Association meets goal of chartering chapters

Widger	Alumni on the Go
	by Debbie Widger, '81, '93
	Alumni Relations Director
	NMSU Alumni Association
	MSC 3AS, P.O. Box 30001
	Las Cruces, NM 88003
	(505) 646-3616
	dwidger@nmsu.edu

 

Time Flies
Another spring has come and gone. They say time flies when you are having fun. Judging by how fast this year is going, I am really having a great time. As I have said before, I have the best job in the world.

High School Honors Nights
When the Honors Nights start each year, I look at the schedule and it is hard to fathom that we will ever finish. This year we honored more than 3,726 students in New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, from mid-February through April.

We added a couple of new features this year. In Tucumcari I went to Esperanza High School to present certificates. The Clayton High School sponsored an enchilada dinner for students and their parents. What a hit! Our thanks to Jack Wiley, ’72 ,’89; John Burgess, ’71,’83; and Bill Cantrell. ’67. The dinner was their idea.

Thank you to all of our alumni who donate dollars and time to make this program a success. Without your help we would not be recruiting so many bright students.

Outstanding Seniors, Graduates
NMSU’s Outstanding Seniors were recognized at our Commencement buffet on May 12.

The Outstanding American Indian Senior Award, sponsored by the NMSU Alumni Association, was presented for the first time this spring. Cheryl L. Riley, the first recipient, was honored at the American Indian Student recognition Banquet May 4.

Four Outstanding Graduates from the Dona Ana Branch Community College were recognized for their achievements April 26. Anna Mejia Chieffo, ’90, Alumni Association president, and Barbara Harrison, ’84, past president, made the presentations.

NMSU-Alamogordo and NMSU-Carlsbad Outstanding Graduates were added to the list of awardees this spring. On April 30 the Alumni Association and the Alamogordo Aggie Alumni Chapter sponsored a luncheon to recognize three students. Five Outstanding Graduates were recognized at the May Commencement at NMSU-Carlsbad.

It is wonderful to meet these students, who all have great stories to share.

Chapters Chartered
The Alumni Association had a goal of chartering 25 chapters by June 30, and by press time, we knew we would have at least 25.

Our next goal is to have a total of 50 chapters by June 30, 2002.

Bay Area Chapter
On March 11, Bay Area alumni and guests enjoyed a Sunday brunch in San Jose, Calif., followed by a tour of the San Jose Art Museum and the traveling retablo exhibit from the NMSU Art Museum. Associate Arts and Sciences Dean Reed Dasenbrock provided an overview of the history of retablos and the origins of the collection. Engineering Dean Jay Jordan updated the group on news from the university and the College of Engineering.

Jack Burleson, Herb Edde and Bill Wunsch accepted the charter for the Bay Area Alumni Chapter and requested input on future events from those present. Interesting stories were told about events on campus during the 1940s. One concerned ag students coating the “blarney stone” (that engineers were required to kiss during Engineers’ Week) with material gathered from one of the stock pens. The engineers retaliated by kidnaping one of the calves from the ag college and leading it up the stairs to the second floor of Foster Hall.

Old School House Dance
On March 17 alumni in the Bean Valley (Corona, Vaughn, Encino, Estancia, Mountainair and Moriarty, N.M.) held an Old School House Dance. Over 150 Aggie alumni and friends participated in a potluck dinner and dance. Bertha Macon, ’65, was the one with the great idea. She was able to get Bill Bailey, ’67, and Emmit Brooks, ’61, of the Aggie Ramblers to play tunes well remembered by this group.

Houston Spring Gathering
On March 31 nearly 50 Aggie alums gathered in Bear Creek Park under sunny skies in Houston to enjoy Luther’s Bar-B-Que, renew old friendships and make new ones. The event was co-hosted by the Department of Chemical Engineering. Department Head Charles Johnson entertained the crowd with a history of his professional football career.

The Houston Aggie Alumni Association was officially chartered with President Joe Ledvina, ’70, and Vice President Archie Beckett Jr., ’77, taking office for the first year. Discussed were events in conjunction with the NMSU-UT football game in September and an Astros game. Joe and Archie are open to suggestions for events from Houston area alumni.

