STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
Brawley’s week-long Cattle Call celebration kicked off this morning in grand style with the participation of Gov. Ronald Reagan in ceremonies at the Cattle Call Arena.
A small crowd waited more than an hour for the arrival of Gov. Reagan at Imperial County Airport this morning.
Reagan’s plane finally touched down at 10 a.m. The governor, wearing boots and Western garb, conferred briefly with representatives of the Republican Associates, and sped by motorcade to the Cattle Call Arena in Brawley.
The governor was scheduled to present a resolution from the California Legislature honoring the Brawley Cattle Call and the Imperial Valley Rodeo.
The resolution was authored by Victor V. Veysey, Republican assemblyman from Brawley.
40 years ago
Unless the Naval Air Facility at Seeley is given a new function, housekeeping at the base could be maintained with 35 civilian and military people, according to George Parker, former commander of the base.
The reduced personnel could man fuel pumps crash crews and towers and keep the landing field operational, according to Parker.
“Those were the numbers we came up with when I was at the base,” he said. Parker left the base in 1974 and is now city manager of El Centro.
A small crew could keep the base open for planes to fly in and out but “if they plan to deploy people at the base, that would be different,” Parker said.
Capt. Robert Chew, present commander of the base, said the plan is to maintain the NAF as a support base for the fleet.
It was announced this week that the National Parachute Test Range will be broken up and the local base will revert to a naval air facility.
“We will have people come in for two weeks or so at a time — exactly what NAF is doing presently,” Chew said.
30 years ago
It took the Brawley Wildcats just over an hour to dispose of the Notre Dame Titans and advance to the second round of the Southern Section volleyball playoffs, Thursday.
Brawley (17-1) posted a workman-like 15-6, 1511 and 15-6 victory over Notre Dame, the third place team in the Sunkist League.
Saturday, the Wildcats play Palm Springs, but the section office was scheduled to determine this morning where the second round match will be played. Palm Springs defeated Eitwanda 15-5, 15-13 and 15-7 Thursday.
Brawley coach Evie Lee said the scouting report she had on Notre Dame was an accurate one. She said they played steadily. Lee also said the Titans (16-5) served harder than she expected.
Notre Dame coach Peg Bradley said the Titans inability to return serve hurt them.
Lee agreed. “It seemed like most of the points came from serve,” she said. “We didn’t have to do much. We either aced it or the other team made a mistake and didn’t get the ball back over the net.”