Tales from the Morgue

Raymond L. Telles

April 9, 1998

Raymond L. Telles. First Hispanic elected mayor of a major city - El Paso - in the United States.

Telles became mayor in 1957, the largest Texas border city with Mexico and the fifth largest city in Texas. In 1959 he was re-elected mayor without opposition. While mayor, the Telles family was the subject of a Department of State film. Titled, "One Day's Activities of Mayor Telles and Family," it was shown in countries of Central and South America. He, his wife and daughters speak, read and write Spanish fluently.

In 1961 he accepted an appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica by President Kennedy.

Telles had been elected county clerk in 1948 and re-elected in 1950, 1952 and 1954 without opposition.

Telles was presented with the humanitarian award by the Black El Paso Democrats at its 16th annual Political Awareness banquet Feb. 28 during African-American History Month.

The Raymond L. Telles Academy public school was named for him by the El Paso school district.

He was born and raised in El Paso, graduated from Cathedral High School and International Business College, attended the University of Texas at El Paso, was called into service by the Army, became a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, and retired in 1975 as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He completed 34 years of active and reserve duty.

While he was in the Air Force, he was chief of the Lend-Lease program for Mexico and countries of Central and South America. He later served in Mexico as U.S. Air Force liaison officer and adviser to the commanding general of the Mexican Air Force.

Telles served under six presidential administrations.

Raymond Telles photo gallery

New Street Designation Plan Okd

July 26, 1957

City Council Thursday cleared the way for a uniform street designation plan under which all long east-west streets will become avenues and north-south thoroughfares will be identified as streets.

Traffic engineer Joe Nadon said the council’s action will allow the ordering of street signs immediately and installation will begin about the end of September.

Still to be settled is the question of renaming streets, with a report from the Mayor’s Street Name Change Committee now before the Plan Commission, and changes in the present numbering system.

Short streets, those of no more than 1,000 feet in length, will become courts if running east-west and those heading north-south will be designated as places. Diagonal streets will be roads, if regular length, or ways for short streets.

Curving roads will be either drives, if regular length, or lanes or circles. Mesa Avenue will be Mesa drive.

Mayor Raymond Telles said the change will become effective with the installation of the new signs, but the new designations may be used immediately. Local utilities and the post office wrote the council that they have no objection to the changes.

An early report is expected from the Plan Commission on the proposed name changes that will be considered at Friday’s meeting along with the radical grid system for street numbering. A preliminary report on the grid system, under which every street number in El Paso would have to be changed, has been received by the commission but no favorable action is expected from the group.

A total of 168 street name changes was recommended by the study committee to eliminate duplications, brought about by annexation, and other variances.

Thursday’s resolution also provided that the Plan Commission can require developers to use existing names where their street share extensions of existing thoroughfares. This would apply even where there is an interruption, such as an intervening cemetery or other obstruction.

Whynot El Paso

May 13, 1935

3000 Visitors At Barbecue

Gov. Tingley Suggests El Paso Be Included In New Mexico

More than 3000 persons, including Gov. and Mrs. Clyde Tingley of New Mexico, yesterday moved into Radium Springs, N. M., as the Whynot El Paso? Club sponsored a barbecue, rodeo, and dance.

“Whynot put El Paso in New Mexico?” asked Governor Tingley in a speech cheered by those who listened. He stressed the need of co-operation between El Paso and New Mexico.

The governor disclosed that at one time he suggested to Senator Morris Sheppard of Texas that El Paso should be incorporated in New Mexico, but that the senator did not favor the proposal.

Serve 1500 Pounds Beef

New Mexico cowboys won the majority of the events in the rodeo, which went off smoothly, with no injuries.

At the barbecue, 1500 pounds of beef, 15 gallons of beans, 20 gallons of coffee, seven gallons of pickles, a tub of onions, and 1900 loaves of bread were served to the hungry multitude, as well as beer, soda pop, and lemonade.

“It’s all gone,” said H. W. (“Dusty”) Waller, president of the Whynot El Paso? Club, last night. “The hotel’s still here, but that’s about all.

Waller said his estimate of the crowd was 3100 persons, with about 40 per cent coming from El Paso and 60 per cent from various parts of New Mexico.

20 State Represented

O. J. Thomas, manager of the Radium Springs Hotel, reported the biggest business in the hotel’s history over the week-end.

Automobile licenses representing 20 states were counted among parked cars.

Many persons stayed over last night to dance to the music of Marshall Van Pool and his Whynot El Paso? Orchestra.

