The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 2, 1969 Page: 1 of 8
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MERCEDES PUBLIC LIBRARY
536 3RD STREET
CITY
ENTERPRISE STAFF PHOTO BY DICK HARMAN
BETTY KAY PRUITT. . . on to California
in her grey and black wool plaid suit.
National Competition Next
Betty Kay Pruitt, 15, Mercedes high,
sophomore, is ready for a mid-January trip
to San Francisco, Cal., and participation in
a national ‘Make It Yourself With Wool* con-
test. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Billy M.
Pruitt won the trip, and a $100 savings bond,
with her first-place finish in the Junior Di-
vision of a state contest in December at
Texas Tech in Lubbock.
test, she had received a second-place award
in District competition in San Antonio.
Betty Kay mad^ and modeled a grey and
black wool plaid suit. Her teacher in Home-
making I at MHS is Mrs. Suzanne Neuhaus.
Judging throughout the contest is based
on coordination and design of fabric with the
individual designer and model, beauty of de-
sign, fashion, workmanship and over-all ap-
pearance,
Competition is open to alUhigh school
homemaking students.
Well-known Pioneer Albert
Schwarz Buried Sunday
Albert Phillip Schwarz,
member of a prominent pio-
neer family of Mercedes,
died Friday morning at the
age of 76 at Knapp Memori-
al Method:st‘Hospital.
He was born in Gypsum,
Kansas, aid had lived in
Mercedes since 1912. He
was engaged in the ranch-
ing business.
Mr. Schwarz is survived
by thr;e sons, William,
Leonard and Marvin, all of
Mercedes; four daughters,
Mrs. vlarion Yarborough of
Haywird, Cal., Mrs. Dor-
thea Corrazzi of . Santa Fe,
N. M., Mrs. Irene Hover-
son of Mercedes and Mrs.
Marjorie Haddad of Dan-
• ville, Cal.; 24 grandchildren
and seven great-grandchil-
dren; one sister,. Mrs. Mary
McConnell, six brothers,
Cris, George, Gene, Darius
and Wendell, all of Merce-
des, and Ben of Port Isa-
bel. '
Funeral services were
conducted at* the Stotler
Chapel Sunday at 4 p.m.w-ith
the Rev. Leo J. T ripp offi-
ciating. Burial was in'
Ebony Grove Cemetery.
Three Share $150
In Chamber Project
Grand Prize winners in a
Nercedes merchants* ‘Be A
Wnner — Shop Mercedes’
pr3-Christmas project were
"^ry Lou de la Cerda, $75;
mda Letuia, $50, and
R. T. White, $25. They
selected last week
|Cj names of persons who
stered while shopping
local merchant-partici-
s in another in a series
c hop-at-home programs
-;ted by the Chamber of
imerce.
heir cash-coupon awards
spendable at all of the
rticipating stores: Bord-
Tand Hardware, Mercedes
Drug, Queen City Pharmacy,
Reynolds Jewelry, Valley
Fashions, The Vogue, Sav-
M©re Home and Auto Sup-
ply!, C. R. Anthony’s,
Bealll’s, Hanshaw’s, Queen
‘City Laundry, Minimax,
Ferg’s and Baum’s Men’s
Wear.
Final set of weekly mer-
chandise winners during the
four-week project period
consisted of Lois Jean
Adams, John McGee, Lydia
Montoya, Cynthia Cantu,
Mrs. David H. Jones, Lydia
Saenz, Grace Flores, Ofelia
Garcia, Celia D. Martell,
Ida Ybarra, Julia Sanchez,
Mrs. Larry Onderdonk, Mrs.
John C. Karle, Baldemar
Mireles, Mary Mata, Mrs.
George d’Hemecourt and
Dan de los Santos.
Sponsors of the $150
Grand Prize money were
4-M Materials, W. B. Lau-
der Jr., Hidalgo County
Bank, First National Bank
and Central Power and Light
Company.
