September 24, 2021 Coats Museum News
As we age, does it not amaze you as how many things that happened in our lives years ago seem like they happened a short time back? It has been over 18 years that a few of us were quizzing people far from and others near to Coats about businesses that operated in town and rural areas surrounding it. It was during that time that we were told about a little store just outside of Coats on NC55 toward Erwin. It was remembered as being operated by a friendly gent whose last name was Matthews. I want to recall that maybe he was kin to Lera Bennett Fowler, a classmate of mine. Nothing was there except the site when we looked for the operator.
Question-was this store operated by Bright Matthews? This I do know—Bright Matthews, 78, of Coats had died on Sunday. He was the father of Harold Brooks and Allen Matthews (Daily Record Mar. 28, 1988).
Wonder who some of the 200 people were who gathered at a public meeting to discuss the routing of NC27 (Daily Record Mar. 28, 1988). I do know that the paper continued to cover the story. The routing of NC27 continued to dominate the news. CACC President Ann Jones shared a petition with 500 signatures to the DOT officials. Blame for the change was cast on Campbell University, lack of a public hearing and safety issues.
Stephanie Lynn Parker and Derek Tripp likely were hearing about the highway controversy, but surely the couple had wedding plans in their foremost thoughts. The bride-elect was a sophomore at Campbell University and Derek was a 1985 graduate of Coats and had attended Emery Riddle Aeronautical University .He was with the US Army and was assigned to the Post Aviation Division UAAG, Ft. Bragg.
Who remembers when Earl Jones practiced law in Coats? In 1979, Attorney Earl Jones had opened his law office at 403 South McKinley Street. He practiced general law and was authorized to practice in NC, the Federal Courts and the US Supreme Court. His legal secretary was Kathy Gregory Sorrell. The son of Dr. and Mrs. N.E. Jones, Sr. had been very active in Coats civic life and was among friends in the CACC when they recognized him as the CACC Focus of the Week in March of 1988 (Daily Record Mar. 30, 1988).
Where are Earl and Diane Jones today? Diane was a teacher at Coats and later taught at NC State. Earl’s secretary, Kathy Sorrell, is associated with the Sorrell Cabinets of near Lillington. Many of the names mentioned in this column had faces that were recognized in the life around the school, church, and businesses; but as time has passed, they seem to have faded into the horizon.
I do know that Coats High has had its share of success stories from its graduates. It was announced that U.S. Navy Commander James E. Weaver (CHS Class of 1957), son of Mrs. Mildred E. Weaver Council, had retired from active duty after 26 years of military service. His most recent service was at the Naval Education and Training Support Center, California. (Death took James in January of 2021).
Another Coats graduate, who later became the husband of Dr. Lori Moore Langdon, had earned congratulations was Mark E. Langdon, son of Kent and Edna Langdon. Mark had won two scholarships of which he planned to use at NCSU in Raleigh.
We don’t see or hear much about Elaine Marshall in the news today but in 1988, she and her husband Sol Marshall made Belle’s column after they had visited the Coats Senior Center. Elaine was seeking a NC House seat representing the Coats area (Daily Record Mar. 31, 1988).
Can you imagine how excited Lisa Jernigan must have been when she saw a pink broken balloon in her back yard? She read the attached note that had traveled to Coats all the way from Arizona. Lisa planned to respond to the third grader, Paula Martin, at the Baker School in Bentonville, Arizona. Have any of you ever found a deflated balloon in your yard?
I do know that Hughie M. Stewart, III had found the girl of his choice. He was to marry Deborah Hamilton of Mamers on July 2nd at the Christian Chapel in Lillington (Daily Record Apr. 5, 1988).
Cape Fear Christian Academy had a new homecoming queen. Bryan McLamb escorted Donna Lynn Currin as she was crowned Cape Fear Christian Academy Homecoming Queen. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Durane Currin and had plans to enter Campbell University in the fall of 1988. Kelly Stone was her Maid of Honor. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Little.
Another pageant must have been in the works when it was announced that Jan Anderson of Raleigh would be at the Miss Coats Pageant. Wonder who knew Jan Anderson and was able to get her to come to Coats-was Jan accustomed to singing at many events removed from the Raleigh area? She once sang at an event for the honorary sorority that I was in many years ago.
Since 2009, in the Coats Museum News, you have read about happenings that affected the Coats area years before it became incorporated as Coats in 1905. You have read about names such as Poplar Foot Daniel Shaw, Dushee Shaw, Willis Turlington, Mildred Barclay, Joseph Ary Stewart, N.T. Patterson, John McKay Byrd, Barty Parrish, PF (Pat Pope) and the list could on for pages upon pages. In my mind’s eye I can see many of these people’s faces and know of the contributions they had made to our area. Can you do the same for those who have lived during your lifetime in the Coats area?
