Socorro Rewind

JUNE 3, 1965

PFC BILL NOURSE of the U.S. Marine Corps, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Nourse of Datil, is now in South Vietnam. He has a marksmanship medal. Nourse joined the Marines following his graduation from Magdalena High School in 1964.

THE ROBERT SPARKS family of Socorro won a state championship and first and second place in divisions in the target tournament of the New Mexico Field Archery Association. Mrs. Norma Sparks won the state championship in the women’s barebow division; her husband Robert was second in his class in the men’s barebow; and their son, Gary, was first in the cub’s division for children 11 and under.

JUNE 8, 1965

ANTONIO GONZALES of Socorro graduated with his class of 43 operating engineers from the Western School of Heavy Equipment Operation in Weiser, Idaho. His instructor was Sam Lankford. Gonzales attended Western School for eight weeks in an accelerated program designed to produce efficient equipment operators for the construction industry. Western School is owned by a group of 48 contractors and was established to provide a facility where men may learn their trade as rapidly and efficiently as possible.

BURGLARS BROKE into the safe of the Golden Spur Lounge in Magdalena and stole at least $1,000 in currency, State Police Sgt. Sam Chavez reported. State police are continuing investigation of the burglary. The bar is operated by Junior Gutierrez.

JUNE 10, 1965

PROJECT HEAD START for 75 five-year-old, underprivileged children will begin at Garfield Elementary School, Rupert Trujillo, director, announced. There will be a staff of five teachers and two cooks besides the director. The program, part of the anti-poverty war, is designed to teach attitudes, understandings and skills. Medical, dental and eye examinations will be given during the first week when classes are to begin. The children will be served a free meal. Milk will be served with the meal.

JUNE 15, 1965

SOCORRO HOSE CO. NO. 1 answered an alarm for a fire in junk cars. The cars were being dismantled with a cutting torch when the fire started. Six men and two trucks responded to the alarm, Capt. Ernest Trujillo said. Trujillo said the firemen were assisted by Gilbert Peralta of the city gas department. As the fire was confined to junked cars, there was no damage estimate.

JUNE 22, 1965

UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS apparently are scouting the Socorro area again. Three Socorroans sighted two UFO’s from their patio on the night of June 13. They reported the bright objects were traveling southeast at high speed and appeared to be about over San Antonio when first sighted. Very shortly after they noticed the first object, a second appeared higher in the sky and farther away. They estimated the two were about one fourth of the way up to the dome of the sky. About midnight the middle of last week, another Socorroan saw a red-colored object hovering low over the “saddle” of Socorro Mountain, south of the peak. The reddish object remained motionless for possibly five minutes before it disappeared suddenly as the red object. These are the first known reported UFO’s over the Socorro area since one was sighted streaking southeast over the city on Feb. 26.