Births

Sharon Garduno Slotboom, '88, and Walter J. Slotboom, daughter, Hayley Erin, May 3, 2000
Paula Groves, '91, '93, and John Gallegos, daughter, Jordan Taylor, April 22, 2000
David M. Bair, '96, and Jessica D. Bair, son, Andrew Raymond, June 20, 2000

In Memory

Louise Charles Rutz, '28, of Placitas, N.M., May 29, 2000
Buford Glenn Jasper, '40, of Avon Park, Fla., Dec. 8, 1999
Benton R. Fritz, '41, of Aztec, N.M., May 27, 2000
Elbert "Riley" Anderson, '42, of Espanola, N.M., May 13, 2000
Marjorie A. Wilson, '46, of Lovington, N.M., May 2, 2000
Avelino A. Trujillo, '51, of Deming, N.M., April 28, 2000
William J. Laumbach, '62, of Richardson, Texas, June 27, 2000
Richard R. DeBlassie, '63, of Las Cruces, May 19, 2000
Kathryn Davis Melgaard, '63, of Las Cruces, May 15, 2000
John M. Simpson, '71, of Albuquerque, April 29, 2000
Margaret "Maggie" Houston Lawhon Holliday, '77, of
Farmington, N.M., June 17, 2000
Debra Jean Sinclair, '88, of Edgewood, N.M., May 21, 2000
R. Duane Hyatt, '90, of Roswell, N.M., June 13, 2000
Steve McDonald, '91, of San Diego, Calif., April 18, 2000

Marriages

Robert Semple Bryce, '92, and Amy Lee Blohm
Jill Marie Legge, '94, and Michael S. Buschbacher II
Shane Drake, '95, and Lisa Mason
Jeffrey Nelson Tucker, '95, and Melinda Michelle Hinson
Matthew A. Trigg, '96, and Hope Laressa McIntosh
Amy Elizabeth McIntosh, '97, and Horatio G. Aldrete
J. Alex Keane, '97, and Jennifer Melchor, '99
Chris Williams, '99, and Lisa Loya
Rose Marie Pena, '00, and James Harlan Mietzner

James and Pauline O'Neill, 1912-2000
 

James "Pat" O'Neill, '35, and Pauline Poe O'Neill, '34, who met at NMSU and were married for 65 years, died in Santa Barbara, Calif., of natural causes on Feb. 21 within 35 minutes of one another. As supporters of NMSU, in 1982 Pauline and her two sisters, Elizabeth Poe Kerby, '42, and Rachel Poe Cochrane, '40, donated to the NMSU Museum three pieces of San Ildefonso pottery signed by Maria Martinez, a Navajo weaving and other items.

    James was born in Randall, Ark., on Jan. 9, 1912. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and was recruited by the California Institute of Technology based on a research project he did while at NMSU. He worked for Cal Tech from 1936-40 and eventually moved on to Space Technology Laboratories and TRW in Redondo Beach, Calif., where he was an adviser for the first lunar landing, Surveyor, and the Martian landing, Viking.

    Pauline was born near Mesilla, N.M., on May 3, 1912. She attended high school in Mesilla Park. She earned a bachelor's degree in English and spent many years as a volunteer in schools, hospitals and residential care facilities for the elderly. She was elected president of the Sierra Madre Community Nursery School in 1951.

40s

Gilbert Moore, '49, and his wife Phyllis Norris Moore, '52, of Monument, Colo., were honored with the Stellar Award from the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation at a recent ceremony at Space Center Houston for their work on the Starshine 1 Research Satellite. Some 25,040 students from 660 schools in 18 countries helped build the satellite that orbited Earth 4,212 times before burning up in the atmosphere on Feb. 18. The Moores are now recruiting students to help build Starshine 2, the second in a series of 11 satellites that will be deployed into orbit. Starshine 2 will fly aboard Space Shuttle Columbia in the spring of 2001.

50s

Dorman Brookey, '50, of Las Cruces, in May was named an honorary member of the Sam Steel Society at NMSU. Brookey retired in 1984 as equal employment opportunity director and training specialist for the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service's Egyptian Major Cereals Improvement Program in Cairo. He began his extension career in Lea County as an assistant, associate and county agent.
John E. Hirten Jr., '50, of San Francisco, Calif., is one of 82 certified planners in North America selected recently as fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Hirten was honored in recognition for individual achievement in the field of urban and rural planning at a ceremony in New York City. He is an urban planning and transportation adviser in the bay area.

