Focus on Lea County Spring 2015

SPRING 2015

LOVING, LIVING & LEAVING A LASTING

LEGACY

The Red Crow & Casey’s Black Gold and a Boom Town New Mexico’s Last Frontier Ranching at the Pitchfork Breaking Down Desegregation Local History, Recipes & More!

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SPRING 2015

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04 06 10 12 13

FROM THE EDITOR FOCUS ON FOOD

RESTAURANT LEGACY FOCUS ON OIL AND GAS

BLACK GOLD AND A BOOM TOWN FOCUS ON MAINSTREET

LOVINGTON MAINSTREET

06

FOCUS ON HISTORY

GIL HINSHAW’S BOOK ON LEA CO.

15 16 17 18

FOCUS ON RECIPES

20 24

FOCUS ON RANCHING

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY

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FOCUS ON SPORTS

LET’S EAT!

FOCUS ON CITY HALL

OUR MODERN CITY HALL TIDBITS & TRIVIA

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FOCUS ON VETERANS

FLYING AWAY

A RANCHING LEGACY FOCUS ON DESEGREGATION

BREAKING GROUND

A GREAT SOURCE FOR HISTORY SPORTS LEGACY IMMORTALIZED

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ABOUT THE COVER

Longtime restaurant family has an important legacy.

Read Kenny and Peggy Smith’s story - starting on page 6.

Photo by Cornerstone Photography • www.cornerstonehobbs.com

Kyle Marksteiner, Editorial Director - Adrian Martinez, Advertising Photography by Cornerstone Photography & Submitted Photos Special Contributors: Leah Wingert, Jonathan Sena & Tabatha Lawson FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY AD VENTURE MARKETING

Ad Venture Marketing, Ltd. Co. • 866.207.0821 • ad-venturemarketing.com All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Every effort was made to ensure accuracy of the information provided.

The publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for errors, changes or omissions.

SPRING 2015 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

3

F O C U S from the editor

“LEGACY” IS ONE OF THOSE WORDS THAT MEANS WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO MEAN, BUT IT SOUNDED LIKE A GOOD WAY TO DESCRIBE OUR OBJECTIVE.

KYLE MARKSTEINER Editorial Director

FOCUS ON LEA CO.

“History and then some,” might have been another way to say it. We talk about some of the moments in time and the areas of our county that make Lea County unique. We delve into history, but also focus on the present and the people who were and are involved.

Welcome to the third edition of Focus on Lea County – and thank you.

Thank you for the incredibly positive feedback we’ve received for the two prior editions. Everything we’ve heard from you so far has been great, and we hope you will tell all your friends about us.

What’s in store for this edition? We’ve got oil and gas ups and downs, sports, desegregation, airfields, ranching and restaurants. City Councilor Jonathan Sena joins us with some city hall history, and Jim Harris reviews one of the, no I’ll use Jim’s opinion - the - best guide to Lea County.

edition was getting to speak with legendary golfer Kathy Whitworth.

If my article does not capture it- she’s a pretty big deal. Check out her Wikipedia page and marvel at the fact that she pretty much won everything for an entire decade.

While I didn’t try to call Brian Urlacher, perhaps I should have. I’m a Chicago Bears fan, however, so most of my questions would have been along the lines of “Would you please go back and help the Bears stop stinking?”

my daughter Amelia thought it was hilarious when they called our order as “Kyle Number Two.” Kyle Number One, whoever he is, didn’t get the chance to chat with Bert and Montie Carol, a couple I’d actually met a few years ago and enjoyed catching up with. We only lightly touched on ranching in Lea County in this edition – Lea County is a big place. We’ve got a lot left to do.

A B O U T T H E E D IT O R

Kyle Marksteiner is the editorial director of Focus on Lea County and Focus on Carlsbad. He can be reached at editor@ad-venturemarketing.com.

I also had several meals at Casey’s, because what’s the point of writing about a restaurant if you don’t try the food? There was another Kyle in line a few people ahead of me, and

Special thanks to Jim Harris, who was a treasure trove of information, and Leah Wingert, who very capably picked up the slack when some other things fell through. I thought Leah’s story on oil booms and busts was especially insightful. She spoke with a number of people of all ages to develop a pretty good accounting of the industry’s history. Her desegregation article is also a must read.

I think a highlight for me in this

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | SPRING 2015

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F O C U S on food

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | SPRING 2015

RESTAURANT rtoowCasey’s C m o r f LEGACY

K

by Kyle Marksteiner

enny Smith and his family have helped feed hungry Lea County residents for decades – and you might say that gives them something to crow about.

Smith earned his restaurant education working-in and then managing The Red Crow, a Hobbs legacy. Then he opened Casey’s, a successor to The Red Crow, which became another town mainstay. These days, Paula (Smith’s daughter) and Kerry Manis run Casey’s (located at 209 MAIN PHOTOS: Kenny and Peggy Smith, along with their

family, own and operate Casey’s restaurant in downtown Hobbs. Photos by Cornerstone Photography PHOTOS RIGHT: The famous Red Crow Restaurant - where Kenny Smith got his start in the food business.

Photos courtesy of Mark Cotton from Hobbshistory.com

W. Broadway St. in Hobbs), though Kenny still helps quite a bit when he isn’t also running Easy Par Golf, a “retirement job” located a couple doors down from his grandson’s catering business.

The Smith and Manis families keep pretty busy.

According to Smith, “Red” Crow first opened his doors in 1955 (the same year

as McDonald’s). The restaurant was ahead of its time, offering a drive-thru window well before most national chains had the idea. The Crow was draped in red and white neon, making it well suited for the era of downtown cruising.

Smith began working for the Red Crow Drive-in when he was 14 as a cleanup man. He worked at the restaurant on 621 North Dal Paso; there was another unit on Bender and stores in Roswell, Clovis, Midland, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. He left 14 years later after serving as manager.

Smith actually

SPRING 2015 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

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started his career even earlier, washing dishes at the Airway Steak Room.

Another thing the Red Crow did? Sell chicken.

noted. “We have 10,000 to 12,000 pieces.”

“They didn’t know I was 12!” he recalled. “My next door neighbor (originally) had the job, but went away on vacation for the summer.”

Chicken wasn’t a staple of most establishments back then, but the Red Crow and one other local joint had it on the menu.

Customers often donate Coke memorabilia they’ve picked up from all over the world. Smith especially appreciated a Coke bottle he received that contained sand from Iraq acquired during Operation Desert Storm. There are hundreds of items on display around the restaurant, but many more items are “stuffed everywhere” in storage, Smith stated.

When the Red Crow was up for sale, Smith had the opportunity to take the mantle but opted instead to move down the road to the Hobbs mini-mall and open his own restaurant. The Crow was purchased by a different former employee, Calvin Elrod, who ran the restaurant from 1977 until 1986, when it closed in an oil bust.

“The Red Crow was a good thing.

We gave so many young people an opportunity for their first jobs, and they went on to run their own businesses or become professors or Valedictorians,” Smith concluded. “It was a very good and successful group of kids.”

Editor’s note: that list of success stories includes the publisher of Focus on Lea County, Lajuana Wimberly (now Martinez), who worked 2 ½ years in the Red Crow business office.

“I think we sold two cases of chicken every day,” Smith reflected. “I never believed that people ate that much chicken.”

Casey’s opened in 1977. Business was originally under the Smith Company, but evolved into the Kenny Company, while the restaurant evolved into KC then Casey’s.

Believe it or not, Casey’s originally had a barbed wire theme. Visitors to the restaurant today can’t help but notice an overwhelming emphasis on CocaCola memorabilia, somewhat more inviting than barbed wire.

“My wife Peggy and I decided we wanted to change to Coke,” Smith

PHOTOS: The Coca-Cola themed decor inside of Casey’s. The Smith’s estimate they have between 10,000-12,000 pieces in their collection. Photos by Cornerstone Photography

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | SPRING 2015

“I do like Coke,” Smith confessed.

“But I’ve gotten older now, so I drink Diet Coke.”

The Coke people apparently liked the attention. An executive visited one year, toured the restaurant and even invited the family to visit the company’s headquarters in Atlanta.

Casey’s was, in many ways, a successor to The Red Crow, but the recipe for onion rings was the only direct food overlap.

“But their core was innovation, sanitation, good quality food and good

service. I took that core and injected it into my own business,” Smith stated.

“I took what I knew.”

Another thing that Casey’s and the Red Crow have in common is their focus on customer service. Smith believes that some employees are just born with a knack for good customer service. He learned early on how important having the right attitude is for business.

“Red would always tell me that there are no menial jobs,” he reflected.

“If somebody doesn’t do their job, someone else has got to do it. That’s the way it was with Red Crow.”

The way Smith sees it, he went to school at The Red Crow.

“It was like getting a PhD, and it was one of the very best places to work.

We always had a top notch group of kids,” he said.

Old Jacks, located in Lovington, is another successor to the Red Crow, Smith noted.

Casey’s really has always been a family business, and Smith noted that daughter Paula began finding ways to help when she was 8-years-old. The two daughters and three grandsons all went with Smith during visits to other restaurants the family ran in the area.

Grandson Kasen has worked at Casey’s for the past four years.

“I like it there,” he offered. “All you have to have is patience and the time to do it.”

Kenny and Peggy still help when the restaurant gets shorthanded. They’ve cut back on hours, he said, but love helping with the business. The couple married in 1966, and they’ve worked together most of those years. The family also values taking care of their

employees “because they are the ones who earn you money,” Smith shared.

And yes, Kenny Smith still likes the food. He has cut back on hamburgers a bit due to a heart condition.

“But I still get a craving once in a while,” he declared. “And when I have to have a hamburger, they make the very best.”

Smith enjoys keeping his business in the downtown area, saying that he believes downtowns are important.

Business at Casey’s was booming during a recent visit to the restaurant.

You might say that the mighty Casey has struck-gold.

“...I still get a craving once in a while and when I have to have a hamburger, they make the very best.”

SPRING 2015 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

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F O C U S on oil and gas

by Leah Wingert

In the beginning of oil it was hardship. Everything was hard to do. We didn’t know anything except the surface of the ground.” -The Hamill Brothers Oil is the lifeblood of Hobbs, New Mexico, and the oil fields are its beating heart. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, pioneers in covered wagons made their way through buffalo grass, rattlesnakes and desert to reach this desolate slice of the New Mexican desert. They pushed ever westward in pursuit of their manifest destiny and the American Dream. By 1907, according to www. hobbsamerica.com, James Isaac Hobbs became a homesteader in a tiny community made up of approximately 50 other families, and it is for him that the city of Hobbs was named.

While the story of steel-willed pioneers is not unique to the American experience, the discovery of oil within the bounds of the city in 1928 is considered “the most important single discovery of oil in New Mexico’s history,” according to the Web site AOGHS.org. The discovery of this “black gold,” the moniker assigned to oil, changed the economy of New Mexico. According to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), as of August 2014, New Mexico is the 5th most oil rich state in the United States with proven oil reserves of 965 million barrels.

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | SPRING 2015

The quest for oil started in East Texas in 1900 with the legendary discovery of oil at Spindletop by the Hamill brothers, Al and Curt. The tremendous success of the Spindletop well created a frenzy of oil prospecting. By 1927, twenty years after the arrival of James Isaac Hobbs and his family, Hobbs and the surrounding area remained mostly a farming and ranching community. Then in June of 1928 the first well hit, and the economy of Hobbs changed drastically. While ranching and farming will always be a backbone of the Hobbs community, the oil beneath its feet became its driving force. From dirt, rocks and tumbleweeds grew a thriving energy industry. When the stock market crashed in October 1929 beginning the Great Depression, Hobbs was just beginning the first of one of its many oil booms. By 1932, while the nation was dealing with the crippling effects of the Great Depression and the national unemployment rate was up to 24%, Hobbs was becoming a boom town.

With the arrival of the oil and gas industry came new people and money.

PHOTOS: Downtown Mainstreet: Pictured during Hobbs’

earliest days and then again in the 1950s.

According to census records from 1920-1930, the population of Hobbs increased from 568 to over 10,000, and with this increase came newfound affluence.

Unlike the rest of the country, now firmly in the grips of the Depression, Hobbs in the 1930’s experienced a true economic boom.

The city featured all of the modern conveniences from drugstores, five and dimes, roller rinks, movie theaters and a brick hotel named the Hardin.

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However, every boom precedes a bust, and eventually the reality of being a one industry town sank in as the price of oil plummeted, creating a cycle of economic growth and stagnation.

This is not unique to the American experience. Other cities, such as Bridgeport, Connecticut (www.citydata.com) with defense manufacturing and Detroit, Michigan, motor city, were also solely dependent upon a single industry. However, Hobbs is the like a Phoenix - rising from the ashes again and again through good times and bad.

“This is pretty much how it always works,” says Kevin Hughes, a twenty year veteran of the oil fields.

“When times are good, there are a lot of people and a lot of money to go around. Then when prices drop, there are a lot of people and not enough work.”

Hughes has seen a lot of ups and downs over years, first in the late 90’s and again in 2008.

Hughes states the 2008 bust was the shortest of the busts, occurring at the beginning of the national economic downturn.

Hobbs faces another bust today with the current tumbling gas prices.

It is in these times, the work freezes and layoffs, that the fear comes that perhaps this time will be the end of the oil industry. Over the past several years, oil has been good once again to Lea County, creating jobs and fueling yet another boom. As prices rose to over $100 a barrel, workers and their families drawn to the quick cash and new to this cycle of boom and bust PHOTOS: A monument to the area’s first oil boom, 1928.

predicted that oil prices would never drop.

Jim Harris, the executive director of the Lea County Museum and longtime resident of Lea County, knows differently. Over the past several months, Harris has been compiling a new exhibit on the Hobbs oil fields. After speaking with veterans of the oil industry, he understands that “No matter what you think, you are always going to have ups and downs.

A lot of people were saying oil prices will never drop, but the old timers were saying ‘of course they will.’”

Tracy Pritchard, whose husband Kevin Pritchard is employed in the oil industry, put it this way - “This weekend Kevin had a job. Most people would be upset to be called out late and have to stay out in the field so long, but with the way things are, we’re just happy he has a job.”

Hughes has been able to remain employed by “always finding something to do. Yes prices will go down, but they go back up eventually.”

However, due to the nature of the business, bad times come as swiftly as the good. Recently Melissa Sosa, a well-paid administrative assistant to one of the oil field companies, found out her company was pulling up stakes and moving out of Hobbs. With no previous warning, on February 2 the employees of her company were told that the company would be closing down its operations. By February 9th Sosa was out of a job.

“We weren’t making a profit,” Sosa said, seemingly blindsided by the sudden loss of employment after more than two years with the company.

“Everyone says that the oilfield will go down, but no one believes it

will.” Sosa stated, while gathering her resume materials, “At least I have unemployment until I can get something better.” Sosa said.

Connie Richardson, of Johnson Miller CPA, in Hobbs was also brought to the area during a time of economic boom. “I moved here in 1988; we came because my husband at the time was employed in the oil fields. I remember it was hard to find housing.”

However her co-worker Clayette Kashner, who moved to Hobbs just two years earlier in 1986, came when oil prices were still depressed. “My husband and I looked at what felt like 35 houses. We had our pick because there was no one here.” Kashner stated.

Rebecca Gomez moved to Hobbs from Kansas in the mid 90’s, also finding the oil industry in a state of depression. “It was hard.” Castillo states. “There was no work, and we needed to pool resources.” Oil prices cycled upward, bringing work and a 1930’s type building boom to Hobbs.

“Over by where Wal-Mart is now there was nothing,” Richardson said.

“Everything down Joe Harvey was nothing more than empty fields. The Chili’s and Applebee’s weren’t here and [neither was] the casino.”

Since the last major oil bust in 2008, Hobbs has seen unprecedented economic growth. Hotels, restaurants, a new home development, and even an organic market – Dory Farms, have come to the area. However, as the old timers know, nothing lasts forever. Oil prices are sliding back down again, but no matter what, the black gold still flows beneath the soil—waiting.

SPRING 2015 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

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F O C U S on mainstreet R E V I TA L I Z I N G O U R H I S T O R I C D O W N T O W N D I S T R I C T

LOVINGTON MAINSTREET 2014 WAS A BUSY AND EXCITING YEAR FOR LOVINGTON MAINSTREET.

TABATHA LAWSON

Executive Director LOVINGTON MAINSTREET

We are grateful to live and work in a community of generous, caring people who assist us with our mission of revitalizing Historic Downtown Lovington. Throughout the year, we saw some major improvements begin to happen in the district. 2014 netted 6 new businesses and 32 new jobs. Twelve building rehabilitations or remodels and four business expansions took place downtown, with nearly $200,000 in private reinvestment. With the acquisition of the Historic Lea Theatre, completion of Central Plaza Phase One Streetscape improvements, and new roofs on the Library, Troy Harris Center and Lea County Museum, downtown Lovington received over $1 million in public reinvestment!

In 2014, Lovington MainStreet was one of only five New Mexico communities to receive National Accreditation for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center.

Additionally,

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | SPRING 2015

Tabatha Lawson became Lovington MainStreet’s first State-Certified Executive Director. We have welcomed several new members to our Board of Directors, staff, committees and volunteer base.

Lovington MainStreet hosted 35 special events during the course of the year and logged over 2,300 hours from our remarkable group of volunteers!

Last year’s events included city-wide Beautification Day, Smokin’ On the Plaza Championship BBQ Cook-Off & Music Festival, Live On Love Street Summer Concert Series, Lovington Downtown Farmers’ Markets, Halloween On the Plaza, Downtown Holiday Decorating, and Christmas On the Plaza/Light Up Lea County.

We also partnered with downtown merchants to host five promotional events, encouraging shoppers to purchase from businesses within the district and support local economy.

Potential continues to abound in Downtown Lovington, and 2015 promises to be busier and better than ever. We are extremely excited

to see some amazing projects come to fruition, with many more in the “pipeline.” Lovington MainStreet is comprised of a very hard-working group of people who believe in the positive changes being made in our community! At LMS, we are “Preserving our past; Loving our present; Improving our future.”

2015 EVENTS • LOVINGTON BEAUTIFICATION DAY - APRIL 25 • SMOKIN’ ON THE PLAZA JUNE 19 & 20 • LIVE ON LOVE ST SUMMER CONCERTS - JUNE - AUGUST • HALLOWEEN ON THE PLAZA OCTOBER 31 • CHRISTMAS ON THE PLAZA/ LIGHT UP LEA COUNTY DECEMBER

PAID FOR IN PART B Y LOV INGTON LO DGE R’ S TA X

F O C U S on history

BOOK REVIEW: Gil Hinshaw’s

Lea, New Mexico’s Last Frontier

by Jim Harris

P

ublished almost forty years ago and reprinted by the Lea County Museum just last year, Gil Hinshaw’s Lea, New Mexico’s Last Frontier continues to be an exemplar book and the authoritative history of Lea County.

Since Lea became a county in 1917, quite a few books have appeared that tell parts of the Lea story, from the first ranchers arriving to open ranges of the 1880’s, then followed by the initial settlers homesteading the region in the early 1900’s. There have been dozens of memoirs, family histories, and genealogies, most of them privately published.

As an example, seven years ago the City of Hobbs commissioned the important publication of Keep ‘em Flying, a detailed and photo-filled book about the Hobbs Army Air Field which existed north of the city between 1942-1946.

In addition, the Lea County Museum in Lovington has published 12 different books in the last eight years, all of which deal with Lea history and folklore, one of them being Lovington: Survivor on the High Plains (2008) also written by Hinshaw.

To be truthful, several of the privately published recollections of earlier times reflect folksy ideas about Lea’s early settlement and the ranchers and pioneers who came here.

However, Hinshaw’s history of the county should be the first read by anyone interested in this corner of the Land of Enchantment. It is thorough and it is well written, and Lea, New

About Lea’s Historian:

Gil Hinshaw For anyone who has read the many books, magazine articles, memoirs, newspaper accounts, and genealogy studies of Lea County, New Mexico, there is no question about who is Lea’s historian.

Gil Hinshaw is the journalist, newspaper editor, scholar, and author of Lea, New Mexico’s Last Frontier, the book that is the final word on the history of this corner of the state from the beginnings of human habitation until 1976 when the book was published by the Hobbs News-Sun. It may be a title that Gil has never sought, but I would think it appropriate that the Lea County Commissioners immediately issue a proclamation that henceforth he should be referred to as Professor Hinshaw, and that one of the state’s universities should be preparing an Honorary Doctor of Letters Award to this man who has written so much about the history of several regions of New Mexico.

I wonder how many of the people even in Lea County know that Hinshaw has written, for instance, a history of the town of Tucumcari?

Lea County has changed so much in the last decade that most likely, few in Lea know of his distinguished career in journalism before he moved to Hobbs. He worked for the Albuquerque Journal, for The Associated Press in Santa Fe, as editor of the Tucumcari Daily News and the editor of the Carlsbad Current-Argus before he became the editor of the Hobbs News-Sun. Gil is the man who edited the county’s largest newspaper, the Hobbs NewsSun, for two decades and made the paper a highly respected and award-winning state publication whose reporters won dozens of state journalism awards. At the same time he was doing that, Gil was also the man burning the midnight oil writing the county’s history.

Lea, New Mexico’s Last Frontier is a thoroughly researched and documented work, and it could have been someone’s doctoral dissertation in history studies at any of the major universities in the American Southwest. In fact, having read a fair number of dissertations, I would

say that Lea, New Mexico’s Last Frontier is better than 90% of the dissertations coming out of university history departments today.

Lea County folks interested in our history should be thankful that Hinshaw did not choose to be an academic and chose instead to be a journalist, the profession that eventually brought him to Hobbs.

I mentioned that Gil is the author of books other that the Tucumcari history. Here are the titles of some of his other works: Death of a Rag Doll; The Civil War’s 10,500 Battles; A History of the HenshawHinshaw Origins; Today, Iraq; Tomorrow, the World; and What So Proudly We Hailed.

Lea County is very lucky to have Gil Hinshaw and his family move to this corner of the state, and we are fortunate to have him continue to live here after the passing of his wife Judy two years ago.

By just about any standards, Gil Hinshaw is Lea’s historian.

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NOW OPEN Mexico’s Last Frontier covers much more of the history than most of the other works.

Our Team:

Front Row (left to right) Katie Porter, PA-C • Paul Acerra, PA-C Cindy Phillippi, CNP • Back Row (left to right) Dr. Zhinian Wan Tracy Towles, RN – Joint Care Coordinator • Dr. Marshall Baca Darla Bannister, CNP • Dr. William Baggs

Our Mission:

The Mission of The Bone and Joint Destination Center is to provide quality healthcare focused on restoring and enhancing independent lifestyles for patients with bone and joint disorders.

In addition, it is an academic history in the sense that it has an index, footnotes, and a bibliography. It can lead readers to other good books, including several that are primary sources.

In the early chapters of his book (Chapter Two is entitled “Trails Across the Wilderness”) Hinshaw gives a brief summary of the early Spanish contact, or lack of contact, with Lea’s part of the Southern Plains.

We don’t know for sure his exact route, but if Cabeza de Vaca did not pass through what would become Lea County, he came very close to being here when he traveled in 1530s from Galveston Island on the Gulf Coast all the way to Mexico City.

Hinshaw briefly mentions the various Native American tribes who built pit houses here and who traveled through on their annual migrations over the plains.

He also provides some information about several of the post-contact and contemporary tribes, including the Comanche and Apaches.

575.736.8106

In “The Day of the Buffalo Soldier,” he writes of the first mapping of what would

become Lea County, with the following chapter entitled “Ranching on the Llano Estacado.”

He gives an excellent account of the importance of a buffalo hunter named George Causey who moved into New Mexico Territory in the early 1880’s to establish the first ranch here.

Causey’s headquarters is just six miles south of present-day Lovington.

Finally, Hinshaw gives a thorough account of the transformation of the territory to the State of New Mexico in 1912, and of the formation of Lea as a county in 1917.

Lea, New Mexico’s Last Frontier is not only thorough but also a readable book, fascinating in its details of the creation of modern Lea County. It should be on everyone’s reading list and on the bookshelves of every Lea home where live individuals who are interested in the history of this corner of the state.

Approaching his ninetieth birthday, Gil Hinshaw lives in Hobbs where he continues to write and publish on a variety of historical and personal subjects.

A B O U T T H E A U TH O R

Jim Harris is Director of the Lea County Museum.

FOCUSNM.COM

LET’S

Eat!

Most of us have a few legacy family recipes- those that have been passed down from generation to generation, but if you don’t, plenty of tasty options are available. Here are a couple...

Recipes from cookeatshare.com.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Legend has it that chicken Tetrazzini, named for Luisa Tetrazzini who was a popular opera star in the early 20th Century, was created in San Francisco.

PREP TIME: 45 MINUTES COOK TIME: 40 MINUTES SERVINGS: 5-6

Ingredients: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1 lb. Linguini ( cooked, drained, set aside) 3 cups cubed cooked chicken 1 can cream of celery soup 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup light cream 1/2 cup water 3 TB. sherry 1 cup milk dash of nutmeg 1/4 tsp. salt 2 cans of mushrooms, drained 2/3 - 1 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs 1 stick of butter

Directions:

Cowboy Caviar

This is fresh, healthy and delicious. People love it, even kids.

You can make it ahead of time, so it’s great for a summer party.

Serve it with scoop-shaped tortilla chips, or have it on the side as a relish. You can even add extra cilantro - because there can never be too much cilantro!

Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • •

2 - 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed 1 - 17 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained 2 large tomatoes, chopped 1 large avocado, diced 1/2 red onion, chopped 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped Dressing: 1 TB. red wine vinegar 4 TB. lime juice 2 TB. olive oil 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Chill if making ahead.

1. In a large cooking pot, combine the cream of mushroom soup, the cream of celery soup, sherry, light cream, milk, water, salt and nutmeg. Heat over low heat until all is blended.

2. Combine with chicken and pasta.

3. Place all in a buttered casserole dish.

4. Top with mushrooms, breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.

Dot with butter.

5. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered until golden brown, and sauce is bubbly. About 40 minutes. Serve hot.

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F O C U S on city hall

OUR MODERN CITY HALL IT WAS JANUARY 5, 2008, AND I WAS AMAZED BY WHAT I SAW.

JONATHAN SENA Commissioner

CITY OF HOBBS

As I walked into the newly renovated Hobbs City Hall for the dedication ceremony, I was thoroughly impressed to see the spacious, newly-renovated structure. Much had changed in the decade since I had entered the building that had once housed Moncor Bank and so many other financial institutions.

Now, after 7 years of serving in this facility and then engaging in many fascinating conversations with members of the community, I am grateful to share some of the history of City Hall.

In 1972, oil was booming in Hobbs, and a quaint little bank was located on the corner of Taylor and Turner with the drive thru located across the street where Tidwell Park is now located. A well-known businessman named Jack Daniels decided to purchase the bank from Carl Landrum and then moved forward with growing his enterprise.

The bank quickly expanded and opened branches in Carlsbad, Artesia, Roswell, Ruidoso, and Albuquerque.

First National Bank, as it was known at the time, changed its name to First City National Bank before the bank leadership realized that another bank in Texas was already using that name. So a public relations firm was hired to name

PHOTOS: Renovation of the Moncor Bank building began in 2006.

The $8 million investment paid off, as the building, Hobbs City Hall, is now one of the most outstanding facilities of its kind in the state - a modern building with a historic legacy.

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | SPRING 2015

it, and they determined the name should be Moncor (Money Corporation, Inc.).

The bank did well for a time.

With the phenomenal growth of the firm, executives for the bank decided to build a new, much larger facility at 200 E. Broadway. The bank tasked one of its vice presidents, George Mansur, to travel the country over a 12 month period to study the architecture of some of America’s most finely designed banks to determine what characteristics would make this new structure the proverbial cream of the crop. Once this was completed, W.A. Jourdan, Inc. fast tracked the construction by laying the concrete and starting work on the basement. This work continued while architectural plans for the rest of the facility were still being drawn up by W.T. Harris and architects from the Dallas metro area. The large facility was quickly built in less than 10 months.

However, due to struggles in the oil industry and the national savings and loan bust, the bank failed over Labor Day weekend in 1985, with FDIC staff members facilitating the shutdown.

The once bustling bank in downtown Hobbs was now a sleeping giant, daily reminding Hobbsans of the oil slump.

Several years passed before the Ford Bank Group housed United New Mexico Bank and then Norwest Bank at this location (my older brother Matt was

teller for the company under President Ron Mullins during that period.

However, due to the high costs to heat and cool the facility, Norwest eventually built a new facility and moved to where Wells Fargo is presently located.

The day was coming when new leadership would emerge on the City Commission, along with a desire to revitalize downtown.

In 2006, Mayor Monty Newman and the Hobbs City Commission decided to purchase the old building and convert it into a modern City Hall.

With the support of the Commission, Mayor Newman expertly facilitated the challenging purchase and donated his commission to Habitat for Humanity. It took over a year to finish, but with over 69,000 square feet of floor space, and a total city investment of $8 million for purchase and renovation, the Hobbs City Hall is arguably one of the most outstanding facilities of its kind in the state of New Mexico. Hobbs City Hall (and Annex) now contains almost a dozen city departments, the Economic Development Corporation, the City Commission Chambers, and one of Congressman Steve Pearce’s district offices. So many extraordinary people had a part in developing City Hall, and I’m honored to serve my constituents in the home of our local city government.

Thanks to Gary Don Reagan, Toby Spears, Ronny Choate, Charley Smith, John Jourdan, Jan Fletcher, Joe Calderon, Sandra Boltshauser, Mollie Maldonado, Mark Cotton, and Lindsay Chism for their assistance with this column.

How much do you really know about the world’s history of oil and gas?

Take our trivia test and find out.

1 • When did Middle Eastern nations first start using crude oil as a resource?

2 • What was a common urban use for natural gas by 1816?

3 • What invention in 1854 led to the invention of the first American Oil Company?

4 • Where was the first well drilled to produce oil?

5 • How many gallons are in a barrel of oil?

6 • What unwelcome process of the kerosene refining process became a desirable fuel?

7 • Who is the largest exporter of crude oil to the US? 8 • Which of the top five largest oil producing countries is not a member of OPEC? 9 • What is a hydrocarbon?

10 • What is drilling mud used for?

ANSWERS

6610 N. Lovington HWY, Hobbs, NM 88240

Phone: 575-392-6561 Toll Free: 800-530-4400 E-mail: admission@usw.edu Website: usw.edu SPRING 2015 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

17

1A. 4,000 B.C. 2A. Streetlights 3A. The kerosene lamp 4A. Titusville, Pennsylvania 5A. 42 Gallons 6A. Gasoline 7A. Canada 8A. Russia 9A. A molecule with carbon and hydrogen 10A. It controls the downhole pressure and removes cuttings

F O C U S on veterans

FlyingAway J

by Leah Wingert

Hobbs with the intent of building an airbase. Because of the nature of the war and the urgency of the need, the City of Hobbs didn’t have much time to make choices or to be diplomatic.

The Army made its decision, and Hobbs was tasked with acquiring the needed 2500 acres “either through voluntary purchase or condemnation,” according to the book “Keep ‘em Flying - The Story of the Hobbs Army Air Field.”

staff. They worked as bookkeepers, telephone operators and cashiers.

Eventually, a few WAAC’s were employed as mechanics on the flight line as well as assuming some flying duties. Institutional segregation still existed throughout all major branches of the military in 1942; however, the Hobbs Army Airbase was truly unique because of the level of integration of both female and African American Army Air Force personnel.

In 1941, a war raged on the European continent far out of sight of the American homeland. America was beginning to recover from the Great Depression as Glen Miller played on the airwaves and Citizen Kane was in the theatres. Life in America was turning around. Then, on a Sunday morning in December, the world changed and America entered World War Two after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

A site was chosen on the west side of the Lovington Highway with property belonging to both the Caudill and Huston families of Hobbs. The Huston family fought the purchase, eventually winding up in district court, but was ultimately forced to sell. By June 1942, the families that once owned the land and ranches moved out as bulldozers moved in.

Construction began on the airfield, and by September of that year the first class of bombardier students began training at the airfield. Then in December of 1942, a year after Pearl Harbor, pilot training began.

The African American Squadrons at HAAF, according to “Keep ‘em Flying” were the 342nd Aviation Squadron as well as the 1013th Quartermaster Platoon. The 342nd were primarily mechanics, while the 1013th worked in the warehouses and supply depots.

Because of the segregation of troops, these squadrons had their own barracks and mess halls.

“It was an anxious time,” recalls Lenore Davis of Hobbs, “We didn’t know what was going to happen. I was just a little girl and remembered [my] mother and father hovering around the radio. Everyone was trying to find out what was going on. Wasn’t long before the boys started signing up.”

Inside the 2,500 acre complex were several buildings, including hangers; barracks for the enlisted men, cadets and African American troops as well as separate mess halls; and a hospital as well as training classrooms and recreational areas. There was even a small church.

It also wasn’t long before the Army came to Hobbs, looking for land for an airbase to train pilots and bombardiers of the B-17 bombers. In early 1942, Major John Armstrong, commander of the Roswell Army Airfield, visited

The airbase housed pilots and bombardiers as well as WAAC’s (Women’s Auxiliary Air Corps).

These female troops arrived at the HAAF in August of 1943 and were primarily employed as support

ackrabbits, tumbleweeds and cracking pavement are all that is left of what was once the Hobbs Army Airfield. There is a sign that states that the grounds were once the site of the airfield; however, looking over the fields, knots of grass and weed lead to the long and still level strips of runway. Today young men and women zoom up and down these runways using the site as a drag strip.

Many of them are probably unware that the hope of winning the greatest war the world had even known rested on these grounds 70 years ago.

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With the opening of the airbase, Hobbs had more people than houses, creating a temporary housing shortage as Airmen flooded the city. This flood of people had more money than they knew what to do with and created an opportunity for people to find jobs other than ranching or in the oil fields.

Civilian workers were needed to run things like the commissary and to help with day to day operations of the base. However, by 1944 America was winning the war.

The first reduction in troop activity came with VE day or Victory in Europe day, May 8th 1945. The surrender of Germany marked the end of the long and bloody war in Europe. While joyous, this created a sudden and immediate lack of a need FOCUSNM.COM

for B-17 pilots. The Pacific war ended after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the subsequent Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945.

Just as quickly as it began, the war was over; and just as quickly, as the base which had been needed for pilot training emptied. By 1946, there were no longer troops stationed at the HAAF. After the war there was truly no need for the HAAF, and it was scheduled for closure by October 31, 1945, only two and a half months after the end of the war. Buildings were boarded up and surplus property disposed of or shipped to other military bases around the country.

Desks, chairs, lamps and other excess good were placed for sale as the Army began to restructure its assets in the new post war economy. Even the buildings, never intended to be permanent structures, were sold to churches and schools. Residents recall the use of buildings in such places as the Booker T. Washington School.

Clarence Bedford, a member of the Booker T. Washington Alumni association, remembers “We [Booker T. Washington School] had 5 or 6 buildings from the old Air base that we used to increase the amount of space.”

Today, remnants of the base such as the runways and tie downs for the B-17s, cracked and broken and fading into obscurity a little bit more every year, still remain. All of the hangers and most of the other structures are long gone, demolished by time. The only evidence of the barracks are concrete support pillars too heavy and sunken into the soil to be sold as scrap. The “old Air Base,” as it is called by long term residents, has been repurposed over the years with the Soaring Society which uses parts of the runway. There is also the Ocotillo Golf Course and Harry McAdams Park. A tall steel sculpture, Fortress on the Plains, by Brian Norwood marks the passage of the old air base. The sculpture stands beside the Lovington Highway and provides a glimpse into the past, when the skies above Hobbs were full of bombers and men training to fight and win a war.

PHOTOS: A couple monuments and several buildings mark what was once the Hobbs Army Airfield, an airbase where soldiers trained for World War II.

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F O C U S on ranching

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | SPRING 2015

by Kyle Marksteiner

BERT MADERA HAS BEEN IN EVERY SINGLE HOTEL ROOM AT THE ZIA PARK HOTEL & CASINO IN HOBBS. Madera, who runs Cowboy Beverages and the Pitchfork Cattle Company, was photographed while assisting with the Cattle Drive of the Century, a celebration of the New Mexico Centennial. Jim Harris, director of the Lea County Museum, took the pictures.

“When the powers that be were building that hotel at the racetrack, they went by the museum and said they needed some cowboy pictures,” Madera recalled. “They went through thousands of them, and they picked a picture of me riding my horse.”

It’s a silhouette picture of a beautiful sunrise, and there are several other surveyors and cameramen in the background. This image, reprinted and framed, hangs in every single room in the hotel. Lea County’s ranching legacy boasts a pretty impressive and lengthy history, but Bert Madera has managed to make his mark.

“I’m the most photographed cowboy in Lea County,” Madera joked. “But it is nice to be recognized.”

Since December

15, Bert and his wife, Montie Carol have been “semi-retired” to a home in Ruidoso; though they’ve made several trips back to the ranch near Jal. They still help run the business side of things, but leave a lot of the heavy lifting to the kids and grandkids.

“He’s also doing gardening in our downstairs space,” Montie Carol added. “Not only is he doing dirt gardening, but he’s doing some hydroponic gardening. He’s still doing agriculture, but in a different way.”

