The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 13, 1966 Page: 1 of 12
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Mercedes Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.
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Pay It Now
Deadline for payment of
poll taxes is January 31 and
most active citizens should
meet that voting require-
ment for certain this year.
We still must have poll tax
receipts in order to vote
in city, school district, coun-
ty and state elections...and
there will be a full schedule
of them during 1966. There
also will be one or more
interesting bond issue elec-
tions in which many of us
will want to register opin-
ions.
SUB-STATIONS for the
sale of poll taxes are being
arranged by County Tax Col-
lector Bob Lyons, he an-
nounced this week. Tax re-
ceipts and exemptions may
be acquired in Mercedes at
the Yearwood office, 423
Third Street; from Amelia
Adame, 271 South Indiana,
and Blanca Chapa, 130North
Texas; in Elsa at City,Hall
and at Elsa Hardware Store;
in Edcouch at City Hall and
Lopez service station, and
at Cisneros Cafe in La Villa.
Pay your poll tax, or get
your exemption if you are
60 or older. Don’t be merely
an observer...be a partici-
pant.
* * * *
HERE’S ANOTHER dog
story.
This one is about a big,
black, male animal which,
without invitation, has join-
ed a family out on Mile One.
He answers to anything you
call him.
PLEASE CALL the Enter-
prise office if you know
where he belongs.
* * * *
Term Ends
First semester of the cur-
rent school term ends this
Friday, January 14, and the
second half of the term kicks
right off on Monday. With the
year’s big Christmas-New
Year’s vacation just fading
from view, local schools
won’t be closed again until
Friday, March 18, when
classes are to be dismissed
for two reasons: annual Rio
Grande Valley Livestock
Show day-off and Texas State
Teachers Association con-
ventioning.
EASTER VACATION time,
for those who care to have
things to anticipate, extends
from Friday, April 8 through
Monday, April II. Except
for the Migrant School, which
will have classes as usual
on April 11.
Just thought somebody
might like to know.
* * * *
Subscribe
Now signing up new sub-
scribers for the Mercedes
Enterprise, and accept-
ing renewals, are students
of Distributive Education
classes at Mercedes high
school. The youngsters took
up the project to boost their
education in sales and public
contact work, and to boost
their treasury. With the
money earned, they will fin-
ance a trip to an area DE
convention in San Antonio
on February 5 for the top
subscription salesman.
BE SURE your friends
know about the chance to sign
up for weekly home delivery
of their hometown newspaper
at a time which coincides
with the chance to help a
group of enterprising high
school students.
* * * *
Amen
The ’Valley* Morning Star
always is good for a frown.
Recent unneighborly swipes
at Mercedes have continued
the tradition.
WE KNOW one gentleman
who can’t get along without
it. Says that no matter how
badly he feels when he gets
up in the morning, he always
knows he can turn to the Star
editorial page and find that
the people there feel so much
worse about something.
The Merce
Mercedes, Texas, 78570, Thursday, January 13, 1966
536 3RD ST.
CITY XXX
nter prise
Vol. 51 No. 2 Price 10c
BUCKET BRIGADERS
were at downtown in-
tersections Saturday—
and will be there each
January Saturday—as
the community’s March
of Dimes drive opened.
The brigade is manned
by MHS students, col-
lecting donations from
passing motorists.
ENTERPRISE STAFF PHOTO
MHS Bond Proposal Due Soon
Options Acquired
For 37-acre Site
ENTERPRISE STAFF PHOTO
INTERVIEWING AT CLINIC — Mrs. Joe Reyna,
left, is shown interviewing a patient at the new
health clinic which will be officially dedicated Sun-
day afternoon. The first maternity clinic at the new
health center was conducted Tuesday morning by
Mrs. Reyna.
PUBLIC INVITED TO ATTEND
Mercedes School Board
and its Citizens Planning
Committee will announce in
a few days a school cons-
truction bond issue proposal
and a date for School District
taxpayers to pass judgment
on it.
The Board has options to
purchase 37 acres of land on
which it will propose that a
new Mercedes high school
building be constructed. The
land faces Florida Street
south of La Gloria Heights
and north of the Afton Ad-
dition. It is to be acquired
from Mrs. N. P. Barton,
Mrs. Lena Grimm and Mrs.
Open House Slated Sunday
At New Local Health Clinic
A public invitation has
been extended by the Com-
munity Action Program
Board of Mercedes to attend
Open House at the new Mer-
cedes Health-Clinic this
Sunday. Charles Ricke,
Board chairman, other
members and clinic person-
nel will be hosts during pub-
lic inspection of the unique
facility from 12:30 to 5 p.m.
Miss HazelGibson, head of
the relocation section of Ur-
Fruit Shipping Increases
With shipping continuing
the local Railway Express
Agency reports 27,300 gift
fruit shipments made since
November, 1965 from Mer-
cedes, Weslaco and Donna.
