Pages past - June 19

On this date ...

1969: Bob Richards, 43, a former Olympic pole vaulter who became a minister, stayed overnight in Tucumcari during his cross-country trek. Richards departed from Hollywood, California, on June 1 and planned to be in New York City by July 17. Averaging 140 miles a day primarily on a bicycle with some jogging, he said he was about five days ahead of schedule. Richards said he was on a physical-fitness crusade: “If I can bicycle clear across the country, anyone can bicycle around the block or go to the gymnasium for exercise.” A photograph showed him lifting weights at a Tucumcari hotel’s swimming pool.

• The Safeway grocery store in Tucumcari advertised sliced bacon for 75 cents a pound and ground beef for 52 cents a pound. Cooper’s Market in Tucumcari advertised chuck roast for 59 cents a pound and a 25-pound bag of Gold Medal flour for $2.09.

• The Canal Drive-In theater advertised “a shocking story of teenagers” for a movie titled “Teenage Mother,” with “Girl in a Chain Gang” as the second feature. The Odeon Theatre advertised a screening of “Green Slime,” describing it as “invaders from beyond the stars.”

• The Tucumcari Television Schedule in the newspaper listed prime-time programming such as “Dragnet 1969,” “Ironside,” “The Flying Nun,” “Daniel Boone,” “Bewitched” and “The Dean Martin Show.”