The Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 2, 1956 Page: 1 of 8
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TH t EII
Mercedes Library-
Box 551
Mercedes, Texas
COPY
10c
QUEEN CITY OF THE VALLEY
MERCEDES, TEXAS
FINEST WATER IN THE VALLEY
VOLUME XLIV — NO. 5 Entered as Second Class Mail Matter at the Mercedes, Tex., Postoffice
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1956
$3.00 PEB YEAS
'NARROW ESCAPE—Two nuns from San Antonio visiting in the Valley discuss their narrow
escape (far right), when a Missouri Pacific fre ight train knocked their stalled car off the tracks
just east of Mercedes Monday afternoon. The nuns jumped from the car when it stalled on the
tracks. —Harman Photo
MOTHERS MARCH
CAMPAIGN TOPS
LAST YEAR'S TOTAL
5ool, blustery weather did not
hinder the women of Mercedes
Tuesday night as. they conducted
their Women's March on Polio.
In fact, tabulations made by
noon Wednesday already show
the drive topped that of last
year.
The Mothers March total has
'gone past the $1700 mark, while
oniy some $1,300 was raised last
year, reported E. A. DeJong,
general chairman.
It will be several days before
the exact total of the overall
polio fund drive can be obtained
since reports still are coming in,
DeJong said.
The Mothers March was head-
ed by Mrs. Elmo Parker. The
First National Bank remained
open late Tuesday night to re-
ceive the cash contributions for
deposit.
Both DeJong and Mrs. Parker
thanked the public of Mercedes
for their splendid support of the
polio campaign.
Unusual assists for the March
,of Dimes: Mrs. E. C. Bazar did
the poster on the door of First
National Bank. Mrs. Fannie
Handy was an outstanding re-
cruiter for workers for the house
to house canvass for the Mothers’
March Tuesday night.
TigereSfes Oufscore Raymondviile
53-11 For Sixth Conference Win
NOTICE
Delta area contributions to the
March of Dimes may be made to
drive chairmen who are as fol-
lows: Elsa: Mrs. L. R. Moddle;
Edcouch: Mrs. Jeff Stokes; Monte
Alto: Mrs. Frank Klopeck; La-
Villa: W. W. Keys.
The Tigerettes outscored Ray-
mondviile one field goal and ten
free- throws to take their sixth
conference win for the season,
53 to 41.
Long-Shot O'Shea wasn’t miss-
ing the basket in the first half
of play as she sank 18 points
through the hoop, and tallied for
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
WEEK PLANNED
FOR MARCH 5-10
Plans are being completed for
Mercedes part in the observance
of Public Schools Week, March 5
through 10 according to Percy
Mosely, chairman of the Masonic
Lodge committee.
On a national scale, the
Masonic Lodge is sponsoring
Public Schools Week.
In Mercedes, the lodge com-
mittee is working closely with
Supt. L. W. St. Clair in arranging
for the observance.
Special programs are planned
at local schools to familiarize the
patrons with the scope of the
schools and with their problems.
Both President Eisenhower and
Gov. Allan Shivers have issued
official proclamations setting
aside Public Schools Week and
Mayor Gene O’Shea is expected
to issue a proclamation shortly
on a local level.
Complete details of the Merce-
des observance have not been
worked out, but will be announ-
ced as the dates approach, Mr.
Moseley said.
12 more in the final quarters.
She hit for a total of 30; with
Fran “Hustler” Bryant going for
10, Elma Diaz 8 and Livia Gar
cia 5.
Vera Jenkins hit for 22 of Ray-
mondville's 41 points.
Mercedes took a nice eight
point lead in the first quarter
14 to 6. Raymondviile rushed on
ahead to score 16 points to Mer-
cedes 13 in the second quarter,
which gave Mercedes a 5 point
spread at half time 27 to 22
Nothing was stopping the
Tigerettes in this game, as they
poured in 12 to Raymondville’s
8 points in the third quarter.
They out-distanced them in the
final quarter 14 to 11, giving the
Tigerettes their
sixth
win
53
to
41.
Box score:
Mercedes (53)
FG
FT
PF
TP
P. O’Shea .....
. .12
6
1
30
F. Bryant ......
.. 2
6
2
10
E. Diaz ........
.. 2
4
1
8
L. Garcia .....
.. .1
3
3
5
G. Hauff ......
. . 0
0
3
0
E. Garcia ......
.. 0
0
3
0
E. Onderdonk .
.. 0
0
3
0
Totals—
17
19
16
53
Ray'ville (41)
16
9
22
41
The “B” team out-played the
Raymondviile “B” group 31 to 23.