Approximately 70% of these
shipments were made by
Mercedes firms according to
REA agent, D. S. Jackson.
The current shipping sea-
son has been ahead of last
year’s season, Mr. Jackson
said.
In November, citrus fruit
shipped from the Valley was
about 30% ahead of Novem-
ber, 1965. The December
shipments were 12% to 14%,
or about 1,500 shipments,
ahead of the same month in
1964. The January, 1966,
shipping so far is ’way ahead
of last year*.
To Greet Tourists
The annual party for tour-
ists in Mercedes is planned
for next Wednesday evening
at 7 p.m. at Mercedes Civic
Center,
Highlights of the party,
sponsored by the Mercedes
Chamber of Commerce, will
be awarding of door prizes,
furnished by Mercedes mer-
chants, to the tourists, and
serving of refreshments.
Mercedes Mayor John
Bowe, and City Commission-
ers are also expected to at-
tend the meeting to welcome
the tourists to Mercedes.
Assisting in co-ordinating
plans for the meeting are
Frank Merrion, tourist
chairman in Mercedes; A.
L. Clubb, Chamber director
in charge of tourism; and
George. Wheeler, Chamber
manager.
WEATHER
Jan. H L
5 65 44
6 64 45
7 71 45
8 71 44
9 75 42
10 79 51
11 77 51
Total Rainfall: .05.
ban Renewal’s Ft. Worth re-
gional office, will attend,
as will Dwight Davis, pro-
gram analysis director,
Community Action Program,
Southwest Region, Office of
Economic Opportunity, Aus-
tin.
Also invited are Sargent
Shriver, OEO director, and
Theodore Berry, national di-
rector of Community Action
Programs, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Albert Randell, di-
rector of the Hidalgo-Cam-
eron counties State Health
Department Unit, will be
on hand as the official under
whose supervision the health
clinic is operated.
Mercedes Health Clinic is
unique in that it is the first
of its type to be activated
in the United States. It was
requested and supported by
a local Community Action
Program Board, financed by
OEO funds and boosted by
local private capital in the
form of land and building
provision.
More than two dozen simi-
lar projects in other parts
of the nation are being mo-
delled after the Mercedes
project.
CWV Officer
Pedro Castaneda has been
appointed welfare officer of
the Catholic War Veterans
post in Mercedes. He re-
places Ramiro Aldape.
The appointment was made
by the CWV commander,
Agripin Valderas.
GOOD CITIZENSHIP MEDAL
Frances Brown.
Purchase of the land and
development of the site will
cost approximately $45,000,
an amount to be included in
the bond issue proposal.
Tuesday night, Board
members viewed basic plans
for a new MHS building as
presented by the architec-
tural firm of Bowman, Swan-
son and Heister of Harlin-
gen, Brownsville and Corpus
Christi.
The Board will recom-
mend that one phase of the
new building be constructed
with the bond issue now un-
der consideration and that
MHS classes be conducted
at both the new and the pre-
sent sites. When finances
are available later to com-
plete the new building all
MHS classes and facilities
will be consolidated there.
Present MHS building and
campus then will become a
junior high school plant.
Board members and mem-
bers of the Citizens Plan-
ning Committee’s finance
sub-committee will meet at
7:30 p.m. Friday of this
week at the school business
office to arrive at the amount
of financing now available
and, to select the size of the
bond issue to propose to the
voters. They also are ex-
pected to set an election
date.
The finance sub-commit-
tee is composed of W. B.
Lauder Jr., S. H. Collier
Jr., Adan Cantu, Floyd Lang-
ford, Gene O’Shea and board
members Rudy Salinas and
L. L. Van Berg.
They will be joined at the
Friday meeting by Russell
Dodds of Edinburg, repre-
sentative of the District’s
fiscal agent, the Underwood
Corporation.
Wednesday, School Super-
intendent N. K. Fitzgerald
expressed the ’’hope that the
community will approve the
final proposal in order that
we may begin construction
at an early date...the Mer-
cedes secondary education
school plant has reached the
point that facilities are total-
ly inadequate and crowded
conditions are such that it
has become extremely dif-
ficult to operate an accred-
ited program”.
Diane Schwarz Honored
DUCHESS — MHS sen-
ior Paula Kay Pemel-
ton, above, will re-
present Mercedes and
its Chamber of Com-
merce as duchess to
the annual Texas Citrus
Festival February 2-6
in Mission. Jimmy Ly-
ons will be her escort.
Diane Schwarz, Mercedes
high school senior and
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Leonard Schwarz, is the
1966 DAR Good Citizenship.
She was selected by the Lt.
Thomas Barlow chapter of
the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution to receive
its Good Citizenship Medal,
with 12 other senior girls
To Discuss
Consdlidating
Superintendent N. K. Fitz-
gerald was requested by the
School Board Tuesday to
contact the Relampago
School Board about ar-
ranging an early meeting to
discuss consolidation. He
will suggest that the Boards
meet February 8 for the
discussion.
representing that many Val-
ley high schools.
