ENMU Green & Silver Magazine - April 2023

Green Silver

&

Taos Artist and Fashion Designer

Dante Biss-Grayson of the Osage Nation

PHOTO: ENMU seniors Camden Matthews (1) and William McBride share a high-five before an ENMU baseball game.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Greyhound Family,

Since starting in January, I have been in this office for 90 days… and I have loved every moment! Stephanie and I are thrilled to be here. From the first day in Portales and at ENMU, this has felt like home. Thank you all for welcoming us to the community and adding us to the Greyhound family.

Many have asked me about starting in the middle of an academic year and how things are going. Starting mid-year has been what you would expect, with learning new places, new systems, and new ways of doing things, but all of that I take in stride. I am very comfortable with the “business” of higher education. I have done this work for many years. I have spent many of my first days in office learning a new legislative process, which is the proverbial drinking from a firehose. But even then, I have found the access to our elected officials, the willingness to listen, and the ability to engage in the process directly refreshing… and a bit labor intensive.

With enrollment up eight percent over this time last year, I see more students around campus and a return to more routine campus life. There are more in-person activities, events, and celebrations. I am now looking forward to continuing the traditions and celebrations that will come this semester and throughout the year.

We will also continue our efforts to grow enrollment and provide access and opportunity for a high-quality education to as many students as possible. I look forward to working with the campus and community to give that same neighborly, welcoming experience that Stephanie and I received when we arrived.

Finally, I remain optimistic that, with the help of our senators and representatives, we will have additional resources for ENMU to continue our mission. I have met first-hand the great students and alumni of ENMU, and your success is proof positive that ENMU is a critical resource for New Mexico.

I look forward to sharing all the success and good news through this magazine in the years to come.

All the best, and GO HOUNDS!

James Johnston, PhD President and Chancellor

ENMU’s 12th President

Welcome Dr. James Johnston

By Todd Fuqua

Eastern New Mexico University has often been referred to as “the friendly university,” as a family, where even the most senior staff member or administration is approachable, and every student feels essential.

Dr. James Johnston took all of that seriously when he was named chancellor of the ENMU System and president of the Portales campus in January 2023.

“Once I got into higher education, giving back to students drew me to working in administration,” said Dr. Johnston. “We don’t all start in the same place, but we want to show students they can succeed in college and belong here.”

Dr. Johnston understands the apprehension some students feel when starting a university education. As the son of hard-working farmers in the Slaton, Texas area, he and his siblings were challenged by their parents to finish high school. He did that and kept going.

“I remember having doubts about whether I was doing the right thing when enrolling in community college,” he said. “Once I got in, I realized I had that ability, and I look forward to helping similar students get the start they need in higher education.”

Making the jump from a higher education degree to administration wasn’t immediate. His first degree was an associates in radiological sciences. With that degree, he began his career at MD Anderson Center in Houston, Texas. There, Dr. Johnston worked in interventional radiology, assisting with minimally-invasive procedures using x-ray, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, or other means.

In his work, he was part of a team that invented a compensating filter to improve image quality and was convinced to publish

his research. It was then that he discovered how much he loved research.

“It convinced me that research was in my future, and I needed more education to continue doing that,” Dr. Johnston said. “I taught radiological physics for many years, and many students told me they understood that subject much better after I had explained it to them.”

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Times Remembered Photography

Photo by Rey Coss

Dr. James and Mrs. Stephanie Johnston talk with U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez during the ENMU Legislative Reception in Santa Fe.

Eventually, he co-authored the text “Essentials of Radiographic Physics and Imaging,” now in its third edition. He did so only under the condition that he write it his way.

“I agreed to write the book, but only on the condition that I write it as if I was talking to the student. It had to have a conversational tone,” Dr. Johnston said.

“I was already under contract to complete a fourth edition, so I needed permission from the Regents to complete that. Updating new editions is much easier than starting from scratch.”

Since starting at ENMU in January, the University’s 12th president hit the ground running, traveling to Santa Fe during the New Mexico State Legislative Session to advocate for ENMU and further funding for its mission. In his whirlwind tour of the state’s legislative process and meeting the officials representing Eastern New Mexico, Dr. Johnston said he is concerned with the state’s funding formula and how to secure more of it for ENMU’s many projects.

Something that struck him was how many Eastern alumni live in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area and how enthusiastic they are about their alma mater.

“They say they’re ENMU graduates with a pride that’s infectious,” Dr. Johnston said. “When I say I represent ENMU, it’s met with enthusiasm and respect. They all take pride in their degrees and the work we’re doing.”

It hasn’t been all work and no play for Dr. Johnston and his wife, Stephanie. They’ve also found time in their lives for equestrian events and competitions.

Dr. Johnston is highly ranked in a competition known as Western Pleasure, in which horse and rider are judged based on a mutual level of communication. Horses are expected to move through an arena at different gaits without obvious cues from the rider.

“Stephanie has been doing this her whole life, and she introduced me to this,” Dr. Johnston said. “I’ve learned a lot, but she’s a natural. I thought it would be easy to learn, but it’s taken me seven or eight years to work my way to a competitive level.”

It’s an endeavor just as time-intensive as being a university president, meaning he likely won’t be competing again soon. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be in the saddle.

“I talked to ENMU Rodeo coach Albert Flinn to see if there are some horses we can ride a little bit and get to know,” Dr. Johnston said. “I don’t bounce like I used to, so I’m not looking forward to getting tossed off a horse. But if there’s a horse close by we can ride and have that interaction again, we may do that.”

Dr. James Johnston and Halo, in preparation for the first of their numerous equestrian events together.

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Dr. James and Mrs. Stephanie Johnston

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Artist, Poet, Writer, Sculptor, Weaver, Veteran, Activist, Husband, Father, World Traveler, CEO

… and Designer of Fashion, Accessories, Jewelry, Furniture, and Home Goods

Dante Biss-Grayson

By Noelle Bartl

Dante Biss-Grayson (Halleck) (BAAS 2015) grew up in a family of well-known Santa Fe artists. His mother was Gina Gray and his stepfather was Earl Biss. In his youth, Dante studied art in both Santa Fe and Holland. He had the incredible opportunity to hang out in the Santa Fe art studios observing their family friends who were also successful artists like Tony Abeyta, Elizabeth Abeyta, Alan Houser, and Fritz Scholder.

The artist, a member of the Osage Nation, was destined to follow in these same incredible artists’ footsteps, but he could only fulfill this destiny after he departed the creative environment of Santa Fe and experienced life in his own way. After high school graduation, Dante enlisted in the U.S. Air Force with tours in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Italy.

“I spent 12 years on active duty and as a Department of Defense Contractor assigned to crash, fire and rescue teams and trained in emergency management. My other training included chemical warfare, base defense, search and rescue, as well as specialized rescues such as aircraft, structural collapse and vehicle extrication. Many missions involved traumatic events, car crashes, helicopter crashes, lots of death, being shot at with guns, mortars and missiles.”

Upon returning to the United States, he enrolled at ENMU and earned a bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management and a master’s from Jacksonville State University in Alabama. Dante was soon diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and had a tough time transitioning to civilian life. The veteran became reacquainted with painting to externalize the pain and convey the traumas

he experienced. Instead of self-harming with knives, he began to paint abstract expressionist paintings by scraping generous dollops of pigment across the canvas with the blades. “The abstract images were painted with 22 strokes for each veteran lost, expressing how I felt for each trauma.”

He hopes his work brings healing and “good medicine” to others. His return to creating art to heal from PTSD reawakened Dante’s creative core.

The artist protégé continues to draw and paint with works sold in galleries in Taos, New Mexico and New York, and on his website dantebissgrayson.faso.com

His talents continue to evolve and expand, including starting a fashion line and establishing a family-owned fashion house in Taos. Dante is the founder, CEO and Fashion Designer, while his wife Yanti is the Premier of their Sky-Eagle Collection Fashion House. “I knew from my emergency management and multi-tasking background that I needed help producing a fashion brand. As the premier, Yanti directs, delegates, and oversees all our talented team members, moving parts, marketing, inventory, etc. We make a great team. Together, Yanti and I stay innovative and continue to map our strategic plan. We have a three to ten-year vision for our Sky-Eagle Collection Fashion House.”

Their collection at skyeaglecollection.com offers a wide range of high-end products, including women’s clothing, trench coats, belts and accessories, jewelry and highheel shoes. The creative couple has solidified plans to roll out multiple brands, a media company, dishware, home décor and furniture. Their Sky-Eagle Collection is getting noticed. In February 2022, Dante’s fashion line was invited to the London

Above: Dante’s garments featured on models during his Sky-Eagle Collection Runway Show at New Work Fashion Week and examples of his available clothes, including a trench coat, dress, belt, and shoes. Below: The artist at work in his studio. Opposite: Dante models his “Ace-High” Ranch Shirt. In the background are more shirts in the collection.