Parker

Joe E. Parker, '50, of Las Cruces, received the Fabian Garcia Founders' Award of Excellence by NMSU's College of Agriculture and Home Economics. Parker worked 25 years as a field representative with Olin Corp. selling agricultural chemicals in New Mexico and west Texas. In 1993 NMSU's Agricultural Experiment Station released Nu-Mex Joe E. Parker Chile, named after Parker because he helped evaluate the selection. J.P. "Jack" Smithhisler, '51, of Las Cruces, was elected chairman of the board for Bank of the Rio Grande. Smithhisler began his career as a bank teller and retired as a high school business teacher for the Las Cruces Public School District. He owned several businesses during his career, including automobile dealerships, and has considerable experience in consumer finance.

Smithhisler

Phyllis Norris Moore, '52, and her husband Gilbert Moore, '49, of Monument, Colo., were honored with the Stellar Award from the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation at a recent ceremony at Space Center Houston for their work on the Starshine 1 Research Satellite. Some 25,040 students from 660 schools in 18 countries helped build the satellite that orbited Earth 4,212 times before burning up in the atmosphere on Feb. 18. The Moores are now recruiting students to help build Starshine 2, the second in a series of 11 satellites that will be deployed into orbit. Starshine 2 will fly aboard Space Shuttle Columbia in the spring of 2001. Ed Sironi, '52, of Apple Valley, Calif., wrote Christmas Letters of the Sironi Family, a book that chronicles the letters that Ed and his wife Doris wrote to each other and their family. The book has photographs and a description of what transpired in their lives.

60s

Henry Hamilton, '60, of Amarillo, Texas, retired as president of energy supply with New Century Energies after 36 years with the company. He directed the operations of 77 electric power generating units that provide service to more that 1.6 million customers in six states. Hamilton received NMSU's Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1988 and was honored by the Panhandle Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers as the Engineer of the Year in 1993.
Robert "Bob" Willis, '61, of Frisco, Texas, received a premier performance for his latest composition, Improvisations, for saxophone quartet, at Baylor University. Two of his latest choral compositions also were premiered by the Frisco Chorale.
Topper Thorpe, '64, of Castle Rock, Colo.,was named Livestock Leader for 2000 by the Colorado State University animal sciences department. The award is based on exceptional contributions to Colorado ranching. Thorpe is executive vice president of Denver-based Cattle-Fax, a market information, analysis, research and educational service for cattle producers.
Michael S. Elliott, '66, of San Diego, Calif., retired from the California Department of Transportation after a 37-year career in transportation planning and engineering.
Gilbert E. Gallegos, '68, of Albuquerque, has joined Gannett Fleming as a quality assurance manager. Gallegos recently retired as a program director and state engineer from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service.
John McAfee, '68, of Eunice, N.M., was named vice president of engineering for Excel. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas and New Mexico, a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
Jimmy Miller, '68, of Aztec, N.M., a history and political science professor at San Juan College in Farmington, was honored with the 2000 Ruth and Lou Allison Faculty Excellence Award. Lucille I. King, '69, '83, of Portales, N.M., who retired last year as superintendent of Portales Municipal Schools, is now executive director of the Roosevelt County Literacy Council.

70s

Everett Crawford, '70, of Las Cruces, was elected chairman of the board and chief executive officer of First National Bank. Crawford has 29 years of community banking experience in southern New Mexico. He was formerly president and managing officer of First National's Las Cruces Banking Center.
Joe Bullock, '71, of Las Cruces, was promoted to president/managing officer of First National Bank's Lohman Banking Center in Las Cruces. Bullock has more than 28 years of financial experience. He joined First National in June 1999 as senior vice president and manager of the Lohman Banking Center.
Evangeline "Vangie" Encinias, '71, of Portales, N.M., retired as principal of James Elementary School. Encinias has been with Portales Municipal Schools for 29 years.
Wilfred C. Martinez, '71, of Espanola, N.M., is the new superintendent for the Espanola Public Schools. Martinez served as the district's Title I director of federal funding for poor students since 1992. Before that he was a teacher at Chimayo Elementary.
Scott Miller Jr., '71, of West Des Moines, Iowa, was promoted to colonel in the U.S. Army and is the support operations plans officer with the 19th Theater Support Command.
Andrew B. Garcia, '72, of Santa Clarita, Calif., is a due diligence coordinator with Greenberg Farrow Architecture Inc. in Tustin, Calif.
Jeanne Lutz, '72, associate rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Las Cruces since 1997, is one of several area clergy providing Sunday worship services at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Deming. Contrary to last issue's report, Rev. Lutz has not been appointed vicar of St. Luke's.
Barbara Telles, '72, of Alamogordo, N.M., was recognized for her outstanding contributions to education with the Excellence in Education Award from the National Education Association of New Mexico. Telles began her teaching career at Holloman Air Force Base in 1966 and then moved to the Alamogordo school district in 1969.
Frutoso Lopez, '73, of Taos, N.M., is retiring from the Taos school district after 27 years.

