September 16, 2016 Coats Museum News
Last week you read that a supper at Luke’s honored the basketball teams and cheerleaders at Coats High School. Does anyone recall who the coaches were in 1960? According to the Daily Record, March 24, 1960 edition, Mr. and Mrs. Tallie Dupree, Mr. and Mrs. Norfleet Gardner, and Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Fuquay were at the supper.
If students did not want to participate in school activities or wanted to supplement them, the 4-H Clubs were a wholesome choice. A Penny 4-H Club was organized on March 23, 1960. Officers were Judy Stewart, president; Cathy Penny, vice president; Beverly Langdon, secretary-treasurer and Phyllis Sox, reporter. Mrs. Ed Penny was the adult leader. Elsewhere, Mrs. E.G. Messer of Route One, Coats was a patient in the Johnston Memorial Hospital in Smithfield (Daily Record March 25, 1960).
The new baby boy had arrived at the Fred Holder household. Certainly someone carried food to the young family. A banana pudding would have been nice made from the three pounds for 25 cents. Several Cornish hens would have been affordable at 59 cents or maybe the cook preferred a pork loin for 43 cents a pound (Daily Record Mar. 31, 1960).
The Senior Class of Coats had presented a play entitled “Happy Days”. Barry Faulkner made front page news for playing a kidnapper while startled onlooker, Sue Holder, watched. Mrs. Clara Langdon was a hospital patient at Betsy Johnson Memorial in Dunn. The Coats Baptist RA’s had toured Raleigh. Those who made the trip were Don and Bill House, Joe Byrd, Howard Penny, Jr., Ronald Ennis, Bobby Moore, Ronnie Penny, Tim Langdon, Clark Langdon, Ricky Barnes, Gary Williams, Dickie Wiggins, and Hank Barnes.
One of those RA’s had a birthday party. Check out who attended the party of Bill House. Those who attended were Keith and Billy Parrish, Joe, Sharon, and Elaine Byrd, Don and Bob House, Reggie Jackson, Diane Williams, Connie Stewart, Marie Weaver, Ricky Dupree, Duane Currin, Ronald Pope, Mike Coats and Gary Williams (Daily Record April 7, 1960).
Elder and Mrs. C. D. Turner’s son, Walter Graham, married Janice Annette Martin of Princeton, N.C. In that same edition of the paper, it was reported that Mrs. Estelle Matthews, 38, of Route 2, Angier had died on Friday. Services were at the Gift Primitive Baptist Church in Coats. Her husband, Allison Matthews and daughters, Mrs. Clyde Turlington, Mrs. D.T. Surles, Peggy Sue Matthews, and Glenda Gail Matthews and two sons, Earl Matthews and Edward Matthews survived her. Was Mrs. Matthews only 38?
Mrs. Joyce Morgan and Mrs. Florine Penny were in the Good Hope Hospital. Mrs. Peggy Weaver and Mrs. Alice Bishop had need for medical services. Which one was a new mom? It was Peggy Weaver. She was Mrs. Joseph Weaver and the mother of a new son (Daily Record Apr. 13, 1960).
Miss Sue Barefoot, of Route 3, Dunn had returned to King’s Business College after an Easter vacation visit. Miss Delores Lee, Mrs. Janie Beasley, and Mrs. Hettie Byrd were patients in Betsy Johnson Hospital while Mrs. Betty Cheek was in Good Hope Hospital (Daily Record Apr. 19, 1960). A few days later, Mr. Ernest Pleasant and Clyde Byrd were patients at Good Hope Hospital (Daily Record Apr. 20, 1960).
Coats locals continued to need medical care in the two county hospitals. Mrs. Vara Neighbors and Mrs. Nettie N. Moore were hospital patients. On a happier note was the birthday party of LuAnn Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Stewart, who celebrated her fourth birthday. Those who attended were Reggie Jackson, Steve Stewart, Mary Frances Weaver, Kathy McArten, David Barnes, David Langdon, Gayle Stewart, Andy Grimes, Beth Rose, LaRue Williams, Cathy Powell, Tommy Coats, Lou and Ann Stewart, Mark Powell, Sharon Roberts, Mark Parrish and Harold Pickett and Mrs. Guy Stewart.
On a different note, several citizens were hospitalized at either Betsy Johnson or Good Hope Hospital. The patients were Mrs. Rachael Tripp, Mrs. Katherine Peede, and Mr. John C. Sorrell (Daily Record April 22, 1960).