Fashion Week, and this past February, the Taos-based fashion house was invited to New York Fashion Week.

The designs are contemporary and modern, hoping to empower new Native warriors who walk in the modern world. Dante acknowledged, “We are proud to be a part of the movement to bring Native voices to spaces that have not traditionally been heard and to inspire the future. We remind all that We are Still Here!”

Actor Amber Midthunder wore Sky-Eagle Collection’s floral embroidered dress at the Los Angeles Premier of the movie “Prey” (a sequel to the Predator movies). Dante even has movie credits for special effects and had a special background role in “Killers of the Flower Moon” directed by Martin Scorsese, currently in post-production. “The movie is about my tribe, the Osage. I did live painting on set with the camera focused on me for the footage.”

His next runway show will be in Cannes, France, during the Cannes Film Festival in May. Dante is patiently waiting to learn if “Killers of the Flower Moon” will be shown at the film festival.

The fashion line, founded in 2019, is named after their fouryear-old daughter Ella Sky Eagle. Dante and Yanti want a better world for their daughter and all Native Americans. They incorporated their passion for giving back and lifting others up into their business mission. They strive to build awareness and inspire action for improving the lives of Native Americans in both the United States and Canada focusing on access to electricity and water and especially the alarming statistics of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) epidemic.

By broadening these difficult conversations like MMIW to more audiences, donating a portion of their revenue, and expanding the visibility of Native American designers by organizing a fashion week for 20 Native American Designers from across North America, they are bringing these problematic issues to a larger audience.

This former ENMU Greyhound has many years of creative inspirations archived in his numerous sketchbooks and journals that have yet to become a reality in his fashions or other distinctive collections. Dante continues to discover new inspirations every day. The future is ever-expanding for Dante, Yanti and their daughter Ella Sky Eagle as their family-owned fashion brand and diverse business ventures continue to evolve.

(Biss-Grayson, continued from Page 7)

Academy Award-Winning American Director Martin Scorsese and Dante wear matching Sky-Eagle Collection blazers during New York Fashion Week in February. Dante has film credits in Scorsese‘s upcoming film “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Above (left to right): Models wear selections from the Taos-based Sky-Eagle Collection fashion house. Actor Amber Midthunder wearing one of Dante’s designs at the Los Angeles premiere of the movie “Prey.” Photos of his jewelry, fashion, painting, and sofa.

Dr. Michael Stephenson Working to Transform Lives

By Todd Fuqua

For Dr. Michael Stephenson (BS 91), working in academic affairs at various universities has become a way of life. That’s not how he envisioned his career, but he’s happy with how things have turned out.

“I figured I’d have a job in broadcasting,” Dr. Stephenson said. But coming from a family full of educators, “I was compelled to teach and ultimately decided to continue my education,” Dr. Stephenson said. “I found a passion for both researching and teaching about the effects of media on society.”

He’s taken that inspiration to his current position as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, a position he has held since July 2021. Before that, he was the vice provost for Academic Affairs and Strategic Initiatives at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He has held faculty appointments in communication at both institutions and enjoys engaging directly with students in and out of the classroom.

The importance of student success is something Dr. Stephenson learned while an undergraduate at ENMU. Initially, he dreamed

Sam Houston State

of a broadcasting career, having worked for a radio station in Clayton, New Mexico, starting when he was just 13 years old. He continued that work through high school and majored in communication at Eastern, where he also anchored the Scene-3 News broadcast at KENW-TV.

He’s since discovered he loves helping students find their potential on a broader scale. Dr. Stephenson said, “The most rewarding part is graduation day. At my current institution, half of our students are first-generation graduates. Earning a college degree fundamentally transforms their lives.”

Those most influential on his view of student success include President Emerita Dr. Patrice Caldwell, Dr. Kathy Salter, JoAnn Gibson (MED 65), and the late Dr. Lee Scanlon.

Jennifer Finley: A Tribal Councilor With a Yen to Write

Jennifer Finley (BS 96) traveled south from the Flathead Reservation in Montana to attend ENMU. “I picked Eastern because Portales had a McDonald’s,” Jennifer said. “I grew up in a town much smaller than Portales and was excited to live in a town with places to walk to. Portales had restaurants, places to buy shoes, and a movie theater.”

Jennifer is now serving the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe (CSKT) as a tribal council representative. She’s also an accomplished writer, a discipline that fascinated her when she took a creative writing class with President Emerita Dr. Patrice Caldwell and world-renowned science fiction author Dr. Jack Williamson (MA 57, BA 57).

