Local pair mastered art of misdirection

“Uncle Sid” Boykin  and A.W. Skarda  had one of the first cars around these parts. One night he and A.W. decided to drive to Lubbock in the new-fangled contraption.

The prospects of a long ride over a roadless trek to the Texas town didn’t faze Boykin or Skarda one bit. They had the stars to guide them, and that was all they needed. Confident they eventually would land there, they set forth across the plains in the shiny new automobile.

Finally Boykin was tired of driving, and asked Skarda to take the wheel.

“If you follow that star,” instructed Boykin, pointing, “We’ll reach Lubbock. I’m going to sleep.”

So he climbed in the back seat and soon was snoring away. Skarda drove for several hours, greatly enjoying the novelty of tearing across the plains in a comfortable seat instead of jouncing along on a poky horse.

Suddenly Boykin rolled over, sat up, focused one eye on the plains and the other on the star. “Where you goin,’ A.W.?,” he howled.

“To Lubbock, Sid, to Lubbock,” Skarda answered complacently.

“Then gosh-a-mighty, man, you’re sure taking a round-a-bout way! We’re headed for Denver!” (Date not mentioned, probably around 1913.)

Some history of the Skardas. At eighteen (Albert Skarda) and his brothers left home to make their place in the beckoning West. They came from Chelsea, Iowa. Uncle Sid Skarda was born in 1885 to immigrant parents. The parents were Albert and Mary Prusha, from Ludavic, Bohemia, now Czechoslovakia. Nine children were born to them.

They came to America and homesteaded in Iowa, then moved on to Missouri, Arkansas, and Montana. Albert and brother Joe came to New Mexico and Albert homesteaded in Quay County in 1906.

Texico was then a thriving community and his first employment was with Taylor’s Bakery. He often remarked that it was his first job “making dough.” He was later employed at Coker, Tripletts Dry Goods. In 1907 he began his lifelong career as a banker, and with Sid Boykin organized the Farmer’s Sate Bank, which merged with the Citizens Bank and used the name.

The Citizens Bank of Clovis. S. A. Jones was the president, Mr. Skarda the cashier, and after Mr. Jones’ death in 1940, Mr. Skarda became the president. Skarda died Dec. 13, 1967. Sid Boykin died March 15, 1933.

A.W. and Sid were not kin — just good friends, as bankers should be.

Don McAlavy is Curry County’s historian. He can be contacted at: dmcalavy@telescopelab.com