El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 5

Section J) ixs ILuTXBaofl Sunday. February 28. 1984 Page 1-B Dead man alive, well on voter list POSTAGE 1 ikuo nut wet SSS 4 CM IM6CM OO'M 'I' Vwf mm mm wm tmrnmrn imm ax mm S.JP-" nun iS mim ototT1 7K3 1 W4 4. name is removed from voting lists after the Elections Department gets a death certificate from the El Paso County clerk, Jamison explained. She does not know why Avery's death notice did not reach them or why a correction was not made after Patterson told the department.

Two years ago the post office returned 20.600 new voter registration cards for people who had moved, "and it's possible that his got mixed up in the shuffle somehow," Jamison said. "I feel bad because they received something that they feel wc should have taken off the records," Jamison said. "I don't know why it wasn't taken off." ther-in-law's voting registration "makes me wonder how many dead people are voting in our elections," he said. Helen Jamison, Elections Department director, doesn't think any are. "I truthfully feel that no voter would want to take the chance of voting on a certificate that doesn't belong to him," Jamison said.

Why would anyone risk conviction of a third-degree felony charge just to vote for a politician? she asked. Patterson figures that a $20 bill could entice a hungry person to take the risk. But the elections director considers Avery's voting eligibility a fluke. Normally, a dead person's the card to the Elections Department with a notice that his father-in-law had died in 1977. He can't figure out why the Elections Department is still offering Avery a chance to vote.

The El Paso lawyer is naturally suspicious about the election process because he spent his law school days in Chicago, where former Mayor Richard Daley and his machine gave politics and elections a bad reputation. Patterson and his Northwestern University buddies "ran about 90 percent Republican." Residents of their dormitory had to vote at a cigar store that was a known bookie joint, Patterson said. He and his friends knew something lib, 43r vtjW5 By Gary Scharrer Times stall writer i Burt Patterson keeps getting voter registration cards for his dead father-in-law and that i makes him wonder just how 1 many "dead voters" show up in i El Paso elections. Dr. Roy Avery died more than seven years ago, but Patterson says he can't get the El Paso Elections Department to remove his father-in-law's name from the voter eligibility list.

And sure enough, one of those new, blue voting registration cards for Avery arrived at Patterson's home this month. In the past, Patterson always returned AVlfYs, ven KCY fitllC WW it KG (tkO rJc i rn Mfk- mm mil mm xm mmm mm more than 200. Patterson's Chicago memories plus the experience with his fa was amiss when that precinct reported only 15 Republican votes while they could account for mm Weekend warriors NM guardsmen willing and able By Doug DesGeorges Times staff writer Most of them are from all over New Mexico, with a hand ful of people from places luce Alaska, Arizona and Hawaii thrown in. They voluntarily joined a front-line unit that really hasn been lormea yet. And they all enjoy what thev're doing, calling it a chal lenge, an opportunity, a chance to become part ot a team.

It's the Sth Battalion of the 200th Air Defense Artillery, something that leaders expect to be the elite unit of the New Mexico National Guard. It's not a new idea for the New Mexico guard, but it does reflect the new way the Army is looking at the guard. The National Guard claims to be older than the U.S. Army, tracing its lineage back to colonial militias. Guard units, particularly New Mexico's, have served with distinction in wartime.

The Bataan Death March of World War II involved most ly New Mexico guard mem Gannett grants benefit 4 groups The Gannett Foundation has gfven $8,500 to four El Paso organizations as part of 48 grants across the nation totaling $219,570. The El Paso organizations and the funding they will receive are: $3,000 for the Run Against Crime. $2,500 for the Spanish Theatre Repertory Co. $2,000 for the Los Pobres Bi-' lingual Theatre Repertory Co. $1,000 for the University Civic Ballet Foundation.

Grants were given to organizations in 18 communities served by Gannett Co. Inc. newspapers, broadcast stations and outdoor advertising companies. The EJ Paso Times is a Gannett paper. The Gannett Foundation was established by the late Frank Gannett, founder of the Gannett Group of Newspapers.

