STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
Not by any stretching of the imagination could the past football season be called a success for the Imperial Valley College Arabs. The Arabs did well with what they had, but a 4-5 record, even though there were not too many players, isn’t anything to boast about.
Yet, the Arabs and head coach Lou Erber do have a lot to boast about as they got the top individual honor in the Desert Conference.
Super quarterback Randy Palomino was named the Most Valuable Player in the conference by a vote of the coaches. “It was near unanimous,” said Erber.” There wasn’t anyone near him in total votes.”
There wasn’t anyone near him in total offense either.
Running and passing, Palomino accounted for 2,349 total yards gained and should be the top man in the state this season. Official standings for the state have not been released yet.
Randy hit 113 of 202 passes for the Arabs. He gained 1,822 yards passing and picked up 21 touchdowns. When running, Palomino carried 100 times for 527 yards and a 5.3 average. He scored six touchdowns on running plays to bring his total touchdowns to 27 for the nine-game season.
Don Turner, University of California at Santa Barbara assistant coach, said, “There isn’t a junior college quarterback in the nation with his ability. If he would have had a better line in front of him, there is no telling what records he would have broken this season. He is one of the top college prospects in the nation.”
40 years ago
City officials and downtown merchants are eyeing Feb. 1 as the date to start construction to redevelop downtown El Centro.
The first steps to revitalize the area, which is slated to include courtyards, covered walkways and tree-lined streets, have already been taken. All that is left for the proposed two-block project is to put the finishing touches on architectural plans and advertise for a contractor.
The City Council already has allocated $240,000 from gas tax revenue to revitalize the 500 and 600 blocks on Main Street.
The scope of the original project was for three blocks, but added expenses have forced the city to reduce its immediate sights to two blocks.
The push to redevelop downtown has come in the wake of city planner Simon Eisner and his associates’ warnings that too much commercial development to the south and west would result in the deterioration of downtown.
30 years ago
Supervisors today authorized by a 3-2 vote to have the county administrative officer develop a formal proposal to construct a new social services building.
The sale of county property currently under lease to the U.S. Navy at the Naval Air Facility should provide adequate funds said Richard Inman, county administrative officer.
The sale should go through before June 1990, he said. Jim Semmes, county welfare director, has already received plans from Merced County, which recently built a similar-sized building, about 60,000 to 65,000 square feet. A site on county-owned property on Applestill Road near the present County Education Center reportedly is being tentatively eyed as a location for the proposed building.
“We are looking not just into next week, but something that will meet our needs five to 10 years ahead,” Semmes said. The Welfare Department has about 150 employees, 140 of whom are housed now in the County Administrative Center.
20 years ago
GLAMIS — The long Thanksgiving Day weekend isn’t meant just for eating turkey, football or visiting with family, not around the sand dunes, anyway.
Elayn Briggs, Bureau of Land Management El Centro operations branch chief, said she expects 92,000 visitors to the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area this weekend.
“We’re expecting at least as many as we had last year,” she said Thursday. ‘They’ve been coming in since last week, and since (Wednesday) night, it’s just been a steady stream of lights until after midnight.”
Few of the vehicles arriving have been without some type of “sand toy” as the off-highway vehicles are called locally. Included are motorcycles, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, sand rails and dune buggies made from modified Volkswagens. That they’re intended for the sand is nearly seen as all have fat paddle tires meant to dig into the sand for optimum traction.
And traction they get, or try to at least, as a group of hundreds gathered Thursday at the base of Oldsmobile Hill to take turns riding to the crest of the mountain of sand. Sand toys aren’t the only ones making attempts at the hill either, as the more common sport utility vehicles also drive up the sand; some make it, while others don’t. Those that don’t sometimes perch sideways on the hill, in the perfect position to roll over, according to longtime BLM volunteer Steve Bates.