Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Most Americans remember July 20, 1969, as the night man first walked on the moon.
Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon’s surface at 8:56 p.m. (MDT), telling the world it was “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
I watched it all live on television, but that’s not what I remember most about that night 50 years ago.
What I remember most: Benny Floyd killed a cat in our front yard.
He didn’t do it on purpose.
We were playing tag on the front porch, running in and out of the house to look at the moon, then the TV, then the moon again.
Benny, my neighbor, accidentally kicked a barn cat in the head with his boot heel while we were running and playing tag.
The cat darted out from under the porch. As best I can remember, Benny fell down trying to avoid the collision.
But the cat died instantly.
One small step for man, one trip into eternity for that poor cat.
Benny was OK, but we were all stunned by what happened.
I was 9 at the time. Benny must have been 11 or 12. My cousin Rick claims he was there, but I don’t really remember.
I do remember wondering if Neil Armstrong would disintegrate the moment his boot made contact with the surface of the moon that night. I also remember wondering if my grandmother was right, that this whole moon landing was made-for-TV fiction.
And I remember wondering why that cat decided to wander in from the barn on that specific night to hide under our porch, then dart out at just the right time to get kicked in the head by Benny’s boot.
It was one of those rare childhood nights when I got to stay up past midnight. So, with apologies to Bob Seger, I guess I’ll blame it on midnight.
Shame on the moon.
David Stevens writes about regional history for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at: