The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 1, 1965 Page: 1 of 10
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MERCEDES PUBLIC LIBRARY
536 3RD ST.
CITY XXX
RJS
The Merce
nterprise
It CAN Be Done Vol. 50 No. 26
> i
A current Chamber of
Commerce membership
campaign needs to be ended
within the next few days.
Workers accepting as-
signments to contact present
members for renewals and
dues increases need to com-
plete the job right away.
Members and prospective
new members need to be
prepared to greet the work-
ers with attitudes of enthu-
siasm and generosity.
THE CHAMBER can make
Mercedes a stronger, busier
city...if it has adequate fi-
nancial support and plenty of
active personal interest.
* * * *
Gan,t Be True
Television — and what-
ever government agency that
sponsored and/or approved
the thing—hit a new high in
nausea Monday night, in a
long, sordid musical ap-
peal to ‘troubled teenagers’
who might need federal help
to get themselves straigh-
tened out. It was said that
wild, loose displays of mus-
ical ‘entertainers’ was the
surest way to get the atten-
tion of the greatest mass
of maladjusted young people
at one time. If true, that is
a terrible shame, and teens
are much more troubled than
we thought. It is more of a
reason for maladjustment
than an avenue toward cure.
THE ONLY PEOPLE who
benefitted from the program
are the people, young and
old, who saw part of it, were
disgusted and quickly turned
away, and those who missed
it entirely.
* * * $
Mercedes, Texas, 78570, Thursday, July 1, 1965
MR. MERCEDES
V
Go forth in
happy holiday
spirits...
But go Fourth ' ^
safely.. v
A Significant,
Safe, Occasion
The first verse of a lyri-
cal poem written by the Rev.
0. W. Sumerlin, Mercedes
Baptist Church minister,
sets an appropriate Indepen-
dence Day theme into motion.
This July Fourth, carefree,
vacation weekend is not an
.ordinary holiday. It com-
memorates the birthday of
the United States of America,
the 189th this year. It is a
significant occasion.
HERE ARE the Rev. Mr.
Sumerlin’s opening words on
the subject:
“This is the land our fath-
er sought and found,
“That they might live un-
fettered and unbound;
“In forests wild they sang
their hymns of praise,
“And sowed in hope, in
hope of better days”.
They supported that hope
with faith and hard work, and
the nation they founded 189
years ago rates a biggei
birthday party every year.
MAKE THE MOST of
this long vacation weekend.
It will extend through Mon-
day for most of us, since
the day after Sunday, July 4,
has been selected as a no-
business holiday by almost
everybody.
Have fun, keeping in mind
the Highway Patrol predic-
tion that , 31 Texans will die
in traffic accidents over
the weekend and that dozens
more will be hurt or killed
in wrecks, drownings and
such.
Treat it as significant—
and safe—occasion.
Final Clearance Due Soon
For Youth Corps and Clinic
Public
Health
'Model'
Funds for a proposed pub-
lic health clinic for school
children in Mercedes are
expected witnin the next few
weeks, Gene O’Shea, execu-
tive director of the Mer-
cedes Urban Renewal Agen-
cy, said this week.
For some reason, Wash-
ington’s approval has been
delayed for the project,
though the plan used for
submitting the clinic pro-
gram has been used as a
guide for other Texas com-
munities for their proposed
clinics.
The local model clinic,
to be built with funds com-
ing from the Housing and
Home Finance Agency, will
be built near J. F. Kennedy
School close to the Express-
way.
T otal cost of the project
is $26,005 with federal con-
tribution at $14,865. Local
contribution, ‘in kind’, totals
$11,140. Included in local
provisions will be the land
and services of clinic per-
sonnel.
Medical attention, neces-
sary x-rays and preventive
shots will be provided with-
out cost to clinic visitors
CAF to Feature
Corpus Air Show
Confederate Air Force
planes and flyers will fea-
ture Corpus Christi’s annual
‘Salute to Aviation* show
Sunday, July 4, at the Cor-
pus Christi International
Airport.
The CAF air show begins
at 3 p.m., preceded and fol-
lowed by performances of an
Army parachute team.
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CENTERPRISE STAFF PHOTO 3
IN NEW QUARTERS -- Rosa Mae Wheeler, above,
’Miss Mercedes’and daughter of Chamber of Com-
merce manager George Wheeler and Mrs. Wheeler,
was pictured Monday phoning C. of C. member-
ship campaigners from the new Chamber office in
the Hidalgo County Bank Building.
LOCAL EXPRESSWAY
Contract Let For
$756,700 Total
Completion of the US 83
Expressway through Merce-
des is expected during the
A DAY OFF
Monday, July 5, will be
a holiday for most local
business places, a vaca-
tion commemorating
American Independence
Day, July 4,
Next community-wide
vacation weekend exten-
sion will mark Labor Day,
Monday, September 6.
early days of 1966.
The Texas Highway Com-
mission has let a contract
totalling $756,700 to a San
Benito firm to build approx-
imately two miles of main
Expressway lanes between
the east floodway levee to
Mile One East Road.
The job calls for grading,
structures, flexible base,
and asphaltic concrete pav-
ing. Contract was let to
Dodds and Wedegartner, Inc.
of San Benito.
Officials in Girls
Two Mercedes girls re-
turned Friday from active
participation in the 24th an-
nual American Legion Auxi-
liary Bluebonnet Girls State
in Austin. They are Diane
Schwarz, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Leonard A.
Schwarz, and Cheryl Ann
Adams, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. C. M. Bartnesky.
Diane, whose attendance
was sponsored by the Mer-
cedes Legion Auxiliary, was
a nominee for Chief Justice,
Supreme Court, Nationalist
Party, in the mock election-
education process. She also
was appointed by the Girls
State Governor to serve as
State Civil Defense Coordi-
nator.
Cheryl, sponsored at Girls
State by the Los Ebanos
Study Club, was elected
Councilman in City A.
Non-partisan and non-
political, Girls State is a
program to provide citizen-
ship training for girls of
high school age, to afford
them an opportunity to live
together as a self-govern-
ing group and to inform
them of the duties, privi-
leges, rights and responsibi-
lities they will assume as
adults.
The Mercedes girls were
selected locally on the basis
of character and leadership
from girls who have just
completed their junior year
in high school.
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CENTERPRISE STAFF PHOTQ3
AT VALLEY C-C SESSION — This was a discussion scene as local members
of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Chamber of Commerce met in annual con-
ference at El Sombrero Monday. Lloyd Ileggen, left, back to camera, and
Truett Baucum, second from right, were elected directors.
Await
Money
For NYC
Mercedes participation in
the summer portion of the
Neighborhood Youth Corps
has received approval from
the state Office of Economic
Opportunity, has been sign-
ed byGovernorConnally, and
forwarded to Washington for
approval. Fund - approxi-
mately $19,925-and the ap-
proval are expected this
week so that work in the
scheduled eight-week pro-
gram may begin at once, ac-
cording to Gene O’Shea,
member of the Mercedes
Community Action Program
Board.
Applications have already
been received and approved
by the local Community Ac-
tion Program Board and as
soon as the federal okay is
received, the 60 applicants
will begin work. Applica-
tions from future corpsmen
were made through the Tex-
as Employment Commission
office in Weslaco.
The Mercedes CAP board
has set one limitation on
employment applicants—the
worker must be in high
school. Students involved
are betv/een the ages of 16
and 21 years. The local pro-
gram will employ 56 boys and
four girls. The boys are
divided into four crews of
14 boys each.
Work for the students in-
cludes office duties for the
four girls in city offices and
for the crews, work on street
right-of-way beautification
and in local public parks.
MHS Coach Milton Hild
has been working with the
applicants in the program
and has been one of the coor-
dinators for the planning
portion of the summer pro-
gram. When federal funds
are granted, salaries for
four paid supervisors, one as
chief superyisor, will be
provided.
The program is financed
by the government with local
participation ‘in kind* — the
Community Action Board and
the City of Mercedes provide
office space and services
of city works’ superinten-
dents who work with the
corpsmen for two hours each
day. All funds come from
Washington. Local partici-
pation in the program is
rated at 10% and federal
contribution at 90%.
Corpsmen are paid $1 per
hour with a maximum of 30
hours of work per week gua-
ranteed. Four of these 30
hours are spent in instruc-
tion. Current plans for the
instruction portion of the
program include sessions
conducted by a high school
principal or superintendent
discouraging the drop-out
tendency among the students;
a doctor discussing proper
health; a banker clarifying
finance problems, and other
professional men on appro-
priate subjects.
The summer Neighbor-
hood Youth Corp program is
a forerunner of a regular
nine-month NYC program.
In the long-term portion,
students will work 15 hours
per week, still earning the
same hourly rate.
Local disbursement of
NYC funds in is under the
jurisdiction of the Commu-
nity Action Program Board
in conjunction with the City
of Mercedes. Chairman of
the board is Charles Ricke.
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CENTERPRISE STAFF PHOTO 3
AMONG SWIM FINALISTS — These seven youngsters, all members of the
Mercedes Aquatic Club were among finalists in the South Texas AAU Junior
Olympics last weekend here. Shown above, front row, left to right are; Rhon
and Terry Ishmael, Bryan King. Back row, Vickie Wade, Belle Moreno, Su-
sie Wade (who won a gold medal) and Gracie Moreno.
A SUMMER-FUN SPOT
Nature and Recreation
At Sunrise Hill Park Here
By Lee Ross
Puckett Jr.
Sunrise Hill park and mu-
seum of nature is one of
a series of summer-fun
spots in and around Merce-
des.
Sunrise Hill has been a
favorite picnic place for
Mercedes residents and
others in the Mid-Valley. In
winter, the park is a favorite
gathering place for tourists.
At the park - six miles
northwest of town - also is
a museum of specimens
found in the area. Started
eight years ago, the museum
has now been expanded - a
new brick building has been
constructed for fossils;
specimens of air, land and
sea life; arrow heads, and
other relics of the Indian
civilization settled in the
area. A butterfly collection
provides color for the entire
museum. Also displayed are
antiques and some paintings,
as well as artwork of this
region.
At the park is the only
amphitheater in the Valley.
Used at one time for Easter
Sunrise services, the an-
nual observance was discon-
tinued several years ago.
Now the stage is used for
dancing and the new teen-age
craze, sidewalk surfing.
Plants in the park are of,
for the most part, a tropical
or semi-tropical variety,
many carefully identified.
There are rock gardens and
cactus gardens. The walk to
the museum, found in the
rear of the park, is along
a path and road surrounded
by tropical growth.
Museum curator and park
manager H. H, Bartlett Sr.
spends his time caring for
the park and enlarging the
museum.
Lighting is available at
the county-owned park for
night-time use also.
Shortage of funds is the
biggest problem of the park.
No charge is made for ad-
mission to the park or the
museum, and the donation
boxes located in the museum
are not often used by visi-
tors.
However, with available
funds and donations by a few
individuals, interested
mainly in the museum
growth, the park and its
many features are maintain-
ed.
In addition to picnicking,
dancing, sidewalk-surfing,
and museum visiting, the
park offers large open
spaces for baseball games.
There are also facilities for
basketball.
The park is open at all
times, the year round. Mr.
Bartlett asks all visitors to
register at the museum.
Registered guests for last
month included 718 adults
and children.
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CENTERPRISE STAFF PHQTQ 3
MUCH TO SEE AND DO -- H. H. Bartlett Sr,,
ABOVE, stands among decorative foliage at Sun-
rise Hill Park. He is host to hundreds of visitors
each month.
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Rainfall this year 9.91
f ENTERPRISE STAFr PHOT03
WEDNESDAY’S FLOOD — Highway 281 (Military
Highway) and scores of acres of cropland were
flooded Wednesday east of Relampago when reser-
vior banks southeast of the town broke. Above is a
truck as it began a splashing venture down the wa-
ter - co ve red h i ghw ay.
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Puckett, Lee Ross, Jr. The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 1, 1965, newspaper, July 1, 1965; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1099021/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.