Taking part in the rodeo were cowboys from Rincon, Socorro, Silver City, Gallup, Roswell, Hondo, Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Hatch, Derry, Salem, Hot Springs, Hillsboro, and other New Mexico and Texas towns.

Speakers besides Governor Tingley included George Frenger, president of the Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, who spoke on co-operation between El Paso and Las Cruces; R.C. McMains, Governor Tingley’s secretary; Adjutant Gen. W.H. Charlton and Lt. Ed Purdy, the governor’s aides; Mayor Edward Ward of Silver City, Sheriff Slim Matthews of Grant County, Sheriff Joe Lucero and ex-Sheriff Dick Trivis of Dona Ana County, ex-Sheriff John Case of Grant County, Dan Williams, chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee of Dona Ana County; John Bingaman, chairman of the Grant County Democratic Executive Committee; Adrian Pool, El Paso collector of customs, and Miss Alda O’Hara, Las Cruces postmaster.

SMALLPOX FOUND IN THE CITY JAIL

December 14, 1911

Two Sick Men in Lock-Up at Police Station

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SPREAD FROM PEST HOUSE

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Such is Belief Since a Former Employee There Spent Sentence in Jail

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The detection of two supposed cases of smallpox at the city jail last night caused quite a stir in health department and police circles. The men believed to be sick with the dreaded disease were found in the lock-up at the police station, with about forty fellow prisoners, where they had been confined during the last fifteen days on a charge of vagrancy.

William Haney and William Heppner, both sentenced to serve twenty-five days on a charge of vagrancy are the sick men. They were immediately removed last night to the pest house on the county road where there were already seven cases of smallpox.

Jim Prim, known as the “Gold-Tooth Kid,” was released from the city jail last Saturday after having been fined and given four hours to leave town, was formerly an employee at the pest house. While in the jail he telephoned an institution regarding a quantity of clothing which he had left there.

Yesterday afternoon he was found on the streets by the city detectives. He complained to them that he was very ill and he was sent to Dr. W.H. Anderson, the city physician who pronounced the disease smallpox and ordered the man to the pest house. Prim is thought to be responsible for the disease at the city jail.

When the men were discovered to be ill last night the police surgeon was at once summoned. After an examination of the symptoms, which consisted of a head ache, pain in the back, fever and eruption of the skin, the physician ordered the men removed to the pest house.

This morning the remaining prisoners in the jail will be escorted under guard to some out-of-the-way spot and detained there while the jail is thoroughly fumigated and cleaned. They will then be returned to jail where they will be closely watched for symptoms of smallpox.

Last night the entire night jail force was vaccinated by the police surgeon and the remainder of the force, who have not recently been subjected to the operation will be given a good scratching of their arms today.

The patients now in the pest house are suffering from a very light form of the disease but the two men removed from the jail last night have not developed sufficient symptoms so that it can be told just what form of the disease it is.

The city and county physicians, as well as the police surgeon are prepared to combat the smallpox should an epidemic break out. It is not believed however that the disease will get from under their control at the jail and pest house.

Miners – National Champs!

March 20, 1966

By Rodger McKown
Times Sports Writer

College Park, Md. – Texas Western, tabbed as the underdog, used a scurrying defense and a champion’s poise to defeat No. 1 ranked University of Kentucky 72-65 and win the NCAA national collegiate basketball championship here Saturday night.

With 10:18 left in the first half Texas Western went ahead of the Wildcats 10-9 on a free throw by Nevil Shed and never trailed again in the game.

Following the free throw Bobby Joe Hill stole the ball from All-American guard Louie Dampier before he could get the ball to mid-court and raced back for an easy layup.

Again Kentucky tried to bring the ball downcourt and this time Hill robbed Tommy Kron as Willie Worsley worried the 6-foot-5 senior forward. Again hill laid the ball up for two points and the Miners had a five-point bulge at 14-9 with the first period exactly half gone.

It took Kentucky almost tow minutes to tally its next bucket but it took David Lattin only seconds to get loose under the basket for a dunker as the Miners were off and running from the top-ranked Wildcats.

The Miners surged to an eight-point lead with 4:21 left in the first half and held the same margin again a minute later.

By halftime Kentucky had cut the gap to 34-31.

Kentucky’s only leads came in the first 10 minutes of the game when they were inn front three times. Their largest lead was four points, at 7-3, four minutes deep in the game.

In the second period Kentucky was never able to catch the Miners. Their closest approach was one point at 38-39 in the first three minutes, and again 50-49 with just over 8 minutes to play.

Just after that last drive the Miners started another surge on a jump shot by Hill, a long set shot from the corner by Artis, another jumper by Hill and a tip-in by David Lattin to pull away to a 9-point lead.

