George L. McNew, 1908-1998

McNew

George L. McNew, '30, adjunct professor of plant pathology at NMSU, died Oct. 30, 1998, in Las Cruces. He was 90. A residence hall at NMSU is named in honor of the acclaimed scholar who directed the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, then located in Yonkers, N.Y., for 25 years. Son of famed southern New Mexico rancher Bill McNew, he was valedictorian of both his 1926 class at Alamogordo High School and his 1930 class at NMSU, where he earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture with a major in biological sciences. He earned his master's and doctoral degrees in plant pathology from Iowa State University in 1931 and 1935, respectively.

McNew's research focused on chemical processes responsible for disease response in plants. He published 155 scientific articles and books in a career that took him to Rockefeller University; Cornell University; Iowa State University, where he led the botany department; U.S. Rubber Co.; the Boyce Thompson Institute; and NMSU. He came back to his native state in 1978 as a distinguished scientist and consultant to the dean of NMSUÕs College of Agriculture and Home Economics.

McNew is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, of Las Cruces; and a nephew, Norman McNew, of Albuquerque.

Wilford Paul, 1917-1998

Paul

Philosophy professor emeritus Wilford Paul, described by a colleague as a scholar "who lived for his books and his students," died Nov. 5, 1998, at the age of 81. Paul joined the NMSU faculty in 1959 as the university's first full-time philosopher and remained active in his retirement, typically teaching one course a semester in the Weekend College. A reception in his honor was held Nov. 19 in the Wilford Paul Philosophy Library in Breland Hall.

Paul received his bachelor's degree at Johns Hopkins University and his Ph.D. at the University of New Mexico. He organized the Philosophy Club at NMSU and played a major role in the development of the philosophy department. He had an interest in the philosophy of religion and introduced courses in Oriental philosophies and comparative philosophies.

"Students related to him as an uncle or father or grandfather," said Paul Sagal, professor emeritus and former head of the philosophy department. "He had instant respect. He was the cement, the glue of the department for many years."

In Memory

Charles Edward Shipe, '26, of Port Arthur, Texas, Dec. 28, 1998
Rush Alexander Snyder, '31, of Canadian, Texas, Oct. 6, 1998
Robert R. McCorkle, '32, of Albuquerque, Dec. 20, 1998
Harold B. Gates, '34, Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 26, 1998
Jackson A. Rigney, '34, of Raleigh, N.C., June 1, 1998
Joseph A. Camunez, '39, of Las Cruces, Nov. 1, 1998
William Conwell Mooney, '41, of Springer, N.M., Sept. 29, 1998
James Edward Reeves, '42, of Las Cruces, Oct. 24, 1998
Marjorie J. (Matthew) Copeland, '46, of Santa Fe, Feb. 5, 1997
Merdest Bradford, '55, of Las Cruces, Oct. 12, 1998
Dillard Bullard Jr., '60, of Ridgecrest, Calif., April 8, 1998
Edward ÒTimÓ Davison, '62, of Pendleton, Ore., Nov. 18, 1998
Carl Wallace Henderson, '64, July 1996
John C. McConvery, '65, of Lebanon, Ohio, November 1998
Larry L. Wilson, '65, of Albuquerque, Oct. 14, 1998
Joan Hanson McAdams, '68, of Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 11, 1998
Andrew M. Feldman, '74, of Las Cruces, Oct. 16, 1998
Peggy S. Loveland, '74, of Mesilla Park, N.M., Oct. 31, 1998
Ernest F. Hurt, '80, of Hachita, N.M., Dec. 4, 1998
Jeffrey Lee Cole, '81, of Albuquerque, Oct. 18, 1998

Marriages

Ronald R. Kimball, '65, and Judith H. Ferguson
Tony A. Lovitt, '77, and Shirley "Lee" Harris
Veronica Griego, '82, and Larry Viarreal, '83
Janice Kreuch, '86, and Dave Carter
M. Michelle Buchecker, '87, and Bradford Alan Wollangk
Steven Stelts, '88, and Melissa Glusco
Mary Jo Manzanares, '91, and Daniel J. Sanders
Robert E. Montoya, '93, and Georgia P. Vigil, '97
Lisa M. Rede, '94, and Carlos E. Roman, '94
Leah Sharon Birmingham, '95, and David Warren Redwine
Parker Maldenado, '95, and Shelly Wallace
Warren Russell, '95, and Jennifer L. Tooley, '95
Allison S. Tinley, '95, and Tyler Scott Friend
Sean Strain, '95, and Javelle Chavez
Russell Nielsen, '96, and Lisa Sanchez, '97
Brett Ritter, '98, and Lindsey L. Michaels

Births

Mona Bruch Moore, '83, and Kelly Moore, of Fort Worth, Texas, daughter, Julia Elise, Aug. 10, 1998
James F. Kirley, '90, and Amy Kirley, of Tucson, Ariz., daughter, Maria Esperanza, Oct. 11, 1998
Joseph F. Varro, '91, and Sandra L. Varro, '93, of Albuquerque, daughter, Danielle Micaela, Sept. 16, 1998
Shanna Claytor, '92, and Christopher J. Claytor, of Frisco, Texas, daughter, Cameron Jaci, June 5, 1998

William Frankfather, 1944-1998

William Frankfather, left, and Mark Medoff performed in NMSU's 1981 prduction of The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid.

William Frankfather, '66, '68, a renowned actor, director and producer, died at University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center Dec. 28, 1998, from complications of liver disease. He was 54. Frankfather received his bachelor's and master's degrees, both in English literature, from NMSU. He received a master of fine arts degree in acting from Stanford University. He performed on many theater stages, including on Broadway in the original cast of Children of a Lesser God. He was a 25-year member of Theatre 40, a professional theater company in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was artistic director of Theatre 40 for five years up to June 1998. NMSU professor emeritus Mark Medoff, author of Children of a Lesser

God, said his long-time friend "never missed a line, an entrance [or] a cue" in the play's first 300 performances in New York City.

Frankfather received six DramaLogue awards for acting and producing and, as artistic director of Theatre 40, produced works by distinguished playwrights such as Medoff and Sam Shepard. His feature film credits include Mouse Hunt, Foul Play, The Rocketeer and Death Becomes Her, and his television credits include Melrose Place, The Practice, NYPD Blue and Star Trek: Deep Space 9.

Frankfather is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and his son, Richard.

40s

Abelicio Marquez Pena, '49, of Grants, N.M., is the author of Memories of Cibola: Stories from New Mexico Villages. The book has been adopted by the New Mexico State Department of Education for use in public schools as a reference work and text book.

50s

G. L. Seligmann, '57, of Denton, Texas, is in his second term as chair of the Executive Committee of H-Net Humanities on-line, an e-mail organization of humanities scholars with headquarters at Michigan State University.

60s

Welsh

Ray Garde, '63, of Espanola, N.M., was promoted to deputy operations manager for Benchmark Environmental Corp. Garde has more than 35 years of experience. Ronald R. Kimball, '65, of Manchester, N.H., retired as a full professor of electronics technology at the New Hampshire Community Tech College in June 1998. Jerry Long, '68, who is blind, has won eight belt buckles and two saddles in team roping. He ropes steers by tying bells to their tails and tracking them by sound. Henry F. Narvaez, '68, was presented with the 1998 Outstanding Lawyer of the Year Award. Narvaez practices with Narvaez, Slease and Schamban in Albuquerque.

Cortese

Alfredo "Fred" Vega, '68, retired from the Silver City school district as associate superintendent of learning services. Richard G. Welsh, '68, of Mesilla Park, N.M., was one of 900 American servicemen receiving the 823 Campaign Badge of Honor of the Republic of China for defending the Quemoy-Matsu Islands during Communist aggression from 1958 to 1963. Welsh also received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal from the U.S. Navy. Ralph W. "Buddy" Cortese, '69, from Ft. Sumner, N.M., was re-elected to the board of directors of the Farm Credit Bank of Texas. Cortese owns a feedlot and has been the board's vice chairman since January 1998. Andrew Gililland, '69, received the United States Forest Service Engineering Manager of the Year Award for 1998. Gililland was selected for leadership, productivity and professionalism.

70s

Thomas Garcia, '71, of Santa Fe, is president and CEO of L and M Technologies. Garcia was previously deputy laboratory director for business administration at Los Alamos National Laboratories.

