Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 295 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
December 9, 2014
TUESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
4 Pearl Harbor survivors vow reunion won’t be last
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — Four of the remaining nine USS Arizona survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack vowed this year’s anniversary won’t be their last reunion. The men in their 90s gathered for a news conference Tuesday in a building overlooking the memorial that sits on top of the Arizona, a battleship that sank in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack. Even though it’s the last official survivor gathering of the USS Arizona Reunion Association, the men said they still plan to get together, even if not in
Hawaii. “I don’t think this is going to be our last. ... We’ve still got time to go,” said Louis Conter, 93, of Grass Valley, California. “We’ll be back out here no matter whether the rest of the crowd can make it or not.” Donald Stratton, 92, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was one of the few survivors of a gun director in the forward part of the ship. More than 65 percent of his body was bur ned. Stratton was hospitalized for more than a year and then was medically dis-
charged from the Navy. He then reenlisted a year later. “The good Lord saved just a few of us,” he said. Sunday marked the 73rd anniversary of the Japanese attack that killed about 2,400 sailors, Marines and soldiers. During a private event Sunday, the four men toasted their shipmates, drinking from replicas of champagne glasses from the Arizona. They will share a bottle of sparkling wine that was a gift to the survivors association from President Gerald Ford’s See HARBOR, Page A3
AP Photo
New restaurants near completion
USS Arizona survivors from left, John Anderson, Don Stratton, Louis Conter and Lauren Bruner arrive Dec. 2, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Packin’ some historic heat
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Bill Moffitt Photo
The Tommy Gun at the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, serial No. 7653, is among the first lot of 15,000 first made in 1921 by Colt Manufacturing.
BY BILL MOFFITT DAILY RECORD CORRESPONDENT
Around 2002, when the construction of a new wing on the east side of the Chaves County Courthouse at Fifth and Main streets was progressing, workers discovered several boxes under the floor near the old jail. Inside the boxes were a large number of files along with several weapons, including what the June 26, 1939, issue of “T ime Magazine” called: “… the deadliest weapon, pound for pound, ever
devised by man.” Called such colorful nicknames as “The Chicago Typewriter,” “The Trench Sweeper,” “The T rench Broom,” The Persuader,” “The Annihilator,” “The Chopper,” “The Burp Gun,” “The Gangster Gun,” “The Gun that Made the Roaring 20s Roar,” and the first “submachine gun,” the Thompson Submachine Gun is probably best known as the “Tommy Gun.” Chief Deputy Britt Snyder told the Daily Record that the Tommy Gun belonging to the Sheriff’s Office, made by Colt Manufacturing in
1921, is the one that then Sheriff’s Deputy L.O. “Tommy” Thompson used to guard German prisoners of war when they were transported to Roswell during World War II. (Ironically, his last name really was Thompson, Snyder confirmed when the editor double checked). While the Tommy Gun was first developed as a tool for trench warfare in World War I, the war ended before it could be mass produced. Since it was believed the “war to end all wars” was successSee GUN, Page A3
Bill Moffitt Photo
Chaves County Chief Deputy Britt Snyder displays the Thompson M1921 submachine gun with clip first purchased by the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office in 1934.
The new McDonald’s restaurant will open next week, but Roswellians will have to wait until next year to enjoy Buffalo Wild Wings and Carl’s Jr. “Buf falo Wild Wings expects to be open in midJanuary, but those dates are not carved in stone,” said Bill Bartlett, city code enforcement supervisor. “Carl’s Jr. should be completed by the end of January.” The new McDonald’s restaurant, being constructed at 4100 N. Main St., is expected to open on Dec. 17, Bartlett said. The restaurant chain is planning grand opening celebrations from Dec. 18-20, including a noontime “meet and greet” with Ronald McDonald at the new restaurant on Dec. 20. Buffalo Wild Wings was founded in 1982 by Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery, business partners living in Columbus, Ohio, who were unable to find their favorite Buf falo, New York-style chicken wings in Ohio, according to the website buffalowildwings.com. The two men created their own signature wing sauce and opened the first Buffalo Wild Wings restau-
rant near the campus of The Ohio State University. In 1994, CEO Sally Smith came on board to put in place the necessary infrastructure needed to further grow the concept, according to the corporate website. Smith has since grown the brand to more than 1,025 restaurants, and has set a goal of having 1,700 restaurants across North America in the next 10 years. The company’s international expansion began in Canada and continued into Mexico. Additional locations will open in Mexico, the Middle East and the Philippines in 2014. Telephone calls and emails to Buf falo Wild Wings and Carl’s Jr. corporate headquarters were not returned by press time. The Carl’s Jr. restaurant brand began in Los Angeles in 1941 when Carl N. Karcher and his wife, Margaret, borrowed $311 on their Plymouth automobile, added $15 in savings and purchase a hot dog cart, according to the corporate website carlsjr.com. In less than five years, Carl’s Drive-In Barbecue opened with hamburgers on the menu. The brand
Roswell man killed, 3 injured in accident Roswell Republican elected to state party post State Police say heavy fog contributed to crash
STAFF REPORT
A Roswell man died when his vehicle struck a WalMart tractor-trailer while traveling on U.S. 380 Monday morning near Tatum. Robert Archuleta, 28, of Roswell, was pronounced dead at the scene after the accident, which occurred in Chaves County at about 6:30 a.m., according to a New Mexico State Police
news release. Three other men who were passengers in Archuleta’s vehicle were taken to Eastern New Mexico Medical Center for treatment, while the driver of the tractor-trailer was uninjured, according to the release. Police say the tractor trailer was westbound on U.S. 380 and was attempting to turn into the rest area. Due to the heavy fog, the driver of the tractor -
trailer noticed he was in the wrong lane and proceeded to move into the correct lane. The trailer remained partially in the wrong lane of traffic, according to police. Archuleta’s vehicle, which was eastbound, struck the back of the trailer. Police say heavy fog appears to be a contributing factor in this accident, and the crash remains under investigation.