Do you recall reading about the marriage ceremony of Gerald Hayes, Sr. to Mable Reid Turlington, daughter of one of the most famous hog breeders in the country (Henry A. Turlington Sr.)? Again Gerald made the news but this time it was the announcement of his death. Gerald was 66 years old and had spent his life as a farmer and owner of the Hayes Abattoir. He was survived by his wife-Mable Reid, his son -Gerald, Jr., his mother-Mrs. Pearl Faye Hayes and two sisters-Shirley Parrish Stephenson and Jose Lynn Currin. His services were at the Rose and Graham Funeral Chapel and the Devotional Gardens (Daily Record Apr. 7, 1988).
Another death was printed in the Daily Record April 11, 1988 edition. Charles Terry Weaver, only 34 years of age, died in Hamer, S.C. He was father to Anthony Travis and Teresa Weaver. Charles W. and Alma Pollard Weaver were his parents. A half –brother, Rickey Christenson, also survived him.
Good news came to the Otis and Doris Capps family. Karen Capps, a 1983 Coats graduate, made plans for her wedding to Ronald McIntosh, a radiological technologist at Cape Fear Valley Hospital. The wedding was to take place on May 11th.
Mack Reid Hudson, County Commissioner, told the Governmental Affairs Committee of Dunn that “Harnett County had all the programs it can afford and doesn’t need any more”.
Mack was my Sunday school teacher and a progressive type person who was evidenced by his investing in the property that would become the setting for ACT,one of the largest computer businesses in the area, and is currently the Municipal Hall. Was there a real shortage of county funds or was there some other reason that he seemed opposed to adding more programs?
I do know that spring was in full bloom and the Audrey Stewart Nursery was a beautiful sight to behold. Speaking of beauty, the L. Marvin Johnson Hall at the Senior Center was just that after Brenda Weaver, Penny Weaver, and Jo Ann Tripp decorated it in royal blue and white for a miscellaneous shower for Miss Stephanie Parker and Derek Tripp (Daily Record April 14, 1988). Does the Senior Center continue to call the hall the L. Marvin Johnson Hall?
Thank you Steven Myers for your donation of an artifact found on your Orange Street property with the date of 1841 carved on it-that’s when the Daniel Stewart family owned most of the property upon which Coats was incorporated. Wonder who previously owned Steven’s land?
As we age, does it not amaze you as how many things that happened in our lives years ago seem like they happened a short time back? It has been over 18 years that a few of us were quizzing people far from and others near to Coats about businesses that operated in town and rural areas surrounding it. It was during that time that we were told about a little store just outside of Coats on NC55 toward Erwin. It was remembered as being operated by a friendly gent whose last name was Matthews. I want to recall that maybe he was kin to Lera Bennett Fowler, a classmate of mine. Nothing was there except the site when we looked for the operator.
Question-was this store operated by Bright Matthews? This I do know—Bright Matthews, 78, of Coats had died on Sunday. He was the father of Harold Brooks and Allen Matthews (Daily Record Mar. 28, 1988).
Wonder who some of the 200 people were who gathered at a public meeting to discuss the routing of NC27 (Daily Record Mar. 28, 1988). I do know that the paper continued to cover the story. The routing of NC27 continued to dominate the news. CACC President Ann Jones shared a petition with 500 signatures to the DOT officials. Blame for the change was cast on Campbell University, lack of a public hearing and safety issues.
Stephanie Lynn Parker and Derek Tripp likely were hearing about the highway controversy, but surely the couple had wedding plans in their foremost thoughts. The bride-elect was a sophomore at Campbell University and Derek was a 1985 graduate of Coats and had attended Emery Riddle Aeronautical University .He was with the US Army and was assigned to the Post Aviation Division UAAG, Ft. Bragg.
Who remembers when Earl Jones practiced law in Coats? In 1979, Attorney Earl Jones had opened his law office at 403 South McKinley Street. He practiced general law and was authorized to practice in NC, the Federal Courts and the US Supreme Court. His legal secretary was Kathy Gregory Sorrell. The son of Dr. and Mrs. N.E. Jones, Sr. had been very active in Coats civic life and was among friends in the CACC when they recognized him as the CACC Focus of the Week in March of 1988 (Daily Record Mar. 30, 1988).
Where are Earl and Diane Jones today? Diane was a teacher at Coats and later taught at NC State. Earl’s secretary, Kathy Sorrell, is associated with the Sorrell Cabinets of near Lillington. Many of the names mentioned in this column had faces that were recognized in the life around the school, church, and businesses; but as time has passed, they seem to have faded into the horizon.