Lusk

William Brack, '72, of Tyrone, N.M., was named vice president of engineering for Phelps Dodge Mining Co. Brack will oversee design, engineering and construction of new projects and property expansions for the mining division and its global operations. David H. Lehman, '72, of Pasadena, Calif., has reported for duty at Naval Air Reserve, Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego. Lehman had been project manager at Jet Propulsion laboratory for 18 years. Mark W. Lusk, '72, of Missoula, Mont., was appointed assistant vice president for Research at the University of Montana. Lusk previously served as director of international programs at Montana and has been on the faculties of Utah State University, the University of Wyoming and the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.

Thomas Stewart, '72, will be Lincoln County, N.M.'s new manager. Stewart is a former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the Pentagon. He was responsible for coordinating military operations in the Western Hemisphere.
Gilbert Vigil, '73, of Taos, N.M., is a 26-year veteran of the U.S. Forest Service and the new supervisor to the Carson National Forest, headquartered in Taos.
Cathy (Stell) Kinzer, '74, '93, of Las Cruces, received the New Mexico Academy of Science's annual Outstanding Elementary Science Teacher Award. She teaches at Mesilla Park Elementary School and at NMSU.

Brown

Lillian G. Apodaca, '75, of Albuquerque, was named president of the Hispanic National Bar Association. Apodaca is an attorney in construction law for Crider, Bingham and Hurst P.C. of Albuquerque. Stephen B. Brown, '75, of Las Cruces, was elected executive vice president for Bank of the Rio Grande and will serve on the board of directors. Laura McKinzie Drobel, '75, of Midland, Texas, is studying to be a diabetic educator. She has been a registered nurse for 20 years. Marty Mirabal, '75, of Albuquerque, is director of Sandoval County's Community Services Division. Etienne Etcheverry, '76, of Carlsbad, N.M., was named Cartoonist of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists at the third annual awards presentation in Fort Worth, Texas. Etcheverry has been nominated for the award three times.

Becky McMurray, '76, of Hobbs, N.M., was named teacher of the week at Stone Elementary in Hobbs. She has taught in the Hobbs Municipal Schools for 23 years.
Allan L. Paul, '76, of Alamogordo, N.M., competed in the 1998 Ironman Canada Triathlon. Paul swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and ran 26 miles.

Pewewardy

Jim Sheehy, '76, of Houston, Texas, is chief knowledge officer for Landmark Graphics Corp., a subsidiary of Halliburton Corp. Sheehy has been with Landmark since 1991. David Stratmoen, '76, of Belen, N.M., is the new city manager for Belen. Stratmoen was previously the director of resource management in Santa Fe for the New Mexico Army National Guard. Bob Gallagher, '77, of Washington, D.C., is the special executive adviser to the assistant secretary for fossil energy, within the U.S. Department of Energy. Cornel Pewewardy, '79, from Lawrence, Kan., was a keynote speaker at the 8th Annual International Conference of the National Association for Multicultural Education held Oct. 7-11, 1998, in St. Louis, Mo. Besides his interest in the field of education, Pewewardy is a professional recording artist who has five recordings to date.

Randall Rentschler, '79, of Carlsbad, N.M., is director of surgical service for the Surgical Center of Carlsbad. Rentschler is a registered nurse with 14 years of clinical and operating room experience at St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe.

80s

Dill

Julie Dill, '81, of Katy, Texas, is vice president for planning and finance, and chief financial officer, of Duke Energy International, a Houston-based subsidiary of Duke Energy Corp. Janet L. Green, '81, of Santa Fe, was honored by the Tourism Association of New Mexico (TANM) with its Tourism Professional of the Year award. The award is one of TANM's highest awards for service. John H. Myers, '81, of Albuquerque, was elected by the Public Service Company of New Mexico as PNM's new vice president of electric operations. Myers has been with the company since 1981. Marcelino Prieto, '81, of Artesia, N.M., teaches general math at Artesia Junior High School and Algebra 1 at Artesia High School.

Merrell Godshalk Foote, '84, of Austin, Texas, a senior writer with the Lower Colorado River Authority, along with two coworkers received the International Association of Business Communicators' Silver Quill Award of Excellence. The award was for the writing, design, photography and overall appeal of LCRA's 1998 calendar.

