September 29, 2023 Coats Museum News
Numbers were big in 1993. Intel’s Premium chip was released and was 1,500 times faster than the first microchip. For the first time in history, the U.S. prison population soared above one million inmates. It was reported that the 10 most lethal diseases were heart attack (732,400), cancer (534,300), stroke (153,300), chronic lung disease (101,600), pneumonia and influenza (81,500), diabetes (56,700), HIV/AIDS (42,100), chronic liver disease (25,400), kidney disease 23,000), and septicemia (20,400) (Paul Dickson: From Elvis to E-Mail).
Wonder how those numbers compare to those in 2023?
Surely the family of little Brittany Carroll were praying that their daughter would have a successful surgery at Duke Hospital. Brittany was nearing her 4th birthday. Another young Coats lad had a birthday. Derek Mangum celebrated his 9th with games and food. Those who helped celebrate his big 9th were Chris Beasley, Jim Cannady, Adam Byrd, and Jeremy Pleasant.
Wonder if these young men have celebrated their children’s 9th birthdays by 2023. I do know that Julie Stewart had her brother John Edd Parker and his wife from Starkville, Mississippi here for a visit in Coats for a few days.
The Parkers were not the only ones in the air. Sherry Grimes was in Honolulu working at the big neonatal clinic in the hospital there for six months. Also, Dovie Beasley had special guests from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee. The guests were Bobbie Collins and Wanda Penny.
Ennis is a popular name in the area. Many of the Coats folks might have heard the name Fred Ennis, son of Joel Ennis who was a town commissioner and businessman back in the day when most businesses stayed open until 11:00 at night. Sad news came to the family in 1993 when it was announced that Fred had died. He was retired from the military and had lived in Fayetteville but had died in Raleigh.
Some remember Hazel Barnes, mother of our David, Billy and Janice. Hazel had been on a trip to see her daughter Janice and husband Richard Daniel. How proud Hazel and Jonnie must have been of those three children. Billy earned the Colonel rank in the military; Janice and Richard both have PH.D‘s and David is the go to man for tech solutions.
Coats had a new little resident. Jerry and Angela Smith of Route 2, Coats, announced the birth of a daughter, Candice Nichole Smith. She was born at the Central Carolina Hospital. Proud grandparents were James and Brenda Holder and Joann Parker and Alford Smith (Daily Record July 29, 1993).
The Buies Creek-Coats District had asked the county to fund the study on sewer service expansion. The Coats Little League All-Stars who played in the District IV Tar Heel Tournament at Barbecue Park were Travis Weaver, Bradley Pope, Kyle Turlington, Lee Lenzino, Clint Stevens, Jeffrey Stewart, Jeremy Tysinger, Brian Lenzino, Gil Stevens, Danny Norris, Chip Prevatt, Michael (?), Jonathan Tart, Donnie Tart, and Bobby Sherman. Tommy Stephens, Randy Pope, Henry Norris, and Gregg Stevens were coaches (Daily Record Aug. 2, 1993).
Death came and took the beloved Marjorie Matthews Byrd. She had died at the Wake Medical Center on Sunday. The 77 year -old Mrs. Byrd was daughter of the late Joe Turner Matthews and Sallie Parrish Matthews. The wife of Rev. R.O. Byrd was a homemaker and was retired office manager of the Byrd’s Food Center in Dunn.
Mrs. Byrd was the salutatorian of her Coats High graduating class. Her services were held at the Antioch FWB Church. Dr. Herbert Carter, Revs. Wesley Hamilton, Wayne Ellis, Don Sauls, and Jesse Mooney officiated. Greenwood Cemetery was her burial site. Pallbearers were her nephews: Bobby Hedgepeth, Max Matthews, Donnie Steele, Terry Ferrell, Jerry Ferrell, Craig Matthews and Donnie Matthews. Her children were Larry, Ronnie, Billie Jean, Pat, Judy and Sherry. Bessie Ferrell and Annie Jane King were her surviving siblings.
What a blessing it was that most of the Byrd family had recently been together to honor Rev. Byrd on his 80th birthday.
The Coats Community Voices broke ground for the Williamson-Cameron Memorial Athletic Park. Those who took part in the ceremony were Gale Spears, Gennie Walden, Sandra Butler, Mary Walden, and Al Butler. W.M. Porter spoke as did President of the CACC Darrell Smith. Lorenzo Davis, town liaison with the park, Mary Cameron, John Spears, Jr., Frances Harvey, Lila Bryant, and Kero (?) Gilbert were very active in the project that started through the Harnett County Extension Service and Jennifer Walker. Chairman of the HCBOC H.L. Sorrell, Jr., had been asked to help break the ground with Lorenzo Davis and Al. Butler (Daily Record Aug. 9. 1993).