vocal tribute to the nation on this Pearl Harbor Day. In keeping with the season, the stage was outlined by lighted white candles, with gold decorations reflecting their brilliance. Several large red poinsettia plants enhanced the warmth of the season’s bright color. Titled “Christmas Classics,” the program provided a mix of memorable holiday classic compositions. Those present were easily returned to memories of significant times when these wonderful numbers were part of the Christmas
tradition for most families. The opening number was titled “A Christmas Fanfare,” by composer and arranger James Beckel Jr., who had nostalgically incorporated strains of “Deck the Halls” in the score. The familiar prelude to the opera, “Hansel and Gretel” by Englebert Humperdinck, followed. The lively sound of bells, the pop of a whip cracking through the air, and the clop-clop of hooves, began the always popular “Sleigh
HIGH 61 LOW 39
• ERMA GENE “SPUDS” REAMES • CURTIS DEAN CARUTH
RSO Christmas concert brings heart-warming music to city BY VONNIE GOSS SPECIAL TO THE DAILY RECORD
With the temperature hovering near 70 degrees, local classical music enthusiasts gathered in the Pearson Auditorium to hear the annual holiday concert of the Roswell Symphony Orchestra, with its distinguished conductor, Maestro John Farrer, on the podium. As is customary, the concert opened with the orchestra’s stirring rendition of the national anthem, with attendees joining in a
TODAY’S FORECAST
See RSO, Page A3
BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Chaves County Commissioner-elect Will Cavin has been elected a state vice-chair man for the Republican Party of New Mexico, in addition to his emerging duties as a county commissioner. Cavin, of Roswell, on Saturday was elected state vice-chairman from the 2nd Congressional District, which entails the souther n half of New Mexico. “It’s really exciting,” Cavin said Monday. “We’ve got a lot of work to do for the upcoming 2016 election. I’m just ready to get after it and hit the ground running.” Cavin, chairman of the Republican Party of Chaves County from 2006 through 2008, was elected to the party position at Saturday’s State Central Committee meeting in Albuquerque. His term is two years. This year was the first time Cavin ran for a statewide party position.
• ANITA LUCERO
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
• GWENDOLYN JUNE SHIELDS
Cavin
“I was really proud to have the support I had from the State Central Committee people from the 2nd Congressional District,” Cavin said. “Those were the people that were able to vote for me.” Cavin on Saturday defeated Betty Bishop of Las Cruces, who ran unsuccessfully last month for the state House District 35, and Grant
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....B6 FINANCIAL ..............B4
See FOOD, Page A3
County Republican Frances Gonzalez. “He handedly defeated his two other opponents,” said Hudson Boué, of Roswell, a GOP delegate from Chaves County who participated in Saturday’s GOP meeting. “It was a very good meeting,” Boué said. “We had a good slate of candidates and I think we’ll be in pretty good shape for the next two years.” Cavin succeeds Alice Eppers, of Roswell, the former state vice-chairman from the 2nd Congressional District. Eppers is also a former Chaves County commissioner. “Alice has done a great job,” Cavin said. “She decided to step down and let someone else take the role. Alice has done a great job representing the congressional district for the last two (two-year) terms.” Cavin, a retired Roswell Independent School District teacher and former golf coach at Goddard
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
See CAVIN, Page A3 OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8