September 13, 2019 Coats Museum News
Last week we read that Coats had a second bank, built a shopping center with an IGA store, and learned about the death of Ida Coats Turlington. Wonder if the eighty-two year-old Ida Coats Turlington, daughter of the town’s namesake- Preacher Tom Coats, was pleased with this growth before she passed. The former teacher and employee in the First Citizens Bank in the town was a talented lady who had compiled the history of the town for the 1955 Harnett County centennial. Ida was only eight years old when Coats was incorporated in 1905 and she likely witnessed the men building the railroad and train depot for the Cape Fear and Northern. She surely saw the pigs that her older brother Andrew Coats sold in his store next to the railroad tracks and might have seen folks pick up the mail from him since he was not only the first train depot agent but also the postmaster following R.O. Stewart.
Do you think she might have been in awe as Mr. Henry Parrish rumbled into town with a wagon load of brick made at the Coats brick mill and were purchased to build the eleven original brick buildings on Main Street? Was it called Main Street? Do you think Preacher Tom forbid her to go around Roberts Ford car dealership to watch men removing car parts from boxes and assembling them into automobiles under the direction of Guy Stewart? Did she drive a car to Benson via the Delma Grimes Rd. rather than the current Highway 27? This lady lived from 1897 to 1979 so she saw unbelievable changes in her lifetime.
Coats has long been known for having some of the prettiest girls around and many were recognized for being very smart as well. The June 21, 1979 edition of the Daily Record recorded that Kathy Williams, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Williams, was a sixteen year-old who was an outstanding student in all areas of school life. (Does anyone recall why Kathy was written about in the paper?)
I do know that Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Norris of Coats announced the engagement of their daughter, Julia Elizabeth Norris, to Joseph Wallace Adams, son of Alice McLeod and the late Joseph Adams. Julia was a 1976 Coats High graduate (Daily Record Aug. 9, 1979).
I don’t think most volunteers do things to be recognized but many do want to be appreciated. Betty Sullivan, a 4-H leader from Coats, was awarded the Adult Volunteer Leader of the Year for the South Central District. Betty was known as a dedicated and sincere Harnett County 4-H volunteer (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1979).
Who remembers the Keith Stewart Greenhouses on NC27 between Coats and Benson? Keith Stewart first married Elaine Byrd, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L Edward Byrd, of Coats. Keith was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Rupert Stewart. Keith and Elaine announced the birth of Ashley Keith at Rex Hospital (Daily Record Sept. 6, 1979).
Dr. Donald Moore treated hundreds of patients in Harnett County. In 1979, he was joined by his daughter, Dr. Linda Robinson, to form a father-daughter medical team (Daily Record Sept. 14, 1979).
Troy and John Williams of Coats had a sister to die in Erwin. Mrs. Ozie Williams Stewart, 72, had expired on Friday at GHH. She was the daughter of Simon Neil Williams and Katie Mildred Williams (Daily Record Sept.17, 1979).
Another birth announcement came from a Coats couple. Mr. and Mrs. Jerry McLamb reported the birth of a daughter on Sept. 12. Mrs. McLamb was the former Gail Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. McRay Stewart. What was this baby’s name?
School bells had rung again across the nation. Music being played on students’ radios included songs such as “Babe”, “Second Time Around” and “Fool for the City”. Student fashion highlighted button down collars and pleated pants. Girls’ fashions were marked by blazers and plaid skirts. The student hangouts were the Arcade, Shaft-Den, Dave’s Drive In and Benson. They enjoyed music groups such as Eddie Money, Kool and Gang, Switch and Van Halen. Freestyle, Pink Panther and Rock were preferred dances. Amity Horror, Halloween, The Fish That Saved Pittsburg and Rocky II were popular movies.
The yearbook staff had applied their experience from last year to immediately begin work on the 1980 Echoing Memories. Vivian Faircloth and Van Powell headed the staff of Brent Bowden, Carol Hawley, Brenda Roper and Kathy Turlington.