Biggest margin in the game for Coach Don Haskins’ Miners was with 3:22 remaining to ply when TWC took a 11-point edge, 68-57.

Hill, with 20 points, led three Texas Western scorers in double figures. Lattin had 16 and Artis followed with 15. Worsley and Cager, who came of the bench to give the Miners added speed bucketed eight points each.

TWC’s rebound advantage was smaller than had been expected. The Miners collected 35 rebounds to 33 for the Wildcats. Lattin took individual honors for the Miners with nine, followed by Artis with eight. Dampier was top Wildcat off the boards, also with nine, and Larry Conley had eight.

The Miners had been billed before the game as the taller of the two teams, but actually the Miners were almost an inch shorter as an average than Kentucky, which measured in at 6 foot 3. Haskins went to his smaller guards including 5-foot-6 Worsley for the added speed to stay with the racehorse Kentuckians.

The Miner defense held Kentucky to a 38.6 field goal average, lowest of the season for the Wildcats. Previous season low had been 43 per cent. Kentucky had an 84.5 percentage from the free throw line.

Texas Western scored on 44.9 per cent of their shots from the floor – three-tenths of a point over their 44.6 season average they carried into the game – and hit 84 per cent from the free throw line for one of their better performances of the season in that department.

The win for Texas Western brought Texas its first national basketball championship. TWC was only the sixth Texas team to enter the championship, and only one other – Baylor in 1948 when it lost to Kentucky – had made the title contest.

Not since 1956, when Southern Methodist University mad the trip, had a Texas team advanced to the national tournament.

The triumph gave the Miners a final record of 28-1 for the season – top mark in major college basketball for the nation.

TEXAS WESTERN

G F T

Flournoy 1 0-0 2

Worsley 2 4-6 8

Lattin 5 6-6 16

Artis 5 5-5 15

Hill 7 6-9 20

Shed 1 1-1 3

Cager 1 6-7 8

Totals 22 28-34 72

KENTUCKY

G F T

Conley 4 2-2 10

Riley 8 3-4 19

Jaracz 3 1-2 7

Dampier 7 5-5 19

Kron 3 0-0 6

Berger 2 0-0 4

Gamble 0 0-0 0

Lemaster 0 0-0 0

Tallent 0 0-0 0

Totals 27 11-13 65

Texas Western……………….34 38-72

Kentucky…………………….31 34-65

Fouled out - Kentucky, Conley, Jaracz

Total fouls – Texas Western 12, Kentucky 23.

Attendance – 14,253

More articles from 1966 Championship

Column: Here's How

Frenzy Erupts On Campus

Bedlam Reigns In El Paso

Spirited Victory Fest Turns Into Near Riot

Champs Return Home / Thousands Greet Victors

Miner Musings

Many Send Kudos To Miners

Don Haskins photo gallery

Haskins' experiences as child sparked fire of desire as adult

January 31, 1997

Bill Knight
El Paso Times

Don Haskins can pierce a hole through you with those pale blue eyes.

There is a fire in there that scorches ... a fire that has driven him through an exceptional athletic career and a Hall of Fame caliber coaching career.

Haskins has always had that fire. Maybe that is why he has not only prevailed but excelled in the ultimate what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business.

Or maybe that fire came from a time long ago, back in Enid, Okla., when he was only a year old. As infants do, he rolled over one day. But on this day, he rolled onto a sizzling hot iron and it almost crippled him. His left calf - from ankle to knee - was gone. Just lost.

The little Haskins limped along with his father on hunting trips, never one to be left behind. His father fashioned him a crude, homemade weight. He wore it on those hunting trips, hiking as much as 20 miles ... hunting from daybreak to sundown ... limping all the way.

Haskins could play baseball with the limp. He pitched, so he didn't have to run. Unlike the other kids, he couldn't.

"It just almost killed me that I couldn't run," Haskins said quietly, thinking back on those childhood days. "I worked so hard at basketball because I was so bad at it. I just couldn't run."

Haskins was cut from his seventh grade basketball team. He was dropped again in the eighth grade. And again in the ninth. But those who know Haskins today know that would hardly deter The Bear. It just led him in a different direction.

There was a dirt road in front of the Haskins house in Enid ... about a mile and a half from Phillips University. More importantly, it was about a 11/2 miles from the tiny Phillips gym.

Every day after school, Haskins would find a different way to sneak into that gym and play.

Smiling - and making those pale blue eyes twinkle - Haskins said, "There was about a million ways you could get in. My mother would be worried to death. I'd go after school and not come home until 10 or 11 at night. All I needed was just some little light in there; just anything."