Mercedes team was never threat-
ened as they took an early lead
and out-scored the Bearkettes
each quarter. Thelma Lucas
dropped in 10, Bonny Heggen 9,
Paquita Garcia 5, Velma Billings
4, and Julia Echavarria 3.
E. Sales lead the Bearkettes
with 14.
Score by quarters:
Mercedes “B” 7 11 4 9_31
Ray’ville “B” 5 5 7 6—23
MYSTERY FARM NO. 41
—
.KNOW YOUR FARMS? If you can identify this one, tell The Enterprise about it and you may
wm a prize An aerial photo of some Mercedes area farm is published each week. Identifica-
tion will be found the following week under sponsorship of the Hidalgo County Bank & Trust Co.
on an inside page. First and second place prizes of a six months subscription to The Enterprise
and two Passes to the Wes-Mer Drive-in are awarded in each of three divisions. Mercedes citv
residents, Mercedes rural routes, and surrounding communities. The farm owner will receive a
£u ?eTyour%a^
the contest °al1 m‘ Early callers maY have beank and of the Post Office are not eligible for
Train Hits Auto,
Two Nuns Have
Narrow Escape
Two nuns were counting their
blessings this week after they
narrowly escaped death as a
[Missouri Pacific freight train
struck their stalled car east of
Mercedes.
The two nuns, Sister Mary
Joel and Sister Joan Elise, both
of the Our Lady Of The Lake
College in San Antonio were
crossing the MoPac tracks on
State Road 1425 two and one-
half miles east of Mercedes
about 3 p.m. Monday.
The car, being driven by Sister
Joel, had just turned North of
U.S. Hwy. 83 onto the state road.
She had slowed down for the
turn, and as the car approached
the tracks, the driver noticed
the driver noticed the train. She
!the train. She stepped on the
accelerator to speed on across,
but the motor stalled.
Noting that the JeaslJ-bound
train was traveling too fast to
stop, the car occupants opened
its doors and jumped clear. Only
seconds later, they told investi-
gators, there was a crash and
the train knocked the automo-
bile into a ditch at the edge of
an adjacent field. The wind-
shield shattered, the top caved
in and the body was badly
dented.
The car was almost demolish-
ed.
The nuns, connected with the
Sisters of Mercy order, were
taken to the convent in Mercedes
where it was said they offered
special prayers for their escape.
They suffered only shock and
minor bruises.
-o-
Biggest Parade
To Open Show
Mercedes’ parade opening the
1956 version of the Rio Grande
Valley Livstock Show and Rodeo
will be the biggest and most
colorful in the show’s history,
according to Parade Chairman
Henry Streety.
Acceptances already have been
received from five high school
bands, a band from Monterrey,
and several army bands are ex-
pected to participate.
Othef floats will be entered by
Valley 4-H, FFA and Future
Homemaker organizations. Also
in the parade will be the cover
girl candidates, staff of the
World’s Championship rodeo,
and Ranger Jim, Valley TV per-
sonality.
Businessmen are invited to en-
ter floats in the parade if they
will decorate the float.
“WTe’ll have plenty of auto-
mobiles, so we really need some
original ideas to add to the at-
tractiveness of the parade,”
Streety said. “We invite business
firms to participate, and adver-
tising is not prohibited.”
Owners of antique autos are
invited to enter them in the
parade, he added.
Gene Wilder is co-chairman of
the parade committee.
Farm Mystery
Winners
Winners in guessing last
week's mystery farm are W. L,
Graham, first and Mrs. B. M.
Odom, second. Also, Mrs. Clar-
ence Smith, first.
Winners the previous week
were Mrs. Cal Gulley, first;
Howard Roman, second. Mrs.
Nelson, first; and Andrew
Imel, second.
(Please advise The Enter-
prise office of correct mailing
address if you are listed as a
first place winner. Second
place winners are asked to
stop by The Enterprise office
and pick up their show
passes.)
First place winners receive
a 6-months subscription to
The Enterprise; second place
winners may claim two passes
to the Wes-Mer Theatre by
calling for them at the office
of The Enterprise.
Donjt forget to call when
you get your paper. Early call-
ers may have been wrong.
For a complete story on last
week's farm, turn inside to the
advertisement sponsored by
The Hidalgo County Bank and
Trust Co.