The yearbook recorded that the 1980 Echoing Memories was dedicated to Gayle Johnson Sorrell. The couple selected Mr. and Mrs. Echoing Memories pictured Dona Denning and Michael Messer. The Homecoming Queen and her attendants were Cindy Barnes and Kathy Williams. Vivian Faircloth had been voted Miss Coats High. Pamela Dailey was Miss Congeniality. Two attendants had been chosen for each high school grade. Pamela Dailey and Dona Denning were senior attendants while Denise Denning and Delores Royster represented Grade 11. Cynthia Dailey and Lisa Pleasant were sophomore attendants and Jennifer Johnson and Dena Young represented the freshmen (Echoing Memories 1980).
Being elected or selected to serve in a leadership role in various organizations in high school had laid the foundation for future roles beyond the high school years. The following were leaders in Mrs. Marie Salmon’s Photography Club: Brent Bowden, Dona Denning, Shelia Matthews and Sue Stewart.
The Student Council was headed by Michael Messer, Kathy Turlington, Robbie Lane, and Mark McGill. Annette Daniel, Sharon Rowland, Lori Sills and Karen Fuquay were Beta Honor Society officers. Class mates had been voted into various positions at the close of school last year. The new FHA officers were Cindy Barnes, Lori Sills, Shari Gardner, Pam Strickland, Karen Fuquay, Angel Moore, Shelia McLamb, Beth Garris, and Jennifer Johnson.
There had been a time when the FHA and FFA meant that each was either and all male or all female organization. New roles were allowing clubs to contain boys and girls. Joe Ferrell and Sandy Langdon were joined by JoAnne Barnes and Catherine Westbrook, along with Ricky Moore, Darwin Denning and Buster Stone as officers of FFA for 1980.
FBLA found Pam Strickland, Sharon Gregory, Cindy Barnes, Greg Weaver, and Dona Denning headed that group. Mrs. Marie Salmon depended upon Cathy Johnson and Dona Denning to lead the Library Club with the help of Annette Daniel, Lori Sills, Vivian Faircloth, and Van Powell. Shelia Matthews, Michael Johnson, Kathy Turlington, and Angel Moore were the leaders of the French club.
Sharon Rowland, Elnora White, Sandra Harvey, Papmela Dailey and Levon Johnson were the officers of LPCL Club. Tony West, Bryan Byrd, JoAnn Barnes, Charles Johnson and Pat McGill were leaders in the Monogram Club (Echoing Memories 1980).
Do you recall reading that at one time movies were shown on the wall of one of the brick buildings in uptown Coats? The building was remembered as being the Roycroft Drug Store. Mr. Roycroft was a pharmacist is Coats for 26 years. He had been born in Wake County, was a graduate of Elon College, and the 1925 NC School of Pharmacy. For 19 years he owned and operated the Shallotte Drug Store until his retirement in 1972. William Ruffin Roycroft, 79, had died in Brunswick County Hospital following an extended illness. His survivors were his wife-Mrs. Mildred Bullock Roycroft (formerly of Fuquay Varina). He had two sons, William Douglas and Robert Elwood Roycroft and three daughters were Mrs. Helen R. Rowe, Gloria R. Fletcher and Mrs. Patricia R. Watson (Daily Record Sept. 18, 1979).
There was a time when school lunches were carried in tin cans or cloth bags by the students. Cold biscuits with some sort of meat and sweet potatoes were common place. Later hot soup and sandwiches were available for about ten cents. Mrs. Roycroft is given credit for instigating that kitchen at Coats School.
This is the 10th year that the Daily Record has printed the Coats Museum News. Over these past ten years, so many of the readers have died. It seems like a mere blink of the eye that those readers called to share answers or add additional info to a story. May I encourage you to share with your siblings, children and grandchildren stories of your growing up and, even better, your stories of today. So often when H.L. and I eat out and sometimes even in church, we see so many people eyes and fingers interacting to handheld technology. Too many times at the museum, we hear the statements-I wish I had listened or I wished I had asked more questions from an older family member. Sometimes tomorrow is too late.
