Articles from the May 30, 2005 edition

Helen Paschke Services: 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church in Clovis Helen Paschke, 80, died Saturday, May 28, 2005, at Heartland Continuing Care Center in Portales. She was born Aug. 19, 1924, to Lucy Mae and Grover Burton, in Spencer, N.C. Paschke graduated from high school in 1941 in Spencer, N.C. She went attended Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., for a year. At the end of that school year, she went to work in Civil Service in conjunction with the Signal Corps. She was involved in the development of... Full story

One by one, the nine rodeo queen contestants briskly rode their horses across the Mounted Patrol Arena on Monday during the 2005 Pioneer Days Rodeo Queen coronation ceremony. In the end, only four would win the top honors in their age groups. “(Rodeo) teaches kids a lot of responsibilities,” said Texico’s Lacy Price, who took top honors at the pageant and was named queen for the oldest age group. “And it also helps them reap the benefits of their hard work.” In addition to becoming a local ambassador for rodeo, the 17-year-o...

The dictionary, tilted slightly, nearly engulfed an entire cushion on the Gillooly’s L-shaped couch. Sitting diagonally from the 2,662 page reference book, with his hands folded in his lap, Zachary Gillooly looked composed. But for this Yucca Junior High ninth-grader, the dictionary has been a friend and, at times, a foe. Gillooly, twice now the regional spelling champion, will compete in the 78th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee beginning on Wednesday. The event is held in the nation’s capitol and final rounds are bro... Full story

Kevin Wilson

Memorial Day represented the sacrifices of millions for some, and the connection to friends and family for others. Those views were shared Monday during Portales’ annual Memorial Day program, held at the city cemetery. The ceremony was attended by about 30 people, though many were also in the cemetery placing flags by the gravesites of friends and family members. The sunny Monday morning played host to brief speeches and presentations by people who had their own views on what the holiday meant. For John Posner, the c...

I was sadly disappointed in the article “Coyote: Ugly” by Ryn Gargulinski, which ran in Sunday’s paper. I found the article to be one-sided. It appears to be written from a rancher/farmer’s view with no consideration of the impact coyotes have on the environment. Modern farming and ranching has become about numbers and profit, with little thought to protecting ecosystems. It is true that coyotes have been observed killing livestock. Maybe that’s because we live in their back yards. Just because a man puts up a fence doe...

Steve Chapman

The Kansas City Star, editorializing about the president’s threat to veto the stem cell bill passed by the House, described human embryos as the “excess products of fertility procedures.” The Los Angeles Times, contemptuous of the president’s ethical misgivings, declared: “It’s not a choice between a human life and an embryo’s life. It’s a choice between real human lives and a symbolic statement about the value of an embryo.” The New York Times and others object that majorities in public opinion polls support this rese...

Freedom Newspapers

P ersonal trauma can cloud one’s judgment, so we can to some degree forgive U.S. District Court Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow for recently urging members of Congress to do something to curb public criticism of federal judges. Lefkow’s husband and mother were recently killed by a deranged man who blamed her for a life turned sour. The attacks were not politically motivated. Yet somehow, Lefkow has drawn a link between the killings and recent criticisms of the federal judiciary by Republicans, in a way that unnecessarily inf...

Michael Marney Services: Have been held. Mr. Michael Alexander Marney, 43, of Clovis, died Tuesday, May 24, 2005, in Belen. He was born on Sept. 15, 1961, in Brandon, Suffolk County, England. He lived in Lubbock most of his life and moved to Clovis six months ago. He was preceded in death by his father. Survivors include his mother, Glenda Marney of Clovis; two brothers, Dean Marney of Clovis and Shannan Marney of Lubbock; two sisters, Theresa Marney of Lubbock and Sandy Mieir of Topeka, Kan.; a son, Phillip Marney of...

Johnnie Leonard Hutchison, 63, of Elma, Wash., died Friday, May 20, 2005, at his home. He was born on July 18, 1941, in Clovis, to Grant Harrison and Yadie Elnora Young Hutchison. He was raised in Anchorage, Alaska and graduated from high school there. In 1961 he enlisted in the United States Navy. He served on the USS Constellation off the coast of Vietnam. He was a member of the Teamsters Union from 1965 until he retired in 2000. From 1965 to 1985 he had worked in Alaska for Weaver Brothers Construction as a truck driver. H...

J.N. Cook Services: Have been held. J.N. Cook, 90, of Roswell, died Wednesday, May 25, 2005, at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell. He was born on Feb. 5, 1915, in Wellington, Texas, to Jesse and Ellen “Nell” Cook. He has resided in Roswell for 48 years and was a farmer in the Melrose area. He was involved in coaching and was a supporter of Little League and Connie Mack baseball. He was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church and the Roswell Masonic Lodge. He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Helen Har...

Rosa Wofford Services: Have been held. Mrs. Rosa J. Wofford, 96, of Gracedale, Upper Nazareth Township, Pa., died Thursday, May 19, 2005, in Gracedale, Upper Nazareth Township, Pa. She was born March 15, 1909, in Tell, Texas, to William C. and Evisa Jane Russell Bohannon. She was a member of the First Church of the Nazarene in Portales, where she served as a member of the Church Board and a Sunday school teacher. She was preceded in death by her parents; two sisters; six brothers; and by her husband, Edgar B. Wofford....

