Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date ...
1951: Hoagy Carmichael, who composed “Stardust” and other popular jazz songs, had been tasked with selecting beauty queens at Eastern New Mexico University.
“The big brown eyes of Dolores Genta of Raton won the nod … that made her beauty queen of the 1951 Silver Pack student yearbook,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.
Runners-up were Madeline Bandy of Raton, Della Ruth Frear of Clovis, Byrna Dean Hicks of Portales, and Margie Robinson of Lovington.
Carmichael made the announcement himself “on a special recording made in Hollywood for the presentation in the University theatre,” the newspaper reported.
Carmichael wrote about 50 hit songs between the 1920s and 1950s, including “Stardust,” which some estimate has since been recorded more than 1,500 times.
1971: Battling swirling dust and strong winds, Marty Liquori had won the mile run in the El Paso Invitational Track and Field Meet. His time was 4:10.9, 16 seconds off the clocking he had six days earlier when he beat Jim Ryun.
Eastern New Mexico University's Rex Maddaford finished 10 yards behind Liquori for second place in El Paso. Maddaford set the race's pace for the third lap before Liquori caught him 220 yards before the finish line.
Winds gusted to 45 mph during the run and competitors continually had to wipe dust from their eyes, The Associated Press reported. Liquori wore sunglasses to fight off the dust.
1971: Longtime local car dealer Bruce Blackaby had opened Jeans by Jay at the site of the former Village Square, 1015 W. Second St., in Portales. The store sold men's pants and shirts exclusively.
Well-known brands Levi, Wrangler, HIS and Male filled the store with work pants, and “high-style pants,” the Portales News-Tribune reported.
The shirt line included Levi, Wrangler, Kennington, Bradford and HIS and covered “all wanted styles.”
Focusing on shirts and pants would allow the store to carry a wide line of sizes and patterns, Blackaby said.
1971: Portales High School Senior Steve Ball told the Portales News-Tribune he had three interests: golf, golf and more golf.
Ball, who had finished second, two strokes back, to Socorro's Randy Senn in the state golf tournament, was planning to play golf in college. After college, his plan was to keep playing golf or work on golf courses.
He said he was going to major in horticulture and landscaping architecture. “I have been around golf courses most of my life and I just like to work with them,” he told PN-T Assistant Sports Editor Kent Graves.
Steve Ball founded Ball Golf in 1993, which today is “One of the Southwest's Most Decorated Teaching/Fitting Facilities,” according to its website, ballgolf.com.
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens. Contact:
