Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date …
1948: Gambles department store had arranged for every Clovis child to write a letter to Santa Claus and receive a hand-written response. A special mailbox in Gambles guaranteed that letters would reach the “dear old gentleman at the North Pole.”
1961: New Barcaloungers had arrived at Home Beautiful Furniture & Carpet Co., just in time for Christmas. No down payment was required and there was no first payment until March 1. The store was at 824 Main in Clovis.
1961: About 2,300 fans turned out to watch Eastern New Mexico University clobber Northwestern Oklahoma, 42-6.
ENMU, led by 175-pound fullback Jerry Blakely, scored three touchdowns in the third quarter for the difference in the game.
Blakely rushed 110 yards with one TD.
1963: A film titled “When I’m Old Enough, Goodbye,” offered information about the “real feeling and what happens to boys and girls who drop out before finishing high school.” The film was being shown to students in Clovis public schools.
1965: Clovis City Clerk Wendell McCormick had his car back, but reported he’d been unable to take a planned pleasure trip to El Paso.
McCormick’s car had been stolen two days earlier from outside City Hall while McCormick attended a city commission meeting.
Police found it a day later in a grove of trees near Cannon Air Force Base, with 110 extra miles on it.
1970: Area residents gathered in Clovis for a four-day symposium on drugs and drug abuse.
“Many parents are unaware or unwilling to face the fact that their children are involved in drug abuse,” said Jim Osborne, a juvenile probation officer.
Seventeen area school districts were represented at the conference, spurred by a legislative edict to institute a drug education program in the public schools.
1971: Eastern New Mexico University honored the classes of 1941, 1951, 1961 and 1971 during its 39th annual homecoming. Wilhemina Thomas, a 20-year-old music major from Alamogordo, reigned as homecoming queen.
1971: Canyon edged Muleshoe, 24-20, in a battle for the lead in District 1-3A football.
Muleshoe trailed 24-14 entering the fourth quarter, and used almost 11 minutes off the clock to go 71 yards for a touchdown.
The Mules converted five fourth-down plays on the 23-play scoring drive that pulled them within four points.
Bobby Hayes, who rushed 100 yards on 29 carries for the game, led the Mules on the drive, rushing for three first downs and catching a fourth-down pass for another first down.
Quarterback Donny Wheat hit his brother David Wheat for the touchdown that created a one-possession game.
But the drive ended with just 1:16 to play in the game and Canyon was able to run out the clock.
Muleshoe fell to 6-3 for the season, 2-2 in district play.
Canyon was 3-0-1 in district play.
1972: Floren Thompson, a member of the music faculty at Eastern New Mexico University for more than 20 years, was named acting dean of the school of music, following the death of Paul Strub, who had been guiding the department.
Thompson joined the faculty at ENMU in 1950, and served as chair of instrumental music and director of bands. A well-known clinician and conductor, Thompson was credited with training many band directors across the southwestern United States.
1976: Clovis police were searching for two male suspects in connection with the armed robbery of Riley’s Switch package store on South Prince.
The men stole about $200 in cash, police said.
One suspect carried an automatic pistol with black grips and a chrome barrel.
A second suspect demanded store clerk Mazie Benifiel of Farwell “open the drawer” and he removed the cash from the register.
1982: Members of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Clovis Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3015 were putting final touches on a locomotive float they were making for the upcoming Veterans Day parade.
Photographed in the Clovis News-Journal were Toni Bauske, Velma Bolinger, Irene Fritzier, Bea Gwaltney, and Alice Valverde.
The parade was only one of many activities scheduled for the week proclaimed Veterans Week by the Clovis city commission.
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:
