ARTICLE 1. MARY RIGSBEE / ARTICLE 2 BILL SCOTT - IN GOD WE

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105 years ago, on March 8, 1921, Mary Louise (Sagniere) Rigsbee was born at the old Clovis Sanitarium, the original Clovis hospital, to Joe and Tillie Sagniere of Clovis. The second of four children (older brother Joe, younger brother Fred and baby sister Rosalie), Mary was raised on the family fig ranch east of Clovis. 

After graduating from Clovis High School Mary attended business school preparing for her long career as a bookkeeper. She retired from her job at Clovis Auto Parts at the age of 81! In 1946 Mary married Emmett Rigsbee. They lived in Clovis and eventually moved the house to their ranch east of Clovis. There they raised their 3 children: Chuck, Dan, and Pam. Mary loved family gatherings and large BBQs at the ranch. 

As lifelong residents of Clovis, Mary and her family have been involved in the Clovis Rodeo since its inception in 1914. Her grandfather helped cook the meal for the first Clovis Rodeo (then called Clovis Days). Her husband Emmett was a longtime member on the Clovis Rodeo board and served as Grand Marshal in 1992. Both her sons have a long-term involvement with the association; both have served as President. Mary is no longer able to go to the rodeo but never misses it on TV. 

She remained on the ranch for a number of years after Emmett passed in 1995. Eventually the ranch was sold, and she moved, as she says, “to town” to a small condo. She never complained about trading the bucolic view of cattle grazing in the pasture for a small backyard with a patio table. She had totally adjusted to her new place.

In 2019, she moved again, this time to Magnolia Crossing, an assisted living facility near old town Clovis. Her room is decorated with her mother’s dresser, a comfy recliner, her favorite pictures, and rodeo posters, and of course a mini fridge for her Gatorade and cookies.

At 105 she is oldest resident and the oldest in residence of the facility. 

Her life is simpler now, but she still gets lots of visitors, family, and friends, including her weekly communion delivered by Our Lady of  Perpetual Catholic Church, of which she has been a member for over 100 years.  As everyone knows Mary loves goodies, so everyone brings her a sweet. If you ask, she may share with you or direct you to the candy dish by the door. 

She is still warm, talkative, and friendly, willing to give hugs to all that comes by. And at this stage of her life, she takes a couple of naps daily. She is doted on by her kids, their spouses, Lois, Susan and George, her nieces and nephews and her great grandchildren Mason and Cameron.

Mary attributes her long life to hard work, a good sense of humor, and a little Crown Royal. 

Congratulate her on a life well lived as she looks forward to her 106th birthday next year. 

During the effort to install the motto, “In God We Trust”, in the Clovis City Council chambers, twice it was mentioned, we have a motto, “Clovis – a way of life”.  “In God We Trust” is a motto. “Clovis – away of life”, is a tagline. A motto is an internal principle that guides decisions and standards. A tagline is the steady promise people associate with the brand over time. “A motto is a word, phrase, or sentence that expresses an organization’s principles or beliefs” (Cambridge).  

“A tagline is a short phrase an organization uses in advertising, so people recognize it or it’s products” (Cambridge). 

Outside the Council Chambers, the question came up, what is the “Clovis way of life”? No one had a definitive answer. I began to look for an answer. I heard rumors it was a reporter, that first coined the phrase. But, who, what paper, when, and why, I’ve found no answer. Also, what is the correct phrase, Clovis – a way of life, Clovis is a way of life, The Clovis way of life. I’ve been unable to find answers to those questions, since I started in early February. If you know those answers the Clovis Times would be happy to publish your story.

As I was looking for those answers, I started asking friends what they thought the “Clovis way of life” is. Then I put the question on a local social media. The following are the answers I received. I only printed first names to protect identities.

Lorenzo - Humble life based on gratitude and patriotic values.

Ryan - Family, Faith, God.

Jason - Small town, helping each other out.

Bob - We are a small town, that does things differently, and this is how we do it.

Jared - Family.

Kent - Small town, easy going.

Stephanie - Rodeo, family and country.

Matt - Cowboys.

Todd - Safety, police, schools.

Adam - Rodeo.

Jim - Different, respectful, cowboy’s.

Kay - Family structured good things, community, people care about each other.

Rob - Quality of service.

Carol - Cowboy’s and friendly folk.

Melanie - My Clovis Hills church family! Wonderful!!!

Chloe - A great little western town, with great people, with good values, and is growing too fast these days.

Jeanine - Walking in old town.

