1950s

James Thomas ’58 ’72 of Mesilla Park, N.M., was honored by two Grant County Eastern Star chapters. He became a Master Mason in 1989 and serves as master of Aztec Lodge No. 3 in Las Cruces. He was district grand lecturer and grand sword bearer in the Grand Lodge of New Mexico. He joined Eastern Star in 1989 and served the Las Cruces Chapter as worthy patron four times. He also served as grand trustee for three years and was elected associate grand patron in 2010.

1960s

Charley Johnson ’61 of Las Cruces retired from NMSU in May 2012 as an engineering professor. Following his graduation from NMSU, the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him to play in the National Football League. Within a span of 15 years, he also played for the Houston Oilers and the Denver Broncos. Aside from his teaching position, he also served as head of the chemical engineering department from 2000 to 2004.

Andy Nuñez ’62 ’74 of Hatch, N.M., a farmer, rancher and New Mexico House Representative for District 36, was chosen as the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau’s Distinguished Service to Agriculture recipient. He is a member of the Water and Natural Resources, Education and Transportation and Public Works committees. He has worked for the USDA in Gallup, as NMSU’s director of International Programs and as the executive director of the Puerto Rico Farm Bureau. He still farms onions, chile, pecans and alfalfa.

Garrey Carruthers ’63 ’64 of Las Cruces has been honored by National Jewish Health for his years of community service. He was honored at the 2012 New Mexico Spirit of Achievement Award Dinner. The award is presented to individuals throughout the nation who have built a legacy of contributing their time, talents and resources in all areas of their lives.

Jay Jordan ’69 ’79 ’84 of Las Cruces has retired after 38 years of service to NMSU. His career began in 1965 as a student employee at PSL. After graduation in 1970, he worked as an international field engineer with PSL for 10 years, then spent a couple of years with Hewlett-Packard. He returned to NMSU in 1981 with a joint appointment between PSL and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. He served as the academic department head of electrical engineering and as the dean of the College of Engineering. After two years with Northrop Grumman at White Sands Missile Range, he returned to NMSU and worked as a project engineer/program coordinator at PSL, followed by service as the associate vice president for research programs, then as the interim executive vice president and provost.

1970s

Barbara “Mother” Hubbard ’70 ’07 of Las Cruces was honored by the NMSU and Las Cruces communities with an 85th birthday bash in July at the Pan American Center. She is the former Pan American Center director of special events and has attracted a fan base of her own that includes an eclectic list of stars, along with students she has mentored, and generations of audiences who are grateful for the big acts she’s attracted to a relatively small venue. She retired from NMSU in 1998, but continues to serve as the American Collegiate Talent Showcase (ACTS) executive director.

Adelmo “Del” Archuleta ’73 ’75 of Albuquerque has been honored by National Jewish Health for his years of community service. He was honored at the 2012 New Mexico Spirit of Achievement Award Dinner. The award is presented to individuals throughout the nation who have built a legacy of contributing their time, talents and resources in all areas of their lives. He served two terms as president of NMSU’s Board of Regents and is CEO of Molzen Corbin & Associates.

Jeff Guide ’76 became the business manager of the East Arkansas Regional Unit in the Arkansas Department of Corrections. He is responsible for purchasing, contraction, banking and commissary for the unit, which holds 1,700 inmates.

Leonard Waterworth ’78 of Houston, Texas, has been appointed executive director for the Houston Port Authority. His future priorities include preparing for the 2014 expansion of the Panama Canal, which is expected to bring larger ships carrying more cargo into the Houston port, and upgrading its facilities. He served as president and CEO of Dannenbaum Engineering Corp., a Houston-based engineering firm.

Amy Bigbee ’79 of Albuquerque has been named one of the top 50 women-owned business owners in New Mexico. She owns the UPS Store on Wyoming Boulevard in Albuquerque. To qualify for the list, the business must be at least 51 percent women-owned.

1980s

Brenda Smith ’80 of Las Cruces has been named the Canutillo Independent School District Secondary Teacher of the Year. She teaches theater arts at Canutillo Middle School, where she has taught since 2007. She also taught theater arts and broadcast journalism for 27 years in the Gadsden School District, where she was twice recognized as Santa Teresa High School’s Teacher of the Year. In 1992, she was named the Gadsden Teacher of the Year. She also has received the Excellence in Education award from Phi Beta Kappa and the Quality Education Award from University of New Mexico.