David and Steven Madera are handling day to day operations at the ranch, 30,000 acres of fee land on both sides of Highway 128 near Jal. The Maderas are currently the largest fee land owners in Lea County.

The senior Maderas also spend a significant portion of time helping run Cowboy Beverages.

Cowboy Up started because of a connection to Country Star Michael Martin Murphy, who is a good friend of Bert. Murphy had an acquaintance interested in starting a cowboythemed energy drink.

“He was hunting for someone to authenticate the cowboy up idea,” Madera recalled, noting that Murphy was too busy. “They thought maybe I’d be interested, so they sent him to

PHOTO MAIN: Ranching at the Pitchfork Cattle Company. PHOTO INSET: Bert and Montie

Carol Madera are enjoying retirement in Ruidoso, but they are still working plenty of hours running Cowboy Beverages.

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Jal to see if we’d get into the energy business.”

Several years later, the Maderas bought out their co-founder and took full control of the company.

Were they ever expecting to run a company that marketed energy drinks?

“No,” Madera declared. “It’s just one of those cowboy up deals where you drive down and see a rabbit, so you turn off the road and chase it.

It looked like a good deal, but it has been way harder than we thought it would be and a lot more stress than we anticipated.”

Cowboy Beverages (www. cowboyupenergy.com) markets four products- Cowboy Up, Cowgirl Up and two flavors of energy shots.

Shanna Flaherty helps the Maderas manage the company.

The product is distributed in Alabama, Texas and New Mexico; Arizona will soon be on board, Bert said.

PHOTO: Cowboy Beverages introduced the world to a western-

themed energy drink.

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | SPRING 2015

“We’re working that pretty heavily,” he offered. “We’re trying to cut back to ten hours a day if we can.”

Their ranching legacy, needless to say, goes back quite a bit further than marketing energy drinks.

Madera’s grandfather, Rufus, set up the Chico Ranch in Culberson County, south of Guadalupe Peak, in 1905. He’d received a loan from his father-in-law, also a rancher.

Some facts about the early ranching days provide insight into the times.

It was a 75 mile drive to Carlsbad, and the Maderas were further from a post office than anyone in the United States. Grandad Rufus purchased the first car in town.

Bert recalls a story from when the family was first driving back to the ranch from Carlsbad and attempted to go over Guadalupe Pass.

“They had four kids under the age of five, and when they started up the mountains, they had to unload the car because it would not go up the hill,” he shared.

So Bert’s grandparents would have to unload the children and groceries and push the car up a portion of the hill, block it with a rock, and then go back for the kids and groceries.

“It took three trips to go up the mountain,” Bert laughed. “Grandma said a mule and a wagon would have been an even trade.”

The family eventually moved to Jal in the 1930s because of the well water available there. The area had being attracting ranchers since the 1880s.

During World War II, Bert’s father, Rubert, stayed home to run the ranch and provide beef for the soldiers, but the other four siblings enlisted or went to college during roughly the same time frame.

“They came back geologists and teachers, but in the long haul they all came back to agriculture in some way,” Madera shared, noting that his grandchildren are sixth generation ranchers. “Our legacy is the Pitchfork Cattle Company.”

Bert was born in 1943. Because the family lived in such a remote area, his

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PHOTO: Bert and dad with plane: Bert Madera with his father, Rubert. Because school was so far away, Bert’s father flew him to class every morning.

father flew him to school in an the comment that we are a airplane every day. dynamite couple when we get together.”

Bert and Montie Carol have known each other since they Bert seems somewhat relieved were children. to be trading ranching for gardening.

“He dated my older sister,” she recalled. “I used to “You get to a point where peek through the curtains you are not supposed to be and watch him kiss her climbing windmills or riding goodnight.” goofy horses,” he stated. “And you can’t outrun anything.

They both knew the same You have to slow down and people and grew up in look around and realize that the same town “and I was you’ve got four kids and three divorced and his wife passed grandkids and they should be away,” Montie Carol shared, doing it. And if you get out of noting that friends and their way, they will do it.” family eventually helped reintroduce them. “We really Bert and Montie Carol may liked each other. Then we fell be spending much of their in love. The rest is history.” time in Ruidoso, but they want everyone to know that Montie Carol said she was a they remain a big part of Lea city girl, but her grandparents County. were farmers and ranchers.

She and Bert also both share “We have enjoyed being a part an entrepreneurial spirit and of Lea County for so many the tendency to dream. years, and we will continue to be a part of the history of the “Bert is an imagination guy, county,” Bert concluded. and I’m more organized,” she noted. “My sister made

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F O C U S on desegregation

Breaking Ground

by Leah Wingert

“SEPARATE EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES ARE INHERENTLY WARREN COURT, 1954 UNEQUAL.” THE BROWN VS. BOARD OF EDUCATION With these words, the educational system of the United States of America changed forever. This landmark decision marked the true beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, and it all began in America’s schools.

At last, education in America was no longer black or white or brown, and for the first time all Black, White and Latino students could attend school together. This was an enormous victory for the Civil Rights Movement. However, as with every victory, there comes a price, and the price of desegregation was the closure of schools for African American students. In Hobbs, that school was the Booker T. Washington School, which had served grades 1-12 for almost thirty years. The school thrived, giving its students a good and varied education. There were sports teams, cheerleaders, art classes and choir in addition to the core curriculum. In 1950, there were 15 graduates, resplendent in cap and gown, with diploma in hand. Most of these graduates attended Booker T. Washington School for their entire educational careers.

Booker T., as the school is affectionately called by surviving alumni, opened its doors first on the 1400 block of East Skelly, eventually moving to 1200 East Humble. The first principal of the Booker T. Washington School in Hobbs was

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FOCUS ON LEA COUNTY | SPRING 2015

Miss Hazel Horton. Miss Horton was also the only teacher at the time.

By the time of the Brown Decision in 1954, approximately 90 students matriculated from Booker T. Black students from the surrounding communities also received their education from the school.

Such a transition came with a cost.

“Honestly,” Clarence Benford, member of the Booker T. Washington Alumni Association, said, “desegregation hurt us [the Black community in Hobbs] a lot. We knew the teacher; they knew us, our parents and families. At Booker T. there was an effort to ensure that we knew something, that we got an education before we were moved up to another grade. With desegregation it seems as if we were just pushed up and out.”

The feeling of community and caring was not quite as evident in the desegregated schools. Instead of a teacher who was an equal, who knew your parents and whom you saw at church on Sundays, there were now new teachers and administrators.

While Booker T. Washington School was a haven for African American students, there was always a struggle to get the needed supplies. Even the buildings were secondhand.

“We had 5 or 6 buildings from the old

PHOTO: Clarence Benford, member of the Booker T. Washington Alumni Association, shows off the school’s 1954 yearbook.

Air Base.” Benford recalls. Booker T. Washington School still stands today in Hobbs. It serves as an elementary school, and some of the buildings from the 1940’s and 1950’s are still intact and in use.

When the law changed in 1954, schools across the United States began to desegregate; racial tensions in some parts of the country flared like a wick on a candle. Although the Supreme Court decision came in 1954, the majority of the country balked at the federally ordered change. Many states complied through a system of de facto segregation policies which resulted in wide educational gulfs between Black and white students.

An example of this type of de facto segregation was experienced by Michelle Strawn, a frequent visitor to the Hobbs area and currently of FOCUSNM.COM

Round Rock, Texas. Strawn attended elementary school in Chicago, Illinois and remembers that “the neighborhood school, Parkside, was technically desegregated and there were a smattering of Black students.