Occasionally, Haskins would get caught. The coach at Phillips paddled his behind pretty good once. Another time, the coach chased the young Haskins up to a small running track, 15 or 20 feet above the playing floor. Haskins jumped off to avoid the coach and his paddle, spraining his ankle, but limping safely home.

By his sophomore year in high school, Haskins not only made the varsity, he started. But his extra work was far from over. The fire in those eyes was merely beginning to sizzle.

The young Haskins no longer had to sneak into the little Phillips gym. His high school coach gave him a key to their gym. So day after day, night after night, Haskins would play basketball. Sometimes with friends. Most of the time, all by himself. Playing and playing. Working and working.

Again, Haskins' father stepped in to help. He built his son a smaller rim; the kind they use today for rebounding drills. And the young Haskins spent hours shooting on that, too.

By his senior year, he had caught everyone's attention with his uncanny shooting touch, once making 54 straight free throws in competition. It was in all the local papers.

Again thinking back, again making those pale blue eyes twinkle, Haskins said, "I remember when I finally missed; I really choked. That's all anyone was talking about. And the more I got to thinking about it, the tighter I got."

No matter. By the end of his senior year, Haskins had basketball coaches coming to him. Even the guy at Phillips ... the one with the paddle. He wanted Haskins and his shooting touch to come play for him. He could use the gym legally; anytime he wanted.

But Haskins had bigger things in mind. He went over to Stillwater, to play for the legend, Hank Iba, at Oklahoma A&M. By that time, he was a 6-1 firebrand who could leap high enough to dunk a basketball. His left calf - the one that was painfully erased by that iron - was an inch-and-a-half bigger than his right.

No more limp. No more frustration and pain from not being able to run like the other kids. Just a young star.

Don Haskins is no longer young, just over a month shy of his 67th birthday. But those pale blue eyes will still pierce a hole right through you ... just as they would when he was a determined little boy, trying to keep up with his dad on those hunting trips, trying to find a way into Phillips University gym, trying to make himself into a basketball player.

Bill Knight covers UTEP basketball for the El Paso Times.

Don Haskins photo gallery

NO VIOLATION OF THE SUNDAY LAW

December 4, 1902

Judge Spencer Decides That Under the Statues of the State Barber Shops Can Be Regarded as Necessities, and That Failure to Close on the Sabbath Does Not Constitute a Basis for Prosecution of the Owners.

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Yesterday Judge Spencer rendered an important decision which excited great interest and invited general discussion. The decision is of extensive scope and its effect is by no means limited to the interest involved in the cases disposed of.

The court held that cutting hair and shaving was a work of necessity and, therefore, that barber shops had a right to keep open on Sundays. The opinion of the court is based upon the wording of article 97, chapter 11 of the Revised Statues of Texas, which names “works of necessity” as an exception to the work or business which the law prohibits being carried on during the Sabbath.

This ruling of the court is a decided victory for Joseph Nixon, proprietor of the parlor barber shop, against whom three complaints were filed. Two of the complaints were filed with keeping open Sunday and the other with working his employes. The charges were made on two succeeding Sundays, but the hearing of the first case was postponed, and the three came up yesterday and were submitted by agreement without argument or evidence. As Mr. Nixon did not dispute the fact that he had kept open on Sunday, the issue at bar was exclusively one of law involving the construction and meaning of the statues. This ends the matter as far as the suits that were pending are concerned, as there is no appeal for filing new complaints for any alleged additional violation of the law.

In commenting on his decision, Judge Spencer said: “I do not see why shaving can not be regarded as a work of necessity. Many can not hot shave themselves, and perhaps it is utterly impossible for them to secure the opportunity or time to get shaved Saturday night. It is very busy evening. All want to look clean and net and some have no provisions for a bath at home and want to take a wash. If the barber shops are closed they can not do this. No one can compel the barbers to work on Sunday. It is their won voluntary choice. It appears to me that it is just as necessary to be clean and neat Sundays as it is to sweep out your room on the Sabbath. I have decided these cases according to what I deem is right and just, irrespective of the opinion of others.”

According to Judge Spencer’s ruling, neither the court or its officials will receive any remuneration for their services, and the cost bill has been wiped out.

Wyoming Surge Edges Miners, 21-19

UTEP played 6th ranked Wyoming in November 1967. Here is the article from that game.

November 19, 1967

Scores 18 In Final Quarter

The University of Wyoming exploded for 18 points in the final quarter to come from behind and take a narrow 21-19 victory over University of Texas at El Paso at Sun Bowl Stadium Saturday night. A record crowd of 35,023 was on its feet through most of the final quarter as undefeated and sixth ranked Wyoming had to come from behind twice to whip the stubborn Miners.

