Dr. Gay Su Pinnell’s Philanthropy Transforms ENMU

Dr. Gay Su Pinnell, right, with husband Jeff Forster in the Casa Del Sol Event Facility. Behind them is a Rio Grande rug designed by seventh-generation Master Weaver Irvin Trujillo.

By Noelle Bartl

Thanks to a generous donation from ENMU alumna Dr. Gay Su Pinnell (BA 66) of Dublin, Ohio, Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) officially dedicated the new Casa Del Sol Event Facility on Friday, May 20, 2022.

The ENMU alumna who grew up in Portales and became a world-renowned early childhood literacy education expert purchased the property at 1401 West 17th St. in Portales in October 2017. Dr. Pinnell fell in love with the adobe-style home built in 1948 designed by famous Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem and known in the community as Casa del Sol (House of the Sun), located south of the ENMU Vetville Tennis Courts.

The Casa Del Sol exterior.

Photo by Todd Fuqua

“I had fond memories of attending many dinners and receptions at Casa del Sol and in the beautiful backyard,” stated Dr. Pinnell. She was struck immediately with the vision to renovate and modernize the home into an ENMU event space with two guest apartments.

“Casa del Sol has a very traditional New Mexican design, including the kiva fireplace as the center of the home. Historically, a kiva is a place for friends to converse,” Dr. Pinnell said. “I thought, wouldn’t it be great if I could help ENMU by purchasing and renovating it to be a place for people to stay, be comfortable, and create a dedicated cozy environment for gatherings. After all the renovations and patience over these past four years, we now have a serene, beautiful New Mexico home that is appropriate and safe for the modern day and continues the tradition of gathering around a kiva.”

Dr. Pinnell, center, with sisters Cassidy Self, the interior designer (left) and Megan Hamilton, the general contractor (right).

Portales sisters and ENMU alumnae Megan Hamilton (BS 05), the general contractor, and Cassidy Self (BBA 07), the interior designer, helped renovate the property before and during the pandemic. They worked to stay true to the architect’s original aesthetics while reconfiguring the space for ENMU to host seminars, small gatherings, receptions, poetry readings, and many other education-related events.

The Dallan Sanders Suite, one of two apartments at the Casa Del Sol property for distinguished guests of the University.

Photo by Noelle Bartl

The property also includes two cozy apartments for visiting dignitaries, distinguished scholars, and guest artists. Many in the Portales and ENMU community are familiar with the home, located south of the ENMU Vetville Tennis Courts and formerly owned by Dallan (MA 69, BS 61) and Mickey Sanders, as it was used to host alumni and university events. Later, their daughter, Dr. Penny Sanders (BS 84), converted the home into a Bed and Breakfast before selling the family’s beloved Casa del Sol.

ENMU Chancellor Dr. Patrice Caldwell stated at the dedication, “I’d like to say that the home was restored to its former glory, but it is better than it has ever been. We call it the House of the Sun, but we’ve since realized it is the house of a visionary and soulmate” because of Dr. Pinnell’s generous support of education grants with Portales Municipal Schools and ENMU.

Left to right: ENMU President Emeritus Dr. Stephen Gamble, President Emeritus Dr. Robert Matheny (MA 62, BA 60), Dr. Gay Su Pinnell, ENMU Chancellor Dr. Patrice Caldwell and Regent Lance Pyle.

Lance Pyle (BBA 04), President of the ENMU Board of Regents, officially accepted the property on behalf of ENMU.

“I have no greater privilege as regent of seeing this homecoming of generosity from an alumna who sets ENMU on the road to being a better institution, more responsive to our mission and our legacy to teacher education,” Pyle said.

“I didn’t come from a famous place or go to a famous university. But I think this will become well known. It is good to be from here,” Dr. Pinnell acknowledged. “People are solidly invested in collaborations to grow generations dedicated to helping this town thrive.”

The Kokopelli/Zia symbol sculpture by artist and jeweler Danny “Woody” Woodward.

Several works of art by ENMU alumni are on display. The Casa del Sol first welcomes visitors to the property with the Kokopelli and Zia symbol dual image outdoor sculpture by Santa Fe artist and jeweler Danny “Woody” Woodward (BBA 82). Inside, an award-winning rug, created by ENMU alumnus and seventhgeneration Master Weaver Irvin Trujillo (AS 74) from Chimayó, is prominently displayed next to the kiva fireplace.

Dr. Pinnell, right, talks with artist Jill Bukowski in front of Jill’s portrait of Dallan Sanders.

Also on display is an original watercolor portrait of Dallan Sanders painted and donated by Jill Bukowski (BS 82) of Hewitt, Texas.

The home has been a part of the University’s history since 1947 (only 13 short years after the campus opened). Former chemistry professor Dr. Bartlett Taggard Dewey and his wife Evelyn built the adobe home themselves as a place to entertain friends and enjoy being surrounded by gardens. According to the book “Casa del Sol: A Dream House on the Llano” written by Evelyn Grow Helm in 2001, the couple researched and sought out “the best architect they could find,” who happened to be American architect John Gaw Meem IV. Mr. Meem was based in Santa Fe and is best known for his instrumental role in developing and popularizing the Pueblo Revival style. He is regarded as one of the most important, influential architects to have worked in New Mexico.

This isn’t the first transformational gift this alumna has made to give back to ENMU. In 2021, she donated $1 million for ENMU to expand a coteaching initiative with the Portales Municipal School District. In 2017, Dr. Pinnell’s grant of $310,000 to the ENMU Child Development Center (Portales campus) expanded services to include a new two-year-old pre-school, enhancing the Birth to PreKindergarten students’ hands-on learning, and hundreds of new books and materials for the early childhood literacy library.

Dr. Pinnell speaks at a reception celebrating the coteaching partnership with Portales School District educators and leadership.

Photo by Noelle Bartl

The coteaching project is designed to recruit, train and retain teachers within ENMU and the Portales school system, utilizing a system in which a prospective teacher is paired with a clinical teacher. The teaching duo focuses on co-planning, co-teaching, and co-assessing in a classroom setting. This way, mentor teachers and prospective teachers can learn more about their chosen profession while incorporating teaching strategies best administered as a team.

“Future, beginning, and experienced teachers need professional learning opportunities yearly to expand their knowledge and skills. Both the more experienced coaches and the teachers receiving support grow immensely in the process. And there is no more critical need than learning literacy,” stated Dr. Pinnell.

“Shared leadership and responsive coaching are highly effective tools designed to support intellectual growth and skills and promote teacher satisfaction and dedication to teaching.”

Dr. Pinnell (circa 1964) reading to children at ENMU’s preschool, a precursor to the present-day Childhood Development Center.

The 1966 ENMU alumna was inducted into the ENMU Educator Hall of Honor in 2014 for her exceptional career developing internationally renowned teaching methods in early childhood literacy and named Philanthropist of the Year in 2019 by the ENMU Foundation.