Last week we read that Coats had a second bank, built a shopping center with an IGA store, and learned about the death of Ida Coats Turlington. Wonder if the eighty-two year-old Ida Coats Turlington, daughter of the town’s namesake- Preacher Tom Coats, was pleased with this growth before she passed. The former teacher and employee in the First Citizens Bank in the town was a talented lady who had compiled the history of the town for the 1955 Harnett County centennial. Ida was only eight years old when Coats was incorporated in 1905 and she likely witnessed the men building the railroad and train depot for the Cape Fear and Northern. She surely saw the pigs that her older brother Andrew Coats sold in his store next to the railroad tracks and might have seen folks pick up the mail from him since he was not only the first train depot agent but also the postmaster following R.O. Stewart.
Do you think she might have been in awe as Mr. Henry Parrish rumbled into town with a wagon load of brick made at the Coats brick mill and were purchased to build the eleven original brick buildings on Main Street? Was it called Main Street? Do you think Preacher Tom forbid her to go around Roberts Ford car dealership to watch men removing car parts from boxes and assembling them into automobiles under the direction of Guy Stewart? Did she drive a car to Benson via the Delma Grimes Rd. rather than the current Highway 27? This lady lived from 1897 to 1979 so she saw unbelievable changes in her lifetime.
Coats has long been known for having some of the prettiest girls around and many were recognized for being very smart as well. The June 21, 1979 edition of the Daily Record recorded that Kathy Williams, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Williams, was a sixteen year-old who was an outstanding student in all areas of school life. (Does anyone recall why Kathy was written about in the paper?)
I do know that Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Norris of Coats announced the engagement of their daughter, Julia Elizabeth Norris, to Joseph Wallace Adams, son of Alice McLeod and the late Joseph Adams. Julia was a 1976 Coats High graduate (Daily Record Aug. 9, 1979).
I don’t think most volunteers do things to be recognized but many do want to be appreciated. Betty Sullivan, a 4-H leader from Coats, was awarded the Adult Volunteer Leader of the Year for the South Central District. Betty was known as a dedicated and sincere Harnett County 4-H volunteer (Daily Record Aug. 16, 1979).
Who remembers the Keith Stewart Greenhouses on NC27 between Coats and Benson? Keith Stewart first married Elaine Byrd, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L Edward Byrd, of Coats. Keith was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Rupert Stewart. Keith and Elaine announced the birth of Ashley Keith at Rex Hospital (Daily Record Sept. 6, 1979).
Dr. Donald Moore treated hundreds of patients in Harnett County. In 1979, he was joined by his daughter, Dr. Linda Robinson, to form a father-daughter medical team (Daily Record Sept. 14, 1979).
Troy and John Williams of Coats had a sister to die in Erwin. Mrs. Ozie Williams Stewart, 72, had expired on Friday at GHH. She was the daughter of Simon Neil Williams and Katie Mildred Williams (Daily Record Sept.17, 1979).
Another birth announcement came from a Coats couple. Mr. and Mrs. Jerry McLamb reported the birth of a daughter on Sept. 12. Mrs. McLamb was the former Gail Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. McRay Stewart. What was this baby’s name?
School bells had rung again across the nation. Music being played on students’ radios included songs such as “Babe”, “Second Time Around” and “Fool for the City”. Student fashion highlighted button down collars and pleated pants. Girls’ fashions were marked by blazers and plaid skirts. The student hangouts were the Arcade, Shaft-Den, Dave’s Drive In and Benson. They enjoyed music groups such as Eddie Money, Kool and Gang, Switch and Van Halen. Freestyle, Pink Panther and Rock were preferred dances. Amity Horror, Halloween, The Fish That Saved Pittsburg and Rocky II were popular movies.
The yearbook staff had applied their experience from last year to immediately begin work on the 1980 Echoing Memories. Vivian Faircloth and Van Powell headed the staff of Brent Bowden, Carol Hawley, Brenda Roper and Kathy Turlington.
