Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Pages past, Oct. 25: ENMU hires president who can fly

On this date …

1954: The city of Clovis declared Oct. 30 would be the lawful time for local Halloween celebrations, since Oct. 31 fell on a Sunday.

Mayor O.G. Potter, in a proclamation, said that since Halloween is traditionally devoted to merrymaking, with playful ceremonies and charms, that Saturday would be a better day to celebrate in that “the ceremonies and merrymaking will not conflict with our usual church activities.”

1956: Clovis police were busy responding to multiple complaints about automobile vandalism.

Damage ranged from seats being slashed to sugar being poured into a gas tank.

Most of the reports came from the 1100 block of Ross and Sheldon Streets.

1960: Larry Ward, a sophomore halfback who wasn’t usually in the starting lineup, had been named Ram of the Week for the second time during the season. Ward was honored by “newsmen covering” District 4-A for his performance in a 25-0 loss to Raton. He received the same award after scoring Portales’ first touchdown of the season in a game against Eunice.

1960: Abe French of Elida won the grand champion prize of $300 for his load of Hereford steer calves in judging of 700 entries at the 13th annual Clovis Cattle Festival.

Officials said the number of show cattle had been trimmed because of bad weather and a heavy range sale of calves. Between 7,000 and 10,000 cattle were expected for sale before the week was over.

1961: Kenner’s Drug, at 14th and Main, offered a complete line of hobby supplies, including motors, fuel and batteries for model airplanes and model boats.

1966: A nationwide boycott of grocery stores by housewives was picking up steam and driving down prices.

Cashway, Furr’s and Piggly Wiggly all had reduced prices across New Mexico and Texas.

Furr’s closed its 70 stores for a day so it could mark down prices by as much as 15%.

“Housewives who had organized little more than a bridge party earlier were now involved in organizations with catchy names and only one purpose — lower weekly food bills,” United Press International reported.

Group names included Women on the Warpath (WOW), Citizens Against Skyhigh Prices (CASP) and Shoppers Against Deception (SAD).

1970: Andy Martin had been named News-Tribune carrier of the year for his work with the Portales newspaper.

Martin covered two routes, with a total of 160 customers. He was honored for “building his route with new subscribers on a constant basis and by pleasing his customers with prompt and careful delivery,” according to a story in the News-Tribune.

The son of Jewel Martin, Martin was a junior at Portales High School.

1970: Two airmen suffered minor injuries when their motorcycles collided at 14th and Sycamore streets in Clovis.

Both were treated at the Cannon Air Force Base hospital. Witnesses said one of the cycles may have struck a rock, causing the driver to lose control and hit the other cycle.

A photo in the Clovis News-Journal described the scene: “Like two stags that have fallen after fighting to exhaustion, the carcasses of two motorcycles lay end-to-end after colliding ...”

1972: About 215 Zia Elementary students were in final rehearsals for “Look Out for Witches,” an operetta being presented as a fundraiser for the Clovis school. Promotional material promised a hillbilly band, numerous witches, spooks, and monsters.

The show was under the direction of Mrs. Jim Elyce Wade, the music teacher, and was to be presented at Marshall Auditorium.

Cast members included Gloria Basden, Debbie Carlisle, Bobby Donaghe, Pam Hewett, Joe Jones, Tamara Pierce, and Billy Rucker.

1973: A delegation of firemen notified Clovis Mayor Chick Taylor Jr. they would begin a work cutback in protest that their salaries had not been increased, the Clovis News-Journal reported.

Taylor said he was told fire department personnel were threatening to stop handling maintenance on the building at Fourth and Mitchell and would no longer do maintenance and repair work on fire department vehicles.

“All I can tell you is that my men have asked for a 5% raise comparable to the police and they haven t gotten it,” Fire Chief Joe Maddox said.

1975: Weekend football scores included: Eastern New Mexico University 19, Central Oklahoma 0 … Texas Tech 37, SMU 20 … Texas A&M 19, Baylor 10.

1975: Warren Armstrong, 42, of St. Cloud, Minn., had been named the sixth president of Eastern New Mexico University.

Armstrong told reporters he liked camping, hiking and bicycling and said a heavy portion of his responsibilities was in a “public relations” role representing the university.

He promised a “100% effort.”

The Portales News-Tribune reported Armstrong was a certified pilot and would be paid $38,000 per year.

“The regents wanted a president who could walk on water. They have settled for one who can merely fly,” the newspaper reported.

1976: Law officers from three agencies had raided a Curry County residence, arresting 40 people between the ages of 15 and 23.

All were charged with possession of marijuana, between one and eight ounces.

The raid took place two miles west and one mile north of the Thomas and 21st street intersection.

The charge was a fourth-degree felony.

1987: Longtime Portales business Borden’s Peanuts was profiled in a feature in the Clovis News-Journal, along with a photo of Gracie Grubbs and Maria Soto working on the peanut sorting line.

Bobby Borden, manager of the plant, said his father started the family business in 1956, and that the company was handling 18-19 million pounds of peanuts each year.

During the interview, Borden was munching on peanuts fresh from the roaster. “I never get tired of peanuts,” he said. “I could live off of them.”

Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:

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