Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date ...
1988: Clovis High School students Richard Knowles and Steve Houston earned a spot on the front page of the Clovis News-Journal after they wore mini-skirts to school to protest the district policy that allowed female students to attend classes wearing short skirts, but forbid shorts for all students.
"We were just mad because we were getting all hot and sweaty and the girls can get away with wearing mini-skirts," Knowles told the newspaper. "There was nothing in the dress code saying we could not wear them."
Superintendent Rick Purvis said the dress code had remained unchanged for at least 20 years, and no plans were in the works to amend it despite regular challenges from students.
1978: Thirty individuals, mostly from eastern New Mexico, were still hospitalized after an outbreak of foodborne botulism that was eventually traced to contaminated three-bean salad served at the Colonial Park Country Club restaurant.
Two fatalities were blamed on the type A botulism that was found in a total of 34 people who had eaten at the restaurant that weekend. Survivors faced hospital stays ranging from four to 164 days, followed by lengthy recoveries.
The victims were being cared for in hospitals ranging from Albuquerque to Amarillo; many were airlifted by military aircraft from Cannon Air Force Base. All were being treated with vials of anti-toxin flown in from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.
Pages Past is compiled by Betty Williamson. Contact her at: [email protected]