Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date …
1952: The Sertoma Club was having “considerable success in providing underprivileged Clovis youth with an opportunity to develop physically, mentally and morally into better citizens,” according to the Clovis News-Journal.
“The club’s members are beginning to reap their reward in the satisfaction they get from observing the improvement in the health, appearance and manners of their young charges.”
One example cited by the newspaper: Volunteers were working with about 30 boys at the National Guard armory and had formed a boxing team.
“In the course of the past year, the club helped about 100 underprivileged school children in various ways,” the newspaper reported. “With the proceeds from last year’s Golden Gloves tournament, it bought and gave to those who most urgently need them clothes, shoes and hot lunches – 15 of them every week at La Casita school.”
A club member who was not identified said the Sertoma Club was “not a welfare agency. … (W)e do try to help those kids take part in our program by giving them something more than just a place to train in and a trainer.”
1967: Clovis city commissioners went on record opposing a state Legislature plan to implement a one-cent gas tax in each municipality.
Clovis was the only major city in the state that did not have a one-cent gas tax.
Texico was among smaller communities that had imposed the tax.
1968: The combined bands of Clovis High School, Gattis Junior High, and Marshall Junior High were in final preparations for the fourth annual John Phillip Sousa Memorial Concert to be presented at Marshall Auditorium.
Sponsored by the Clovis Shrine Band Drum and Bugle Corps, the concert was under the direction of Tommy Mayfield, Philip Wilson, Dick Echols, and Norvil Howell.
Zia elementary fifth grader James Williams, the son of Col. and Mrs. Les Williams of Clovis, was on the program to perform a trumpet solo as the high school band played “Trumpeter’s Lullaby” by Leroy Anderson.
1970: State and local officials hosted a ceremony before formally opening the new overpass and entrance to Cannon Air Force Base west of Clovis.
Cannon Commander Col. Bob Scott and State Highway Commission Chairman Reginaldo Espinoza led the ceremony, then became the first to drive across the bridge.
1976: Jack Williamson, a science fiction writer and English professor at Eastern New Mexico University, was not convinced that recent UFO sightings suggested we had visitors from outer space.
“It seems to me that if there were intelligent beings from outside our solar system and they wanted to get in touch with us, they would do it in some more successful way (than hovering about in the air),” he said.
Williamson said unidentified flying objects are often explained as tricks, illusions or atmospheric conditions.
1976: Six Texico school children and a Friona truck driver were treated for “bruises and banged heads” after the bus collided with the truck near Pleasant Hill, the Clovis News-Journal reported.
The truck driver suffered the most serious injuries, to her back, leg, arm and chest.
Officials said the 18-year-old Texico bus driver was cited for failure to yield after a stop.
1977: Clovis Animal Shelter officials announced plans to hand out more citations while picking up fewer strays.
“We’re going to concentrate on giving citations,” Animal Warden Junior Romero said. “The people are at fault for letting their dogs run loose, not the dog.”
Animal shelter personnel were instructed by city officials to “follow the dogs home and mail a citation to the dog owners,” the Clovis News-Journal reported.
A first citation carried a $10 fine. Fines would increase with each citation, up to $100, Romero said.
1983: Texico Boy Scout Troop 429 had lined up the band Cold Country to play for an upcoming dance at the Texico Community Center designed to raise money to send its members to summer camp.
Since forming on Jan. 2, the nine members of Troop 429 had worked to raise $204, which they donated to 15-year-old Carlos Nicolas of Farwell, who was battling bone cancer.
Among their fundraising projects was shoveling snow - an activity that had already added $51 to the troop coffers.
The cost for the dance was $2 per person or $3.50 per couple.
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:
