The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 49, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 20, 1964 Page: 1 of 8
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The Merce
nteiprise
Volume XUX — No. 34
Mercedes, Texas, 78570; Thursday,- August 20, 1964
County Gives Green Light
for New Bridge Over Canal
County officials have given Tenth Street in Mercedes,
the green light to immediate The firm of Winston and
construction of a new bridge Greenwood has been re-
across the main canal below tained by the county to draw
Registration Of Local Students
Continues This And Next Week
Students registration for
the 1964-65 school year be-
gan on Tuesday of this week
and will continue through
Tuesday of the coming week,
August 25, 1964. The com-
plete registration schedule
is listed below:
JR, HIGH SCHOOL
7th grade schedule:
Tuesday, August 18, 1964-
Surname beginning with
letter A-F inclusive - 9:00
a.m. - 12:00 noon
Letter G - 1:30 - 4:00
p.m.
Wednesday, August 19,
1964 - Letter H-R inclusive
9:00 a.m. -12:00 noon
Letter S-Z - 1:30 - 4:00
p.m.
8th grade schedule
Thursday, August 20,
1964 - Surname beginning
with letter A-F inclusive -
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Letter G - 1:30 -4:00 p.m.
Friday, August 21, 1964
J. P. Salinas
Resigns Here
Justice of the Peace Enri-
que Salinas, Jr., has
resigned his post.
Hidalgo County Commis-
sioners accepted his resig-
nation at the meeting Tues-
day. He said he was resign-
ing because he had accepted
full-time employment in an-
other town. The Commis-
sioners did not appoint a
successor to fill out his
term until next Jan. 1, ex-
plaining that all the business
could be handled by the other
JP,‘ J. A. Fernandez. It was
pointed out closing of the
second office would save the
county $ 100 in rent and uti-
lities.
John Gutierrez was nomi-
nated for the post vacated
by Salinas in the Demo-
cratic primary, but can't be
elected until November. If
elected, he would take office
Jan. 1.
Letter H-R inclusive - 9:00
a.m.-12:00 noon
Letter S-Z - 1:30 - 4:00
p.m.
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
SENIORS - Wed., Aug. 19-
8:00-10:00 a.m. - A through
L; 10:00-12:00 noon - M
through Z.
JUNIORS - Wed., Aug. 19-
1:00-3:00 p.m. - A through
L; 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. - M
through Z
SOPHOMORES - Thurs.,
Aug. 20-8:00-10:00 a.m. -
A through L
Thurs., Aug. 20-10:00-
12:00 noon - M through Z
FRESHMEN - Thurs., Aug.
20 - 1:00-5:00 p.m. - A
through L
Friday, Aug. 21 - 8:00 -
12:00 noon - M through Z
F reshmen, sophomores
juniors and seniors who are
new to Mercedes will regis-
ter Friday, August 21 be-
tween the hours of 1:00 and
5:00 p.m.
All elementary students
that attended classes in Mer-
cedes in 1963-64 are to re-
port to their respective
schools on F riday, Augus*
28 at 8:00 a.m. Classes will
be in session throughout the
day on this date. Those stu-
dents entering Mercedes
elementary schools for the
first time (transfers and be-
ginning first grade students)
are to report to their res-
pective elementary school
campuses for registration
on Tuesday, August 25
between the hours of 8:00
a.m. and 4:00 p.m. it is em-
phasized that those elemen-
tary students that attended
Mercedes schools last year
have pre-registered and
need not report until Fri-
day, August 28.
As noted above, the first
full day of instructional
classes will begin Friday,
August 28, at 8:00 a.m.
School buses will run at
the usual time in the morn-
ing and make the return
trip at the usual time in the
afternoon.
Schools will be closed
Monday, September 7, 1964
for Labor Day.
up the plan and do the
engineering work on the pro-
ject.
At present there are only
two bridges, the present U.S.
83 and Tenth Street, to serve
all the area south of the '
highway. ^The Tenth Street
bridge is a bottle-neck be-
cause it is so narrow it
cannot accommodate two-
way truck traffic.
The county commission-
ers court has set up $32,
000 in the current year's
budget for the project which
will be carried out at no
cost to the city.
The bridge will be located
near 16th Street just east
of the Methodist Church.
The city’s part will be to
open and pave 16th Street to
Ohio, which will be the
present termination of the
road. However, long-range
plans include opening the
street through to Vermont.
T raffle from southeast of
Mercedes will be able to en-
ter Mercedes via Capisallo
or Ohio after completion of
the bridge and street.
Plans also are being made
to revise the Urban Rene-
wal program to provide for
paving Capisallo from 16th
to Tenth.
The new bridge will be
the same width as the pre-
sent U. S, 83 bridge, ap-
proximately 23 feet clear-
ance plus a 3 foot walk.
The approaches will be
gentle without the steep
grades of the present Tenth
Street bridge.
The county crews are
scheduled to build the
bridge so that there will be
no delays for bidding or con-
tracts after engineering
work is completed.
City Appoints
New Secretary
Mrs. Viola Rodriguez has
been named city secretary
succeeding Aaron Garcia of
San Benito.
Garcia submitted his
resignation last week effec-
tive Aug. 15.
Mrs. Rodriguez has been
employed by the city sev-
eral years. She will receive
$280 per month plus a $20
car allowance.
Since there apparently will
be no one named to replace
Mrs. Rodriguez, observers
speculated the move was
made for reasons of econo-
my.
Garcia has been city sec-
retary since the resignation
of Adan Cantu to become
joint school-city tax collec-
tor.
Annual Fiestas Patrias Celebration
Set In September At Local Armory
A two day celebration,
celebrating Mexico Indepen-
dence Day will be held Sept.
12 and 13 attheNewNational
Guard Armory. This event
is sponsored annually by the
Knights of Columbus.
Fun for the children will
be games, kiddie rides,
planes, horses, a ferris
wheel, cfaalrplanes and bur-
ros. There will be a Mexi-
can costume contest for both
children and adults. Mexi-
can suppers will be served
both days. Twenty booths are
now under construction to
be used for games and other
entertainments.
There are five candidates
for the Queen of Fiestas Pa-
trias. They are Miss Nelda
Martinez, sponsored by the
Knights of Columbus; Miss
Esmeralda Ramos, the Cath-
olice War Veterans; Miss
Linda Gutierrez, the Sodali-
ty; -Miss Norma Sierra, the
Holy Name Society; and Mias
Lucille Saenz, the Confra-
ternity of Christian Doc-
trine. The Queen for the
Fiestas Patrias will be an-
nounced on Sunday Sept. 13.
A grand Coronation Ball hon-
oring the Queen and her court
will be held Sunday, Sept.
27, at the National Guard
Armory.
The fiesta will be opened
Saturday morning with a
caravan which will travel
from Mercedes through
Harlingen, Combes, Ed-
couch-Elsa area, Weslaco
and Santa Marla. The car-
avan will consist of the
Queen candidates dressed in
Mexican Costumes.
A parade will be held Sat-
urday evening, starting at
(See FIESTA Page 4)
QUARTERBACK CLUB C
NAMES OFFICERS;
PLANS BARBECUE
chool Tax Rate
Unchanged, $1.35
Wayne Love is newly
elected president of the Mer-
cedes Quarterback Club.
Elected to serve this fall
along with Love are Hoyt
Hager Jr., vice-president;
Alex Moreno, treasurer; and
John Gutierrez, secretary.
The Quarterback Club has
sent to the printers material
for its first annual football
yearbook that will carry pic-
tures of all players, coaches,
members of the band and the
school administration.
The book is to be on sale
early in September.
The first Quarterback
sponsored barbecue for the
football teams and band will
be held September 10. Gar-
land Leavell, Finis Morris
and Johnny Williams are co-
chairman of a committee
planning the barbecue.
This year tickets will be
sold in advance or at the
barbecue for $1.50 per per-
son. Tickets may be pur-
chased from Quarterback
members.
Band Boosters
Start Drive
Mercedes Band Boosters
will initiate the 1964 mem-
bership drive Thursday at
the Mercedes High School
Band Hall at 6:30 p.m,
Objective of the member-
ship campaign is to enroll
each parent of the Tiger
Band and the junior and be-
ginner organizations in the
booster organization which
is dedicated to promotion
of the band and financing
of some of its activities.
Mrs. Harold Brewer is
chairman of the member-
ship drive. Parents of band
members are asked to send
their $1 per person mem-
bership dues to the Thurs-
day band rehearsal. Those
who do not will be called
upon subsequently by a com-
mittee of the booster organ-
ization.
After enrollment of band
parents who have primary
responsibility as band boos-
ters, the general public will
be asked to support the
school musical organiza-
tion.
Mercedes Tiger hand in
recent years has moved to
the forefront among musi-
cal organizations, it de-
serves parental and com-
munity support along with
the tax support, it enjoys
In the district, boosters con-
(See BOOSTERS Page 4)
Price lOc
For Coming Year
Taxpayers in the Mer-
cedes Independent School
District will have the same
rate for the next year as
in the past.
At a special meeting Fri-
day, the board set the tax
rate at $1.35 per $100 valu-
ation.
Earlier in the meeting,
advertised as the official
public hearing, the board
adopted the new budget show-
ing expenditures of $983,657
and revenue of $987,120.
No citizens attended the
hearing besides the officials
involved.
Biggest expense item is
$749,401 for teacher and
principals salaries.
The budget also provides
for purchase of a new $5,
500 bus with 72 seats.
WATER DISTRICT FUNDS
Funds totalling $775,000
have been set up in a new
bill in congress for the Mer-
cedes Water District Reha-
bilitation program. Passage
of the bill was considered
certain some time this week.
Expressway Opening
Planned by Sept. 1st.
Crews are installing
chain-link fencing around the
new expressway lanes from
Texas to Vermont and traf-
fic signals have been install-
ed at both intersections pre-
paratory to opening of the
thoroughfare by Sept. 1.
Work in this area is com-
plete except for the fencing
which should be finished by
early next week, a highway
department spokesman said.
Apparently a visit made by
city and school officials to
the State Highway Com-
mission recently has born
some fruit. Originally, the
fencing was not to be in-
stalled until the main lanes
are completed some years
later. However, It was point-
ed out the present lanes will
be a traffic hazard to pe-
destrians, specially school
students. With the new fen-
cing now being installed, it
will be impossible for pedes-
trians to cross the express-
way except at the designated
intersections of Texas and
Vermont.
At these streets, there
are conventional traffic sig-
nals for motor traffic plus
wait-walk signals for foot
traffic.
One other section in the
vicinity of the overpass at
the West edge of Harlingen
remains to be completed be-
fore the expressway can be
opened from Mission to
Brownsville, a 67-mile
stretch which will cut driv-
ing time by about one-third.
It has been announced the
entire section will be opened
to traffic by Sept, 1. It has
Crash Injures
Baptist Pastor's
Wife Critically
Mrs. Oliver W. Sumerlin
of Mercedes was critically
injured in a two-car colli-
sion near Driscoll Sunday.
She was taken to Spohn
Hospital in Corpus Christ!
where her condition was des-
cribed as too weak yet for
surgery. She suffered a frac-
tured skull, lung injuries,
and several broken bones as
well as serious bruises.
The accident occurred
about 5 miles east of Dris-
coll on Farm Road 665. Oc-
cupants of the second car
suffered minor injuries.
Mrs. Sumerlin, who is tak-
ing summer work at A&I
College, was riding in a car
police said was driven by
Mrs. Maurine L. Cathcart,
director of one of the wo-
men’s dormitories at A&I.