DIANE SCHWARZ
. .one of 13 in Valley
The honored girls are se-
lected on the bases of de-
pendability, service, lead-
ership and patriotism.
Diane, a member of the
First Presbyterian Church,
is a leader in youth fellow-
ship in the church, has ser-
ved on the pulpit committee
and is on the Youth Sub-com-
mittee of the South Texas
Presbytery.
She is president of the MHS
National HonorSociety chap-
ter, Key Club duchess, for-
mer Zeta Eta Sigma vice
president, band sweetheart,
drum major and a member
of the debate team.
Diane was a Girl’s State
citizen, a local and regional
Science Fair winner, and
All-Valley band member and
a regular honor roll
achiever, supplemented by
special honors in French
and history.
MARCH OF DIMES OPENS
Mothers March Tuesday
A ‘Mothers March* next
T uesday evening, ’Bucket
Brigades’ each Saturday, a
’Walkathon’ and a downtown
games and prizes session
by Catholic War Veterans
are to be features of the
annual March of Dimes cam-
paign here.
The Mothers March Tues-
day, January 18, begins at
about 7 p.m. Local women,
headed by Mrs. James Lau-
derdale as chairman, will
knock at the doors of homes
where porch lights have been
turned on.
Bucket Brigades are op-
erated each Saturday at
downtown street intersec-
tions by Mercedes high
school students. They collect
coins from passing motor-
ists.
A Walkathon, with MHS
students Yolanda Moreno
and Thomas Montgomery
participating, is being plan-
ned and details will be an-
nounced later. James Pink-
Cafetorium Is Set for Kennedy
Plans for construction of
a cafetorium at the Kennedy-
Migrant school campus were
approved Tuesday by the
School Board. Estimated
cost is $41,600. It is to be
similar in design to the Tra-
vis cafetorium, with some
of the better features of the
Mercedes high school cafe-
teria to be incorporated.
Financing will come from
Title I provisions of the
federal Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of
1965.
erton will supervise the pro-
ject.
Local unit of Catholic War
Veterans is arranging a ser-
ies of games and prize-
award contests in Third
Street between the drug
stores from 6 to 10 p.m.
Saturday, January 22. Per-
sons willing to donate prizes
may notify Agripin Valderas
at Mercedes Drug.
Sidney McClendon is com-
munity chairman of the cam-
paign, Ruben Hinojosa is as-
sistant chairman, W. C, Ross
III has charge of special
gifts and Ralph Jones is
cashier.
Funds collected go to a
National Foundation which
has switched its attention
from polio research and
treatment to the problems
of birth defects.
Queen, Cover Girl Nominees
The Mercedes 4-H club
has named candidates for
the Blue Jean Queen contest
next Thursday in Donna and
the Cover Girl contest in
March.
Derelene Ryan, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. B. J. Ryan,
will represent the club in one
of the opening activities of
the South Texas Lamb and
Sheep Exposition January
20-23.
Connie Kelley, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. N. G. Kelley,
will be a cover girl candi-
date in the contest March 16
which helps get the March
16-21 Rio Grande Valley Li-
vestock Show underway.
ENTERPRISE STAFF PHOTO
AT KIWANIS INSTALLATION — New officers were
installed at a Ladies Night event of the Mercedes
Kiwanis club last week at El Sombrero. Above, left
to right are L. W. 'Mike' Clifford, new president;
Dr. Henry Forcher of Edinburg, lieutenant gover-
nor of Kiwanis Division 26, speaker, and H. D.
Wallace, retiring president.
Derelene is a sophomore
in Mercedes high school.
She was a Key Club duchess
last year and is a member of
the Mercedes 4-H club and
Y-Teens.
Connie is a high school
junior here and her activities
include membership in Y-
Teens, Thespians, band, Ti-
ger Staff, Cotillion Club,
Quill and Scroll. She is al-
so a Key Club duchess.
The Mercedes FFA chap-
ter previously selected Lin-
da Anderson to represent
the chapter in the Blue Jean
Queen contest and Tina Solis
in the Cover Girl pageant.
Choirs In
Rehearsal
Rehearsals of the com-
bined choirs of Protestant
churches of Mercedes begin
Sunday January 30, for a
Palm Sunday sacred orato-
rio * presentation. “The
Crucifixion”, an oratorio by
Stainer, will be presented
on Sunday, April 3, at the
First Methodist Church, di-
rected by Mrs. O. W. Sum-
er lin.
The Mercedes Ministerial
Alliance, sponsor of the pro-
gram, announces the opening
of choir rehearsals for 3:30
to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan-
uary 30, at the First Bap-
tist Church.
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Puckett, Lee Ross, Jr. The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 13, 1966, newspaper, January 13, 1966; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1098972/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.