Pages past - March 22

On this date ...

1972: Firefighters were called to extinguish a blaze in the east wing of the Sheraton Inn motel in Tucumcari.

The fire, believed to be electrical in origin, started in a utility room and spread to the attic. Water and smoke damage was reported in the utility room and adjacent rooms.

A resident said he heard an explosion and saw the flames.

About the same time, an Air Force couple traveling in the area saw the flames, made a U-turn and went to the motel to report the fire.

— Ken Rasmussen, dean of the Eastern New Mexico University-Clovis campus, provided the results of a new feasibility study for a vocational education school in Tucumcari. More than a third of students contacted in a survey said they were interested in receiving vocational training. Businesses also reported a shortage of trained personnel in the region.

— Roy’s Meat Market advertised sirloin for $1.39 a pound, center-cut pork chops for $1.25 a pound and blade-cut chuck roast for 79 cents a pound.

— Jim Edwards announced membership cards for the Tucumcari Recreation Center would be 25 cents apiece, and the facility would offer activities such as pingpong, pool, chess, checkers and other activities.

— The Odeon Theatre was showing “Buck and the Preacher,” starring Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte. Up next were the James Garner film “They Only Kill Their Masters” and the Raquel Welch movie “Kansas City Bomber.”