Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date …
1945: Eleven Clovis police officers, nearly the entire force, had resigned in protest of the anticipated removal of Chief Leonard Pinnix. Capt. Nelson Worley was one of the 11 who quit. City officials announced the next day that J.W. Manning would be the new police chief.
Before year’s end, commissioners had ousted Manning and his successor, Roy Ansley. Worley was appointed the new chief on Nov. 22, 1945.
Allegations of prisoner abuse and a stolen car plagued the brief administrations of Manning and Ansley. Pinnix, who came to Clovis from Albuquerque, had been on the job barely a year, making major organizational changes, according to newspaper reports.
Worley became a mainstay in local law enforcement, serving five terms as Curry County sheriff and two stints as Clovis police chief.
Clovis police offices today are in the Nelson Worley Law Enforcement Center.
1946: Snow blanketed most of southeastern New Mexico.
Early morning totals showed Clovis had received 8 inches of snow overnight, while Portales had recorded a foot of snow.
Schools across Roosevelt County were closed, buses were not running and trains were 4 1/2 hours behind schedule, according to media reports.
1953: Portales Chamber of Commerce banquet tickets were on sale at the Cal Boykin Hotel office for $2 each.
Plans for the Jan. 27 banquet were complete – D.M. Wiggins, former president at Texas Tech, was the guest speaker and the Eastern New Mexico University Madrigal Singers were providing the music.
1957: A minor traffic accident at First and Mitchell streets in Clovis marked the city’s 16th crash this year — well below the pace set a year ago when 25 city accidents had been reported by Jan. 15.
1961: New Mexico Rep. Fred Foster, D-Silver City, was planning another run at a “spanking” law.
Foster’s bill to permit school teachers to spank students passed the Legislature in 1959, but drew a veto from Gov. John Burroughs. This time, Foster hoped to succeed by allowing local school boards to place limits on disciplinary authority.
1967: Highland Drug led the city bowling’s Industrial League standings with a 7-1 record.
Silver Grill and J&R Body Shop were tied for second with 6-2 marks.
Tucker Equipment was in fourth place at 5-3.
1973: Bovina Feeders was accepting applications for a clerk and typist. A “good telephone personality,” was required, according to a newspaper classified ad. “Must be productive and dependable.”
1975: Gideon Bender had been elected president of United Way’s board of directors in Clovis.
Vice-president was J.A. McDaniel, while John Hager had been re-elected treasurer.
Other officers were Ed Tatum, Col. Kenneth Kuhlmann and Dr. Gene Walker.
Randy Nieves was outgoing president, having helped the non-profit group raise more than $100,000 for the first time, the Clovis News-Journal reported.
United Way had held its annual banquet at the La Villa Steakhouse.
1975: TG&Y, located at Hilltop Plaza Shopping Center in Clovis, offered turtleneck and crew neck sweaters for $4.88. Men’s polyester slacks were $8.88 per pair.
1977: Debbie Blackburn had been selected Clovis High basketball homecoming queen.
Blackburn, a senior, was chosen from among seven girls who competed for the title.
She was crowned during halftime ceremonies by David Lansford, a forward for the Wildcats.
2006: “Rapid” Ricky Romero, a popular professional wrestler who performed multiple times in Clovis and around the region, died from complications related to diabetes. He was 74.
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens. Contact:
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