Office of the State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. Some of you may not remember Laura because she moved out of the area as did her other siblings- Jeanine, Phillip and Don Ennis.
Laura’s mother, Mrs. Beulah Ennis, was a talented pianist and was often asked to play at dances down at Turlington’s Crossroads in her earlier years. Her oldest daughter Jeanine had the opportunity to sing at different venues around the world. Don who moved back to the area after retiring from Kraft is very talented saxophone and harmonica player. He and his wife Laural sing and play for weddings, funerals and in clubs throughout the area. We have been fortunate to have Don to play at the museum and he is amazing. Coats is a small town but it has produced some incredible folks.
Last Friday was a remarkable day at the museum as we gave tours to about 150 third graders and chaperones. They were so eager to learn more about Coats and were so disciplined. Excellent job from all the staff at Coats Elementary made it a day for the museum volunteers to remember.
In 1965, fifty-seven year-old Lyndon B. Johnson was in the White House serving as the 36th president of the United States. He had been born on a Texas ranch in 1908. Both his parents had been teachers. His grandfather and his father had served in the Texas legislature. Not surprisingly, Lyndon grew up to be both. The family resided in the small town named Johnson City, Texas, which was named after his grandfather. Since his family had little money, Lyndon did odd jobs to earn spending money. He shined shoes, picked cotton and worked for a road building crew.
After working in California as a fruit picker, dishwasher and handyman, he returned to Texas and worked his way through Southwest Texas State Teachers College. Later, the former president taught public speaking at Sam Houston High School for a year. He moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a secretary for a Texas congressman. That job was the beginning of Johnson’s long career in politics. You might wonder where the Johnsons acquired their wealth. Lyndon Johnson married Lady Bird Taylor who later uses her inheritance to purchase a TV station. Her investments grew into a multimillion-dollar fortune.
Johnson was the first member of the U.S. House of Representatives to go into active duty during WWII. He served in the Navy and received a Silver Star for gallantry under enemy fire. At age 44, Senator Johnson became the youngest Senate Democratic floor leader ever. He worked hard on civil rights laws and was good at getting Democrats and Republicans working together (Bumann, Joan and John Patterson, 40 Presidents Facts and Fun Willowisp Press: 1981 pp134-35).
Back in Coats High School, the students in the class of 1966 had been busy picking queens for various titles. Jeanette Stewart had been escorted by Robert Pleasant when she was crowned as Homecoming Queen. Kathy Stephenson was her attendant. Teresa Byrd and Ronny Denning had been elected Mr. and Mrs. Echoing Memories. Ruth Sorrell had worn the crown as Miss Coats High and Linda Turlington was the Sweetheart of FFA and Keith Pollard was her escort (Echoing Memories 1966 Coats High School).
The choir at the Coats Baptist Church was to present a Christmas cantata entitled “Night of Miracles.” The choir was directed by Hope Stewart (who by the way was Miss Benson), Mrs. Ann Moore and Mr. and Mrs. William Rich. Soloists were Mrs. James Jung and Mrs. Bill Moore. Dr. John Bunn was the narrator. Accompanists were to be Mrs. John Bunn and Mrs. Howard Beard (Daily Record Dec. 14, 1965).
A new arrival was in the Coats area. Mr. and Mrs. Durwood Strickland announced the birth of a daughter at Good Hope Hospital. The mom was the former Virginia Faye Stone. Another newcomer had arrived in the area. The people of the Coats Chapel Church had welcomed Rev. James Fairley (Daily Record Dec. 14, 1965).
Mr. and Mrs. George Holt Stephenson were parents of a newborn. The son had arrived on Dec. 15th at Good Hope Hospital. The former Shirley Faye Hayes was the mom (Daily Record Dec. 16, 1965).
“The Inn at Bethlehem” was to be presented at Hodges Chapel. The players were Mrs. Jimmy Neighbors, Mrs. Elaine Barefoot, Rudolph Miller, Mrs. Peggy Halbrook, Ernestine McLamb, Miss Brenda Parrish, J.W. Sorrell, Jr., Leroy Williams, Edd West, and Harold Parrish (Daily Record Dec. 16, 1965).
The huge British company Morganite was to move to Dunn in the spring of 1966 and would employ 200 people. The news was surely happy news. In Coats a different type of celebration of joy occurred when the children of Mrs. C.R. Byrd honored her on her 71st birthday (Daily Record Dec. 17, 1965).
Timmy Butts was a four year-old youngster who had special wants from Santa Claus. Timmy had wanted a big truck, a guitar, a gun, and some Christmas lights for their tree (Daily Record Dec. 22, 1965).
The Goodwill HD Club had its annual Christmas party at Luke Barefoot’s in Coats. Mrs. Everett Barnes was president. Mrs. Rupert Parrish and Mrs. Kizzie Pope directed games. Dallas Jones, Mrs. D.A. Langdon and Mr. and Mrs. Carson Carter were winners of the prizes.
