Looking back 40, 30 and 20 years ago, the following are excerpts from the Artesia Daily Press.
40 years ago July 21-27, 1984
Part of the Grand Entry ceremony prior to Friday’s performance of the 1984 Pioneer Days Rodeo involved a display of the colors, as seen here, held aloft by a representative of Baca Brothers, stock managers for the rodeo. Several riders rode weaving patterns, afterwhich the night’s rodeo action began. The closing performance was scheduled Saturday at the Artesia Roping Club Arena.
———-Members of the 104th Quartermaster Co., United States Army Reserve, from left Sgt. 1st Class Miles Turner, Spec. 4 Ramona Gubara and Lt. Cerie Kimball proudly display awards the company won recently during annual training at Camp Roberts, Calif. The group received the Safety Award for best safety record and emergency preparedness and also was recognized as Best Company for leadership, job performance, communication and motivation.
———-Two Amtrak passenger trains crashed head-on today in a “major accident” on an elevated section of track, Amtrack and Fire Department officials said. Scores of people are injured, including four seriously. A parallel track had been closed for repairs. “It could be a bad one. A lot depends on just how fast it was going,” said John McLeod, an Amtrak spokesman. He said each train carried about 160 passengers.
———-Mayor Ernest Thompson, left, and Eddy County Commissioner Johnnie Bowman of Artesia examine equipment in the interior of a new ambulance purchased by the county for use by the Artesia Fire Department. The ambulance, which went into service July 5, cost $27,412 after $5,000 trade-in of a 1975 model. The county financed the purchase in exchange for the city responding to rural ambulance calls. The vehicle was modified to carry extra equipment, including extrication and rescue equipment, on the rural runs.
———-The state’s total income for the 1983-84 fiscal year is expected to be within $10 million of earlier projections, says Finance Secretary Denise Fort. Ms. Fort said in her department’s monthly general fund report that state income for the first 11 months of the fiscal year, through May, totaled $1,028,455,000. The state will need to collect about $167 million in June to hit its projections for the fiscal year. The Department of Finance and Administration predicts that personal income tax collections paid into the general fund in June will amount to more than $50 million.
———-Representatives of 18 of New Mexico’s 19 pueblos accepted deed to 44 ¼ acres of land the U.S. Department of the Interior turned over Monday. The land formerly was the Albuquerque Indian School. The school, operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was closed in 1980. The deed transfer calls for the pueblos to use the land for public purposes such as development of an office complex and hotel to generate income and employment opportunities for the pueblos.
———-Artesia firefighter Bill Pearson holds a kitten brought from a mobile home which caught fire Wednesday afternoon. Other firefighters are, from left, volunteer Tommy Howell, firefighter Bob Wilkin and sheriff’s investigator Pat Childress. A smoke ejector hangs from the doorway of the home. Only minor damage occurred to the front bedroom of the home where an aquarium thermostat next to a wall apparently shorted out, causing the fire.
30 years ago July 21-27, 1994
When it comes to age, there is a definite gap between Vernon Swift and his grandsons, Jim and Devin Dulaney. But when it comes to the world of model airplanes, they’re flying side by side. The three and other members of the family traveled to Lubbock, Texas, Wednesday where Vernon, owner of Swift Sales and Service in Artesia, and Jim, 15 of Lewisville, Texas, are competing today in the Academy of Model Aeronautics national model airplane competition.
———-Artesia High School 1994 graduates Jesus Trujillo and Jennifer Armstrong were elected to state Future Farmers of America posts at the FFA state convention June 9-12. Trujillo was elected state president while Armstrong was elected state reporter at the state convention in Las Cruces.
———-The Clinton administration is fighting an expected attempt on the Senate floor next week to block the government from implementing a plan that would expand the use of corn-based ethanol. Sen. Bennett Johnson, D-La., intends to offer an amendment blocking the Environmental Protection Agency’s socalled ethanol mandate. The EPA decided June 30 to require part of the oxygen-boosting additive in cleaner-burning gasoline come from a renewable source – in effect ethanol. The new fuel, with higher concentrations of oxygen, is required beginning in January for nine cities with the worst air pollution.
———-An Eddy County range plant identification team recently took top honors in competition at the 1994 New Mexico State 4-H Conference in Las Cruces. Team members are, from left, Ross Townsend, Kris Patterson, Rachel Hendricks and Drew Hendricks.
———-Efforts to enact a total no-smoking policy in all of the city-owned buildings failed at the Artesia City Council meeting Tuesday night. Before the vote, several city employees spoke against the total ban and favored the continued policy of designated smoking areas.
20 years ago July 21-27, 2004
Two New Mexico State Police officers were recuperating Wednesday after they were hit by lightning while helping motorists on a flooded road. Officers Clint Varnell and Lance Bateman continued to work for two hours after they were struck Tuesday night in eastern New Mexico. Varnell and Bateman were called to help people in about 15 vehicles stranded on flooded N.M. 206 about five miles south of Portales, said state police Lt. Jimmy Glascock.
———-President Bush said Wednesday his administration is doing everything possible to prevent another terrorist attack as he braced for a report sharply critical of the government’s intelligence- gathering before Sept. 11. Congress isn’t likely to undertake major revisions of the nation’s intelligence operations this year, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said, casting doubt on the Sept. 11 commission’s push for immediate changes once its final report is released.
———-An economist, New Mexico State University President Dr. Michael Martin said, “is someone who sees something working in practice and wonders if it will work in theory.” Thursday he saw theory put into practice. Martin, an economist, and the new president at NMSU, was among a large contingent in attendance at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center, south of Artesia. A field day and trade show were included in the program.
———-Firefighters remained on the scene at the J&M Dairy on North 13th Street through the night and Friday morning following a fire Thursday afternoon. Thirteenth Street remains closed at Lawrence Ranch Road. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
———-An Artesia man was arrested in connection with five burglaries in Eddy County that occurred last week. Ernest Thurman, 31, of Artesia, was arrested in connection with five burglaries and a stolen vehicle from Texas. Sheriff D. Kent Waller reported that on Thursday, July 22, Eddy County Sheriff’s Department deputies and investigators cleared five burglaries, with three occurring on Wednesday, July 21, that resulted in the recovery of several pieces of stolen property and a stolen vehicle from Seminole, Texas.
———- (EDITOR’S NOTE: Looking Back was compiled By Daily Press Staff)
