Distinguished alumnus
supports his academic roots

Nazario "Nick" C' de Baca, honored as the distinguished alumnus for the College of Agriculture and Home Economics during Homecoming, came back to campus with an additional $25,000 to add to the endowed fund he established for the college earlier this year.

The Bernalillo, N.M., resident traces his roots to 1212 and counts among his ancestors Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, the first European to explore the Southwest. His aunt, Fabiola C' de Baca Gilbert, was a pioneering extension educator in New Mexico.

Nazario "Nick" C' de Baca accepts his recognition gift at the Alumni Association Eye-Opener Breakfast. Photo by Michael Kiernan

C' de Baca enrolled at New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1936. He had saved $95 to cover his costs. Tuition for the first semester was $40. Dean Hugh Gardner promised him a job if he could prove himself academically the first semester. To save money, C' de Baca shared a $6-a-month room and bought noon meals for 25 cents each.

Things got easier when Experiment Station director Fabian Garcia allowed the student to live rent free at the horticulture farm in exchange for caretaker services. He also got jobs with the seed lab and the National Youth Alliance.

He graduated with a degree in agronomy and soils in 1940. "My struggle had come to an end," he said, "making me feel more than ever that if someone wants to get an education, it's possible, if you set that as a goal."

With that heritage and his fond memories of a rewarding, if somewhat tough, college career, it is no wonder that he chose to establish an endowment to support scholarships for New Mexico students with Hispanic ancestry who are enrolled in the agriculture college.

The college recognized C' de Baca for his extension-based career that has carried him from northern New Mexico to Europe, South and Central America, Africa, the West Indies and Washington, D.C. He helped establish extension service and 4-H programs in Bolivia, El Salvador, Sudan and Ecuador. The urge to travel that first brought his family to the new world was definitely passed on to him.

Ann Palormo

Endowment in tune with music head's career

Friends, family and associates of Bill Clark have established the William Dempsey Clark Music Endowment in his honor. The endowment recognizes the achievements of the former NMSU music department head, who stepped down from that position in August.

More than $20,000 has been raised so far, with additional pledges committed that will add another $65,000 to the fund.

Bill Clark, center, is honored with a celebration "roast" Homecoming weekend. Chuck Murrell, ex-'63, left, is chairman of the Clark endowment fund committee. Greg Fant, '90, right, succeeded Clark as music department head.

Photo by Michael Kiernan

Clark also has served as director of NMSU bands and founder-conductor of the Mesilla Valley Concert Band and the Las Cruces New Horizons Band. During his tenure as department head, the number of NMSU music majors more than doubled. Full-time flute and percussion instructors, along with adjunct oboe and bassoon instructors, joined to the faculty.

Half the endowment earnings will provide scholarships, renewable for up to eight semesters, to incoming wind or percussion players majoring in music education. The other half of the endowment is intended for music department faculty travel and professional development.

Gifts can be made to the William Dempsey Clark Endowed Fund, c/o NMSU Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 3590, Las Cruces, N.M. 88003.

Ann Palormo

Furr's stores support rural teachers For the fourth consecutive year, Furr's Supermarkets are continuing their support of the Small Town/Rural Teachers Scholarship in the College of Education. These awards go to outstanding students from small towns or rural areas of New Mexico who are committed to returning to similar environments to teach in grades K-12 after graduation. One such individual is Tammy Austin, '98, a scholarship recipient in 1997. She has been teaching at Garfield Elementary in Garfield, N.M., since summer 1998. According to Becky Kinny, community affairs coordinator for Furr's, the supermarkets support this program because it is important to develop quality teachers for New Mexico's heartland.

Unique Effort

NMSU's Classified Employees Children's Scholarships are the only scholarships specifically for children of these employees. This year's recipients of the $500 scholarships are, from left, Jonathan D. Saenz, grandson of Carole Bernal; Erin Anne Hughes, granddaughter of Isabella Riddle; Laura Lee Melton, daughter of Margaret Reese Melton; Jamie Lynn Carroll, granddaughter

of Jack Allen Davidson Jr.; and Peter R. Ibarbo, son of Pedro R. Ibarbo. Not pictured is G. Lynn Coffman, daughter of Erlyne Britton. The scholarship fund was created during NMSU's 1988 Centennial Celebration. Employee gifts, made primarily as payroll deductions, have built the endowment to more than $62,000. Students are eligible if their parent, grandparent or guardian worked as a classified staff member at least four consecutive years at the NMSU main campus or a branch campus. Photo by Michael Kiernan