Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date ...
1962: Summer baseball organizers were asking Clovis city officials for improvements at Bell Park.
The field once home to the professional Clovis Pioneers baseball teams needed new lighting, water system repairs and dirt on the infield, city commissioners were told.
Costs for all improvements were estimated at $1,000 to $1,200.
Commissioners asked for an itemized list of costs associated with each repair and said they would consider approval.
1962: A 13-year-old Clovis boy arrived at Duckworth’s store at 4 a.m. so he could be first in line to purchase a sale-priced bike for his little brother. Bob Truston, who lived at 3020 La Fonda Road, waited five hours outside the store in a lawn chair and wool blanket. His dedication paid off when the store opened at 9 a.m. The bike cost $1.22 in Clovis’ first George Washington Birthday Sale.
1965: District Attorney Morris Stagner was asking area law officers to refrain from commenting on criminal cases. He said New Mexico Attorney Gen. Boston Witt had specifically asked law officers not make remarks about confessions out of concern for jeopardizing criminal prosecutions. The concern, officials said, stemmed from information released following President Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas.
1965: Area crime reports provided information about burglars stealing from vending machines at the VFW Hall on West Seventh in Clovis, a broken window at KCLV radio station at 1221 Main in Clovis — someone threw a glass soft-drink bottle through it — and the theft of an ash-tray stand at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales.
1968: Area stores were full of bargains for George Washington's birthday, with ads promising, "We cannot tell a lie ... we've chopped prices," and "We put the ax to these items for our George Washington's birthday sale."
Among the bargains to be had were sport coats for $22.22 at Carmack and Sons, Inc., in Clovis; a freezer for $222.22 at Sears; and boys' double knee jeans for $1.22 at Penney's.
Gibson's Discount Center had a full page of items priced at 22 cents apiece, including bamboo window shades, ladies' cotton blouses, seamless nylons, spark plugs, toothpaste, shampoo, infant formula, and even a limited selection of "auto visor pipe caddies."
1970: Sasser’s Western Wear at 311 Main was “Cowboy headquarters” in Clovis. Owners Mickey and Sue Simms offered “Western wear for the entire family,” and “Everything for the horseman,” according to their newspaper advertisement.
1983: Elayne Horner, a student at Texico High School, won her school's science fair with a project called, "Which Bleach is Best?"
The school science fair attracted 117 projects, which were on display in the old gymnasium.
Martin Singleterry captured the junior division championship with "How Does Soil pH Affect Plant Emergents?"
Senior division reserve champions were Rusty McCormack with "How Does a Still Work?" and Dale Autrey with "Propagated Plants." Junior reserve champions were Shawn Moore for "Junk Yard Still" and David Kendall for "How Are Rockets Formed?"
1997: U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-New Mexico, spent time in Clovis, Portales and Cannon Air Force Base, talking about prospects for a balanced budget and getting along with Democrats.
"In the past four years, with a Republican-dominated Congress, we made real strides with welfare reform and eliminating some programs," Domenici told the Clovis News-Journal. "But we spent most of that time in a confrontation mode with the White House and the Democrats.
"We've decided to work with the president (Bill Clinton), and he seems willing to work with us, so I'm optimistic we might get a balanced budget passed. We still need to do some major reforms ... the president's budget is not very bold, but he says he wants to fix things -- he wants to leave that legacy. And we'll probably give him that opportunity."
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:
