Connecting Aggies

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

 

The alumni office has been busy–honors nights, chapters and keeping up with alumni. This spring we ran our database against a national database company and we found lots of Aggies out there we didn’t have connected–our thanks to the great Aggies in Advancement Services, Jim McKinney ’70, Warren Plante ’77 and Kennis Berard ’93. These guys did a wonderful job getting the data ready to run, and have reconnected lots of alumni.

PGM Reunion

Greg Bryan ’99, Ryan George ’98, Theron Harvey ’98 and Jake Northrup ’99 were just a few of the PGM alumni who met in Orlando, Florida, on January 24, 2003. Patrick Gavin ’87 ’91, New Mexico State’s Professional Golf Management program director, set up a social event for PGM graduates during the Golf Show in Orlando. Everyone had fun discussing New Mexico State and, of course, the new trends in golf.

 

From left: Alumni Greg Bryan ’99, Ryan George ’98, Theron Harvey ’98 and Jake Northrup ’99 at an Orlando Alumni event January 24, 2003.

Honors Nights

In our last Panorama, we listed high school honors nights around New Mexico and in El Paso. From the middle of February to April 16, we awarded more than 1,000 certificates to high school juniors. We are fortunate to have devoted alumni who came out from all of the counties to lend support. I know we will also have a lot of Aggies from the class of 2004. My sincere thanks to all of you who came, presented certificates and made donations to the program.

Dale Alexander ’60 provided entertainment at five honors nights this year. His “Fun with Gas” is always a hit. I never thought chemistry could be so enjoyable.

Music Educators of Texas

Aggie alumni who teach in Texas get together each February in San Antonio. This year the Alumni Association sponsored the event and Greg Fant ’90, New Mexico State University music director, attended on my behalf. From the comments we’ve received, we will be doing this again.

Santa Fe Office

I am sad to report Karen Browne ’00 has left the Alumni Association to pursue a career in environmental engineering. She made some good contacts during her time with us and we will have the office open again soon. Our best to you, Karen.

Houston, Texas

Joe Ledvina ’70 organized a Houston gathering and barbecue on March 29. Our numbers were not huge, but those Aggies who braved the cool weather had a great time. They will be having another meeting soon.

Homecoming and Class Reunions

Homecoming dates have been set. Mark your calendar for Oct. 30, 31 and Nov. 1. This year’s theme is “Legacy of Heroes.”

On April 5, the Alumni Association sponsored Float Building 101 for student organizations, who have already started work on their floats. A good number of students attended and learned from the pros. This should prove to be the best homecoming in years.

Members from the classes of ’53 and ’63 have begun preparations for their reunions. We will be mailing information as soon as plans become final. Events will be posted on the web.

Membership

In June we will begin our 2003-04 membership campaign. In looking at the various reasons why New Mexico State warrants such loyalty from its alumni, we discovered that tuition covers less than 30 percent of each student’s educational costs. We are lucky to live in a state interested in education to the point that it helps cover the costs of educating our students.

The Alumni Executive council has been working on the membership letters. Why not take a moment to think of the fond memories of your days at State and when your letter comes–why not join!

Fight Song

As you all know, there was talk about changing the fight song lyrics. Many of you voted, and it was really neat to see your loyalty and pride. We’ll have a full update on the response in the fall 2003 issue of Aggie Panorama.

Calendar of events

Aggies in many areas are lining up events you won’t want to miss. These are posted to our website, www.nmsu.edu/~alumni, where you will find up-todate information as it is available. Below are dates and locations of upcoming Alumni events. There are plenty more in the planning stage so keep checking. If you don’t find one in your area let me know, and we can add you to the list.

JUNE

28 Frank DuBois retirement party and rodeo team reunion

AUGUST

8 Aggie Alumni Chuck Wagon Breakfast, Tucumcari, New Mexico
23 Chile Roast, Phoenix, Arizona
28 Denver Bronco pre-season football outing
30 Aggie Football tailgate party at UT, Austin

SEPTEMBER

13 Aggie Football pre-game party at Oregon State, Corvallis, Oregon
14 Possible Seattle Mariners Baseball event in Seattle

If you'd like instant access to information on the Alumni Association, Homecoming, Commencement activities, Calendar of Events, merchandise--even chile recipes--check out our web page at www.nmsu.edu/~alumni

 

Aggies just keep on going Harold Archie Vance ’52 continues a vigorous, active life by completing the 26 mile and 385 yard 2003 Boston Marathon. There were more than 17,500 total entrants in the race and Archie, at age 72, was one of the 65 entrants in the 70-and-over age group who finished the race. Archie grew up in Las Cruces, played football at Las Cruces Union High School and was a very musical Aggie, playing trumpet for the Aggie Band and for the “Varsity Eleven” dance band. These days, between challenges, Archie resides in Del Mar, California.