I resented the Cadets for pretty selfish reasons. During my 324th break-up with Dixie, she went out with one of them. That hardened my attitude, but again, selfish reason. They had to put up with a lot of crap from us local boys. We drenched many of them on north Main as they walked down the sidewalk after a rain. Thhose gutters carried a lot of water and we felt getting it out of the street and onto the sidewalk was our civic duty. Funny at the time, but I regret the disrespect it showed for my fellow man and the uniform they wore. I would probably only do it one more time just for old time's sake..ha. (not really..well...maybe). In the early 90's my 2nd born son attended NMMI on a baseball scholarship. I was proud.

I wonder if it will rain on Sep 1?

Mike Willingham also had an El Paso Times route in the South part of town. If I remember I had the largest route in both miles and 200 papers to throw. I think the only larger amounts of papers was a guy that filled the paper racks each day. We would pick up the paper bundles at 4 AM on Union and West Second in a Coin Laundry Mat. You must have rolled papers with us. I usually brought John Baker with me on the weekends to help roll and through papers. Mike and I would fight over him, that way John could fold papers and all we had to do was drive the route.

Mr. Binns would take money out of our weekly pay if we didn't get the customers to pay on time. He would give it back when you collected the paper bill. I think half of my pay went for the boxes of rubber bands we had to buy to roll the papers.

Early morning paper routes. I'm still trying to get warm from those sub-0 mornings. Steve Bardwell and I were part of the team that brought the Amarillo Daily News into Roswell so we never had to throw outrageous numbers but covered a lot of area in the south part of town. My old Lambretta lost it's muffler for a month or so. I think I was the scourge of all who wanted to sleep past 5:30am.

Scott - when i was throwing the paper, we picked up the papers at Binns' house on Kentucky i think.  It came in on the film truck that delivered the movies in southeasten NM.  I think the truck went on to Portales and Clovis.  Anyway Binns had an office on his back porch with the neatest old rolltop desk.

I always wanted a Cushman Eagle, but my brother had been hit doing his Times route and spent almost a year in traction and in a body cast -  so I didn't get a motor scooter.  I threw papers in my VW.

Ken, I remember the office on the back porch, he would ball me our for not collecting the money fast enough for my route. I spent afternoons and weekends on the whole east side of town collecting for the paper. Everyone else was picking up girls and I was slaving.

I never got hit by any cars, but I did get hit by big dogs twice and dropped the Cushman Eagle on it's side and lost all the papers. Never got hurt...just the pride. But I did take care of the dogs by using vinegar in squirt guns. One big dog would hide in front of a car, jump out in front of my scooter and knock me over. I was in Track at school at that time and I took a large piece of wood, drilled and glued my track shoe spikes on it and made a nice spiked mace....a couple of wacks later the dog never came out again.

Must have been nice throwing papers in the winter in the VW....The last time I saw Mr. Binns was in his book store...I think on East Third almost to Virginia street.

Scott - the heater on that air cooled bug was not the best, but yes it was much warmer than the cushman woud have been.

I had a Great Dane on the street that bordered Cahoon Park that used to come out and snap at my arm as i threw the papers. Once or twice i thought he was going to come through the window after me.  So i let him run a little a head of me and openned the door and he went head long into a parked car.  that broke him of sucking eggs. 

Tommy,

I delivered the El Paso Times for about a year, my route covered most of the East side of Roswell. Looking back on it, one had to be some kind of an idiot to endure the job.

Hey Joe and Tommy..

I agree, it was fun at first when I started in the summer, but when school started and got cold it became a burden. But, I had a '32 Ford 5 window coupe, 6" chopped top and 6" chaneled body below the frame. I was trying to save money for parts and .18/gal gas. I got my License at 14yrs, 7months, when I took drivers training. I was excited driving around in the old jelopy. It had a built flat head ford motor that I bought from a car club in Pecos, TX.

One day Leland Williams and I were driving around in the '32, and I was going to show Leland how much rubber I could burn, across the intersection. WELLLL, I took off and I forgot that the steering wheel shaft threads were crossthreaded, and during this massive burnout, the steering wheel came off, my foot would not come off the throttle, I was holding the steering wheel in the air and Leland's eyes where bigger than I had ever seen anyone anytime. Don't ask me why I was looking at him....don't remember who was screaming the loudest. I did get it stopped, as it was movinging to the curb and not into oncoming traffic. But, I took it back down to my dad's shop and let them fix it. Of course, I was told to not drive it until it was fixed (before the burnout), but hey, it seemed to drive allright around the shop....nothing could go wrong...RIGHT :)  I never did tell my dad or the shop guys what happened. Guess that's why I still have vivid memories of this.

Did go to Greer's, A & W, Wileys and Pop's a lot. 

I got out of delivering papers when I went to NMMI.

Two things...

Did you ever have a class in the tower? I remember it being so hot up there. I am sure that it probably did not even pass the fire code.

Second, was there ever really a "rumble" at the Petroleum Building at lunch with the North J. H. ___?  what were the North J.H. called?  

2nd attempt to reply;

I never had a class in the tower. I assumed that it was a place of higher education and tried to stay away from such places. (higher education..get it?)

It was during our time at SJH that they installed those attractive black exterior fire escapes. Nothing like 300 kids rushing down a 2 story exterior stair-case 5 or 6 times a day. How did we survive?

I don't remember a rumble at the Petro Bldg between SJH and NJH. What were the NJH guys called? Punks?..haha, just kidding..a little cross city rivalry there. I'm over it..really..no, honest I am. Me thinks they were the Bulldogs, and a fine group of folks they turned out to be. All it took was exposure to them at RHS to discover they were cool kids..just like us. North, South or East, Walker AFB and rural..awesome folks and great classmates all forged in the melting pot of Roswell Senior High, Class of '65. (wow, I waxed really corny there..sorry). How bout a smile?

I am like Tommy, I never got no Higher Education.  Do remember Mrs. Willard's spelling class with with Tommy.

Ok, since no else from NJH will jump up and own up, I will. NJH were called the "Pups", I know it sounds a little korny. Our store was at 5th and Missouri and owned by the "Kneadlers". Yes there was a "rumble" over by the Petrolium Building during a lunch hour and I was there but to be honest about it, I really don't remember the outcome. I do remember who was involved but I would have to verify that with someone else who was there.  The name of the school newsletter was "Puppy Howl". Joanna White sent me some copies of these newsletters and I would like to quote the October 31, 1961 Sports Section.

"In the PUPS' first football game of the season against South, we won 6 to 0. John McCasland made North's only touchdown." So there you have it Linda, Tommy and Ken.

You know i honestly could not remember the name NJH used, i do know that South would have to come up with another name today.  Very un PC.

I remember all the rumors about fights at the Petro. building, but i never had the cash to go down there to eat so i was not a witness or participant.  One can only imagine the crazy thing that would spark a fight.  the rumors were that it was about which school had a right to eat there.  sounds like the kind of thing that kids fight about.

Yes, we were the North Junior High Pups, and it never seemed quite right chanting at football games, "We are the puppies, mighty mighty puppies."  But let's not forget the origin of that name.. we were actually the Coyote Pups.. 

I agree Tommy - we all ended up together and that is what counts!  But I don't remember North Jr. High kids going to the Petroleum building for lunch - it would have to have been too far away -  I just know I went there all the time.  And the fire escapes - those were something else!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know Linda  - but I don't remeber problems at the Petroleum Building over lunch between SJH and NJH and I ate lunch there all the time- It was kind of far away for NJH kids to come - Maybe I am just not remembering - that's a a real possibility - the main thing I know - we all ended up together!!! That is the great part!!  Right? 

Mary

North Jr. Hi Pups. Wow. You could have offered me a million dollars and I'd have not come up with that. It falls into the catagory of "now that I hear it, I remember it". My "punks" comment was of course said in jest..I hope all you Pups knew that. The north side of town was like another city to me. Seems I was always in the desert southwest part of town. Going to Cahoon Park was always a treat. Trees. Man, so many trees all grown up. My youngest sister lives on Highland Dr now and loves it over on the north side. what a town we all have!

That part of Roswell is beautiful to me.  The second house we lived in there was at 5th and Washington - next door to Charles Henkle - his dad was an attorney and they had a huge red brick two story home on probably a 3 house lot - it was really beautiful - and aross the street from Wasington Avenue elementary school.  We were just down the street from Cahoon (or was it Calhoon) Park and played there all the time.  Libby Walters lived just down the street from as well as Carolyn Curtis. And our zoo for a town that size was pretty nice too. There are truly some big old beautiful homes around there - and yes lots of trees  I reember a few times though when we would have floods and the Hondo River would over flow - we had to put sand bags around the house to keep the water from coming in.  Jerry attended NJH but Bill and I both attended SJH.   We had oved to the South side by then.

Linda,

I guessed, the same as Tommy, that it was for higher education only. But, I do remember holding a few 7 grade hostages there...not really.

Does anyone remember, I think in between the towers, above South Junior High, it said Roswell High School. Was RHS always there before the new Roswell High School on Hobbs and Lea streets? AND, was North Junior High the Junionr High for Roswell?