I bet many of you recognize the names in that newspaper article. Many of them are continuing to make a difference in the town and community. Another gentleman who was very involved in the school and community was Warren Ennis. After declining health, Warren, 66, of Coats, had died at the Cape Fear Hospital in Wilmington. He was the retired owner and operator of the Ennis Agri Supply Co. in the Coats Community. He was born on December 4, 1926 to Martin E. and Minnie Lee Ennis. Warren was a veteran of WWII, a graduate of Coats High School and an active member of the Coats Baptist Church.
His services were held at the Coats Baptist Church with Rev. Jesse Mooney officiating. Burial was in the Devotional Gardens. His survivors were his wife Alice Stewart Ennis and children –Terry, Don and Donna. His siblings were Earl, Clyde, Shelton, Edna and Sue. Ashton Dare Ennis was a granddaughter (Daily Record Aug. 10, 193).
Is it prestigious to serve on a bank board? Several Coats citizens were picked to serve on the First Citizens Bank Board. Yes, young readers, we did once have a couple of banks in Coats and the FCB that came around 1947 was one of them. Those appointed to the board were Terry Abney, Teddy Byrd and Marie Coats Watson. Their responsibility was to assist the bank management with business development and policy matters and would serve as liaisons between the bank and the citizens.
Terry Abney was an intensive surveillance officer with the NC Dept. of Correction, Division of Adult Probation and Parole. Terry was a graduate of JTC and had attended NC Wesleyan College. He was chairman of the HC Social Service Board. Mr. Byrd was owner of the Teddy J. Byrd Insurance Agency. He was a CU graduate. Mrs. Watson was manager and owner of the Watson’s Insurance Agency and Treasurer of the CACC (Daily Record Aug. 11, 1993).
A very special thank you goes to Mary Ellen and Ed Lauder for remembering H.L. with another memorial to the Coats Museum. The last brother of H.L.’s died last week. I give a memorial in honor of the brother that H.L. loved so much. I am also thankful that I can honor a lady who has talents beyond one’s imagination and has such a giving nature. Thank you goes to Myrtle Bridges for being on our museum board and for sharing so many of her personal items for display.
It seems like old times with groups coming back to the museum on Thursdays. A group of delightful ladies from the Grove Presbyterian Church made our day. We hope they enjoyed their visit as much as we enjoyed having them.
Numbers were big in 1993. Intel’s Premium chip was released and was 1,500 times faster than the first microchip. For the first time in history, the U.S. prison population soared above one million inmates. It was reported that the 10 most lethal diseases were heart attack (732,400), cancer (534,300), stroke (153,300), chronic lung disease (101,600), pneumonia and influenza (81,500), diabetes (56,700), HIV/AIDS (42,100), chronic liver disease (25,400), kidney disease 23,000), and septicemia (20,400) (Paul Dickson: From Elvis to E-Mail).
Wonder how those numbers compare to those in 2023?
Surely the family of little Brittany Carroll were praying that their daughter would have a successful surgery at Duke Hospital. Brittany was nearing her 4th birthday. Another young Coats lad had a birthday. Derek Mangum celebrated his 9th with games and food. Those who helped celebrate his big 9th were Chris Beasley, Jim Cannady, Adam Byrd, and Jeremy Pleasant.
Wonder if these young men have celebrated their children’s 9th birthdays by 2023. I do know that Julie Stewart had her brother John Edd Parker and his wife from Starkville, Mississippi here for a visit in Coats for a few days.
The Parkers were not the only ones in the air. Sherry Grimes was in Honolulu working at the big neonatal clinic in the hospital there for six months. Also, Dovie Beasley had special guests from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee. The guests were Bobbie Collins and Wanda Penny.
Ennis is a popular name in the area. Many of the Coats folks might have heard the name Fred Ennis, son of Joel Ennis who was a town commissioner and businessman back in the day when most businesses stayed open until 11:00 at night. Sad news came to the family in 1993 when it was announced that Fred had died. He was retired from the military and had lived in Fayetteville but had died in Raleigh.
Some remember Hazel Barnes, mother of our David, Billy and Janice. Hazel had been on a trip to see her daughter Janice and husband Richard Daniel. How proud Hazel and Jonnie must have been of those three children. Billy earned the Colonel rank in the military; Janice and Richard both have PH.D‘s and David is the go to man for tech solutions.
Coats had a new little resident. Jerry and Angela Smith of Route 2, Coats, announced the birth of a daughter, Candice Nichole Smith. She was born at the Central Carolina Hospital. Proud grandparents were James and Brenda Holder and Joann Parker and Alford Smith (Daily Record July 29, 1993).
