STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
IMPERIAL — Charging Gary Ponzini roared to an impressive straightaway victory aboard his Ponzini 302 Chevy Sunday afternoon in the CRA 20-lap main event at the half mile dirt Imperial County Fairgrounds. The wire-to-wire win, his first CRA feature triumph, was a belated birthday present for the Morgan Hill driver who celebrated his 25th birthday on March 4.
Colby Scroggin chilled the capacity audience on the opening lap of the main when he ran over the right front wheel of Dick Zimmerman’s car and executed at least three sensational nose-to-tail flips. His Knox and Hill Chevy soared high in the air, knocked down several willow trees and landed overturned in a ditch on the backstretch. Scroggin was struggling to free his shoulder harness when rescuers reached the scene. Although the car was heavily damaged, the roll cage enabled Scroggin to emerge with only cuts and bruises and he did not require medical attention.
Barney White of San Diego started the day’s flipping activity during time trails when he spun out entering the first turn low. He slid back across the track and off the track lip, rolling once and landing upright in a clump of willow trees. He was unhurt and walked back to the pits.
Ralph Tresser of Lemon Grove was running fifth in the consolation race when he spun out to miss a car spinning ahead of him. His Chevy slid off turn three sideways, into the trees bordering the track, and landed on the right side. Tresser was unhurt and drove the car back to his pit.
Phoenix driver Bob Moore drove the Boshens Chevy to a second-place finish. He nipped Steve Chassey for the position on lap 15 after the pair had waged a 10-lap battle that thrilled the 5,000 fairgoers in attendance. Chassey, last year’s rookie of the year, settled for third after ignition problems plagued his Chevy for several laps near the end.
Offenhauser pilots Bob Evans of Long Beach and Curt Waters of San Diego took fourth and fifth finishing positions. Evans was driving the Morales 255 Offy while Waters was aboard the Williamson 260 Offy.
40 years ago
NILAND — A 71-year-old Santa Ana man was killed Saturday, while attempting to dismantle a military warhead that apparently had been taken from the Naval Bombing Range nearby.
Dead, at the scene of the explosion was Gordon Armour. The explosion seriously injured another man and Armour’s wife, Doris, 72, who received minor shrapnel wounds. Armour and Ephraim Crosswell, 69, were tampering with the explosive in an area near the Niland Slabs, a popular spot for winter visitors.
Crosswell is in satisfactory condition today in the Pioneers Memorial Hospital Intensive Care Unit. He reportedly sustained fractures in both legs and multiple lacerations. Mrs. Armour was admitted to the hospital and later released.
According to Deputy Coroner A.R. Crowder. Armour had been using a hammer and chisel on the warhead. Ensign Gerald Gilstrap, security officer at the Naval Air Facility, today said that officials have not yet determined the kind of explosive involved in the incident.
“At first, we thought it was a parachute flare,” he said, but that has been ruled out. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also investigating the explosion.
Although the bombing range, which is about 1 1/2 miles from the Slabs, is heavily posted as a restricted area, civilians frequently have trespassed on the land. Military pilots, practicing live bombing runs on the range, have occasionally encountered recreational vehicles.
30 years ago
CALEXICO — No one can say that Calexico High’s baseball team didn’t have its share of advantages going into Thursday’s non-league game against Holtville here.
For one thing, the Bulldogs already played in two games this season while the Vikings hadn’t seen any contest action before Thursday.
For another, several Holtville players who were tied up by basketball and California Mid-Winter Fair obligations had just joined the team and had little time to prepare for the Vikings’ season opener.
Both those factors came into prominent play Thursday as the Bulldogs scored a 7-3 victory.
“It was the third game for them but only our first game,” said Holtville coach Larry Stephenson. “We weren’t as sharp as we can be because a lot of guys were tied up with the fair and basketball players prior to this game, but we’ll be there in the end.”
The Vikings, who scored two runs in the third on run-scoring singles by David Amavisca and David Rodgers saw Calexico (1-2) come back with four in the third and three in the fourth. The Bulldogs, who got a homer from J.C. Flores, an RBI single from Jose Rosiles and a scoring fly ball from Roberto Saucedo to account for three of their four third-inning runs, also got run-scoring fly balls from Rosiles and Mike Banaga in the fourth to help pad their lead.