Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 229 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
September 23, 2014
TUESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Former Alamogordo AD takes charge of Roswell athletics BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Roswell’s high school athletics are now the responsibility of the former Alamogordo Public Schools athletic director. Athletic Director Brian Shea submitted a letter of resignation to the superintendent’s office a few weeks back, and his last official day will be Sept. 29. A telephone call to Shea was not returned on Monday. After Shea gave his notice, the district went
looking for a temporary replacement, Superintendent Tom Burris said on Monday. Shea didn’t give a reason for his resignation, but sent the superintendent a letter, Burris said. “You know the way schools work,” Burris said. “This isn’t the time of year to be looking for a staf f member. We’ve been scrambling.” However, Burris found Lawrence Johnson, the former athletic director for Alamogordo High School, and on Monday, Johnson
began serving as interim athletic director. Johnson served as an AD for 21 years at Alamogordo and has more than 40 years of education experience, he said on Monday. “I came over last night and spent the night,” Johnson said, sitting in the AD’s office in Roswell, behind a mound of paperwork. “We had a 7:30 a.m. meeting and I wanted to hit the ground running.” “He is very familiar with athletics and has been on numerous New Mexico Athletic Association commit-
tees, and he will see us through the spring,” Burris said of Johnson. The athletic director coordinates activities, booster clubs, and coordinates with head coaches, seeing to the needs of teams, Burris said. “I feel very confident in Lawrence, he has numerous years of experience doing the same thing.” Johnson said he met with Burris a couple of weeks ago to discuss filling in as athletic director. Monday after noon, Johnson was sorting through paper-
Rain for days
Charles Fischer Photo
This farm , off the Hub Corn Farm north of Roswell, is now flooded due to the rains that have been happening the past couple of days and will likely stay flooded as the rains continue.
work. “I’ve been very busy so far, there is a lot to catch up with,” Johnson said. “There is no shortage of things to do, that’s for sure.” Meeting with coaches and people at upcoming games is one of the tasks Johnson said he is looking forward to undertaking. Being a native New Mexican, he said Roswell feels like home to him. “I have been here a few times in the past, so I am not exactly a stranger to the area.” Johnson was
raised in Alamogordo and went to high school there. He attended college at Western New Mexico University, then returned to the Alamogordo Public Schools where he spent the next 43 years. During his tenure as an educator, Johnson has taught middle school and been a guidance counselor. He has also served on the NMAA and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association boards and in several lead-
BY JESSICA ONSUREZ CURRENT-ARGUS
ure occurred. The culverts at the crossing were designed to handle approximately 42 cubic feet of water per second. The tributary channel’s capacity is about 20,000 cubic feet of water, which pushed its way into the Pecos River over the weekend. City and Eddy County officials closed San Jose Boulevard at Dark Canyon Sunday evening during the peak flow. McCutcheon called the performance of the newly constructed crossing a disappointment. “It wasn’t a major failure but it was a failure,” he said. A complete assessment of the crossing will not be possible until the flood waters recede. The project was completed in May after flooding in September 2013 washed away a section under construction. The damage to the project was estimated
Floodwaters pushed into Pecos River
CARLSBAD — Dark Canyon Draw is feeding the flood waters that overtook San Jose Boulevard Monday, swelling the Pecos River. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, water levels in the Dark Canyon Draw, one of the major sources of the rushing rain water flooding Carlsbad, peaked overnight. City Administrator Steve McCutcheon said the low water crossing at San Jose has sustained damage. “The handrails were designed to break of f so they functioned as designed. The armament on the northeast corner of the bridge was compromised,” McCutcheon said. He said an engineer with Souder, Miller & Associates — the firm which originally designed the low water crossing — has been called in to complete a review of the extent of the damage and determine how the fail-
See JOHNSON, Page A3
Big Brothers Big Sisters matches kids with ‘bigs’ STAFF REPORT
