STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
A disturbance involving an estimated 300 persons was broken up by police at an American Citizens Club dance in the ACC Hall Sunday morning in Brawley, apparently sparked, police said, by a feud between a group of El Centro Black-Americans and Brawley Mexican-Americans. One Brawley officer was assaulted and one man was arrested, with several more arrests possibly to follow, police said. An estimated 300 people at the peak of the disturbance were milling about outside the building “and getting very excited,” according to the police report of the incident.
A host of small fights were also reported.
At one point, police said, they were compelled to use tear gas to control the agitators. Police also reported outcries of “black power” and “brown power.”
One witness reportedly said that once these cries were heard, a Black-American contingent and a group of Mexican-Americans aligned themselves opposite one another and began fighting.
While a specific cause of the incident was still under investigation and may never be revealed, police said it appeared the dispute arose over a girl.
40 years ago
MEXICALI — Calexico Mayor pro tem William Moreno Friday toned down his reaction to a controversial new fence to be erected along portions of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Moreno was quoted in the Friday edition of a Mexicali newspaper as describing the new barrier as “a true and indignant slap to the repeated government announcements that the United States is especially interested in maintaining cordial relations with Mexico.”
Later, however, the Calexico city councilman indicated he objected only to reports of the barrier being topped with “sharp edges” that could cause injury. Moreno added, he had “no problem” embracing the concept if the only purpose was to re-enforce portion of the existing fence in San Ysidro and El Paso, Texas.
But Moreno was adamant in his belief that the new fence will not help stem the tide of illegal immigrants into the United States. “I don’t think that’s going to solve the problem,” he said. “They’re still going to cross; they’ll just go to another point.”
30 years ago
Back in the days when El Centro was a straggly town made up of tents, shacks and a boxcar railroad station, the pioneering men decided, as they did all across the West, that they would build a population of 10,000.
They were like men who’d gotten religion in their enthusiasm for the club they formed to pursue this goal. But like all new toys, the novelty paled after a few years, and the men moved on to build other organizations like the Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis.
But the ambition to have a population of 10,000 lingered in the minds of the women, and on Oct. 30, 1908, they founded the Women’s Ten Thousand Club.
“The brave women of the city picked up from ambition’s scrap heap and donned the abandoned armor of these discouraged Knights of Progress, whose frail craft had gone to pieces on the rocks of dissension, to carry on to conclusion the task they had started,” remembered charter member Leta M. Bryant, in her book Reminiscences of an Old Timer.
On Sunday, the Women’s Ten Thousand Club will celebrate its 80th anniversary.
20 years ago
On the eve of U.S. Sen. John Glenn’s second space flight in 36 years, the people who tested equipment for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space flights at the Naval Air Facility El Centro are planning a reunion there Nov. 14 and 15. All Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps personnel and civilians and family members ever associated with the 6511th Test Group (Parachute) are invited to attend.
Tom Rolf of El Centro, who worked as a test jumper for the Air Force at NAF from 1954 until 1970, made more than 400 jumps at the base.
“I think it is great that John Glenn is going to space,” Rolf said. “Glenn came to El Centro one time that I know of when testing the Mercury parachute-recovery system.
“When making his three orbits he mentioned Imperial Valley and the New River. At that time there were people who wanted to rename the river after him. Maybe the day will finally come when he would be proud for his name to be on it,” Rolf said.