Pickard

Frank Pickard, '74, '76, of Las Cruces, is the new dean of visual and performing arts at Pima Community College in Arizona. He earned his master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Arizona. Rick Ferguson, '75, of Jal, N.M., is the new superintendent of schools in Jal after 13 years as principal of Jal High School. Fernando Macias, '75, formerly the manager of Dona Ana County, was named an honorary member of the Sam Steel Society at NMSU. Macias was elected state senator in 1984. He has chaired six senate committees during his career. Macias was the first director of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance from 1995 to 1997.

Macias

Kristina Vogt, '75, of Branford, Conn., formerly a professor with the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at the University of Washington, has been appointed as the new dean of the university's College of Forest Resources. Vogt is the first woman to hold a forestry dean's position in the United States. Stephen Comeau, '76, of Albuquerque, received the professional designation of Certified Business Appraiser (CBA). The distinction, awarded by the Institute of Business Appraisers, denotes a level of competence attained only by the most accomplished business appraisers. Comeau is one of only three CBAs in New Mexico. He is a litigation services manager for Meyners and Company, an Albuquerque-based certified public accounting and business firm. Rev.

Stephen Schultz, '76, of Albuquerque, was appointed by Archbishop Michael Sheehan as pastor of Saint Rose de Lima Catholic Church. Father Schultz was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in May 1999.
Phil Brown, '77, of Alamogordo, N.M., is the new principal at Reserve Christian School.
Susan Long, '77, of El Paso, Texas, was promoted to senior vice president and chief financial officer of Matrix Capital Bank. Long is a certified public accountant in Texas and is a member of the Dona Ana Chapter of Certified Accountants.
Allen McCulloch, '77, of Farmington, N.M., is the newest member of the San Juan College Board. McCulloch serves on the board of directors for Citizens Bank and is treasurer of the board for San Juan Regional Medical Center.
David Coss, '78, of Santa Fe, was named the new director of field operations for the New Mexico State Land Office. Coss has served as city manager and public works director for Santa Fe and as minerals manager for the State Land Office's oil, gas and minerals division.
Arthur "Eddie" Binder, '79, of Santa Fe, has joined the New Mexico State Fair's marketing department. Binder has served as news secretary for former New Mexico Gov. Garrey Carruthers and for U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson.
Mary Terry Greer, '79, '95, of Las Cruces, was named principal of Belen High School in Belen, N.M. Greer was assistant principal at Las Cruces High School.
Jon W. Jones, '79, of Tijeras, N.M., president of the New Mexico Gas Association, was elected to the New Mexico One Call System Inc. board of directors to represent gas distribution companies in New Mexico. Jones is a manager and provides gas engineering support for Public Service Company of New Mexico's electric and gas services.

80s

Martha Gurrola, '83, of Las Cruces, was appointed principal of La Union Elementary School in the Gadsden Independent School District. She previously was a kindergarten and first grade bilingual teacher at Berino Elementary school and has been with the Gadsden school district for seven years.
Andy Torres, '83, of Penasco, N.M., is the new superintendent of schools in the Pojoaque Valley School District. Torres was associate superintendent with the district since April 1999 and, prior to that, was director of bilingual and federal programs and an assistant principal at Pojoaque Middle school.
Reese Carson, '85, of Las Cruces, was promoted to president/managing officer of the Las Cruces/Mesilla Banking Center for 1st National Bank. Carson has more than 16 years banking experience in Colorado, California and southern New Mexico. He joined 1st National in 1999 as a senior vice president. He is a past director of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce.

Hardman- Hartley

Audrey Hardman-Hartley, '85, '87, of Las Cruces, was named director of annual and major gifts for the Memorial Medical Center Foundation. Hardman-Hartley will oversee various local activities including the Children's Miracle Network, golf and tennis tournaments, and other community events. Chris Baker, '87, of Taos, is publisher of The Taos News. Baker previously was publisher of The Valencia County News-Bulletin in Belen for six years. Wendy C. Beseria, '87, of Silver City, was named to the All-American Team of the American Funds Group of Mutual Funds. Beseria was cited for outstanding service to investors in the Las Cruces area and for financial expertise and dedication to principles of sound mutual fund and variable annuity investing.

J. Calvin Crowder, '87, will serve as the director of restructuring issues management in the newly organized American Electric Power and Central and South West Corp. Crowder is a native of Truth or Consequences, N.M.
Monica Montoya, '88, of Santa Fe, was named associate state director of New Mexico Small Business Development. Montoya was director of the Santa Fe Small Business Development Center. She serves on the board of the Technology Commercialization Office of Los Alamos National Laboratories and on the Santa Fe mayor's Small Business Advisory Committee. She was named the New Mexico Internet Professional Economic Developer of the Year and is a recipient of Vista magazine's Achievement Award for Hispanic Women.
Elias Barela, '89, of Tome, N.M., graduated cum laude from the University of New Mexico School of Law. After taking the bar exam he will clerk for Justice Michael Bustamante on the New Mexico Court of Appeals for the next two years. He plans to practice civil law.
Craig Buchanan, '89, of Albuquerque, was hired as vice president for the New Mexico Commercial Growth Group. Buchanan has 11 years experience in commercial and real estate lending.
Nancy (Smithhisler) Bufano, '89, recently relocated from Scottsdale, Ariz., to accept a position with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in Washington, D.C. Bufano will serve as a consumer safety officer in the Division of Dairy and Egg Safety. Bufano had worked for nine years as a food technologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service in Washington, D.C.
Karen Pope, '89, and her husband Charles, of Silver City, N.M., celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. They were married June 1, 1960 in Lima, Peru.

