Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date ...
1937: Two prisoners in the Clovis jail bet on the heavyweight fight between Joe Louis and Jim Braddock.
“... (H)aving no worldly possessions, (they) decided to bet their hair,” the Clovis Evening News-Journal reported.
The loser had second thoughts after Louis won the fight, and somehow talked the winner into “buying back” his hair before it could be cut.
The price agreed upon was $3.50, apparently an IOU.
1937: Temperatures soared to 100 degrees in Clovis.
It marked the first time since May 19 the city saw triple digits.
The low temperature — 67 degrees.
1945: Family members had learned Pvt. Waldo Cummings of Dora was killed when the prison ship on which he was being transported was sunk by submarine action in the South China Sea.
Details of the ship’s sinking were not reported, but military officials said it had occurred on Oct. 24, 1944.
Nine of the 1,715 prisoners had been reported rescued, though four were recaptured by Japanese, The Portales Daily News reported.
Sgt. Burl Howell of Portales was killed in the same incident, his death reported a few days later by The Portales Daily News.
The Clovis News-Journal reported Vernie James of Forrest was a third local man killed in the incident.
1951: Fire had destroyed large quantities of paper, fruits and sugar at a Campbell’s Dairy warehouse in Clovis.
Officials estimated damages at $10,000 to $15,000.
About seven tons of sugar was destroyed, but plant Manager Harold Murphy said the company could continue operations since it had a policy of storing supplies in several warehouses.
“About the only change the customer will notice, Murphy said, will be different pint ice cream cartons. Most of the company’s cartons of that size were lost,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.
1956: Glenda Parrish of the Rogers 4-H club had won the Roosevelt County cherry pie baking contest.
Ann Fraze of Dora was second and Dretha Franklin of Perry finished third.
Judges were from East Valley View, Bethel and KE-NM radio.
“The judges were impressed with the ease and handling Miss Parrish used in putting together her pie,” the Portales Daily News reported.
1956: Portales’ Tower theater was playing “Tiger,” promoted as “the happiest picture of the year,” starring Jeff Chandler and Laraine Day.
Tim Hovey played a 7-year-old imp with “outlandishly funny theories about the birds and the bees.”
The Tower was “scientifically cooled.”
1956: Portales’ Varsity Drive-In Theatre was playing “Come Next Spring,” about a reformed alcoholic trying to win back his family.
“We guarantee that your entire family will enjoy this movie,” the theater manager told customers in a newspaper ad. “We held a sneak preview of it last Tuesday at the Tower and everyone enjoyed it.”
1961: The Texico-Farwell Rotary Club had been chartered before an estimated 200 Rotarians from eastern New Mexico.
Clovis Rotarian Bob Brooks presented the charter to new Texico-Farwell club president Bob Tomlinson in a meeting at the Hotel Clovis.
Buck Doran was treasurer of the new club, Scott Levins was vice president and Bob Crume was secretary.
1970: Farwell Country Club was hosting swim lessons throughout the summer. Lifeguard Sherry Grimes said the price was $10 for 10 lessons.
1973: A cow was being blamed for a crash east of Fort Sumner that killed three members of a California family.
Police said the cow had wandered onto a bridge after dark on U.S. 60-84 when it was hit by a truck carrying railroad ties.
The truck’s driver, Gerald Naus of Clovis, told officials the impact with the 1,200-pound animal caused his vehicle to cross the road and collide with a west-bound station wagon.
Three occupants of the station wagon - returning home from visiting family at a military base in Wichita Falls, Texas - died June 22, the night of the crash, or early the next morning. A fourth family member was hospitalized in critical condition but survived.
The truck driver suffered multiple injuries and was hospitalized for days in Clovis.
1975: “Vicious thunderstorms” spawned a funnel cloud 15 miles west of Clovis and Muleshoe was hit with 3 inches of rain that caused flooding and crop damage in parts of Bailey County.
U.S. 70 had to be closed between Muleshoe and Earth because of water over the highway.
No tornado damage was reported in the region, but wheat harvest in Melrose was on hold because of repeated rain storms, hail damage and “there are not enough combines to go around,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.
1989: The Clovis Community Band was planning a concert at the Ned Houk Park Band Shell just east of the Pappy Thornton Museum.
The event was promoted as an “Old Fashioned Picnic and Band Concert.” For $3.50 per plate, music lovers would receive two hot dogs with “Hubby Chili,” chips and a soft drink.
Dwayne Hubby was the man to call for reservations.
The Community Band conductor was Norvil Howell.
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:
