Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date ...
1960: Babe Ruth League all-stars from Portales included Stan Lehman, Clois Jeffries, Johnny Hooper and Tinker Wood. The 15 boys selected were scheduled to participate in a district tournament late in the month.
1960: Portales’ Lester Bayless returned home after a lousy weekend to some good news.
The bad news began on a Friday morning when he lost $100 in cash, somewhere between First Federal Savings and Loan and Compton’s Store for Men.
Bayless hoped his fortunes might improve with a weekend fishing trip, but instead he had car troubles in addition to a flat tire before returning home.
Things got better after Bayless read in the Portales Daily Tribune that four area residents had given a “good sum of money” found on the streets to the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office.
Bayless contacted the sheriff, reported he’d lost five $20 bills and gave the approximate location where the money had gone missing.
He was “in good spirits again” when the money was returned, the Daily Tribune reported.
1972: A Clovis woman was charged with fleeing the scene of an accident when she struck a boy on his bicycle.
The woman received a one-year deferred sentence by Judge Dee Blythe.
Her driver’s license was also revoked.
1972: Judge Edwin L. Mechem took under advisement a lawsuit against the Portales Municipal Schools, alleging discrimination against Mexican-American students.
The parents of four students filed the suit because Portales schools did not have bilingual education programs.
Portales Superintendent L.C. Cozzens said shortcomings were due to money, but “we’ve made a lot of progress.”
The district lost the lawsuit and ultimately added bilingual classes.
1973: A local pastor appeared before the Clovis city commission to ask for a crackdown on pornography at newsstands and in the movies.
Rev. Stan White, pastor of Westbrook Baptist Church, said he felt the “floodgates of obscenity and smut have been closed” by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing local government more control in that area.
Clovis City Attorney Harry Patton, however, said the New Mexico Legislature had made it clear pornography guidelines were determined by the state.
White showed the commissioners two comic books he said were pornographic and sold in the Clovis city limits. The Clovis News-Journal reported the store that had sold the books was closed because of building code violations.
White went on to produce a proposed Bernalillo County ordinance aimed at controlling pornographic material and urged city officials to adopt something similar.
“I believe it is time we take action to rid obscene matter from Clovis,” White said.
Commissioners voted to have Patton review the law regarding whether local entities could determine a definition for pornography.
1975: Melrose was preparing for its annual Old Timers Day, which was set to kick off Aug. 9 with the Miss Melrose Pageant at the Melrose Auditorium.
Other weekend activities included a parade — featuring Miss Melrose 1975 and 1976 and an assortment of boats, bicycles and horse riders — along with an all-girls rodeo.
John Davis, with New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, was to be master of ceremonies for the gatherings.
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:
