Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
On this date ...
1941: J.J. Steele, co-owner of the Hart Ranch southwest of Melrose, had sold about 800 2-year-old steers to a buyer in Dexter, Kan.
The purchase price was reported at $60,000.
1955: Portales Valley Mills workers discovered the company safe had been cracked the night before while three employees worked in an adjoining warehouse.
Employees noticed a strange car in the parking lot, but hadn’t noticed anything out of place.
The thieves took $70.
1957: Ernest Marsh, known to his many friends in Clovis as “Maggie,” was named president of the Atchison and Santa Fe Railway Co.
Marsh, 54, was born in Virginia, but came to Clovis with his parents when he was about 5.
Maggie Marsh went to school in Clovis and started working for the railroad as a clerk in 1918, when he was 15.
Old-timers in Clovis said they remembered Marsh for his “mathematical mind” and for his work as a “soda skeet” at the C. Parrish Confectionary and Candy Kitchen.
1960: Dorothy Warenskjold, one of the foremost sopranos in America, was announced as a performer scheduled for the fall Community Concert, the Clovis News-Journal reported.
She was noted for her radio and television appearances on the “Voice of Firestone” as well as for her work with the Metropolitan Opera Company.
About 800 area residents would attend her performance Nov. 1 at Marshall Junior High School in Clovis.
She sang 19 selections, including five serenades, one aria and five folk songs, the newspaper reported.
At a reception following her concert, she told fans she some day hoped to own a small cattle ranch.
1961: Clovis police were investigating a fire and vandalism at La Casita school.
Two rooms had been gutted by the blaze and smoke caused damage throughout the building, officials said.
Vandals smeared obscenities over doors and walls before starting the fire in an art room.
Classes were continuing, except in the two rooms destroyed.
1970: The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of a Portales doctor convicted of selling amphetamine pep pills.
Dr. Donald Munroe and his wife, Marin Munroe, were found guilty in 1968.
Mrs. Munroe received a suspended sentence, but Mr. Monroe was sentenced to three months in prison, United Press International reported.
1970: Clovis’ Seventh Street merchants purchased a full-page newspaper advertisement claiming “West 7th is beautiful.”
The ad featured 39 businesses, including Holsum Bread & Pastry Products, Burger Chef, Cruz Solano Antiques and Furniture, Alfie’s Fish and Chip and Baca Brothers Chevron Service.
1983: Two Clovis siblings were leaders of their respective schools, possibly the only time that had happened, according to Judy Brandon, student council sponsor for the Clovis Municipal Schools.
Shannon Smith was president of the student council at Yucca Junior, and her brother, Chip Smith, was president of the Clovis High School student council.
1988: The Melrose Chamber of Commerce adopted the theme, “Opportunities are great in ‘88,” for the community of 700 people located 22 miles west of Clovis.
The Clovis News-Journal reported that several businesses had opened or expanded in Melrose in the last four months.
Dale Bigler, owner of Melrose Tire, was expanding his store to include a car wash, fuel pumps, and an oil change service.
“It really surprised me, the business that Melrose draws,” Bigler said. “I have customers from Floyd, Ragland, Grady, House, Fort Sumner, Portales, and even Clovis.”
Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens and Betty Williamson. Contact:
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