Pages past — Sept. 23

On this date ...

1976: Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford squared off in their first televised debate, but most of Clovis learned little or didn’t watch.

“However it should be noted that since the telephone survey was conducted during the morning hours of a work day, most of the respondents were housewives,” according to the report by Jill Buzzard and Jerry Large.

Mrs. Pete Cervantez, a counselor at Marshall Junior High, said she felt Carter won, “because of his answers on the CIA and national defense.”

She also said, “I think these two men are going to stir up the people and get them interested and involved, even the young ones.”

Mrs. G. A. Warren, 83, of 821 Hull St., said: “I’d rather play 42. I didn’t watch.”

1961: A 2-year-old Clovis girl had been treated for bites from monkeys at the Clovis zoo.

Kathy Kellum was feeding peanuts to the monkeys when one of them grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the cage.

Two monkeys then began biting the child’s hand while “three or four more grabbed her hair and started pulling it,” according to her mother, Mrs. Keith Kellum.

A doctor told the Kellums to watch for swelling in the injured hand but assured the family the monkeys had been vaccinated against rabies and said the girl should be fine.

1961: Area college football scores:

• Mississippi State 6, Texas Tech 0

• Texas A&M 7, Houston 7

• Iowa State 14, Oklahoma State 7

Pages Past is compiled by Editor David Stevens. For more regional history, check out his weblog at:

www.highplainsyesterdays.com