Wright

Alan S. Deutsch, '85, of New York, N.Y., is shooting and producing two hour-long episodes of the hit series Trauma: Life In The ER for The Learning Channel. Julie Hlad, '88, of Albuquerque, is membership sales manager for the Albuquerque Convention Center and Visitors Bureau. Hlad was previously employed by Shube's Manufacturing. Georgette Lombardo, '88, of Albuquerque, is an assistant media relations director for athletics at the University of New Mexico. Matthew Wright, '88, of Phoenix, Ariz., was elected as a new shareholder for the Phoenix law firm Gallager and Kennedy. Wright's primary practice involves representation of school districts in civil litigation, administrative hearing and risk management issues.

Keith Raia, '89, of Albuquerque, joined Financial Network Investment Corp. as a registered representative and branch manager. He will provide financial services to the members of Sandia Area Federal Credit Union.

90s

Jeffrey McCool, '90, of Hobbs, N.M., is the men's basketball coach at New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs. McCool played for the Aggies from 1986-89 and holds NMSU's record for career three-pointers.
Shije Sollid, '90, of Los Alamos, N.M., has produced her first CD, titled Shije.
Jess R. Lilley, '91, of Las Cruces, is an attorney for Michael W. Lilley, P.A., in Las Cruces.
Gina Rodriguez, '91, of Albuquerque, is manager of the Computer Center at the Arts and Sciences Department at TVI Community College in Albuquerque.
Cliff Coburn, '92, was selected Sailor of the Quarter at Naval Reserve Readiness Command in Minneapolis, Minn. Coburn was cited for outstanding professional accomplishment, proficiency, leadership, initiative and military bearing.
Elizabeth "Lisa" Ewbank, '92, is the new director of investor relations at VLSI Technology Inc. The company is based in San Jose, Calif.
Dino J. Montoya, '92, of Las Cruces, is on the New Mexico Physical Therapy Board. Montoya is the business and industry liaison for the Dona Ana Workforce Action Council, a school-to-work program.
Louis Vega, '92, of Santa Fe, is global communications manager with Dow Chemical Co. in Michigan.
Julie Benavidez, '93, received a $25,000 Milken Foundation Award. The award is given to teachers whose performance in their field is outstanding.
Daniel Rubel Jr., '93, is on duty with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Brad Treptow, '93, of Los Lunas, N.M., is the News-Bulletin advertising manager in Los Lunas.
Katrina Weiss, '93, of Hobbs, N.M., is coordinator of the Lea County DWI Program.
Margaret L. Hardin, '94, was awarded the Silver Medal of Excellent Performance for her work on the Summer 1998 Certified Management Accountant Examination. The award will be presented during the Institute of Management Accountants conference in June in Seattle, Wash.
Jacquelyn J. Kessler, '94, of Albuquerque, is reporter and weekend anchor for KOB-TV in Albuquerque and has been appearing on Judge Joe Brown, a half-hour show that is taped in Hollywood, Calif.
Tomas Rodriguez, '94, of Albuquerque, is manager of the network services division for Albuquerque Public Schools.
David Anderson, '95, is a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Anderson is a national target base chief assigned to the U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, Neb.
Nancy Chanover, '95, of Las Cruces, is an NMSU astronomer who will examine the original Star Spangled Banner as part of a Smithsonian Institution project to preserve the old flag.
Alisa Deckert, '96, of Carlsbad, N.M., has returned home after an eight-month mission in India.
Cynthia Flores, '96, of Portales, N.M., is a Title 1 teacher at James School in Portales.
Geraldin de Berly, '98, of Syracuse, N.Y., is the director of the English Language Institute of Syracuse University in the Continuing Education/University College division.
Paul Haddock, '98, of Albuquerque, was recognized at the 1998 International Telemetry Conference in San Diego, Calif., for a graduate student paper he wrote titled Telemetry Data Collection from OSCAR Satellites.
Anthony S. Marin, '98, of Las Cruces, is an Upward Bound Project program coordinator at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Lisa M. McCormack, '98, is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and a flight commander for the Combat Readiness and Resources Flight, 20th Transportation Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
Carey Rhodes, '98, of Las Cruces, is a counseling coordinator with the Las Cruces Christian Counseling Services of Southern New Mexico.
Tara D. Rhodes, '98, of Rio Rancho, N.M., participated in the commissioning of the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard in Pensacola, Fla.
Brett Valentine, '98, of Roswell, N.M., is a loan officer with the Production Credit Association of Southern New Mexico in Roswell.