Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date …
1925: A Portales man’s friends were mourning his loss following a hunting accident.
James L. May, described by newspapers as “prominent,” was found reclining against a tree near Cloudcroft with a bullet through his heart.
“The presumption was that a hunter in the distance had seen him move and mistaken him for a deer,” the Clovis newspaper reported.
1930: McCrory Chevrolet, located at 112 E. Grand in Clovis, was promoting the “bigger and better Chevrolet Six, a new model of the six-cylinder car which has enjoyed such wide popularity.”
The new model represented “an entirely new standard of quality, value and refinement in the low-price field,” according to a newspaper ad.
Prices ranged from $510 to $650.
The Clovis dealer’s phone number was 67.
1950: Drake’s shoe store in Portales was preparing for its “big, popular semi-annual” 5-cent shoe sale.
Customers could choose from more than 1,500 pair of shoes - buy one pair at regular price, get a second pair “at the unheard of low price of only 5 cents,” according to a newspaper ad in the Portales Daily News.
1955: A year-old monkey from South America had found a home on a Portales farm.
The monkey, named Pepito but called Chico because it was easier to pronounce, was living with Mr. and Mrs. T.C. Polk about 3 miles south of Portales.
Mrs. Polk’s brother, a missionary, brought the monkey to the Polks.
“He and the Polks’ bulldog have already made friends and romp together,” the Portales Daily News reported.
1955: The most bitter cold wave of the year was upon New Mexico.
Carlsbad had the state’s warmest low at 41, but it also saw 70-mph winds.
The Chama area had 12 inches of snow. Clayton was the state’s ice box with temperatures dropping to 2 degrees.
Clovis and Portales started the day with temperatures in the 70s, but they dropped into the 30s before midnight and the region braced for overnight lows in the teens.
1956: Funeral services were being planned for Clovis pioneer I. C. Johnson.
Johnson, who arrived by train with his family in Clovis in 1910, was 88.
His efforts to improve city streets was noted in the Clovis News in November of 1915.
As chairman of the street and alley committee, Johnson was “insisting upon the kind of work which will bring returns upon the investment,” the newspaper reported.
Johnson was largely responsible for paving Main Street with the bricks that remain today and also began multiple other paving projects around town.
Johnson family members remain in the region today.
1960: Brents Davis, 22, had been named news editor of The Muleshoe Journal.
“He has had a thorough college grounding in photography and he’s ready to click a camera at a moment’s notice,” according to a story in the paper.
“Brents already has been attending local public meetings and is available to go anywhere that there is promise of a story or a picture. So far, Brents is single.”
1961: Zale’s jewelers, located at 310 Main in Clovis, was staying open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays and urging customers to lay away for Christmas.
Holiday specials included Polaroid camera kits for $79.99, colorful aluminum cookware sets for $29.95, and fine leather billfolds for $2.99.
1962: Odis Echols Jr. was elected president of the Clovis Chamber of Commerce. Other directors included Dan Walters, Kenneth Roper, Chick Taylor Jr., Fred Daugherty, J.A. Burran Jr., Sam Price Douglas and Jim Burns.
1965: Watson Motor Co., located at 600 W. Seventh in Clovis, was promoting the Mercury Comet — the first car in its class to reach 1 million in sales.
1966: Central Baptist Church of Clovis was hosting the 54th annual Baptist Convention of New Mexico.
About 1,500 delegates were in attendance.
Esther Linthicum of Portales was among the earliest arrivals.
1967: Don Rierson Motors, at 500 E. First in Clovis, offered a “just right” special — a 1965 Chevrolet Impala Coupe, V8 with automatic transmission, for $1,899. “Remember,” Rierson’s told its customers, “if we don’t sell you one ... we’ll try to buy yours. We need clean used cars.”
1971: Gery’s, at 1010 W. Seventh in Clovis, specialized in repairing Volkswagens and all foreign cars. Owner Gerhard Pulz kept his shop closed on Saturdays.
1972: United States District Judge Edwin L. Mecham gave the Portales Municipal Schools 90 days to “submit plans for correcting alleged discriminatory practices affecting Mexican-American students” in the district, according to an article in the Clovis News-Journal.
The lawsuit was filed by the Mexican-American Legal Defense Fund on behalf of four parents with students in the Portales district.
Defendants included L.C. Cozzens, superintendent of Portales Schools, as well as four principals, and members of the school board.
The suit alleged that the district had “an educational program that is tailored to educate the middle class child from an English speaking family without regard for the educational needs of the child from an environment where Spanish is the predominant language.”
1973: Denny’s Restaurant, at 1400 Mabry Drive in Clovis, supported the “purple pride” and suggested fans stop in after the games for a hot cup of coffee or chocolate.
1975: Former Curry County sheriff and Clovis Police Chief Robert Whitley had died at age 80.
Whitley was the county sheriff from 1942 to 1946 and police chief from 1956 to 1957.
During World War I, Whitley had been a member of the honor guard for President Woodrow Wilson during the signing of the armistice in Paris, according to news reports.
Whitley had been a deacon at Clovis’ First Baptist Church for 35 years.
1977: The newly elected officers of the Curry County Farmers Union had written a letter to President Jimmy Carter asserting that wheat and feed grain prices were too low to be fair to producers.
Haney Tate was the new president of the local agriculture group, Doug Reid was vice president, and Bill Patton was secretary-treasurer. They were elected at the Farmers Union annual banquet.
American wheat was selling for about $2 a bushel at the time; local farmers were urging Carter to raise that to $4.50 a bushel.
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:
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