Independent of Gannett the foundation contributes to civic, cultural, educational and health causes in communities served by Gannett. So far in 1984. the Gannett Foundation has contributed $1,389,540 in grants nationwide. El Paso's Run Against Crime is an annual world-class 10-kilometer race to raise youth scholarship funds for the El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association and El Paso County Sheriff's Deputies Association. The grant will be used to buy T-shirts for this year's race, said John Ilin-shaw, race director.

The Spanish Theatre Repertory Co. will use its grant to support its annual performance in March at Chamizal National Memorial. The New York City theateropera company will present "Dona Francisquita" on its ninth visit to the Chamizal. Los Pobres Bilingual Theatre Repertory Co. requested its grant for light-board repairs.

The current lighting system functions at half its capacity and makes it difficult to maintain the quality of productions, said Hector Serrano, director of the Southwest Repertory Organization. University Civic Ballet Foundation will use its grant to buy ballet shoes. Wanda Campbell, development director of Ballet El Paso, said there will be three ballets this year, including La Fllle Mai Gardee, Carmina Burana and Tommy. New Mexico's National Guard got 27 Rolands, called the "Rolls Royce of air defense" by the guard's adjutant general. The New Mexico guard got the weapons before the Army got them.

bers. The New Mexico guard is proud of its history, and battalion commander Lt. Col. Mike Robertson said that pride is re fleeted in the way the new unit is recruiting new members. It expects to have 308 members when it reaches full strength, and the last recruiting drive produced about 300 qualified people to fill 44 posts.

So far, the unit is filling its first battery. It's a painstaking task because the unit will have a weapon no other guard or regular Army unit will makes the Sth Battalion a frontline unit, one that will be called immediately in case of war. The Roland is similar to weapons built by France and Germany. It features 10 magazine-loaded rockets and two radar systems for tracking incoming planes. Baca said the system can be ready to fire one minute after being unloaded from a plane.

All that excites many of the new unit's members. The unit is based at McGregor Range and expects to be there for a while. New buildings are being constructed for the guard. Seventy percent of those in the Sth arc full time, as active as anyone in the regular Army. The big difference between the Please see Guard, 10B system before the Army got it.

The guard's adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Edward Baca, called the Roland the "Rolls Royce of air defense." It still may be revived for use by the Army. Plans also call for the New Mexico guard to get some Chaparral weapons as well. The combination of the two systems have.

That's the Roland system. The system was commissioned by Congress, but was scrapped when the Army, which is building a lot of new systems, had to decide what to drop to keep its costs down. However, 27 Rolands had been built and the New Mexico guard got them. It marks the first time a guard unit got a Guard general sets fast pace for troops co National Guard. By Doug McClellan soldier and can set down roots at the same time." Baca's job is proof of the National Guard's stability.

As adjutant general, he works out of the National Guard complex in Santa Fe, his hometown. Most troopers are part-timers, required to put in one weekend a month and two weeks every summer through their local armories. About 900 of the total New Mexico force are full-timers and are drawn from the ranks of the part-timers. Another sales point Baca uses with potential recruits is that the guard can guarantee its soldiers college educations. Baca said he continually is Please see General.

10B missile system, Baca said. "I have worked very hard to ensure we get our fair share of new systems," he said. Baca has emphasized recruitment so much that his recruiting officers last year gave him an award, in jest, for meeting his quota. Actually, Baca does set a quota for himself of one new recruit a month. At times, he said, the New Mexico Guard has so many applications "we have to turn the spigot off." For many, the guard's appeal is that it lets its guardsmen and women get a taste of soldiering while staying at home.

That middle ground appeals to Baca. With seven children, Baca said, "I'm a family man. I can He oversees a stale organization that traditionally has been at full strength even during the "crisis period" of the all-volunteer army, when other units fell to low recruitment levels. And although the state guard's weapons are of Korean War vintage, Baca has been successful In obtaining modern systems for his troops. A battalion at the McGregor Range in southern New Mexico is receiving the Roland missile system, and Chaparral missiles will be in place in most New Mexico battalions by 1969, beginning with a unit in Ros-well in March.