HE PACKS LETTUCE (the kind that makes a Head) along
with being interested in raising strawberries, corn, cattle, etc.
Marvin Schwarz, named “Outstanding Young Farmer of 1955,”
takes an interest not only in farming, but in affairs of the
public schools, where he serves as a member of the school board,
the Farm Bureau and the Rio Grand Valley Livestock Show.
Marvin Schwarz Honored As
Outstanding Young Farmer of '55'
Marvin Schwarz, well known
Mercedes farmer, has been
named the “Outstanding Young
Farmer of 1955,” in a competi-
tion sponsored by the Mercedes
Jaycees.
Schwarz, a younger member
of the prominent Schwarz family,
lives in “Schwarzville,” a settle-
ment North and East of Mercedes
and so named because of the
number of residents bearing that
name. He farms approximately
600 acres of Valley land, 211 of
which he owns. He has 22 head
of cattle and 100 acres of pasture.
His nomination for the honor
pointed out that he started ship-
ping his own vegetables to
wholesale grocers in Texas and
now ships over the entire United
States. He was the first shipper
in the Valley to dry pack lettuce
for shipping. His packing shed is
located on his farm.
Schwarz made a corn sprayer
of his own design and developed
a method of controlling corn ear'
Worm, in cooperation with the
Texas Experiment Station. A
farmer with considerable diversi-
fication, Schwarz is one of the
two major strawberry shippers in
the Valley.
Mr. and Mrs. Schwarz have
two children, a boy and a girl,
Gary and Sherri (not twins). The
family attends the First Baptist
Church, Mercedes.
But farmer Schwarz does more
than “just farm.” He is a member
of the Board of Trustees of the
Mercedes Public Schools and
takes an active part in boosting
the local football team through
the Quarterback Club. He is
chairman of the grounds com-
mittee for the Livestock Show
and an active member of the
Farm Bureau.
Schwarz is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Albert Schwarz. He was
graduated from Mercedes High
School in 1945 and attended
A. and I. College, Kingsville, for
3% years.
Schwarz was named by the
judges from eight nominations.
High School Trio
Take Advanced Tests
A trio of highschool seniors,
Walter Johnston, Bob Frix and
Ralph Lauder, have been notified
that grades which they made
on a preliminary test for admit-
tance to the Navy ROTC college
program were sufficiently high
to warrant their taking an ad-
vanced examination this Friday
in Houston.
Johnston is the son of Dr. and
Mrs. R. H. Johnston; Frix is the
son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Frix
and Lauder is the son of Mrs.
A. J. Lauder.
Judges were Myron F. Ward,
area agent for the Soil Conserva-
tion Service, LaFeria; L. L. Van-
Berg, president of the Mercedes
Farm Bureau; and Curtis Rea-
gan, representative of Ralston-
Purina Company.
Presentation of a plaque in re-
cognition of his achievement
was made to Schwarz Tuesday
night when members of the Jay-
cees, and their guests were pre-
sent for a dinner at El Sombrero.
Runners-up in the contest, J.R.
Wade, Jr., Mercedes, and Robert
Kloepping, Santa Rosa, were also
honored.
Mercedes Assured New Post Office,
Rep. Joe Kilgore reveals In Letter
Mercedes seems assured of a
new post office, Congressman Joe
Kilgore reported this week.
“A new post office for Mer-
cedes appears nearer reality, ac-
cording to a letter I received from
George Gray, regional director
for the Post Office Department
at Dallas who reported that the
Department is ready to advertise
for bids under the lease-purchase
plan,” Rep. Kilgore wrote to The
Enterprise.
“Under this plan, a contract
would be let to a builder on com-
petitive bids and he would con-
struct the building on a site ap-
proved by the department. The
building would then be leased to
the government for a specified
period of time, - at the end of
which the building would be-
come government property.”
In Mercedes, Postmaster Ben
Tucker said postal officials had
been here considering sites for
the new post office building. He
said, however, that he had not
been notified whether a selection
had been made.
Mercedes long has been ii\
need of larger post office quart-
ers. There is not ample room for
working even normal mail ar-
rivals and departures, and extra
space has to be rented during
gift package seasons.
A new building has just been
authorized for Pharr, and it is
expected that the government
will complete drawing up of its
Insect Control Guide
For Valley Farmers
Off Presses Here
The 1956 Cotton Insect Control
Guide for the Lower Rio Grande
Valley of Texas has just come
off the press of the Mercedes En-
terprise Commercial Printing De-
partment.