On April 25, 1960, Mrs. Dora Bell, Mrs. Douglas Johnson, Mrs. Jean Coats, Mrs. Willie Allen and Janie McCoy were patients at the two county hospitals. Vellie Spivey, 59, of Coats had died on Friday at his home. Surviving were his wife Carlie and daughters-Mrs. James Carroll, Mrs. Chester Coats and five sons-Billy, Vellie, Jr., Bobby, Charles and Edward Spivey.
The Coats Woman’s Club met at the home of Mrs. Eva Nichols. Two new names added to the membership were Mrs. Barbara Gardner and Mrs. Ann Hamilton (Daily Record Apr. 25, 1960).
The calendar had a red letter day—Easter – and the activities in the community reflected the holiday. The Nursery Department at Coats Baptist had an Easter egg hunt. Do you know where the hunt for eggs was or if the Easter Bunny visited the tots?
I do know that Sgt. and Mrs. Levin Beasley were visiting Coats before he reported to Alaska for duty. Hayes and Dovie Beasley had visited Mr. and Mrs. T.O. Beasley, also. The Poole family near the edge of town had someone special to visit them in April. Jerry Poole had finished school in Tennessee and returned to Coats. Mrs. Christine Akerman and son, Stewart, were home from Virginia to visit her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Guy Stewart.
Did the slogan, “Shop local” exist in 1960? Possibly a few ladies in Coats had need of things that required a visit to Raleigh. Mrs. Stacy Byrd, Mrs. Frederick Byrd, Miss Norma Strickland, and Mrs. Margaret House were the ladies mentioned in print (Daily Record Apr. 25, 1960).
Out near Bailey’s Crossroads, the Women of Ebenezer Presbyterian had met on Monday night. Mrs. Ed Creech presided in absence of Mrs. Mack Hudson. Gerald Hayes, Jr. of Coats FFA Chapter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Hayes, Sr., won 1st place at the District Public Speaking Contest (Daily Record April 26, 1960).
Coats had had its fair amount of hospital patients in spring. Mr. Williams Sparks, Mrs. Shelby Parrish and Mrs. Jean Coats were Good Hope Hospital patients (Daily Record Apr. 28, 1960).
Who remembers Mr. S.R. Moore who was honored at the community building for his birthday? Those who attended were Mr. and Mrs. Robert Moore, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Staley Mills, Mr. and Mrs. Felix Moore, Rev. and Mrs. Frank Moore, and Dr. and Mrs. Donald Moore who were his children and their mates. Also in attendance were his grandchildren and the following: Claudia Howell, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett Straughn, Rev. Herbert Baker, Mrs. Ora Parrish and Mr. and Mrs. L.E. McKnight (Daily Record Apr. 28, 1960).
Wonder if any of those party folks recall when the streets in Coats were dirt and had deep ditches which had wide planks for people to cross over to get into their yards.
This I do know. Every Thursday at the Coats Museum is filled with excitement because we never know who will walk through the door. Last Thursday was truly amazing when the door opened and in walked Grady Jefferys and his beautiful wife Marie. Marie spent most of her first seventeen years living with her grandmother Matilda Ivey Johnson who resided on the corner of Main and McKinley Streets in Coats. Can you picture the site? It is spot that the former First Citizens Bank was built. James and Matilda Ivey Johnson‘s white house had a backyard filled with beautiful white roses. Also sitting in that back yard was an outhouse since there was no sewer and little running water in the town when Marie lived there. In fact in the 4x6 foot ditch by her grandmother’s yard had the pipe running from the cisterns down the street at Gift PBC to the few houses that had purchased water.
Marie’s husband, Grady Jefferys, has been a writer, journalist and film and video producer since the 1950’s. He was employed by newspapers, magazines and television stations in Raleigh and Charlotte as well as by one of the first advertising agencies in the state. Forty years he has provided advertising and public relations services, published special interest publications and produced films and television programs and provided media consulting for political candidates and issues. He is author of more than a dozen books, hundreds of newspaper and magazines articles and is writer/ producer of more than 200 television programs, videos and film productions. Did you say-WOW?
For someone who has had the ear of Lt. Gov. Jim Gardner, Sen. Jesse Helms, Sen. Robert Morgan, Congressman Bob Etheridge, Publisher Hoover Adams and dozens of others whose name you would recognize, this couple was “very down to earth” as our parents would have said.
Thank you so much to Marie and Jeffery for copies of I Never Promised Not to Tell and Keeping It Together and newspaper articles containing info on Coats. Thank you also to Lib Guy for Bob Kelly’s Korean War jacket, pictures and other family artifacts.