Tim Altamirano ’81 of Mesilla, N.M., has joined First American Bank as a vice president and treasury management officer. He has more than 32 years of financial and banking experience. He also taught at NMSU’s Doña Ana Community College for 15 years and received the 2012 National Institute for Staff and Organization Development Excellence Award.

James Hendricks Jr. ’82 of Long Pond, Pa., has joined RETTEW as a project manager for the energy services division. He is responsible for managing the design of water supply and treatment facilities, natural gas collection and conveyance systems and routing for pipeline right-of-ways. He is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Texas.

Robert Doyle ’83 ’88 of El Paso, Texas, has been appointed by El Paso Electric as vice president of transmission and distribution. He has been with El Paso Electric since 1992 and has served in various capacities including vice president of New Mexico affairs, manager of the Corporate Projects Office, project manager transition to competition, supervisor of distribution dispatch and distribution monitoring engineer. He is a registered professional engineer in New Mexico and holds certification as a project management professional.

Neal Haas ’83 of San Diego, Calif., has been named vice president of composite engineering and development at True Temper Sports. He is responsible for the design and development of new products as well as expansion of True Temper’s engineering capabilities. He has been with the company for 13 years, serving as global director of engineering and research for all composite products for golf and performance sports.

Sandra Rotruck ’83 of Albuquerque has been named chair of the New Mexico Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Board for 2012. The Disciplinary Board assists the Supreme Court with administering the attorney disciplinary system in New Mexico and is responsible for providing recommendations to the Supreme Court concerning proposed amendments to the Rules Governing Discipline. She is a certified family law specialist with Sutin, Thayer & Browne. She also serves as vice president of the Board of Directors for the Domestic Violence Resources Center and on the Board of Directors for Opera Southwest.

Reese Carson ’84 of Las Cruces has been appointed to the Border Authority Board by N.M. Gov. Susana Martinez. He is the former executive vice president and chief credit officer for the Bank of the Rio Grande. Carson is known for his ability to enhance profitability, develop strategic lending initiatives and produce growth in each segment of high-quality loan portfolios.

Paul Deason ’85 ’11 of Las Cruces has been appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez to the Spaceport America Board of Directors with the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. He has more than 45 years of military experience and served as the director of the Science Technology Analysis Team LLC.

David Wright ’85 of Snohomish, Wash., has received the Special Invention Award by Boeing Research and Technology. He is a support engineer and joined the company in 1986. The award is given each year to individuals and teams who are inspired to create the kind of intellectual property that proves most valuable to Boeing and to the future of aerospace. Wright was part of a team that invented the “Ring Post Fastener and Wire Bundle Mounting System.”

Angela Throneberry ’87 of Las Cruces has been selected as New Mexico State University’s senior vice president for administration and finance. She started her career with the university in 1991 in the Financial Reporting Office. During her tenure, she has held a series of positions, including assistant athletics director for business, director of financial operations, director of auxiliary services and associate vice president for administration and finance.

Anthony “Tony” Boor ’88 of Indianapolis, Ind., has been appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer for Blackbaud, Inc. He will be responsible for the company’s financial planning and analysis as well as developing long-term strategies to support the company’s growth plans. Blackbaud is the leading global provider of software and related services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations.

Stephen Lopez ’88 of Las Cruces has been hired as chief of the NMSU Police Department. He was the former deputy chief of the department and served as interim chief since April. Lopez began working for the department as a student in 1987 and became an officer in 1988.

1990s

Leroy Kirkegard ’90 of Deer Lodge, Mont., was named warden at the Montana State Prison. He is the first new warden at the prison in 16 years and will oversee the state’s male prison system, which has 2,300 inmates housed in four facilities.

Nick Ashcroft ’94 ’96 ’09 of Las Cruces received the Bud’s Contract Award from the New Mexico Federal Lands Council (NMFLC). The award is given annually to an individual who has given of their time and effort to the NMFLC. He is a member of the Range Improvement Task Force, a team of scientists and specialists housed at NMSU that works to ensure land management agencies utilize accurate scientific information in their management decisions.