I do know that Coats High has had its share of success stories from its graduates. It was announced that U.S. Navy Commander James E. Weaver (CHS Class of 1957), son of Mrs. Mildred E. Weaver Council, had retired from active duty after 26 years of military service. His most recent service was at the Naval Education and Training Support Center, California. (Death took James in January of 2021).
Another Coats graduate, who later became the husband of Dr. Lori Moore Langdon, had earned congratulations was Mark E. Langdon, son of Kent and Edna Langdon. Mark had won two scholarships of which he planned to use at NCSU in Raleigh.
We don’t see or hear much about Elaine Marshall in the news today but in 1988, she and her husband Sol Marshall made Belle’s column after they had visited the Coats Senior Center. Elaine was seeking a NC House seat representing the Coats area (Daily Record Mar. 31, 1988).
Can you imagine how excited Lisa Jernigan must have been when she saw a pink broken balloon in her back yard? She read the attached note that had traveled to Coats all the way from Arizona. Lisa planned to respond to the third grader, Paula Martin, at the Baker School in Bentonville, Arizona. Have any of you ever found a deflated balloon in your yard?
I do know that Hughie M. Stewart, III had found the girl of his choice. He was to marry Deborah Hamilton of Mamers on July 2nd at the Christian Chapel in Lillington (Daily Record Apr. 5, 1988).
Cape Fear Christian Academy had a new homecoming queen. Bryan McLamb escorted Donna Lynn Currin as she was crowned Cape Fear Christian Academy Homecoming Queen. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Durane Currin and had plans to enter Campbell University in the fall of 1988. Kelly Stone was her Maid of Honor. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Little.
Another pageant must have been in the works when it was announced that Jan Anderson of Raleigh would be at the Miss Coats Pageant. Wonder who knew Jan Anderson and was able to get her to come to Coats-was Jan accustomed to singing at many events removed from the Raleigh area? She once sang at an event for the honorary sorority that I was in many years ago.
Since 2009, in the Coats Museum News, you have read about happenings that affected the Coats area years before it became incorporated as Coats in 1905. You have read about names such as Poplar Foot Daniel Shaw, Dushee Shaw, Willis Turlington, Mildred Barclay, Joseph Ary Stewart, N.T. Patterson, John McKay Byrd, Barty Parrish, PF (Pat Pope) and the list could on for pages upon pages. In my mind’s eye I can see many of these people’s faces and know of the contributions they had made to our area. Can you do the same for those who have lived during your lifetime in the Coats area?
Do you recall reading about the marriage ceremony of Gerald Hayes, Sr. to Mable Reid Turlington, daughter of one of the most famous hog breeders in the country (Henry A. Turlington Sr.)? Again Gerald made the news but this time it was the announcement of his death. Gerald was 66 years old and had spent his life as a farmer and owner of the Hayes Abattoir. He was survived by his wife-Mable Reid, his son -Gerald, Jr., his mother-Mrs. Pearl Faye Hayes and two sisters-Shirley Parrish Stephenson and Jose Lynn Currin. His services were at the Rose and Graham Funeral Chapel and the Devotional Gardens (Daily Record Apr. 7, 1988).
Another death was printed in the Daily Record April 11, 1988 edition. Charles Terry Weaver, only 34 years of age, died in Hamer, S.C. He was father to Anthony Travis and Teresa Weaver. Charles W. and Alma Pollard Weaver were his parents. A half –brother, Rickey Christenson, also survived him.
Good news came to the Otis and Doris Capps family. Karen Capps, a 1983 Coats graduate, made plans for her wedding to Ronald McIntosh, a radiological technologist at Cape Fear Valley Hospital. The wedding was to take place on May 11th.
Mack Reid Hudson, County Commissioner, told the Governmental Affairs Committee of Dunn that “Harnett County had all the programs it can afford and doesn’t need any more”.
Mack was my Sunday school teacher and a progressive type person who was evidenced by his investing in the property that would become the setting for ACT,one of the largest computer businesses in the area, and is currently the Municipal Hall. Was there a real shortage of county funds or was there some other reason that he seemed opposed to adding more programs?
I do know that spring was in full bloom and the Audrey Stewart Nursery was a beautiful sight to behold. Speaking of beauty, the L. Marvin Johnson Hall at the Senior Center was just that after Brenda Weaver, Penny Weaver, and Jo Ann Tripp decorated it in royal blue and white for a miscellaneous shower for Miss Stephanie Parker and Derek Tripp (Daily Record April 14, 1988). Does the Senior Center continue to call the hall the L. Marvin Johnson Hall?
Thank you Steven Myers for your donation of an artifact found on your Orange Street property with the date of 1841 carved on it-that’s when the Daniel Stewart family owned most of the property upon which Coats was incorporated. Wonder who previously owned Steven’s land?