Newspaper boy still keeping up with news

Clovis newspaper boy Morris Callwell, spent a lot of his spare time with horses raising them when he wasn’t bringing the paper to your door at age 13, same age as ye old timer me, Don McAlavy, who was throwing newspapers on Clovis porches.

Morris Callwell and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. T.M. Callwell lived at 812 Lee St. when he was delivering papers. I was in the same boat, living with my mother, brother and sister Mary Lou on 719 Wallace, and delivering papers and sometimes my sister, two years younger than I, helped me deliver the Clovis News Journal.

I remember Morris carrying on his route for a year and a half, and the six dollars he made each week helping the finances of a boy who was fond of horses. Well, later I didn’t get a horse, just got an old broken down motorcycle when I was about 16.

Other young boys I remembered delivering papers were Joe Mosley, Robert T. Johnson, Odis Nelson Bordan, Jack Isham (he was 16 years old), and then there was Tom Rische, age 14 in the ninth grade, and lived on 509 Axtell St. Can’t recall all the others.

I was amazed when I got a newspaper when my wife Kathy and I came home to St. Petersburg, Fla., after a 25-day trip this past July, from Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, in Clovis of course, and saw many kids of ours in Los Lunas, Lubbock, Abilene and in Houston, and went back through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and then down the west coast of Florida. (Yes, I got newspapers as we forgot to tell the news man we were going to be gone nearly a month.)

Harold Kilmer, my old buddy, was good to put us up in his home while we were in Clovis. I was glad to see my editor, David Stevens, and he even had a photographer take a new photo of me for my column. I doubt if I looked any better!

Morris Callwell emailed some 16 Clovis people in Clovis recently about “Our future health coverage under the current administration.” A lot of people are worried about our future health coverage, said Callwell. “Most of you know by now that the Senate version (as least) of the “stimulus bill includes provisions for extensive rationing of health care for senior citizens. Please use the power of the Internet to get this message out. Talk it up at the grassroots level, says Callwell.

A lot of people are worried about our future health coverage, said Callwell. I think Callwell is doing a good job. Keep up the work Morris! The big photo of you and your wife Patrica some of us received was great. The photo of you two all dressed looked like congressmen or presidents to become.

Don McAlavy is Curry County’s historian. He can be contacted at:

[email protected]