The winning points came on a 24-yard field goal by Jerry DePoyster, his second three pointer in five attempts.

The two teams fought to a scoreless standoff in the third quarter, leaving the Miners with the 13-3 margin going into the final stanza. The U.T. El Paso advantage was erased with two Poke touchdowns in the first 1:20 of the fourth period. As the third quarter ended – Wyoming had moved 93 yards on four plays for a first and goal situation at the Miner one.

It took three dives into the stubborn Miner defensive wall before fullback Tom Williams finally pusher over. Quarterback Paul Toscano ran the two-point conversion.

Only seconds later a Brooks Dawson fumble recovered by Larry Nels at the U.T. El Paso six set up the go ahead touchdown. The six points came on a pass form Toscano to flanker Larry Suganuma.

A pair of passes by Dawson, one to tight end Major Stevenson and one to flanker Volley Murphy, put the ball at the Wyoming 12. Split End Bob Wallace passed 12 yards to Murphy in the end zone on an end around play for the touchdown.

Wyoming marched right back after the kickoff, moving from its own 20, 72 yards to the Miner three in 11 plays before DePoyster split the uprights with the winning field goal with 3:37 left.

A last ditch Miner drive moved to the Poke II with the help of 55 yards of pass interference penalties.

A penalty and two losses drove the Miners back to the 27 before a Jerry Waddles field goal narrowly missed with 16 seconds left on the clock.

The rugged Miner defense which had held Wyoming through the first three periods for the 10-point lead seemed to finally wear down in the final period.

The Miners used a pair of breaks for two touchdowns enroute to their 13-3 halftime advantage.

Wyoming had the ball with a first and 10 situation as its own 41 yard line but Jim Kiick was caught behind the line of scrimmage and pushed back to the 22 where Carr literally took the football away from him, giving the Miners a first and 10 from that point.

White picked up one yard into the line and Dawson hit Murphy to move it to the 15. Dawson found Murphy, again on a flair pattern and the fleet little flanker went in for the touchdown. Waddles added the extra point.

The second Miner TD came with 9:13 left in the half after Vic Washington fumbled a punt at the U.T. El Paso 44 and it was recovered by guard Wally Guilford. The Miners moved to the touchdown in four plays with a 23-yard aerial from Dawson to Wallace covering most o the territory.

The touchdown came on a nine-yard pass from Dawson to Ron Jones, Waddles’ first kick was good, but an ineligible procedure penalty moved the ball back five yards and the second try was off to the right.

DePoyster hit on his third field goal try, the three pointer coming from 35 yards out. In the first quarter he missed on kicks of 58 and 54 yards.

The field goal was set up when Wyoming rushed Galloway on a punt knocking the slender sophomore down before he could get the kick away. Wyoming took over at U.T. El Paso 29 and used three plays to move to the 19 before the successful filed goal try.

The toe of DePoyster, a slender senior, was the big difference. He booted two field goals in five attempts and was one for one on conversions, more than enough points for the margin.

But it was the poise and passing of Toscano, the 177-pound senior who is in his first season as a quarterback after playing two years in the defensive secondary that moved the Cowboys into range for the field goals and one TD.

Toscano completed 22 or 36 passes for 256 yards and had a net gain of 23 yards on the ground.

Split end Gene Huey had a big night, grabbing 12 of Toscano’s aerials for 184 yards and setting up the first Cowboy touchdown.

Dawson completed 12 of 30 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns; Billy Stevens was in the game for only one play in the first half and a few plays late in the game. He did not complete a pass.

Volley Murphy was the top Miner receiver with seven passes for 87 yards and two TDs.

The loss gives the Miners a 5-2-1 season record. U.T. El Paso closes its season next Saturday against University of Utah at Salt Lake City.

Statistics

Wyo.     UTEP

First downs 18      12

Rushing yardage…93  18

Passing yardage…256 182

Return yardage……61  59

Passes………… 22-37-2  13-24-1

Punts…………   7-40    8-41

Fumbles lost…2      2

Yards penalized…70  35

Wyoming………………0 3 0 18-21

U.T. El Paso…7 6 0  4-19

UTEP – Murphy 15 pass from Dawson (Waddles kick)

UTEP – Jones 9 pass from Dawson (kick failed)

Wyo – FG DePoyster 35

Wyo – T. Williams 1 run (Toscana run)

Wyo – Suganuma 6 pass from Toscano (DePoyster kick)

UTEP – Murphy pass from Wallace (pass failed)

Wyo – FG DePoyster 24

Attendance – 35,023