The Merce
Mercedes, Texas, 78570, Thursday, January 2, 1969
nterprise
Vol. 53 No. 1 Price 10c
Routine Year Had Bonuses
There were no shattering
experiences to match a
Hurricane Beulah, 1967, but
the year 1968 made its
share of local, though more
routine, headlines.
Almost a decade of effort
was culminated in Decem-
ber when ground was broken
for a 50-unit Mid-Valley
Community Motor Hotel
in one of the year’s top
stories here. And con-
struction of a seven-story
Housing Authority apart-
ment building was underway
all through 1968.
Elections, from local to
national, made top news,
led by the unseating of Ma-
yor John W. Bowe by Adan
Cantu in April.
Mercedes had a prom-
inent part in dedicating a
Mid-Valley section of Ex-
pressway 83; became the
site of construction of 100
homes for low-income fam-
iles, with federal participa-
tion; learned of approval of
a third Urban Renewal pro-
ject; hosted the big annual
Livestock Show and Rodeo;
opened a memorial library
building fund drive; got in
on teenage marijuana pub-
licity . . . and experienced
the standard week-to-week
normalities . . .
Starting below is a sum-
mary of 1968 in Mercedes,
as recorded on the pages
of the Mercedes Enterprise:
JANUARY
John Wade, son of Mr.
and Mrs. J. R. Wade Jr.,
and Stephen Dollery son of
Mr. and Mrs. James Dol-
lery captured, for the sec-
ond consecutive year, the
Grand Champion and Re-
serve Champion fat lambs,
respectively, at the South
Texas Lamb and Sheep Ex-
position at Donna.
Beatrice de Leon, daugh-
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Juven-
tino de Leon and a senior
at Mercedes high schoolwas
awarded the local DAR Good
Citizenship award, sponsor-
ed by the Lt. Thomas Bar-
low Chapter of the Daugh-
ter of the American Revolu-
tion.
• FEBRUARY
Ruben Hinojosa, one of 10
US Jaycqe Ambassadors,
left this week to begin a
three-week Jaycee Friend-
ship visit to Columbia and
Ecuador;
Billy. Joe Irvin, Catarino
de Leon, Saul Pineda and
Noel Fernandez members of
the MHS Future - Farmers
of America and advisor,
Jim Dollery, will spent
February 18 at the San An-
tonio Livestock Show as-
guests of the yFirst National
Bank.
' Mrs. Archie Brewer,
Mrs. James Dollery as-
sistant, chairman, Mrs,
George Irby have .been cho-
sen to head the Cover Girl
committee, whose Stock
Show preliminary event is
March. 16.
Luis Ledesma, son of Mr.
and Mbs.' Luis Ledesma Sr.,
is Kika de la Garza’s prin-
cipal nominee to join the
1968 class entering the Na-
'val Academy in Annapolis.
Linda Kay Schwarz, 13
and daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Leonard A. Schwarz, will
represent-,Mercedes in the
annual Hidalgo County
Spelling Bee, part of a Na-
tional Spelling Bee program
MARCH
Four Mercedes Girls are
cover girl candidates for
the Rio Grande Valley Live-
stock Show. They are Vero-
nica Galvan, representing
the Mercedes Future Home-
makers of America; Mau-
reen Hager, Mercedes 4-H;
Gilsie Knapp, Mercedes
FFA and Elva Quiroga,
Mercedes Future Home-
makers of America.
Harold B. *Bo* Hagan,
head football coach and
athletic director at Rice
University will address an
all-sports banquet for Mer-
cedes high school athletes
sponsored by the Quarter-
back Club.
Sharon Ady of Sharyland,
was chosen 1969 Livestock
Show Cover Girl, succeed-
ing Derrelene Ryan of Mer-
cedes as 1968 Cover Girl.
Fess Parker, of the Tele-
vision series Daniel Boone,
is headline entertainment at-
traction at this year’s Rio
Grande Valley Livestock
Show.