The two and another A&I
supervisor had been to Cor-
pus Christ! to attend a Choral
program. Condition of tbe
other women was reported
as good.
Rev. Sumerlin left late
Sunday for Kingsville amd on
to Corpus Christ! where
Mrs. Sumerlin was trans-
ferred.
Mrs. Sumerlin is a t&adb-
er in the Mercedes. Ktgb
School. Rev. SumetrHn in
pastor of the First Baptist
Church here.
been open from just west of
Mercedes to Mission for
some time.
It will be several years
before funds are available to
build the main lanes for the
super highway.
Not only did Mercedes get
a new throughway to relieve
traffic on the three - lane
business 83, it got rid of a
long-standing health hazard,
the old Anaquitas drain ditch,
"The new highway covered
the ditch and put it under-
ground along the right of
way, all at no cost to the
city except for relocating its
own water and sewer lines.
Health Unit Monet
To Hurd Street
The Hidalgo County Healtfe
unit has moved from the old
Co-Op building owned by the
city on North Ohio to the
former Boy Scout Building
on Third St.
BAPTISTS SLATE
GRAHAM FILM
FRIDAY EVENING
The new Billy Graham fea-
ture length sound-color mo-
tion picture, “LUCIA" will
be shown at 8:00 p.m., Fri-
day, Aug. 21, at the First
Baptist Church in Mercedes.
“LUCIA’’ was made In its
entirety in Buenos Aires,
directed by World W Ide Pic-
tures’ President, Dick Ross,
The fire and excitement of
gaucho folk music, South
America’s unmatched sceofc
grandeur, and the excitement
that belongs to one of the
world** largest cintea„ are
all earlcbed by full color and
Tbe story of Laeia trans-
ceetfe be Uhn setting and
embraces ilmspiritual needs
ibat mm comstton to every
■riilniiw nd clime around
Bat the seal intact of
fci as be 8 fat
lee tagieuae. erterfy Imam
trenramst of mm MMrcT*
eaaagftaeasa ami frasarat&oss
jeidCfe a® mankta is benn,
Wisfe fAH sb©
GwxSmm WWmm, "UJOUr
glasses bne tine mmm off ffto-
mmmmttc ami tin rw-
BWBBtlc — awi
thae Mate font m wey In to-
The office provides im- I’ solring tin enasatawsl greolfr-
—Enterprise Staff Photo
PURCHASER OF THE FIRST season ticket for the 1964
football season was N. P. “Pack” Barton. He is shown
here with Mrs. Barbara Halliburton, secretary in the
Mercedes Independent School District office. Tickets
go on sale at the office for $6.25 for the five home games
Monday morning. Anyone wanting to reserve the same
seat they had last year may contact the office before
Monday according to N« K, Fitzgerald, superintendent of
schools.
tmmizatlon and other ser-
vices for low-income fami-
lies.
The city allocates $600
per year to the department
for rent and utilities.
•LABOR DAY HOURS
Many retail stores in Mer-
cedes plan to close Sept.- 7,
Labor Day, according to
George Wheeler, manager
of the Chamber of Com-
merce. Drive-in grocers
will be open as usual, drug
stores until noon, and An-
thony’s announced their en-
tire Valley chain would re-
main open all day Labor Day.
lem» mm Hm feaHmarb
of
Rev. Hmog Retom
FromCtogteai
Th« lJ«v„ JtaSa® I*, Heracg,
pasugar ufflmrararall-aabe's^Et
Churcbr rabkrssed bustSattar-
day fro®* two wmsfe* off mill**
ttaiy chapEabt &my with tfee
9&S*
HoodL
P smear Banmg feeAis be
raak «i wm$ar In GSwp-
lains Ccsps* a®s$ was at-
tached m 90d>
wbera bp served as
kmistssst OfvfsBns Cbafbiln.
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Harvey, J. Edwin. The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 49, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 20, 1964, newspaper, August 20, 1964; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1091738/m1/1/: accessed June 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.