Kirk Clifton ’94 of Las Cruces has been appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez to the Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensing Practices Board. He handles land acquisitions leasing and right of way for El Paso Electric Company. He also serves as vice president of the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces.

Curtiss Wilson ’94 of Albuquerque has been appointed to the Governor’s Commission on Disability. He is currently the chief information officer for Jackson and Brown Insurance Solutions.

Carrie Hamblen ’95 of Las Cruces has been selected as executive director for the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce. She worked for KRWG-FM, a National Public Radio station affiliated with NMSU, since 1992 and has spent more than a decade as the station’s operations manager. She was the host of the station’s morning news show and also a Saturday evening public affairs show.

Isaac Chavez ’96 of Montpelier, Vt., has been hired as the CEO of the Vermont Association of Realtors, which is the largest trade association in the state of Vermont.

Connie Limon ’96 of Las Cruces has been selected as the new principal at the Las Cruces Catholic School. She previously taught math classes at LCCS and Oñate high schools and was also a basketball coach at Oñate High School. She was the first in her family to attend college through a basketball scholarship at NMSU.

2000s

Leila Diaz ’00 ’03 is now the assistant dean of admissions and diversity at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.

Amy Simmons ’00 of Belle Chasse, La., has joined the Southern United States Trade Association as an outreach coordinator, where she identifies and recruits companies to take part in SUSTA programs. She has eight years of experience in the field of agricultural production and recruiting. She previously served as assistant manager and design consultant with the Tile Shop.

Linda Wells ’01 of Burnet, Texas, has been named the Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent for family and consumer sciences in Burnet County. She has worked as a nutrition education program coordinator with New Mexico’s Cooperative Extension Service in Las Cruces since 2001.

Philip Baca ’04 was promoted to the associate dean of social science and leadership, business, and criminal justice at New Mexico Military Institute.

Deidre Wright ’03 ’05 of Albuquerque has been promoted to audit supervisor of Pulakos CPAs. She joined the company in December 2007 as a staff auditor and has more than five years experience in accounting and finance and is a certified public accountant. She is a member of the New Mexico Society of CPAs and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Jeremy C. Henderson ‘06 of Las Cruces recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Henderson completed a variety of training, which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.

Julie Maestas ’06 of Las Cruces has been selected as the assistant principal for Oñate High School. She joined the Las Cruces Public Schools in 2003 and was previously an advanced educational services/gifted facilitator and Career Resource Center coordinator at Oñate.

Fletcher Pendergrass ’06 of Dallas, Texas, has been selected as the assistant varsity football coach at Duncanville High School. Pendergrass and his wife are expecting a new baby girl this fall, too.

Brian Holmes ’07 of Los Lunas, N.M., has been deployed to Afghanistan. Along with fellow sailors, he is manning defenses and constructing a compound in the Lashkar Gah District to support U.S. Marines who will advise Afghan Uniformed Police and prepare them for a smooth transition upon the eventual drawdown of U.S. and allied forces.

Erika Duran ’08 worked at New Mexico State University in the admissions office as a campus visit coordinator.

Michael McCloskey ’08 married Mariah McDonald ’08. Michael is the head golf professional at the Championship Course at Incline Village in Lake Tahoe, Nev.

Jeff Anaya ’09 of Colorado Springs, Colo., has joined the staff of MAXX HD Sunglasses as their new collegiate sales manager. He will focus on creating a sales and marketing plan to create collegiate sales and product awareness at a national level.

Selena English ’09 of Maysville, Ga., has been awarded the Tiffany Bishop Horizon Memorial Award by the Georgia Department of Corrections. She works as a probation officer with the Warner Probation Office.

Jason Lithgow ’09 of Santa Fe has joined the New Mexico State Land Office as a district resource manager. He previously worked for the Santa Fe and Cibola National Forests, and the Bureau of Land Management as a seasonal field technician.

2010s

Tiffany Holder ’10 of Las Cruces is the director of the Zuhl Collection at NMSU.

Brandon Mason ’10 of Albuquerque has been named video administrator of the University of New Mexico men’s basketball program. He played basketball for NMSU from 1999 to 2003.