The sole mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern New Mexico is to provide children facing adversity with strong, enduring and professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better and forever. Since opening in 2000, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been "matching" at-risk children called “Littles,” ages 5-17, with carefully screened, adult volunteers “Bigs” in meaningful, mentoring relationships, said Bill Wolf, CEO of BBBS of Southeastern New Mexico. Big Brothers Big Sisters is an affiliate agency of the United Way of Chaves County, and the support the organization receives from the United Way is important. Even though much time and effort is expended in the recruitment of adult volunteers to become Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the agency always has children waiting to be matched with an adult volunteer. Funding received from United Way allows the Big Brothers Big Sisters staff to spend more time recruiting and serving additional children and their families and less time fundraising, Wolf said. Last year, BBBS of Southeastern New Mexico
served more than 200 people, including ‘Littles’ and their families, in Roswell and Chaves County. “At the heart of the program is ‘Bigs’ including ‘Littles’ in everyday activities for just four hours per month,” said Wolf. “Just by sharing experiences, celebrating accomplishments, and listening to a child's concerns, a Big Brother or Big Sister can make a positive difference in a child’s future.” “To insure that each match is strong and safe, Big Brothers Big Sisters case workers talk with the ‘Little,’ the parent or guardian, and the ‘Big’ on a monthly basis,” Wolf said. “This allows the case worker to evaluate the progress of each relationship and to of fer suggestions and advice to the adult mentor.” Numerous independent studies have shown that when compared to their non-mentored peers, Little Brothers and Little Sisters are less likely to use drugs and alcohol, have a more positive attitude towards the future, and are more likely to graduate from high school, Wolf said. Wolf provided examples of a typical BBBS pairing — Maria and Nancy. “When asked if she enjoyed having her Big Sister Nancy in her life, Little Sister Maria smiled and said, ‘She’s changed my
HIGH 80 LOW 59
TODAY’S FORECAST
life,’” Wolf said. At the age of 13, Maria said she felt she was becoming “a bad kid.” Besides dealing with the stress of teen peer pressures, she had already dealt with her family being homeless and the death of her mother. Angry feelings over the loss of her mom made rebellion seem appealing to her, Wolf said. She began falling in with the wrong crowd and started getting in trouble at school. After a stint in the military, Nancy began attending college and working on her goal of becoming a medical assistant. It was during her time at Easter New Mexico UniversityRoswell that Nancy found out about an opportunity to volunteer with BBBS, Wolf said. From her interview with BBBS staff, it was determined that she would be a good “match” to be Maria’s Big Sister. This fortunate intersection of the lives of two very different yet similar Roswell students is where their story began. Now, a year and a half into the match, both Nancy and Maria have found themselves in different and better places in their lives, Wolf said. Little Sister Maria now describes herself as a “good kid” and has so
• DORA FAY ISLER PIRTLE • ODELL ADKINS • JACK O. BOX
See FLOODING, Page A3
File Photo
Bowl For Kids’ Sake is the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern New Mexico’s annual fundraising event, was held iin Roswell on April 26. Big Brothers Big Sisters is an affiliate agency of the United Way.
much going for her. She is very excited about writing and illustrating a science fiction book, which she hopes to get published. She recalls it was Nancy who first took her to the Roswell Public Library and got her involved in the summer reading program. Big Sister Nancy, now employed in her field of study, recalls there was time within the last year and half when personal challenges and dealing with grief and loss in her own life made her feel beat down. Nancy says the inspi-
ration and trust she found in her relationship with Maria has helped her push through, Wolf said. Both say they can always count on one a n o t h e r f o r l a u g h t e r. They push each other to try new things and to keep their eyes wide open to the world of possibilities around them. By improving the attitude and outlook of the children, mentoring also positively af fects the lives of their families. Big Brothers Big Sisters is the only provider of one-to-one mentoring programs in southeast New Mexico and offers its pro-
• HELEN LOUISE CALLENS • ROETTA HUDSON
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
FINANCIAL ..............B4
LOTTERIES .............A2
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
YATER
COMICS .................B5
grams without charge to the families served, Wolf said.
HOROSCOPES .........A8
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8