Maybe 10% of the students and all the teachers were white.” However, after the Brown Decision, “the school board gerrymandered the school zones to include mostly the Black students. Most of the Black students were moved from Parkside to another elementary school where all of the students and teachers were Black.”

Benson recalls that there was an effort to keep African American Students at Booker T. instead of being allowed to go to the Hobbs schools. “Everything was segregated—we [the African American Community] were very confined as to where we could live and where we could be. We could not live within the city limits.”

Ultimately the day of the Hobbs High School desegregation came and went without incident.

Anne Randolph, a young woman in 1954, recalls only that “I had a neighbor who had a child starting school on that day [when the schools were set to desegregate]. It was in 1953 that our eyes were opened to the problem. Everyone adjusted.”

A teacher from the Hobbs elementary schools in the early 1960’s, Dorothy Pye recalls when her elementary school was desegregated in 1962. “We went to special training and had an

African American teacher placed in the school and that was about it.”

Helen Houston, the Executive Director of the African American Chamber of Commerce, Hobbs, entered school in 1957, three years after the Brown Decision.

Houston remembers that that she “had the chance to face racism and desegregation as very young child” while attending school in Las Cruces.

Upon moving to Hobbs, Houston remembers several instances in which her skin color prevented her from enjoying the community.

“There was a pool over on Marland,” Houston recalled, “and the owner said he would fill [the pool] up with cement before he allowed black kids in.” However, for Houston it was not the discrimination of the white community that disturbed her, “you expected it;” instead, it was the racism she experienced within her own community that hurt the most. Inside the African American community and at school, Houston was considered “too light,” as if her skin color were something she could change for either group.

Discrimination, however, wasn’t the sole burden of African Americans in Lea County. While not as overt, the Latino community experienced discrimination even as late as the 1970’s. For Harvey Leyva, who grew up in Lovington and recalled his childhood home as quiet and safe, the discrimination was much more subtle.

PHOTOS: The Historic Everglades Cemetery, where members all of the Hobbs Black community were buried until the desegregation of cemeteries finally happened in 1973.

“My real name is Javier,” Leyva said.

“When I went to school, they changed it. My friend’s names too; Miguel became Michael and Jorge became George. We go by those names to this day.” He says, “When my son went to school, I told them this is his name, do not change it. They said they don’t do that anymore.”

“The only really negative thing I can remember is being in line for the movies with my cousin. We were eleven or twelve, and we bumped into an older white lady in line ahead of us; before we could say anything, she turned around and cussed us out telling us to go back where we came from. My only thought was that we came from here; we were as American as her.”

By the 1970’s, all the schools in Hobbs were desegregated, and the town itself had begun to ease into complete desegregation. There was only one glaring exception—the cemeteries.

Everglades Cemetery was the only African American cemetery in Hobbs.

It is unknown when Everglades was established; however, grave markers indicate it was well in use by the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. It remained the only place of rest for members of the Hobbs African American Community until 1973 when the cemeteries were finally desegregated.

Only those few older citizens of the community who already own plots still use Everglades. Walking among the grounds, onlookers see that many of the graves are unmarked or missing headstones. In some cases it

SPRING 2015 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

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appears that the headstones have been removed. A single stone sign, donated by the Booker T. Washington Alumni Association, marks the entrance to the cemetery, and Sadler and Son Monument Works donated some markers in an attempt to preserve the grave sites.

“A lot of the things we [the African American Community] hold dear like Booker T. and Everglades are not as important to the people in the community who are new, who do not know the history here,” Clarence Benson says. “It is a fight to keep Booker T. open. [The city] is building new elementary schools, and one day, I fear there will be no Booker T.”

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Today in Hobbs, the African American community is still small but thriving. Nicole Wright owner of Virtuous Beauty, a hair salon on Dal Paso, recognizes the need for businesses that can support the specific needs of the minority community. “There is a [necessity] here,” Wright says, “for African American businesses and salons that can support the specific needs of the minority communities here.”

Always a small community, the African American population of Hobbs has made an indelible mark. Beginning with the first educators and students brave enough to establish a minority school in 1929, the impact continued with the parents who insisted that their children learn and have the same opportunities as other children. Some of those parents, educators and students are laid to rest in Everglades Cemetery. The tireless work of the Booker T. Washington Alumni Association and such men as Clarence Benford preserved their memories for

PHOTO: Local businesswoman, Nicole

Wright of Virtuous Beauty.

future generations of Hobbs citizens.

The story of desegregation, different in every community across the nation, is a chapter in American history that should not be forgotten or ignored.

In Hobbs, a tiny cemetery far out of town and the continued struggle to renovate and maintain Booker T. Washington Elementary School tell that story.

Today, business owners such as Nicole Wright of Virtuous Beauty look forward to the future of Hobbs and continue to invest in the city’s success.

The world has changed in the years since 1954, moving from radio to television and to space travel and cellphones. We’ve come a long way in many ways, but there are plenty of barriers left for future generations to overcome.

FOCUSNM.COM

A Great Source for History EDITOR’S NOTE: If you are still itching for some more “Lea County Legacy” fix, there’s a ton more information out there. Local museums, such as the Lea County Museum and the Western Heritage Museum are, of course, great resources. There’s also a Web site, www.hobbshistory.com that was created by history enthusiast Mark Cotton. “Focus on Lea County” caught up with Mr. Cotton and asked him to tell us a bit more about his Web page.

PHOTOS: A few of the many photos shared on the web site www.Hobbshistory.com. Photos printed with permission from Mark Cotton.

Can you tell me a little bit about the history of your web page? What’s your background and what inspired the decision to put it together?

Although I moved away last October, I grew up in Hobbs and lived there for over 55 years. Over the last decade or so, I’ve collected old photos and other memorabilia related to Hobbs’ earlier days.

Around 2007 I decided that other people might enjoy looking at some of the things I had collected, and displaying them on the internet would be a way of reaching the most people. I just love looking at old photos of Hobbs and seeing what it looked like in its early days.

What about the effort to put it together? How did you conduct your research?

Where did all the photos come from?

The photos displayed started with the ones I had picked up on eBay and other places over the years. I started with just one or two pages, and the site grew as I found more things to display. Other photos have been graciously provided by other collectors or people that found the website and had something to share. The late Max Clampitt allowed me to use many of his copies of old photos, as have so many other folks around town. David Minton is another who has been bitten by the same history bug that bit me and has come up with a lot of the photos I’ve used.

What’s your favorite part of the web page? What part gets the most visits?

I especially like the photos of downtown and seeing how it has changed over the years. Hobbs was a wild and wooly place back in 1929 when Broadway was crowded with people and Model T’s, and I look at the pictures taken then and think about the fact that there were only one or two buildings there just a few years earlier.

I also like looking at the pages on the Hobbs Army Air Field. There is a base newspaper people can read and a complete copy of the yearbook showing the men who trained at HAAF to fly and maintain B-17 aircraft during WWII. I don’t track the traffic on the website so I can’t really say what pages get visited the most. The most inquiries I get are from people looking to track down information on their relatives or filling in part of their family tree. Those inquiries are the most satisfying too, especially if I can find a tidbit of information about where their grandpa lived or worked and help people reconnect with their roots.

I’m especially interested in the Amelia Earhart portion. Have you been able to find other information to collaborate Susan Butler’s account of Ms. Earhart’s visit?

I’ve found a few other mentions of it but haven’t dug into it too deeply. Kathleen Winters’ book Amelia Earhart: The Turbulent Life of an American Icon mentions the landing in Hobbs, as do a few other books.

What’s something about Hobbs and Lea County’s history that would surprise most people?