90s

Paul E. Horney IV, '90, of Russellville, Ark., was named chief executive officer of Innovation Industries Inc. Horney served as manufacturing manager for one year and general manager for three years before being named CEO.

Perez	Kristen Hamon Castillo, '91, '92, of Greenville, N.C., is finishing her residency in OB/GYN at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., and will return to Las Cruces to join the practice of OB/GYN Consultants. She is married to John Castillo and they have a son, Zachary, who is two years old. Louis Vega, '92, is business public affairs director for Dow Chemicals, one of the country's largest corporations. He will soon be moving from Midland, Mich., to Zurich, Switzerland. Previously, Vega worked in Washington, D.C., for one year as an intern for U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici and for five years with the late U.S. Rep. Steve Schiff.
Tamez	Hugo Perez, '93, of Las Cruces, a photographer, director and producer for NMSU's KRWG-TV, won a first-place award from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The award was given for a two-part video series focusing on the Paquime Indian ruins near Casas Grandes in Chihuahua, Mexico, and Mexican artist Juan Quezada. Estrella Tamez, '93, of Los Angeles, Calif., is pursuing a singing and acting career. She is singing with the country/folk/rock band Random Joe Citizen. Tamez also had a poem selected for publication in the collection of poetry The Falling Rain due out in the fall of 2000. Darlene Nelson, '94, of Alamogordo, N.M., a graphic design artist, was awarded with two first prize
Montano	awards from the New Mexico Press Women's Association for her work on local projects. Nelson won for her design work on visitor's guides for the cities of Alamogordo and Cloudcroft, N.M. Alissa Montano, '94, of Belen, N.M., received her doctor of optometry degree from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn. Montano plans to practice in Belen or Albuquerque. Christopher J. DeLara, '95, of Placitas, N.M., has joined the law firm of Sutin, Thayer and Browne and will be working with the firm's litigation group in Albuquerque. His article Who Controls New Mexico's Acequias? New Mexico Acequias and Wilson v. Denver, was scheduled for publication in the summer 2000 Natural Resources Journal.
Martinez	Tony Martinez, '96, '98, of Santa Fe, was appointed by U.S. Rep. Tom Udall to serve as the congressman's legislative assistant for education, telecommunications, economic development and serve as a committee staffer on the House Small Business Committee. Martinez was student body vice president during his senior year at NMSU. Joshua P. Sanders, '97, of Las Cruces, has joined Insurance Unlimited Inc. He will provide financial planning solutions, investment information and group life and health programs. Teri Bradshaw, '97, of La Plata, N.M.,was named branch manager of the Norwest Financial office. Bradshaw joined Norwest Financial in 1997 as a credit manager in Albuquerque and was named assistant

manager in 1999.
Ronnie Garver, '97, had work recently published in Next: The New Generation in Graphic Design. The pieces include work done for NMSU and the Las Cruces Museum of Natural History as well as other projects. The book highlights work from a group of graphic designers in their 20s and 30s that are considered to be "revolutionizing" design.
Jennifer M. "Jenna" Ross, '97, a doctoral student in history at Washington State University, is serving a 12-week internship at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Houston.
Tara Ballentine, '99, of Albuquerque, received an internship at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., to begin in September. She accepted a full-time position in the Archives Department in December 1999.

00s

Jennifer Harmon, '00, of Deming, N.M., joined the Valencia County News-Bulletin staff. She will cover the village of Los Lunas, N.M., and Los Lunas schools. Harmond had worked for WorldWest, the parent company of the News-Bulletin, in Craig, Colo.
Amanda Hartwell-Chandler, '00, of Portales, N.M., was accepted into the veterinary medical program at Colorado State University.
Kevin Padilla, '00, of Santa Fe, has accepted a job with General Motors Desert Proving Grounds in Mesa, Ariz.
Augusto Roman, '00, of Las Cruces, has been awarded a National Physical Science Consortium Graduate Fellowship. Roman will pursue a doctoral degree in electrical engineering at Stanford University.
LeAnne Weldon, '00, of Carlsbad, N.M., was accepted into the veterinary medical program at Colorado State University.