Santa Fe Chapter
On April 23 a small but enthusiastic alumni group gathered at the La Posada Hotel for a luncheon to charter the Santa Fe Aggie Alumni Chapter. Louise Cavatta, ’89, is the chapter president. Stories of earlier days at NMSU abounded. Harold Cunningham, ’48, told of being assigned living space with three other students in a barracks on the south side of campus. Holes in the building and gaps around doors and windows let in blowing sand. When President Milton heard of the students’ plight, he allowed them to move into his garage, rent free, for the remainder of the semester.

Yemen Visit
Dr. Warren Noland, ’58, ’63, emeritus associate dean of the College of Health and Social Services, was in Yemen this spring and held an alumni luncheon. He had a great turnout, and there is a lot of interest in future events. We may get this one chartered soon too.

Alumni Events
June 23 – Spokane Aggie Alumni Chapter river boat cruise and barbecue, Templin’s Resort Post Falls, Idaho.
July 15 – Diablo baseball, El Paso, Texas.
July 28 – Diamondback baseball, pre-game party, Phoenix, Ariz., pre-game, 4-6:30 p.m., Jefferson Street Bar and Grill; game, 7:05 p.m.
Aug. 3 – Chuck wagon breakfast, NMSU Ag Science Center, Tucumcari, N.M.
Aug. 11 – Barbecue at the Bernalillo County Fair, noon, fairgrounds, Espanola County Fair event, 4:30 p.m., Espanola, N.M.
Aug. 12 – Northeastern New Mexico roundup, Bruce, ’82, and Trina, ’84, Davis CS Ranch, Eagle Nest, N.M.
Aug. 18 – Colorado chile roast, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Aug. 23 – Tailgate party, Louisville, Ky.
Sept. 1 – Tailgate party, University of Texas at Austin.
Sept. 15 – Tailgate party, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
Sept. 22 – Alumni team roping, barbecue and dance, Calhoun Arena, Las Cruces, Tailgate party, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan.
Sept. 29 – Beans, Burritos and Beer, Washington, D. C., Alumni Chapter.
Oct. 1 – Tailgate party, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Okla.
Oct. 11-13 – Homecoming 2001 at NMSU.
Nov. 17 – Tailgate party, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Good Work! The NMSU Alumni Association honored outstanding May 2001 graduates at the main campus and the NMSU Dona Ana, Carlsbad and Alamogordo campuses. At NMSU-Carlsbad, the students honored are Eloy Moreno, Manufacturing Sector Development Program; Brandy Berman, Communication Arts, Business Studies, Developmental Studies, Engineering and Welding Division; Patricia Gail Carter, Social Sciences, International Relations and Special Studies Division; Donald R. Allen, Sience, Mathematics and Computer Science Division; and Jennifer Giles, Nursing, Allied Health and Wellness Division. At NMSU-Alamogordo, the honorees are Jessica Gallo, Business, Humanities and Social Sciences Division; Jenni R. Trumble, Math, Science and Technology Division; and Sharon Weaver, Technical Education/Nursing Division.
NMSU main campus spring 2001 Outstanding Seniors gather at a May 12 luncheon sponsored by the Alumni Association. Front row, from left, are Sally Salazar, College of Business Administration and Economics; Marilyn Kerschen, College of Arts and Sciences; Phoenix Rogers, College of Agriculture and Home Economics; Lina Benavidez, College of Education; and Laura E. Boucheron, College of Engineering; Back row, from left, are Chris Halverson, Graduate School; Tekle Tewolde Ghide, Center for International Programs; and Ronald Roberts, College of Health and Social Services.		Photo by Michael Kiernan
Photo by Melissa Bollschweiler	Dona Ana Branch Community College Outstanding Graduates for spring 2001 are, from left, Guadalupe Reyes, Business and Information Systems Division; Mary Elizabeth Triller, Health and Public Services Division; Mike Perez, Technical Studies Division; and Terrence L. Righi, White Sands Center, Business and Information Systems Division.