Hobbs was a wild and woolly place back in the first year or two after the discovery well struck oil in 1929. Not long after the discovery people poured into the area and buildings began going up like crazy.

Broadway was crowded with people and Model T’s where there had been nothing just a few years earlier.

Are you still working on the page, or is it considered “complete”?

I am not actively working on the website, but now and then people contact me to provide additional photos, which I add when time allows. Any time I run across something that I think would be interesting to add to the site I do so.

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F O C U S on sports

Immortalized Lea County Sports Legacy

by Kyle Marksteiner

Rodeo stars and golfers, linebackers, coaches and one sportswriter who covered the rest of them are a few of the names and faces adorning the walls of the Lea County Sports Hall of Fame, part of the Lea County Museum in Lovington.

The Hall of Fame (http://www. leacountymuseum.org/halloffame. html) began inducting members in 2009, and more members of this elite class have gradually been brought on board. More recently, the Hall of Fame began also featuring some of the county’s best high school teams from Tatum, Lovington, Hobbs, Eunice and Jal. Hobbs author and sports enthusiast Rick Shed assisted with preparing some of the material used by the Hall of Fame’s team compilation, but he insists that most of the legwork was completed before his involvement.

Shed’s inclusion as a consultant is well deserved, however, as he recently published the book “Hobbs Basketball: By the Numbers,” a 600 page reference available as an e-book over Amazon.

“It came out this summer, but I didn’t want to step on the football team’s toes, so I didn’t advertise it until basketball season came out,” Shed shared. “It seems to be doing all right.”

The book starts with legendary Coach Ralph Tasker’s first year at the helm

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of the Hobbs program in 1949. Shed said he worked his way through the narrative of each game. He had to cut out pictures in order to send it to print, but many of the photos are available on the “Hobbs Basketball: By the Numbers,” Facebook page.

Tasker retired after the 1997-1998 season with a win/loss record of 1122291, making him one of the all-time top winners in high school basketball history.

Shed said he is originally from Hobbs, grew up in Texas, but he became a Hobbs basketball fan early on.

“You know, I’ve always enjoyed the history of sports,” Shed added. “I know Hobbs basketball is one of the best programs in the country. It was fun to watch and always exciting, and some great ballplayers came out of Hobbs.”

Shed said he’d often stop at the library to look up Hobbs basketball history when visiting the community as a child. Pretty soon, his stack of resource material grew.

He’s thought about writing another

book now that the Hobbs one is complete, possibly about Ft. Worth Dunbar’s basketball program, but it would be quite a bit shorter than the Hobbs edition.

But the complete sports legacy of Lea County would probably take quite a bit more than 600 pages to fully summarize, with a list of stars that includes Tasker, Chicago Bear linebacker Brian Urlacher, Kathy Whitworth and many more. Focus on Lea County caught up with a couple of the museum’s legacies.

KATHY WHITWORTH (G OLF)

Golfer Kathy Whitworth was one of the first inductees into the Lea County Sports Hall of Fame, and with good cause.

Whitworth, who now lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, still holds the title of the winningest PGA golfer in history and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Whitworth was born in Monahans, but she grew up in Jal which was her home for most of her life.

Jal was a company town at the time of her childhood with around 4,000 people, and El Paso Natural Gas had a FOCUSNM.COM

nine-hole golf course for employees.

“Back in those days, there wasn’t much for girls, but there was a tennis team, and I was on it,” Whitworth, 75, reflected.

Then one day, at age 15, she was invited to play golf. She originally “wasn’t too keen,” about trying it out, but she took her grandfather’s clubs to the Jal course and gave it a try.

“I don’t think I really played tennis again,” Whitworth concluded. “I was just so consumed with this game. It was almost a fate thing.”

Whitworth speculated that she may have never developed a career in golf had she grown up somewhere else. But the head pro at the course was friends with University of Texas coach Harvey Penick.

“People now recognize Harvey as the premiere golf teacher in the world, and those of us who took lessons from him just loved him,” Whitworth reflected.

She received golf lessons from Penick, and that still amazes her.

“How lucky is that?” added Whitworth. “Of course I worked hard, but so much of it was laid out for me. I had all the opportunities in the world to learn to play.”

She was good; she loved the sport; and family, local golf enthusiasts and businessmen financed her initial ability to go on tour.

“I thought at the age of 15 I knew

what I wanted to do, and it wasn’t until much later that I learned that not everyone knew what they wanted to do at 15,” she noted. Whitworth won the 1957 and 1958 New Mexico State Amateur Championship. She attended Odessa College and joined the LPGA in 1958.

Between 1966 and 1973, Whitworth was selected as the LPGA Player of the Year every year but once. She eventually won 88 LPGA Tour tournaments, more than anyone else has won in the LPGA or the PGA. She also became the first woman to reach career earnings of $1 million on the LPGA Tour.

Whitworth said she is glad that doors have been opened for more female athletes, but that was not on her mind during her career.

“I was just doing what I wanted to do,” she admitted. “’I’m going to do this for the future,’ just wasn’t a conscious thing on my mind.”

“But we all paved the way,” she added about the LPGA at the time. “We were all trying to make it work so we could have a place to play. It was a group effort.”

She believes her record on most wins will likely last through her lifetime.

She takes statistics with a grain of salt, however, recalling one bit of research that discovered the exceptional number of times she placed second.

“Who cares?” she laughed. “I tell everyone I lost a lot more than I won, and I played a lot of events.

Whitworth moved to Dallas a few decades ago because she was playing a lot of golf tournaments in the area and felt it was just the best choice. It’s still close to Jal, she said, and she enjoys it a lot more than she did the East Coast or West Coast. She returned for her induction into the Sports Hall of Fame and periodically visits Lea County.

And golfing?

“I still play, but not a lot and not very well,” she laughed. “I enjoy being outside and every now and then I’ll hit a good shot, but not very often.”

She plays at the nearby Trophy Club, and there’s a display case there in her honor that holds many of her trophies.

MANNY MARQUEZ

( JOURNALISM) Longtime journalist Manny Marquez was inducted into the Lea County Hall of Fame in 2011. Marquez grew up in Artesia and served as Artesia’s sports editor before being drafted during the Vietnam War. He then joined the staff at the Hobbs News-Sun as sports editor and served there from 1970 to 1994. He worked as editor from 1995 until his 2002 retirement.

“It was awesome,” Marquez recalled.

“Being selected to be in that place

PHOTOS: Photos and sports memorabilia adorn the Lea County Sports Hall of Fame.

SPRING 2015 | A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

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with the people in there (previous selections), that was pretty good for a sports writer.”

Marquez said his favorite sport was originally football, but then became baseball once his son began playing.

These days, Marquez still tries to attend the games he can, but he’s been out with medical problems for much of the season. He listens to the games on the radio when he can’t make it.

“And of course, basketball was pretty big here,” he emphasized.

One of the more memorable games, he said, took place during standout Jeff Taylor’s sophomore year. The Hobbs Eagles were down one point with a second left, and the ball was on the far side of the court.

Moving from sports editor to editor was, Marquez admitted, a money thing, but he really missed covering games.

“It was the people and the coaches and the kids and the enthusiasm,” he reflected. There was a down side of having to work late after each game, but he didn’t mind it very much.

PHOTO: Jim Harris, Director of the Lea County Museum, examines the display to LPGA legend Kathy Whitworth.

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“It inbounded to Jeff at midcourt,” Marquez recalled. “He went up in the air, spun around and took a shot and made it.”

It wasn’t a playoff game, but it was pretty exciting.

Marquez said he enjoys talking with younger sports writers covering the area’s athletics, but he refrains from

giving them tips.

“They have their own ideas about what’s going on,” he concluded.

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