A Sighting in Roswell

Looking through our photo albums I came across a "sighting" in Roswell, New Mexico. While most sightings there seem to be aliens, this was not! It occurred Christmas Day 1952, and all members of the group had a Haigler (rather than Martian) connection.

Hugh and Dorothy McKay spent most Christmases and frequently New Years with us in Roswell during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. In turn, I spent summers in Haigler. And here, left to right, is a list of the cast of characters:

Ruth Herring Hoffman:

My mother, and one of the Herring girls of Benkelman and Cheyenne County Kansas. Ruth obtained her teaching certificate and was teaching in a rural school just west of Haigler when she met my father. She was staying with Richard and Blanche (another of the Herring girls) Rowett in "the little house" I mentioned in a former posting on the blog.

Hugh J. McKay:

Hugh was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada. He moved to Haigler at an early age and became owner of the McKay Chevrolet Company and Phillips-66 Service Station.

Kent Hoffman:

That’s me – need I say more - other than by that time I was in my sophomore year at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. I was still making my summer trips to Haigler

Dorothy Herring Haskins McKay:

My aunt and Ruth’s sister. Dorothy had originally been married to Harold F. (Sod) Haskins of Benkelman. Some of you will remember that he was County Clerk for Dundy County in the late 1930’s, and Dorothy was his assistant. Harold died in 1948.

Carl S. Hoffman:

Carl, my father, was born and raised in Ana, Illinois and obtained his Bachelor’s Degree at Carthage College, Carthage, Illinois. He obtained his Masters in Education at The University of Wyoming, Laramie. He was teaching in the Haigler High School when he met my mother. They were married and made their first home in Haigler.

And, that’s it. Not an alien in the group!

Kent Hoffman

San Antonio, TX