Last week you read that a supper at Luke’s honored the basketball teams and cheerleaders at Coats High School. Does anyone recall who the coaches were in 1960? According to the Daily Record, March 24, 1960 edition, Mr. and Mrs. Tallie Dupree, Mr. and Mrs. Norfleet Gardner, and Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Fuquay were at the supper.
If students did not want to participate in school activities or wanted to supplement them, the 4-H Clubs were a wholesome choice. A Penny 4-H Club was organized on March 23, 1960. Officers were Judy Stewart, president; Cathy Penny, vice president; Beverly Langdon, secretary-treasurer and Phyllis Sox, reporter. Mrs. Ed Penny was the adult leader. Elsewhere, Mrs. E.G. Messer of Route One, Coats was a patient in the Johnston Memorial Hospital in Smithfield (Daily Record March 25, 1960).
The new baby boy had arrived at the Fred Holder household. Certainly someone carried food to the young family. A banana pudding would have been nice made from the three pounds for 25 cents. Several Cornish hens would have been affordable at 59 cents or maybe the cook preferred a pork loin for 43 cents a pound (Daily Record Mar. 31, 1960).
The Senior Class of Coats had presented a play entitled “Happy Days”. Barry Faulkner made front page news for playing a kidnapper while startled onlooker, Sue Holder, watched. Mrs. Clara Langdon was a hospital patient at Betsy Johnson Memorial in Dunn. The Coats Baptist RA’s had toured Raleigh. Those who made the trip were Don and Bill House, Joe Byrd, Howard Penny, Jr., Ronald Ennis, Bobby Moore, Ronnie Penny, Tim Langdon, Clark Langdon, Ricky Barnes, Gary Williams, Dickie Wiggins, and Hank Barnes.
One of those RA’s had a birthday party. Check out who attended the party of Bill House. Those who attended were Keith and Billy Parrish, Joe, Sharon, and Elaine Byrd, Don and Bob House, Reggie Jackson, Diane Williams, Connie Stewart, Marie Weaver, Ricky Dupree, Duane Currin, Ronald Pope, Mike Coats and Gary Williams (Daily Record April 7, 1960).
Elder and Mrs. C. D. Turner’s son, Walter Graham, married Janice Annette Martin of Princeton, N.C. In that same edition of the paper, it was reported that Mrs. Estelle Matthews, 38, of Route 2, Angier had died on Friday. Services were at the Gift Primitive Baptist Church in Coats. Her husband, Allison Matthews and daughters, Mrs. Clyde Turlington, Mrs. D.T. Surles, Peggy Sue Matthews, and Glenda Gail Matthews and two sons, Earl Matthews and Edward Matthews survived her. Was Mrs. Matthews only 38?
Mrs. Joyce Morgan and Mrs. Florine Penny were in the Good Hope Hospital. Mrs. Peggy Weaver and Mrs. Alice Bishop had need for medical services. Which one was a new mom? It was Peggy Weaver. She was Mrs. Joseph Weaver and the mother of a new son (Daily Record Apr. 13, 1960).
Miss Sue Barefoot, of Route 3, Dunn had returned to King’s Business College after an Easter vacation visit. Miss Delores Lee, Mrs. Janie Beasley, and Mrs. Hettie Byrd were patients in Betsy Johnson Hospital while Mrs. Betty Cheek was in Good Hope Hospital (Daily Record Apr. 19, 1960). A few days later, Mr. Ernest Pleasant and Clyde Byrd were patients at Good Hope Hospital (Daily Record Apr. 20, 1960).
Coats locals continued to need medical care in the two county hospitals. Mrs. Vara Neighbors and Mrs. Nettie N. Moore were hospital patients. On a happier note was the birthday party of LuAnn Stewart, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Stewart, who celebrated her fourth birthday. Those who attended were Reggie Jackson, Steve Stewart, Mary Frances Weaver, Kathy McArten, David Barnes, David Langdon, Gayle Stewart, Andy Grimes, Beth Rose, LaRue Williams, Cathy Powell, Tommy Coats, Lou and Ann Stewart, Mark Powell, Sharon Roberts, Mark Parrish and Harold Pickett and Mrs. Guy Stewart.
On a different note, several citizens were hospitalized at either Betsy Johnson or Good Hope Hospital. The patients were Mrs. Rachael Tripp, Mrs. Katherine Peede, and Mr. John C. Sorrell (Daily Record April 22, 1960).
