Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date ...
1951: It rained. Again.
Previously parched eastern New Mexico received rain for the third consecutive day, more than 2.5 inches overall in some areas.
“The three days of drought-breaking rain were greatly welcomed by jubilant farmers ... The rainy spell was hailed as a ‘million-dollar rain’ because it came at a time when crops were beginning to suffer and when spring planting was being delayed because of powder-dry soil,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.
1955: Sheridan McIntosh was sentenced to 60 days in the Curry County jail after he pleaded guilty to possessing liquor for the purpose of illegal sale.
It was his second alcohol-related conviction in six years, the Clovis News-Journal reported.
1956: The show must go on, according to 13-year-old Jimmy Wilkins of Center school.
The lead actor in the school play, Wilkins had fallen and broken his left arm in two places. The arm was placed in a cast, but Wilkins vowed to perform anyway.
“The play will go on as scheduled with a one-armed hero,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.
1960: Dora High School graduated 22 students in ceremonies at the Dora gymnasium.
A party after graduation featured a white sheet cake and a color slide show of senior events.
1960: Jim Bob Altizer of Del Rio, Texas, had won the 11th annual Curry County Mounted Patrol championship calf-roping contest.
Altizer was the defending world champion calf roper. He tied five calves in 82 seconds to win about $1,600, the Clovis News-Journal reported.
Glen Franklin of House, a previous world champion calf roper, was second. He roped five calves in 85.2 seconds. He also had the contest’s fastest time of 11.1 seconds.
Altizer and Franklin were both inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1979.
1967: Nearly 200 Clovis High School students had been honored in the annual awards assembly.
Scholarship winners included Judy Taylor, Wayne Pollard and Jim Honeycutt.
Honor Society members named included Robert Doerr, Janet Gilbert and Barbara Hoy.
Those receiving awards from the University of New Mexico included Charlotte Edwards, Paula Powell and Katrina Skarda.
1967: Movies playing in the region included:
• "Hombre," starring Paul Newman.
• "Girls! Girls! Girls!," starring Elvis Presley.
• "Any Wednesday," starring Jane Fonda.
1967: Burger Chef's special for the week: Four cheeseburgers for 95 cents.
The restaurant was located at 510 W. Seventh St. in Clovis.
1968: In honor of its 15th anniversary, a local Clovis radio station sponsored a concert at Marshall Auditorium featuring Glen Campbell with the Coachmen and the Campbellmen.
Tickets, which were sold through the station as well as at the Village Record Shop, were $3.50 general admission, $4.50 for reserved seating and $2.50 for those willing to sit up high in the balcony.
1971: A nationwide Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen union railroad strike had failed to halt freight services in Clovis.
Picket lines sprang up at Clovis’ Santa Fe rail yards at 6 a.m., and railroad officials said 500 to 700 local workers were involved.
The railroad continued to move freight with “supervisory personnel,” said Santa Fe District Superintendent Bill Brack.
About 12,000 workers had gone on strike nationally, seeking higher wages.
The union was asking for a 51% wage increase over 36 months; the railroad was offering a 42% increase over 42 months. After two days, President Nixon ended the strike, ordering union members back to work with an immediate pay increase of 13.5%.
The union promised another strike would follow if ongoing negotiations did not produce satisfactory results.
1975: Clovis High School Senior Rick Pettigrew signed a scholarship agreement to play basketball at Hobbs Junior College.
Pettigrew, a 6-4 forward for the Wildcats, was slated to play the guard position at Hobbs.
“I’m sure he’ll do a great job on defense and will adapt to the situation, though he’ll probably have to play some ball this summer and get the knack of shooting outside,” Clovis coach Jimmy Joe Robinson said.
1975: Marvin Sanders of Silver City had been named the new Portales High School basketball coach, replacing Ben Stockton, who’d been named Portales athletic director.
Sanders had compiled a 227-107 record in nine years at Silver City, winning a AAA state championship this season.
1988: A Clovis News-Journal feature profiled the first two women to join the El Desayuno Kiwanis Club, an organization that had been men-only until recently.
Phyllis Musgrove, dean of instruction at Eastern New Mexico University-Clovis, joined the club in November 1987, and Laura Martin, law enforcement supervisor at Cannon Air Force Base, followed a few months later.
"Our club, I believe, was ready for it," El Desayuno President Jim Krake said.
Member Tom Humphrey, who nominated both Musgrove and Martin for membership, said, "A group like this is community-minded and, to me, women can do that as well as men."
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:
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