David - Yup, love it, The Edge, Papa’s Place, House of JuJu…

Jeanine - Community.

James - A great way of living.

Marci - In 1976 when we were still a small enough town to know most everybody walking around, and farmland was all around us. FOR ME, I liked the country life. I had a great childhood living in the country Too many houses now.

Gail - Clovis is a nice place to live.

Angel - To me, it means it’s a little bit slower pace of life A little country. We say Please, thank you. People are polite, courteous, have more manners. It’s cleaner nicer. It’s a way of life.

Patricia - I moved to Clovis in the 70s, because it had great schools, safe neighborhoods, and friendly, small town atmosphere.

Eden - I lived in LA. I can tell you, I 100% prefer Clovis’ way of life.

Dann - Pollasky Ave, Friday’s Farmer’s Market, Big Hat Days Clovis Rodeo, Antiques, and much more…

David - Come out and hear The Good Old Boys Band in Old Town!

Victoria - Family, Love and the smell of orange blossoms.

Cyndi - Slow-paced, easy going, welcoming & friendly.

Jeanine - Worth it.

Will - “Clovis is a way of life’, means the care put into the school system, the quality of housing, the neighborhoods, the stores and shopping, the central location, the people, our law enforcement, all of it. Clovis is a great city to live in!

Jay - Community, kindness, inclusiveness, and the old skool way of living!

Luisaa - I lived there for many years. It is a way of life.

Judy - Rodeo

Stephanie - Safe and quiet. Cleaner streets and less crime.

Jade - Breakfast at Rodeo café or Sandy’s, or cheeseburgers at the 500 Club. Oh, and San Joaquin College of law, and 4th street Antiques, of course. Old town is nice.

There were also some neutral and negative responses.

Doug – Hahaha

Tamie - The good old boys club.

Gordon – About 30 years ago, the perception was racial superiority.

Steph – It’s systematic racism, “not-in-my-backyard,” cowboy hats and a very cute Old Town.

Suzette – Why? That’s what comes to my mind.

Christie – Absolutely nothing except their taxes!

Michelle – I’ve never heard someone say that? Can you provide more context?

Rebecca – It used to mean small town feel and friendly people. Not so much anymore.

Lauren – Hysterical laughter.

Ryan – Gone.

Pamela – It used to be a nice small town…now it’s getting just as bad as Fresno…very sad.

Matthew – That more people need to venture out of Clovis, Imao.

Matthew – I didn’t know how racist 559 was until you see posts like this and everything is democrats and minorities faults. No accountability. No facts ever. Just blind hatred. I’ll pray for you losers.

Joi – As a black woman married to a white man. I’ve seen and experienced the hostility that comes from “driving while Black”, “shopping while Black”, “walking my dog while black” in Clovis, and it’s rather disheartening.

Debra – I don’t think Clovis is a Way of Life is relevant anymore. When it was small, yes. But it’s a bigger city now. It’s been growing so much they want to make huge increases to our water costs but don’t really encourage saving water.

Rebecca – Clovis how it was from 60’s – 80’s.

Cyn – Systematic racism and entitlement.

John – When I think of Clovis, I think “a bunch of orange man pdf supporters”.

Parker – A lot of stuck-up people with their nose up in the air.

Helen – Racism.

Mason – The phrase always makes me feel uncomfortable.

Erin – “when the street signs turn brown, it’s time to turn around”.

Beau – It used to be 30 years ago!

Cindy – It’s starting to slip away…

The Clovis way of life does begin with the American ideal of rugged individualism. The first settlers took a chance on farming and ranching in this area. The local Indians didn’t think much of this area. They tended to live in the foot hills, where there were better resources. The settlers worked together to make a small railroad freight stop into a small town. Created a rodeo, started schools and churches. Then in rough times they just made do with what they had. The rodeo became a big deal, the first on the PCRA circuit. Along with the parade, rodeo week end, the last weekend in April, attracted thousands from all over. 

The Clovis police developed their no-nonsense reputation, dealing with the large number of biker gangs that descended on Jim’s Place, looking for fights with the cowboys. I remember you could not find a place to park your car on Clovis Ave, between 7th St. and 3rd St., because it was filled with motorcycles. Big Hat days, farmers markets, and assorted street fairs, added to the Clovis image. 

The City of Clovis took extra care to retaining old town looking much like it was. Even now there is something special about Old Town’s mix of nostalgic buildings and newer modern structures that still blend in. A great collection of restaurants, antique shops, regular businesses and offices, make Old Town a destination rather than a place to go get something then leave. And from this came the “Clovis way of life”