On April 25, 1960, Mrs. Dora Bell, Mrs. Douglas Johnson, Mrs. Jean Coats, Mrs. Willie Allen and Janie McCoy were patients at the two county hospitals. Vellie Spivey, 59, of Coats had died on Friday at his home. Surviving were his wife Carlie and daughters-Mrs. James Carroll, Mrs. Chester Coats and five sons-Billy, Vellie, Jr., Bobby, Charles and Edward Spivey.
The Coats Woman’s Club met at the home of Mrs. Eva Nichols. Two new names added to the membership were Mrs. Barbara Gardner and Mrs. Ann Hamilton (Daily Record Apr. 25, 1960).
The calendar had a red letter day—Easter – and the activities in the community reflected the holiday. The Nursery Department at Coats Baptist had an Easter egg hunt. Do you know where the hunt for eggs was or if the Easter Bunny visited the tots?
I do know that Sgt. and Mrs. Levin Beasley were visiting Coats before he reported to Alaska for duty. Hayes and Dovie Beasley had visited Mr. and Mrs. T.O. Beasley, also. The Poole family near the edge of town had someone special to visit them in April. Jerry Poole had finished school in Tennessee and returned to Coats. Mrs. Christine Akerman and son, Stewart, were home from Virginia to visit her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Guy Stewart.
Did the slogan, “Shop local” exist in 1960? Possibly a few ladies in Coats had need of things that required a visit to Raleigh. Mrs. Stacy Byrd, Mrs. Frederick Byrd, Miss Norma Strickland, and Mrs. Margaret House were the ladies mentioned in print (Daily Record Apr. 25, 1960).
Out near Bailey’s Crossroads, the Women of Ebenezer Presbyterian had met on Monday night. Mrs. Ed Creech presided in absence of Mrs. Mack Hudson. Gerald Hayes, Jr. of Coats FFA Chapter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Hayes, Sr., won 1st place at the District Public Speaking Contest (Daily Record April 26, 1960).
Coats had had its fair amount of hospital patients in spring. Mr. Williams Sparks, Mrs. Shelby Parrish and Mrs. Jean Coats were Good Hope Hospital patients (Daily Record Apr. 28, 1960).
Who remembers Mr. S.R. Moore who was honored at the community building for his birthday? Those who attended were Mr. and Mrs. Robert Moore, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Staley Mills, Mr. and Mrs. Felix Moore, Rev. and Mrs. Frank Moore, and Dr. and Mrs. Donald Moore who were his children and their mates. Also in attendance were his grandchildren and the following: Claudia Howell, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett Straughn, Rev. Herbert Baker, Mrs. Ora Parrish and Mr. and Mrs. L.E. McKnight (Daily Record Apr. 28, 1960).
Wonder if any of those party folks recall when the streets in Coats were dirt and had deep ditches which had wide planks for people to cross over to get into their yards.
This I do know. Every Thursday at the Coats Museum is filled with excitement because we never know who will walk through the door. Last Thursday was truly amazing when the door opened and in walked Grady Jefferys and his beautiful wife Marie. Marie spent most of her first seventeen years living with her grandmother Matilda Ivey Johnson who resided on the corner of Main and McKinley Streets in Coats. Can you picture the site? It is spot that the former First Citizens Bank was built. James and Matilda Ivey Johnson‘s white house had a backyard filled with beautiful white roses. Also sitting in that back yard was an outhouse since there was no sewer and little running water in the town when Marie lived there. In fact in the 4x6 foot ditch by her grandmother’s yard had the pipe running from the cisterns down the street at Gift PBC to the few houses that had purchased water.
Marie’s husband, Grady Jefferys, has been a writer, journalist and film and video producer since the 1950’s. He was employed by newspapers, magazines and television stations in Raleigh and Charlotte as well as by one of the first advertising agencies in the state. Forty years he has provided advertising and public relations services, published special interest publications and produced films and television programs and provided media consulting for political candidates and issues. He is author of more than a dozen books, hundreds of newspaper and magazines articles and is writer/ producer of more than 200 television programs, videos and film productions. Did you say-WOW?
For someone who has had the ear of Lt. Gov. Jim Gardner, Sen. Jesse Helms, Sen. Robert Morgan, Congressman Bob Etheridge, Publisher Hoover Adams and dozens of others whose name you would recognize, this couple was “very down to earth” as our parents would have said.
Thank you so much to Marie and Jeffery for copies of I Never Promised Not to Tell and Keeping It Together and newspaper articles containing info on Coats. Thank you also to Lib Guy for Bob Kelly’s Korean War jacket, pictures and other family artifacts.