Looking back 40, 30 and 20 years ago, the following are excerpts from the Artesia Daily Press from May 14-20.
40 years ago
May 14-20, 1978
All residential and commercial areas in town are now equipped with the city’s new garbage collection containers, and all three collection trucks are in full operation. “So far the whole system is working real well,” said sanitation supervisor Tom Clark. “We have 521 one-and-one-half-yard containers, 817 three-yard containers, plus the 262 commercial containers that will have been in service for two years in October.” Clark asks that all old garbage containers and racks be moved from the alleys.
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When it was over, the Artesia Bulldog baseball team had learned the truth about it hurting more when you have the most at stake, and they found out exactly how true this was in Alamogordo Friday as District 5-AAA champ Socorro slammed the door on the Bulldogs’ drive toward the state tournament with a 9-3 victory in the playoff game between the two schools. The Bulldogs could do little more than wave at the hard stuff thrown at them by Warrior pitcher Joel Haley, who allowed only five hits and struck out 14 batters. Artesia coach Mike Allen called Haley the best pitcher the Bulldogs had seen all year, and this is an apt description, as Haley repeatedly reached back for something extra when he needed it, such as striking out the side in the seventh inning, cinching the win. “We just made some key mistakes,” Allen said. “Our pitchers had some problems, and five of those nine runs were unearned, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
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Artesia’s Toby Rhodes flung the javelin a distance of 192’10” Saturday in Albuquerque, his best throw ever and good enough to let him win the event at the Class 3A State Track Meet.
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As reported in the Pinon News: The mountain people were quite surprised when it started raining Monday night of last week, then they were more surprised Tuesday morning when they found it had snowed and it was still snowing heavily. The apple trees were in bloom and covered with snow. It was a beautiful sight. There was about an inch of snow at Pinon, two in the Avis area, and four inches were reported at Weed. It was melting very fast or there would have been a lot more.
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Mike Salmon and Tammie Merritt were named the Lake Arthur Schools’ Outstanding Boy and Girl Athletes at a sports banquet held Saturday night at the school gym. Presenting those two awards was Ron Lee, a guard with the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association.
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To keep the downtown parking meters or not — that is the question. At least two Artesia city councilmen feel the meters should be removed, partly for economic reasons, and replaced with a system which would allow motorists to park downtown at no cost for a maximum of two hours at a time. The city has almost 400 meters, according to city councilman Floyd “Greek” Economides, but a portion of those are not working and are not bringing in money to the city.
30 years ago
May 14-20, 1988
As reported in the Pinon News: J.B. Bouden on the Pinon Ranch plans to change pastures of some of the cattle one day this week. He reported he pumped water to a storage tank on a ridge south of Blue Water Canyon a night and ay the past week, then went to see how much water was in the tank and found none, so he started on the pipe line and found a pickup with a “four-wheeler” in the back. On the pipe line farther back, he found the line cut and 500 feet of pipe rolled up. The water was funning out where it was cut and down the canyon.
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Artesia High School’s varsity cheerleaders for the 1988-89 school year recently were elected. All of them cheered either varsity or junior varsity this past year. They are Netta Taylor, Kristy Standard, Shelli Peyton, Kim Gonzales, Renee Andrews, Rene Rascon, CaraBeth Gray and Genna Simer. Taylor, Gonzales and Andrews all will be juniors in the fall while the other four all will be seniors.
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It rained and it hailed on riders on the trail, but the wet weather failed to dampen the spirits of George Bradford and his companions Thursday night. Camped at the rest stop at Mesa, the crew dined on chili heated on a Coleman stove and serenaded a senior traveler they met at the stop. Bradford rode out of Artesia about 11 a.m. Tuesday on a 250-mile journey to Las Vegas. Once he reaches his destination next Thursday, Bradford plans to thank fifth-grade students who signed petitions on his behalf in his battle against City Hall. He plans to present each student with an autographed photograph of himself with his “seeing-eye” horse, Blue Rocky.
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Artesians Joel Carson and Jimmy Mason were among the first-place winners when riders and cutting horses from California, Colorado, Texas, and all over New Mexico met in Artesia last weekend to complete in the Fourth Annual Greater New Mexico Cutting Horse Association Artesia Cutting.
20 years ago
May 14-20, 1998
Zia Intermediate School science teacher John Ross Null has been chosen as the next principal of Yeso Elementary School. Superintendent Mike Phipps announced the selection Wednesday afternoon. “It was a very difficult decision,” said Phipps. “We had excellent applicants.” Five people applied for the position, which will be open when current principal Jim Hickerson retires this month.
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Socorro Aguilar, RN, has been selected as this year’s Presbyterian Pride Nurse at Artesia General Hospital. Presbyterian Pride Nurses were selected for their outstanding work at Presbyterian Hospitals in New Mexico.
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As reported in the Pinon News: Mrs. Marjory Fleming had her two daughters, Mrs. Eline Finley from Willcox, Ariz., and Mrs. Ellen McGill from Artesia, for the day Saturday. Mrs. McGill brought a large number of bedding plants and Mrs. Fleming and her daughters spent the day setting them out in her yard. They enjoyed the day together and the beauty of the yard after their work.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Looking Back was compiled by Daily Press Community Living Editor Teresa Lemon.)