Donald Stewart of Coats, brother of Bobby Stewart and Mary Allred of Dunn, was missing in action. His wife, Wanda Adams Stewart and baby, lived in Angier. She was notified that her husband’s plane was missing after participating in a raid in Vietnam (Daily Record Dec. 23, 1965).
Mrs. Annie Vaughn Johnson, 71, of Durham, mother of Mrs. W.B. Langdon of Coats, had died on Monday (Daily Record Dec. 26, 1965).
Another Coats family was touched by death during the Christmas season. The Harvey Gill family mourned his death. He was only 52 years old and had died at Betsy Johnson Hospital after he sustained serious injuries in an automobile accident on December 17th. Mary Gill was his widow and Betty Jean Gill was a daughter (Daily Record Dec, 29 & 30, 1965).
Bruce Barefoot, a Coats student, was the winner in a creed contest when the Harnett County FFA Federation had its annual contest at Lillington High School. All of you know Bruce is an outstanding insurance executive in Benson and Dunn in 2017, right?
Wonder if the same folks will remember Mr. Wilbert Hockaday, 62, of Benson? He was the father of Mrs. Roscoe Jones of Coats. He had died on Tuesday (Daily Record Dec. 30, 1965).
It was a new year-1966-the year in which a little war had become a big one and unrest grew on campus and in the ghetto. President Johnson nominated Dr. Robert Weaver to become the first black U.S. Cabinet member in the U.S. history. The Harvard graduate became secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A number of groups were being formed to advance the cause of women- The National Organization for Women (NOW) drew much attention. Simon and Garfunkel were tops in pop music. Ralph Nader, a young lawyer, became the leader of consumerism and auto safety legislation. The use of consciousness-raising drugs- mainly LSD and marijuana- gained national attention. “Batman” was TV’s biggest hit. The Supreme Court handed down a decision in Miranda vs. Arizona ruling that criminal suspects must be advised of their rights before they can be interrogated. In 1966, U.S. factory workers took home an average of $91.80 a week. There were 78 million passenger cars on the roads of America. The Pentagon announced 5,008 American had died in Vietnam; however, 52,500 Americans had died on the roads. Seventeen million enrollees were on Medicare. “Star Trek” made its television debut (Dickson, Paul, From Elvis to E-Mail Merriam-Webster-Massachusetts 1999, 149-155).
The Woodrow Langdon home was filled with joy when their three sons-Dr. and Mrs. Billy Langdon who was doing his residency at Richmond Medical College and Charles W. Langdon, a dental student at UNC Chapel Hill, were home to celebrate the Christmas season. The third son, Lt. Ronald Langdon, who was stationed in Anchorage, was also home on a 20-day leave (Daily Record Jan. 3, 1966).
Sarah Ellen Ennis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Ennis of Route 1, Benson and a senior at the School of Nursing at ECC, was completing part of her nursing degree requirements at Umstead Hospital at Butner. Sarah was a 1962 graduate of Coats High School (Daily Record Jan. 6, 1966).
Another girl from the Bailey’s Crossroads area, Judy Elizabeth Barefoot, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey V. Barefoot, had married Edwin Michael Joyner of rural Coats on November 25th. The bride was a student at N.C. State University and the groom was at Campbell University (Daily Record Jan. 5, 1966).
What do you think about when you hear the name –Earl Denning? Is it his flying high in the sky in his ultralite or his riding around town with a lighted Christmas tree attacked to the front of his vehicle? Earl and Diane Pope Denning announced the birth of a son at Good Hope Hospital. Did this baby grow up to become one the Blues Brothers at Coats Methodist Church?
Laura Grace Ennis, the daughter of Mrs. W. Nelson Ennis of Route 3, Dunn, had been promoted to secretary to the claim superintendent in the Raleigh Office of the State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. Some of you may not remember Laura because she moved out of the area as did her other siblings- Jeanine, Phillip and Don Ennis.
Laura’s mother, Mrs. Beulah Ennis, was a talented pianist and was often asked to play at dances down at Turlington’s Crossroads in her earlier years. Her oldest daughter Jeanine had the opportunity to sing at different venues around the world. Don who moved back to the area after retiring from Kraft is very talented saxophone and harmonica player. He and his wife Laural sing and play for weddings, funerals and in clubs throughout the area. We have been fortunate to have Don to play at the museum and he is amazing. Coats is a small town but it has produced some incredible folks.
Last Friday was a remarkable day at the museum as we gave tours to about 150 third graders and chaperones. They were so eager to learn more about Coats and were so disciplined. Excellent job from all the staff at Coats Elementary made it a day for the museum volunteers to remember.
