Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date ...
1935: “Black Sunday” brought what’s still considered the worst dust storm in High Plains history.
“A mountain of blackness swept across the High Plains and instantly turned a warm, sunny afternoon into a horrible blackness that was darker than the darkest night,” the National Weather Service reports on its website.
“Winds in the (Texas) Panhandle reached upward of 60 mph and, for at least a brief time, the blackness was so complete that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.”
The worst of it hit eastern New Mexico about 8 p.m. that Sunday night.
1941: Mr. and Mrs. Harold Carpenter were busy picking up from a cyclone that destroyed their home and flipped their car three miles west of Clovis.
The couple were not injured, though Mr. Carpenter said they were hurled into the air by the big wind.
1945: Jack and Ruby Tidwell had received word that their son, Durrell, died in a Japanese prison camp at Cabanatuan.
Ted Thomas, who had just returned from the Philippines, wrote his mother that the Japanese had killed Durrell in August (he didn’t say what year) and that Thomas had buried him, The Portales Daily News reported.
“Ted and Durrell had both volunteered from Roosevelt County and served together at Bataan,” the newspaper reported.
1951: J.D. Ralston, a sophomore at Dora, had hurled his second no-hitter in the same school year.
Ralston led the Coyotes past Ranchvale, 10-1, most recently; his first no-hitter was against Floyd in the county finals in the fall.
1951: Bingham’s offered photography, gifts and music at 126 S.E. Main in Portales.
Hand-painted pottery, normally $12.95, was on sale for $6.95.
1952: A Clovis News-Journal advertisement announced “The Silver Grill School For Waitresses Is Now Open.”
Positions featured “salary while learning” and “pleasant hours -- either day or night.”
“Here is your opportunity to become efficient in the serving of food,” the ad continued.
Interested applicants were asked to apply in person to Louis Garrison at the downtown Clovis restaurant.
1957: Clovis police reported just one accident over the weekend, but it involved three vehicles in the 200 block of West Grand Avenue.
A 1951 four-door car driven by Helen Anaya, 19, of 1221 W. Grand, struck a car driven by Eutemio Gonzales, 20, of Route 4, from the rear. The force of the crash knocked Gonzales’ vehicle into one driven by Donald Gibbs, 19, of 1221 Hull St.
The crash happened in front of the Country Store.
No injuries were reported, but the three cars combined sustained $345 worth of damage, police said.
1966: Disney’s “That Darn Cat” was showing at Clovis’ La Fonda drive-in movie theater.
The Yucca drive-in offered “Old Yeller.”
Clovis’ State theater promised “something horrid for everyone when a pretty ghoul trades in her bed sheet for a bikini.” The movie was “Ghost in the Invisible Bikini,” starring Nancy Sinatra.
1970: Clovis’ school board elected new leaders and approved land purchases for new schools.
Wallace Lockmiller was named board chairman. Leon Williams was named vice chairman. Charles Guthals was selected to the clerk’s position.
Board members approved $37,430 to purchase land for La Casita, Lockwood and Barry elementary schools. The district also agreed to purchase a lot adjacent to Parkview school as part of the transaction.
1970: Western Skies Package Store at 1221 Main was open for business.
A newspaper advertisement reminded customers to “watch for the opening of our beautiful new cocktail lounge.”
1971: A welding shop at 1509 Waldhauser in Clovis was destroyed by fire.
Firefighters received a call about 6 a.m. but the roof had already collapsed.
Wesley Banks, who had operated the business for eight years, said he lost about $15,000 worth of equipment to the blaze.
The building, owned by J.F. Starkey, was insured.
1974: TG&Y was offering “Fishin’ Bargains” in full-page newspaper ads.
Specials included:
• Range finder spincast reel: $6.66
• Tackle box: $18.88
• 55-quart ice chest: $9.99
Other sale items unrelated to fishing included:
• Huffy 10-speed bicycles: $87.88
• Gas-powered edgers: $68.88
• Lawn sprinklers: $1.17
• Wheel barrows: $10.99
• 50-inch garden hoses: $3.99
1976: Most of eastern New Mexico saw much-needed moisture for the second day in a row.
Clovis received nearly an inch of rain in “a matter of minutes,” while the Arch community near the Texas border also saw an inch of precipitation, the Clovis News-Journal reported.
Clara Wiehl of Texico reported “a long, hard rain as well as the accompanying hail, which did limited damage to windows.”
Cannon Air Force Base reported .44 of rain, but also large hailstones.
1981: Legislation providing $400,000 for residential treatment of young drug and alcohol abusers had been signed into law by New Mexico Gov. Bruce King.
King said he planned to try again in 1982 for money supporting treatment
1988: Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales announced it was raising starting salaries for nurses from $9.20 an hour to $10.20 an hour, in an effort to remain competitive with other hospitals in the region.
Hospital Administrator George McGowan said the increase was “a reaction to what we saw happening throughout the state.”
Prior to the increase, RGH had one of the lowest nurse salaries in the state, but with the increase, it was a dime higher than the $10.10 an hour salary offered at Clovis High Plains Hospital.
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:
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