Pages past — Oct. 14

On this date …

1969: E.A. Key, Clovis’ mayor from 1939 to 1941, died at age 78. He operated a grocery store from 1923 to 1941 and was a member of Masonic Lodge 40, the Scottish Rite Masons and Central Baptist Church.

1930: Transcontinental Air Transport, a coast-to-coast plane-train service that began in 1929, moved its Clovis stop to Amarillo. “With only about 40 minutes more flying time we can go on to Amarillo and hotel our passengers for the night and avoid the expense and inconvenience of putting them on the train at Clovis at night,” said D.W. Tomlinson, the TAT line’s chief of operations. Clovis’ TAT airport site is now home to Cannon Air Force Base.

1930: Southern National Hotels Corp. announced it had rejected all bids on the 10-story hotel it planned to erect at the corner of Main and Second streets in Clovis because they were too high. Contractors were invited to resubmit their bids on Oct. 22. The nine-story Hotel Clovis opened at the location one year later.

Did you know …

The Public Works complex at 500 Sycamore opened this month in 1969. It cost $159,599, and contains 12,732 square feet of space. “The building is expected to meet all the city vehicle maintenance needs for a minimum of 10 years, and replaces the old city barn at 501 Ash,” the Clovis News-Journal reported. Today the complex is home to the Parks and Recreation Department. Public Works is now at Norris and Brady streets.

Another new building, and dreamland …

Eastern New Mexico University dedicated its $271,000 technology building this week in 1956 — the first of five new buildings it would open under its $2 million building program. The event took place during Homecoming festivities. The parade theme was “I’ll Meet You in Dreamland,” and Homecoming Queen Candy Landers rode on a float with the banner, “Girl of My Dreams.”

Pages Past is compiled by Clovis News Journal Editor David Stevens. Contact him at:

[email protected]