New Mexico also is one of the top Guard units being considered for the improved Hawk Times staff writer SANTA FE When Edward Baca came of age, his cousin decided it was time for him to join the New Mexico National Guard. "I didn't have any choice." Baca said. "I raised my right hand, said the pledge, and I was in. I didn't have the slightest idea what I was getting into." That was 28 years ago. After starting as a buck private, the lanky Santa Fean now wears two stars on his shoulders.

The sign outside his office door says "Adjutant General." Since January 1983, Maj. Gen. Baca has been the leader of the New Mexi Ttmi Ok photo "I can let Edward Baca: down roots." As a dynamite job in Odessa, selling Bibles proves a dud I ll mother, a Bible-loving Christian. She demonstrate on a voman who just was 'Just look at all the help-wanted ads, "Danged if I know," was all anybody up front wiped away a tear. Told me such a Bible would remind her of her mother.

Yes, she'd rather be the owner of that beautiful Bible than anything in the world. Now If she could Just find a pen lying around somewhere to sign the contract. by Ed Fotttr 'somebody often says when the subject i turns to unemployment. It's true. Open up your newspaper and it looks like there are jobs all over the i place.

Once when I was young and footloose, found myself stuck in Odessa, of all places. My friend Jimmy Boles had there and found a Job as dyna-' miter with a construction crew. I got to thinking about Texas and maybe becoming a dynamiter like Jimmy. So pretty soon I set out for Odes-sa too. When I got there, Jimmy had pulled up stakes and gone to Csllfor ioia.

Well. I commenced going through the sds. "OPPORTUNITY!" they died. "COMMISSION." "SET YOUR 'OWN PACE!" "START IMMEDIATE EARN AND LEARN." And so on. could say.

All at once the door opened. A guy In a business suit Invited us In. A couple of his associates stood around In business suits too. Across the bed a Bible lay open, one of those fancy kind, bound in fine leather and with concordance and Jesus' words In red. The guy who'd invited us In started a spiel about bow easy It is to sell Bibles and all the money they're making at It.

One of his associates gave a demonstration talk, a speU-Mnder. Just ss he wound It up, he deftly handed me his fountain pen and a contract. I pretty nearly signed for one myself. Well, we agreed to give It a try. So we went outside sod piled Into an automobile and beaded tor an outlying neighborhood.

First, we beard the star salesman coming down the sidewalk. He got her to saying yes she was a Christian, yes she loved the Lord, yes she wanted her kids to read the Bible and yes, she'd buy that wonderful Bible from him the pen was In her hand and she was signing. WeU, at the first house I went to. aU primed to give a good talk, the lady who answered the door was as receptive as she could be. I blurted out something like.

"I don't guess you'd want to buy a Bible, would you?" She said not right then, that she had one. My next attempt went much the same, and the next and the next. Along toward the end of the day, a pleasant black woman answered my knock. She Invited me in. She was the maid.

She said a handsome Bible like mine reminded her of her dear, depyted I furablingly gave her mine. She made the down payment seems like it was $3.25 or something like that. You can Imagine how my spirits had gone up as 1 marched back to the car and told about my first sale. "She wasn't colored, was she?" the sales crew chief said, frowning at me. "Colored? Why, yes.

she was. as a matter of fact." I said. "Why?" "You've got to get full-price cash if they're colored." he said sternly. He wouldn't give me my commission, and so ended my career as a Bible I didn't find any for apprentice dynamiters. So I said, well, I'd better see what some of these opportunities are all about I picked out an ad that told me to show up at 8 a.m.

at one of the downtown" "hotels. Room 222 or some such number. Next morning I spruced myself up and appeared right on the dot outside that door. Three or four other young guys like me were hanging around too. "What's tMs all about?" one of us said..