Hubert Rhodes of Merce-
des exhibited the Reserve
Grand Champion market hog
at the Livestock Show; His
entry was a 212-pound
crossbreed.
Paul Franklin Cotter, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Chester
Cotter, is. the local Ameri-
ican Legion Boys State de-
legate. Four others, select-
ed as alternate delegates,
for when places at Boys
State have been applied, are
Lawrence David Schwarz,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Leo-
nard Schwarz; Trenton Earl
T aylor, son of Mr. and Mrs.
L. E. Taylor; Arnoldo Flo-
res, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Emilio Flores; Glenn Brad-
ley Jones, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Glenn F. Jones.
The Rev. George Wheeler
has resigned as minister
of the New Testament
Christian Church and as
teacher of the Mercedes
Men’s Bible Class after
23 1/2 years of service.
He and his family are mov-
ing to San Antonio, where
he will become manager of
a Rodeway Inn. New minis-
ter and teacher will be Roy
Adams.
APRIL
Adan Cantu, former
School District business
manager, was elected
Mayor. Commissioners Rey
Zuniga and George Irby won
re-election over challeng-
ers Rudy Salinas and Ruben
Yanez.
Hoyt Hager Jr., was elec-
ted president of the Rotary
Club . . . the first Merce-
des Rotarian to be elected
president a second time.
Others to serve with Mr.
Hager are Lee R. Gandy,
vice president and E. L.
Park, who is returning as
secretary-treasurer for the
15th year. Members of the
Board of Directors for 1968-
69 are Lawrence Morrow,
James H. Penn, and Bob
Sanders, retiring president.
Sidney McClendon was re-
elected president of the
Mercedes Chamber of Com-
merce. They also selected
Bob Sanders, vice president,
Lawrence Morrow, second
vice president, and Howard
Sparrow, treasurer.
The Rev. John Herzog,
former long-time pastor of
Immanuel Lutheran Church
of Mercedes, has been pro-
moted to Lt. Col. in the
Army Chaplain’s Corps. He
is a US Army ‘Ready Re-
servist*. He is now pastor
of Trinity Lutheran Church,
Pine Bluff, Ark.
Dan Morrison and Jack
D. Schwarz were newcom-
ers elected as members of
the school board. Re-elect-
ed was Joe Bono.
MAY
The City elected a new
justice of the Peace, Homer
Salinas, who beat John Gu-
tierrez, 1,058 to 997. Gene
Foley who defeated Gilbert
Martinez was re-elected
Constable . . . 1,254 to 897.
Salvador Barron, princi-
pal at Kennedy elementary,
was chosen president of the
Lions Club. Others to serve
with him are A. P. Solis,
first vice president; Sidney
McClendon, second vice
president; Joe E. Reyna,
third vice president; John
Gutierrez, secretary-treas-
urer; Kenneth Barth, tail-
twister; Jerry Harvilie, Lion
tamer; Anselmo Sanchez,
greeter and Hector Garza,
J. L. Brewer and Bill Bun-
ton, directors.
City Commissioners have
approved a plan proposed
by Chief of Police, Tiny
ENTERPRISE STAFF PHOTO BY DICK HARMAN
CLASS LEADERS OF THE FRESHMEN AT MERCEDES HIGH SCHOOL — This all-girl lineup is the
slate of freshman class officers at MHS. They are, left to right, Nelda Garcia, parliamentarian; Rosa-
lie Broughton, president; Linda Schwarz, treasurer; Josefina Perez, vice president; Hilda Hernandez,
reporter; Diana Salinas, secretary.
Perez. The city will change
to parallel parking . . . pro-
ducing a more attractive,
more convenient and
safer parking for the down-
town section.
JUNE
Keith Billings, a 1968
graduating senior at Merce-
des high school, received
three of five scholarships
presented to seniors. He
accepted awards of $100
each from the Rotary and
Lions and $200 from the
Mercedes Jaycees. Mary
Edna Basaldua was awarded
the annual G. C. Parrish
Memorial Scholarship. Bea-
triz de Leon, valedictorian,
was awarded the new Wood-
men of the World Scholar-
ship award of $200. Named
as the class outstanding boy
and girl were Beatriz de
Leon and Joe Bono.
John Dupree was install-
ed commander of the J. A.
Garcia American Legion
Post. Others installed with
Dupree were Robert Gar-
cia, first vice president
commander, Robert Villa-
nueva, second vice com-
mander; Joe Bono, adjutant;
Alex Lopez, finance officer;
Jim Lauderdale, service of-
ficer; O. W. Sumerlin, chap-
lian; Manuel Echavarria,
sergeant-at-arms; Woody
T ullis, historian. Executive
officers are Santiago de la
Cerda, Ben Soto, Marvin
Roberts, John W. Bowe and
Floyd. Montgomery, retiring
commander.
Gamma Lambda chapter
of Epsilon Sigma Alpha In-
ternational of Mercedes was
named ‘Texas* Outstanding
Chapter’ at the State Con-
vention in Lubbock.
Chester Wine, vice pres-
ident of Central Power and
Light Company presented a
wall plaque and a $500 check
to Sidney McClendon, pres-
ident of the Mercedes Cham-
ber of Commerce. The
awards marked this city’s
first-place finish in its
population category in
CPL’s Arm for Industry,
(Continued next week)
THE DAVID DE LOS SANTOS FAMILY. . .David, Tina and Tammy
Now An Electronics Technician
Two standard ingredients
of success, desire and hard
work, have lifted a Merce-
des man from a job as
‘maintenance handyman* to
School Days
Return Monday
Well into the second of
two holiday vacation weeks,
students, parents and school
personnel are near resump-
tion of school classroom
activity. A vacation which
began on December 20 will
end Monday morning Jan-
uary 6.
All tourists and winter
visitors in the area are in-
vitied to attend a meeting
of the Mercedes T ourist
Club Thursday, January 2,
at the Mercedes Civic Cen-
ter. The session begins at
7 p.m., announces Bob
Canales, chairman of the
Chamber of Commerce
tourist committee.
Mercedes Tourist Club
a position as electronics
technician for the National
Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration.
David A. de los Santos
saw active duty with the Na-
tional Guard after graduating
from Mercedes high school
in 1961 and later joined the
US Navy for four years of
service as a radar operator.
He then got a job with Ben-
dix Field Engineering Cor-
poration in Corpus Christi
as a maintenance handyman.
That was not the level of
success he had in mind,
however. He enrolled in
members conduct weekly
meetings at the Civic Cen-
ter throughout the winter
tourist season. Sessions
convene on Wednesday eve-
nings, except when holidays,
such as Christmas and New
Years Day, fall on Wednes-
day.
At meetings early this
year dozens of door prizes,
provided by Mercedes mer-
chants, will be distributed.
night classes at a Corpus
Christi college, attending
four nights a week for two
years. Thus eligible for a
test that qualified him for
a NASA school, de los San-
tos finished third highest in
his class and was signed to
a NASA contract as an elec-
tronics technician.
He will spend 1969, at
least, on Guam, operating
‘exciter - receiver S-band
units’ for communication
with orbiting spacecraft.
This is the type, he says,
which eventually will dom-
inate all space-earth com-
munications.
Guam is one of 17 earth
stations, fitting into a link
between Hawaii and Austra-
lia. On earth orbit mis-
sions, his station will have
spacecrafts in communica-
tion about one-eighth of the
orbit time.
The son of Mr. and Mrs.
D. G. Silva of Mercedes,
de los Santos is married to
a former Columbus, Ga.,
girl, Tina. They have a
daughter, Tammy, 2 1/2.
Tourist Club Meets Thursday
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The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 2, 1969, newspaper, January 2, 1969; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1105916/m1/1/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.