The Buies Creek-Coats District had asked the county to fund the study on sewer service expansion. The Coats Little League All-Stars who played in the District IV Tar Heel Tournament at Barbecue Park were Travis Weaver, Bradley Pope, Kyle Turlington, Lee Lenzino, Clint Stevens, Jeffrey Stewart, Jeremy Tysinger, Brian Lenzino, Gil Stevens, Danny Norris, Chip Prevatt, Michael (?), Jonathan Tart, Donnie Tart, and Bobby Sherman. Tommy Stephens, Randy Pope, Henry Norris, and Gregg Stevens were coaches (Daily Record Aug. 2, 1993).
Death came and took the beloved Marjorie Matthews Byrd. She had died at the Wake Medical Center on Sunday. The 77 year -old Mrs. Byrd was daughter of the late Joe Turner Matthews and Sallie Parrish Matthews. The wife of Rev. R.O. Byrd was a homemaker and was retired office manager of the Byrd’s Food Center in Dunn.
Mrs. Byrd was the salutatorian of her Coats High graduating class. Her services were held at the Antioch FWB Church. Dr. Herbert Carter, Revs. Wesley Hamilton, Wayne Ellis, Don Sauls, and Jesse Mooney officiated. Greenwood Cemetery was her burial site. Pallbearers were her nephews: Bobby Hedgepeth, Max Matthews, Donnie Steele, Terry Ferrell, Jerry Ferrell, Craig Matthews and Donnie Matthews. Her children were Larry, Ronnie, Billie Jean, Pat, Judy and Sherry. Bessie Ferrell and Annie Jane King were her surviving siblings.
What a blessing it was that most of the Byrd family had recently been together to honor Rev. Byrd on his 80th birthday.
The Coats Community Voices broke ground for the Williamson-Cameron Memorial Athletic Park. Those who took part in the ceremony were Gale Spears, Gennie Walden, Sandra Butler, Mary Walden, and Al Butler. W.M. Porter spoke as did President of the CACC Darrell Smith. Lorenzo Davis, town liaison with the park, Mary Cameron, John Spears, Jr., Frances Harvey, Lila Bryant, and Kero (?) Gilbert were very active in the project that started through the Harnett County Extension Service and Jennifer Walker. Chairman of the HCBOC H.L. Sorrell, Jr., had been asked to help break the ground with Lorenzo Davis and Al. Butler (Daily Record Aug. 9. 1993).
I bet many of you recognize the names in that newspaper article. Many of them are continuing to make a difference in the town and community. Another gentleman who was very involved in the school and community was Warren Ennis. After declining health, Warren, 66, of Coats, had died at the Cape Fear Hospital in Wilmington. He was the retired owner and operator of the Ennis Agri Supply Co. in the Coats Community. He was born on December 4, 1926 to Martin E. and Minnie Lee Ennis. Warren was a veteran of WWII, a graduate of Coats High School and an active member of the Coats Baptist Church.
His services were held at the Coats Baptist Church with Rev. Jesse Mooney officiating. Burial was in the Devotional Gardens. His survivors were his wife Alice Stewart Ennis and children –Terry, Don and Donna. His siblings were Earl, Clyde, Shelton, Edna and Sue. Ashton Dare Ennis was a granddaughter (Daily Record Aug. 10, 193).
Is it prestigious to serve on a bank board? Several Coats citizens were picked to serve on the First Citizens Bank Board. Yes, young readers, we did once have a couple of banks in Coats and the FCB that came around 1947 was one of them. Those appointed to the board were Terry Abney, Teddy Byrd and Marie Coats Watson. Their responsibility was to assist the bank management with business development and policy matters and would serve as liaisons between the bank and the citizens.
Terry Abney was an intensive surveillance officer with the NC Dept. of Correction, Division of Adult Probation and Parole. Terry was a graduate of JTC and had attended NC Wesleyan College. He was chairman of the HC Social Service Board. Mr. Byrd was owner of the Teddy J. Byrd Insurance Agency. He was a CU graduate. Mrs. Watson was manager and owner of the Watson’s Insurance Agency and Treasurer of the CACC (Daily Record Aug. 11, 1993).
A very special thank you goes to Mary Ellen and Ed Lauder for remembering H.L. with another memorial to the Coats Museum. The last brother of H.L.’s died last week. I give a memorial in honor of the brother that H.L. loved so much. I am also thankful that I can honor a lady who has talents beyond one’s imagination and has such a giving nature. Thank you goes to Myrtle Bridges for being on our museum board and for sharing so many of her personal items for display.
It seems like old times with groups coming back to the museum on Thursdays. A group of delightful ladies from the Grove Presbyterian Church made our day. We hope they enjoyed their visit as much as we enjoyed having them.