Stories from the past
50 years ago
Three people killed in three separate highway crashes and a rash of injury accidents on county roads and highways were reported by the California Highway Patrol today.
Killed on the highway were Thomas Napolean Norman, 44; Mike Ray Ray Otto, 24, and Larry Gordon, 29. Funeral Services are pending at Frye Chapel for Evans, who was killed at 7 a.m. Sunday when the beet truck he was driving rammed into the left rear-end of a refrigerated truck trailer driven by Robert Sermon, 33. Sermon suffered only minor injuries.
The accident occurred on Highway 78 about six miles east of Brawley near Carey Road. A second passenger in the refrigerated truck was not injured.
Injured in the accident claiming the life of Otto, were James Edward McHome Jr.; 17, Jimmy Wayne Keck, 22, and Tony Jesse Bravo, 19. Not injured was the driver, Floyd Troy Walton, 28. The accident is under investigation.
The one-car accident occurred about 11 p.m. Saturday about three miles south of Seeley. All of the injured were reported in satisfactory condition today at El Centro Community Hospital.
Norman was killed early Saturday morning when his car left the highway and rolled three times after Norman apparently went to sleep. He was wearing seat belts but was partially ejected from the auto and pinned in the wreckage, according to CHP.
40 years ago
This summer’s extreme heat, coupled with high humidity, claimed its fourth life in Imperial County Sunday night.
“With this kind of weather,” Deputy Coroner A.R. Crowder said today, “We’re surprised there aren’t more.”
The fourth victim, whose identity has been withheld until next of kin can be notified, was treated by Bombay Beach and North Shore rescue units at Bob’s Playa Rivera on Highway 111 north of Bombay Beach. The victim was pronounced dead of heat prostration at 8 p.m.
The first heat-related death was recorded at Palo Verde on July 16, according to Deputy Coroner John Walsh. Two other elderly persons perished of the heat and humidity last week in Brawley and El Centro.
Crowder referred to the primitive living conditions of some of the elderly persons near Niland and Winterhaven. “Some of them don’t even have electricity so they can use fans,” she explained.
She advised anyone who is not prepared for the heat to “head for air conditioning.”
30 years ago
San Diego State University is offering for the first time a master’s degree program in public administration at its Calexico campus. The three-year program, which is geared toward working students, will involve two evening courses each semester, said Richard Ryan, associate professor of public administration.
Deadline to apply for the classes is Tuesday.
“We expect that a vast number of students will be full-time civil servants,” Ryan said. While the classes are not exclusively for civil servants, Ryan said, a lot of weight will be given during the admissions review for the program to civil servants with experience in the field.