Michael Marler Services: Have been held. Mr. Michael Marler, 49, of Portales, died Saturday, May 21, 2005, at Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales. He was born on Sept. 30, 1955, in Portales, to Willie and Odus Marler. He graduated from Portales High School in 1973. He worked for Portales Valley Mills (which later became Borden Peanuts) for approximately 27 years before leaving to devote himself full-time to handcrafting guitars and selling them throughout the country. Family members said he has a lifelong love of music,...

Suzi Blevins Services: Have been held. Suzi Blevins, 50, of Portales, died Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at her home. She was born on May 1, 1955, in Wenatchee, Wash., to Beatrice and Vearl Whitehall. She spent her early childhood in Washington, where she completed school. She married Jim Blevins, who was from New Mexico. They owned and operated several restaurants. They eventually sold their restaurants and moved to New Mexico. She worked as an inventory auditor for Allsup’s with a tri-state area of responsibility. She had a...

Kelly Askew Services: Have been held. Mr. Kelly Askew, 69, of Portales, died Sunday, May 22, 2005, at Heartland Continuing Care Center in Portales. He was born on Jan. 27, 1936, in the Garrison community, to Marie and Dell Askew. He grew up in the Garrison community and attended school at Causey until the middle of his sophomore year. At that time the family moved to California. He graduated from Torrence High School in 1955. Shortly after graduation he joined the U.S. Air Force. After four years, he joined the California... Full story

Grace Madrid Services: Have been held. Grace Ellen Madrid, 54, of Tucumcari, died Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque. She was born on Nov. 27, 1950, in Santa Fe, to Raymond and Lena Borquez. She graduated from Tucumcari High School in 1969. She married Alex Madrid on June 3, 1976, in Amarillo. She worked as a pre-prosecution administrator for the district attorney’s office. She was elected to serve on the Quay County Commission in 2000. She was preceded in death by a sister, Kathy Borquez; her g... Full story

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Catalina Martinez Services: Have been held. Mrs. Catalina Martinez, 71, of Texico, died Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis. She was born on Feb. 25, 1934, in Villa de Ramos, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, to Natividad Garcia and Clementa Moncivais. She married Guadalupe Martinez 52 years ago in Mexico. Preceded in death by her children, David, Livia, Lupita, Teresa, Josefina, and Joe. Survivors include her husband; four sons, Romauldo Martinez (and wife, Gloria) and David Martinez, all of El Paso,...

Glenda Hansen Services: Have been held. Glenda Maxine Cooper Hansen, 68, of Farwell, died Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at Farwell Convalescent Center. She was born on June 12, 1936, in Atoka, Okla., to Elmer and Ella Long Cooper. She was a secretary at Beverage Industry and a member of the Red Hat Society. She was of the Baptist faith. Family members said she loved gardening. She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers; and a sister. Survivors include a son, Gary Randall Craig of Lakeside, Ariz.; a daughter, Gigi S.... Full story

Ray Watson Services: Have been held. Ray Watson, 81, of Clovis, died Monday, May 16, 2005, at Laurel Ridge Healthcare Center in Clovis. He was born on Nov. 8, 1923, in Mountain Park, Okla., to Phil and Willie Watson. He married Bernice Banks on July 14, 1946, in Snyder, Okla. He was a World War II veteran. He was a member of the Morse Telegraph Club and the Men’s Bible Class. Family members said he was an avid golfer. He was preceded in death by his parents. Survivors include his wife; two sons, Dennis Watson (and wife, B... Full story

Jessie Clayton Services: Have been held. Jessie H. Clayton, 85, of Morton, Texas, died Sunday, May 15, 2005, at Cochran Memorial Hospital in Morton. He was born March 17, 1920, in Plainview, Texas. His grandparents raised him in Lingo. He graduated from Lingo High School in 1940. He married Waydia Green in 1941, and she died in 1942. He served in the Army in 1945 and 1946 in the Philippines. He married Pattie Stinson in February 1947, and moved to Morton two years later, where he farmed until his retirement in 1985. He was...

Clarence Barnett Services: 2 p.m. Wednesday at Portales Cemetery. Clarence “Barney” Barnett, 82, of Albuquerque, died Saturday, May 14, 2005, in Amarillo. He was born Jan. 26, 1923, in Duran, to Homer and Elbertine Smith Barnett. He grew up in Portales and graduated from Portales High School in 1941. He attended Eastern New Mexico Junior College for two years before volunteering for service in the U.S. Navy in 1943. He served as a Navy pilot during World War II and the Korean Conflict. He married Betty Gossard on Nov. 4, 194... Full story

Francis Thompson Services: Have been held. Francis L. Thompson, 75, of Fort Sumner, died Friday, May 13, 2005, at his home. He was born on June 30, 1929, in Fierro, to Mack Chandler and Ollie Frances Daniel Thompson . He married Juanell Fisher on Sept. 9, 1951, in Fort Sumner. He served in Korea with the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953. He worked as a farrier, shoeing horses from 1963 to 1995. Family members said he loved raising and racing horses. He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Edythe Black and Ann...