The yearbook recorded that the 1980 Echoing Memories was dedicated to Gayle Johnson Sorrell. The couple selected Mr. and Mrs. Echoing Memories pictured Dona Denning and Michael Messer. The Homecoming Queen and her attendants were Cindy Barnes and Kathy Williams. Vivian Faircloth had been voted Miss Coats High. Pamela Dailey was Miss Congeniality. Two attendants had been chosen for each high school grade. Pamela Dailey and Dona Denning were senior attendants while Denise Denning and Delores Royster represented Grade 11. Cynthia Dailey and Lisa Pleasant were sophomore attendants and Jennifer Johnson and Dena Young represented the freshmen (Echoing Memories 1980).
Being elected or selected to serve in a leadership role in various organizations in high school had laid the foundation for future roles beyond the high school years. The following were leaders in Mrs. Marie Salmon’s Photography Club: Brent Bowden, Dona Denning, Shelia Matthews and Sue Stewart.
The Student Council was headed by Michael Messer, Kathy Turlington, Robbie Lane, and Mark McGill. Annette Daniel, Sharon Rowland, Lori Sills and Karen Fuquay were Beta Honor Society officers. Class mates had been voted into various positions at the close of school last year. The new FHA officers were Cindy Barnes, Lori Sills, Shari Gardner, Pam Strickland, Karen Fuquay, Angel Moore, Shelia McLamb, Beth Garris, and Jennifer Johnson.
There had been a time when the FHA and FFA meant that each was either and all male or all female organization. New roles were allowing clubs to contain boys and girls. Joe Ferrell and Sandy Langdon were joined by JoAnne Barnes and Catherine Westbrook, along with Ricky Moore, Darwin Denning and Buster Stone as officers of FFA for 1980.
FBLA found Pam Strickland, Sharon Gregory, Cindy Barnes, Greg Weaver, and Dona Denning headed that group. Mrs. Marie Salmon depended upon Cathy Johnson and Dona Denning to lead the Library Club with the help of Annette Daniel, Lori Sills, Vivian Faircloth, and Van Powell. Shelia Matthews, Michael Johnson, Kathy Turlington, and Angel Moore were the leaders of the French club.
Sharon Rowland, Elnora White, Sandra Harvey, Papmela Dailey and Levon Johnson were the officers of LPCL Club. Tony West, Bryan Byrd, JoAnn Barnes, Charles Johnson and Pat McGill were leaders in the Monogram Club (Echoing Memories 1980).
Do you recall reading that at one time movies were shown on the wall of one of the brick buildings in uptown Coats? The building was remembered as being the Roycroft Drug Store. Mr. Roycroft was a pharmacist is Coats for 26 years. He had been born in Wake County, was a graduate of Elon College, and the 1925 NC School of Pharmacy. For 19 years he owned and operated the Shallotte Drug Store until his retirement in 1972. William Ruffin Roycroft, 79, had died in Brunswick County Hospital following an extended illness. His survivors were his wife-Mrs. Mildred Bullock Roycroft (formerly of Fuquay Varina). He had two sons, William Douglas and Robert Elwood Roycroft and three daughters were Mrs. Helen R. Rowe, Gloria R. Fletcher and Mrs. Patricia R. Watson (Daily Record Sept. 18, 1979).
There was a time when school lunches were carried in tin cans or cloth bags by the students. Cold biscuits with some sort of meat and sweet potatoes were common place. Later hot soup and sandwiches were available for about ten cents. Mrs. Roycroft is given credit for instigating that kitchen at Coats School.
This is the 10th year that the Daily Record has printed the Coats Museum News. Over these past ten years, so many of the readers have died. It seems like a mere blink of the eye that those readers called to share answers or add additional info to a story. May I encourage you to share with your siblings, children and grandchildren stories of your growing up and, even better, your stories of today. So often when H.L. and I eat out and sometimes even in church, we see so many people eyes and fingers interacting to handheld technology. Too many times at the museum, we hear the statements-I wish I had listened or I wished I had asked more questions from an older family member. Sometimes tomorrow is too late.