A total of 25,000 of the guides
were printed through cooperation
of the Valley Experiment Station
and the Texas Agricultural Ex-
tension Service and insecticide
dealers of the Valley.
The guides are in the form of
a 4x9 in. four-page folder com-
plete with illustrations and in-
structions. The inside section is
occupied by a large table de-
scribing all types of insects,
recommended dusts and amounts
to apply per acre.
The guides may be obtained
free from the A&M Station be-
tween Mercedes and Weslaco, or
from most insecticide dealers.
specifications for the Mercedes
building and will have copies
available to prospective builders
shortly.
-o--
Frost Warning
Service Planned
For Valley Soon
The U. S. Weather Bureau
plans to start a new Frost Warn-
ing Service for fruit and vege-
table growers of the Valley next
year, a Bureau official said dur-
ing a recent trip here.
Harry L. Swift, with the special
services division of the weather
bureau, has spent several days
in the Valley visiting farmers,
farm bureaus, Chamber,s of Com-
merce, and others to see if there
is a need for the service.
He has concluded that while
the Valley has only two or three
nights a year of freezing weath-
er, the service would be inval-
uable.
Such a service might have pre-
vented the serious damage of
1951, he said. The fruit might
not all have been saved, but
most of the trees would not have
been killed.
He paid the Valley a direct
compliment on its weather.
“This probably is the best area
for vegetables and citrus in the
U. S.,” he said. He has set up
warning services in California
and Florida.
The special warning service
would alert farmers when a ser-
ious freeze can be expected.
A well-planned campaign can
be put into action. Special heat-
ers would be placed in orchards
and drive off the cold. Labor,,
and fuel and heater would cost
about $2 per acre hour to use*
it was estimated. With only 20
hours average per year freeze in
the Valley, farmers would be
able to insure against killing;
freezes for about $40 per acre;
per year.
Comparing the Valley with
other areas, the weather official
said Phoenix, Ariz., has an aver-
age of 23 days below 32 degrees
per year.
Farmers here have not been
concerned about frost protection
and many do not know how to
begin, he said. Part of the bu-
reau’s job will be to help edu-
cate the Valley farmers along
this line.
Mid-Valley Scout
Court of Honor
To Be Held Here
A Court of Honor for Boy Scouts
of the Mid-Valley District will be
held at the Mercedes High School
Auditorium on Thursday even-
ing, Feb. 9, beginning at 8 p.m.
Scouts and Scouters and others
interested in the organization
are expected from the cities of
Donna, Edinburg, Weslaco, Ed-
couch, Elsa and Mercedes.
The public is invited to attend
the Court of Honor.
............
JEAN KNAPP, MERCEDES, IS THE NEW QUEEN of the Texas
Citrus Fiesta and will reign next year as Queen Citriana XX.
Miss Knapp, popular high school senior of Mercedes, was
chosen Queen at midnight Saturday at the Queen’s Ball at the
Armory in Mission, climaxing the most successful fiesta in
many years. Mr. and Mrs. Gilson Knapp are her parents. Miss
Lou Anne Langford, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Langford,
represented Mercedes in this year’s activities as Dutchess of
Poinsettia and Little Monica Saenz, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Amodeo Saenz, Mercedes, was second alternate in the Prin-
cess Anna Contest.
Boy Scout Week
To Be Observed Here
The week of Feb. 6-12 is Boy
Scout week and marks the 46th
anniversary of the Boy Scouts
of America. Feb. 12 is Boy Scout
Sunday throughout the nation
and local scouts are to attend
the church of their choice in uni-
form on that date.
Almost every church in Ameri-
ca has Cub Scouts, Boy Scout or
Explorers in its membership.
Local clergy are cooperating in
the observance of Boy Scout
Sunday.
-o-
Tigers Edge Mission
In Overtime Period
A field goal by Jim Norris in
the final minute of overtime play
Friday night made the Tigers;
victorious over Mission, 57-55.
The score was an even up 47-47
at the end of the regulation
time.
Norris tallied 19 points as high
scorer for the home team and
Fito Martinez, with 20 points, led
for Mission.
Score by periods:
Mission 14 12 13 8 8 55
Mercedes 12 11 12 12 10—57
In the “B” team game, the
Mercedes boys edged out Mission
by one point, 46-45.
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Harvey, J. Edwin. The Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 2, 1956, newspaper, February 2, 1956; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1063057/m1/1/: accessed June 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.