Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date ...
1951: Two Clovis teenagers had suffered broken legs when they were hit by a taxi cab while crossing West Grand at Rencher Street.
Joe Lujan and Robert Lucero told police they thought they could easily cross before the car — three-quarters of a block away — reached them.
The taxi driver said he was traveling 25 mph. He was cited for out-of-date vehicle inspections.
1955: Roosevelt County Sheriff P. F. Turner reported three dogs killed 30 chickens in a hen house at the western edge of Portales.
Farm owner Jim Wade said the dogs killed the chickens but did not eat them; they ran away when Wade began pursuit.
1956: Clovis High School classes were preparing to resume after “a large section of plaster fell from the ceiling at the east end of the third floor hall,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.
The incident happened on a Thursday afternoon. Workers made repairs and classes were scheduled to resume the following Monday.
No students were injured when the plaster fell; officials said it was caused by “natural decay of the wire and the heavy weight of the plaster,” CN-J reported.
1961: Joe Dodson was a new baker at Herb's Bake Shop in Clovis. He was offering a “get acquainted special:” four dozen assorted cookies for $1.
1961: Pat Sandoval, a Clovis High School senior, had been selected queen of the Wildcat Relays.
She was chosen by the CHS track squad to award trophies and ribbons to winners at the upcoming meet at Wildcat Stadium.
She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Sandoval, who lived at 214 Thornton St.
1961: Cannon Air Force Base personnel, deployed to other bases during construction of its primary runway, were all scheduled to return by May 5.
Construction of the runway had already been completed, except for final inspections.
1962: Dunes Restaurant on the highway east of Clovis was promoting its Easter menu, which included a Southern fried chicken dinner with cream gravy for $1.50.
A Virginia-baked ham meal with pineapple sauce was also $1.50.
A child's plate with ham, turkey or chicken was 95 cents.
1965: The State Highway Commission had set priorities on $53 million in highway projects for the next three years.
An $800,000 project was planned to “four-lane” about 5.5 miles of U.S. 70 between Clovis and Portales.
Another $825,000 was set aside for 7.3 miles of road construction west of Melrose on U.S. 60.
1965: Portales voters had approved a $600,000 school bond issue by a vote of 356-247. The money was earmarked for classrooms at Portales High School and elementary school construction.
School Superintendent Firman Haynie said voter turnout was surprisingly light, as more than 600 people had signed a petition calling for the special election.
1968: "Seetee Ship" and "Seetee Shock," two science fiction thrillers written by Jack Williamson, associate professor in English at Eastern New Mexico University, had been released in paperback for the first time.
Both books had been written several years previously under a pen name, and had been out of print. They featured space pioneers who found anti-matter asteroids beyond the orbit of Mars.
Williamson and fellow author Fred Pohl also had a new novel -- "Rogue Star" -- scheduled to be published as a serial beginning in the June issue of "Worlds of If" magazine.
1971: Legendary West Texas State University football coach Joe Kerbel had been named guest speaker at Portales High School's upcoming all-sports banquet.
Kerbel was WT's winningest coach, compiling a 68-42-1 record over 10 years.
Kerbel also led the Buffs to two bowl victories.
The Portales News-Tribune described Kerbel as “affable and outspoken.”
Prior to his arrival at WT, the Buffs had won just two games in two years.
“Kerbel promptly set out to change all that,” the PN-T reported. “(H)e produced one all-American after another and brought the national spotlight to bear on WTSU.”
1971: Surplus City, located at 701 Lovington Highway in Portales, sold everything from fishing poles to carpet tiles to ladies' pant suits and floor wax.
Surplus City, “The working man's friend,” was open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and was celebrating its 13th anniversary.
1974: A single mother and her seven children were regrouping after their home was destroyed in a fire.
Ida Martinez and her family, who lived at 408 W. Eighth St. in Clovis, had moved into the Grand Avenue Homes for a couple of weeks.
The Red Cross was providing accommodations while the family looked for another place to live.
The community was asked to help by donating household furnishings.
Fire officials said a 16-year-old girl had admitted to setting the Martinez home on fire, using gasoline.
1975: Curry County commissioners were looking into ways to curtail a $97,000 budget deficit.
The general fund budget was $766,200, but revenue was projected at $668,817.
Commissioners said the deficit was caused by plans to increase employee salaries and a proposal to hire a full-time district attorney.
They were asking department heads to review expenses.
1983: Clovis National Bank was installing equipment that would allow local residents to dial a number to obtain the current weather forecast, along with the local time and outside temperature through Audichron's Time-Weather-Temperature Service.
Lawrence Maberry, president of the bank, said he had realized the need for this service since "these variables affect the lives of everyone."
Maberry said information would be available to callers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, adding, "Giving the time, weather, and temperature is just one more way we are proud to be of service to the Clovis community."
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:
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