Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 270 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
November 10, 2013
www.rdrnews.com
SUNDAY
Saluting service and sacrifice City shows appreciation, reverance at Veterans Parade the fog, a warm morning greeted all the red, white and blue of this year’s parade. Main Street was crowded: floats, cars, military marching personnel, bands and people lining the sidewalks. From young children to older veterans, everyone who attended knew the importance of honoring those who have served, especially those who have fallen. “I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane,” played over loud speakers, followed by a variety of patriotic songs sung live by Tom Blake Trio. Meanwhile, Veterans
AMY VOGELSANG RECORD STAFF WRITER
Saturday morning was greeted with a thin layer of fog over Roswell. It sat, almost as if it were waiting for something — almost as if it knew the day was one of somber reverence mixed with celebrated appreciation. For a little more than a decade, the Veterans Parade Committee has come together as a group of volunteers to create a parade in honor of past and present veterans. And as the sun cleared away
Parade Committee volunteer Sara Hall directed all the groups walking or riding in the parade. “It’s all about honoring our veterans,” she said, taking a moment to catch her breath. “No matter which war they served in, they’re still our veterans … they served to give us the freedoms we have.” With 42 parade entries — some, like 10-bikestrong American Legion Riders, had multiple vehicles — it was impossible to even guess how many people were involved. Some of the cars and floats had veterans, such
State champs
as the baby blue 1965 Mustang driven by Lowell Hughes. The 94-year-old is a WWII veteran, and has been riding in the parade nearly every year. “I like to see them observing Veterans Day, which means a whole lot to me,” Hughes stated. His only wish was that more residents would show up to watch. He was, however, pleased to see some younger kids get involved through their schools. “They need to be involved,” he said of the school-aged children. “They need to know what we did.”
Members of the Roswell boys soccer team celebrate on the pitch after beating Albuquerque Academy 1-0 for the NMAA Class 4A State Championship, Saturday. The title is the first in program history for the Coyote boys. For more coverage, see B1.
Top: New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe cadets carry an American flag to lead the way during the Veterans Day Parade, Saturday morning. Above: Patriot Guard Riders stand at attention during the Veterans Day Parade, Saturday morning.
In agreement with Hughes was Ms. Rhodes, a sixth- through eighthgrade reading teacher at Berrendo Middle School. She saw the parade as more than just an honor to veterans: it was educa-
tional. “As a teacher, from an educational aspect, it’s a part of history, and the foundation for what we See PARADE, Page A3
Public invited to meet new chief, learn about Neighborhood Watch JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Lawrence Foster Photo
Mark Wilson Photos
The public will have a chance Tuesday night to meet Roswell Police Department’s new police chief, Phil Smith, lear n about how to better protect their neighborhoods and eat some pizza. City Councilors Jason Perry and Barry Foster have organized the Neighborhood Watch meeting, to start 6 p.m. at the Roswell High School’s Little Theater on West Hobbs Street. Peter Piper Pizza will provide pizza and drinks and parents are welcome to bring children to the onehour meeting.
“If you would like to learn about how to protect your home and your family, we would like to encourage you to come,” Perry said. “This is where I live. These are the people I represent. I want to concentrate on helping people as much as possible.” Though the meeting will be held in the souther n area of the city, all residents are welcome to join the discussion to ask questions about neighborhood watch and meet the new police chief. Smith was hired at the beginning of this month, following the retirement of Chief Al Solis. During the announcement of his new
position, Smith said one of his goals was to have Roswell be a safe place to live. Smith’s goals also include building relationships with state and county agencies to reduce victimization and prevent crime in the Roswell community. His experience in modern policing techniques includes 27 years as a law enforcement leader. He started as a patrolman at the Salem, N.H. Police Department and became a lieutenant. He was chief of police in Alton, N.H. Perry hopes the public
Osmani: Dedicated to medicine, devoted to family JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Specialist in orthopedic and spine surgery, Dr. Omar Osmani spoke about his investment not only in his patients, but in the community. Like many, he is a transplant; he came to live in Roswell with his wife and three children around 10 years ago. He and his family have made a home here and have found Roswell a wel-
coming place. His daughters, Sabah and Noor, attend Goddard High School. Before his son Nizar left to college, he also went to Goddard.
The family stands for academic excellence. The eldest, Nizar went to University of Miami on a scholarship. Sabah and Noor are at top of their class. Noor won the HOBY Leadership Award.
All three are musicians. All three play piano and won many competitions.
HIGH 73 LOW 40
TODAY’S FORECAST
Big brother Nizar also plays French horn, guitar, accordion. Sabah plays flute, and Noor plays violin. Osmani admits to playing guitar, but added: “Just for myself.” Wife Sana is a runner and the couple runs three times a week. They belong
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
• Zeferina Villegas Gonzalez • Chad “Wall-E” Eric Jessup • Larazo B. Zamora
United Way
to Roswell Runners Club. “I placed second in my age category in the Pecos Valley Round up this last weekend,” Osmani said. Besides being a devoted family man, he is also dedicated to medicine. See OSMANI, Page A3
See LEARN, Page A3
622-4150 of Chaves County
Collected
$198,004 Goal
$525,000
38%
Osmani
CLASSIFIEDS ..........D1 COMICS .................C4 ENTERTAINMENT .....B8 GENERAL ...............A2
Of Goal Collected
INDEX HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2 OPINION .................A4 SPORTS .................B1
STATE....................A6 WEATHER ..............A8 WORLD..................A7 VISTAS...................C1