“I would not have become who I am without ENMU. I owe Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Williamson so much for their encouragement and support,” she said. “When I wrote my first poem, a whole universe opened to me, and things have never been the same. I felt like a mute person who heard my own voice for the first time.”

After graduating from ENMU, Jennifer earned a Master’s Degree in English from Northern Arizona University and moved back to Montana, where she worked as an English teacher and newspaper editor. She kept writing, eventually publishing her first work, the poetry collection “What I Keep,” which won

By Todd Fuqua

her the North American Native Authors First Book Award in 1998. Since then, Jennifer has published many works and volumes. She won a Best Feature Writing Award from the Native American Journalists Association in 2001 and 2002, a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers in 2010, and the Menada Literary Award at the Ditet e Naimit International Poetry Festival in Macedonia in 2010. Her most recent poetry collection is “My Hands Have Vertigo,” published in 2017.

The Montana Office of Publication Instruction purchased copies of her 2011 book “Huckleberries, Buttercups, and Celebrations,” a children’s book about the Salish names for the months of the year, for every school library in the state.

In January 2022, Jennifer answered the call to serve her tribe and was elected a CSKT tribal councilwoman to a four-year term. She grew up on the Flathead Reservation, and also has Chippewa and Cree tribes in her ancestry. She is also a certified yoga instructor, a mother of three, and she still finds time to write, donating a copy of every book she publishes to the Golden Library at ENMU.

“So much has happened since I graduated, but ENMU is a magical, special place,” Jennifer said. “I will always cherish my time there.“

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Leonard Madrid Passing On His Theatre Knowledge

By Todd Fuqua

The path Leonard Madrid (BFA 97) took to reach a career in live theatre started with his parents.

“They took a workshop at ENMU with Luis Valdez, with the Teatro Campesino of California,” Madrid said. “The theatre was touring the borderlands of the U.S., and theatre companies started popping up everywhere they had gone. After the workshop, my parents believed their three kids would become a lawyer, a priest, and one in the theatre.”

Leonard is the only one to fulfill his parents’ prophecy, having earned his fine arts degree and running a small ensemble theatre company called Blackout in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He’s also an accomplished playwright, producing a few productions, including a special show in Mexico City.

He won an award from the Kennedy Center for playwrighting, which got his career going.

“I began connecting with some people in the business and was lucky for my plays to be performed in the right places at the right times,” Leonard said. “The low buzz kept getting louder, more like a river digging a canyon than capturing lightning in a bottle. It’s all about finding people who love your work and will support you.”

He has also taught the art of theater at West Mesa High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the University of New Mexico, and was the Theatre Department chair at Central New Mexico Community College. Leonard returned to ENMU in 2022 as an associate professor of theatre.

This talented Greyhound grad believes it is his duty to pass on his knowledge of how to put on a theatre production and what theatre can truly be.

“It’s a lot of different things, not just a bunch of big expensive shows on Broadway,” Leonard said. “Most don’t realize you end up creating a lot of little plays with many other people with the same idea. Part of the obligation of being an artist is teaching others how to do it.

PROTECT

Y OUR LOVED ONE S AND CREATE YOUR

LEGACY

“There’s so many amazing companies and projects you can work with in theatre,” he added. “It can be local, and it can be regional. You just have to go out there and do it.”

Leonard should know, as he’s written several plays from a personal perspective, including one titled “Aurora,” an adaptation of the Greek play Alcestis, with the play’s locale moved to Mora, New Mexico. “(Alcestis is) one of the only Greek tragedies with a happy ending,” is how Leonard put it.

“Aurora” premiered at a festival of Latin works in Mexico City, where Leonard experienced a great deal of artistic styles from across the Latin American world.

“I learned so much observing all these companies from other countries and how they do things,” he said. “It was a humbling experience.”

Now he’s passing that experience on to students at his alma mater. “These students aren’t just a newer version of me, as there have been so many societal changes since I was in college,” Leonard said. “My education was part of a never-ending process, and it’s my job to evolve the curriculum to meet the next generation of students’ needs.”

ARE YOUR PLANS UP-TO-DATE?

A current estate plan is vital to making sure your wishes are carried out and can help you leave a lasting personal legacy.

IT’S EASY TO GET STARTED

To assist you with making or updating your future plans, we can provide you with our FREE Estate Planning Guide. Many ENMU alumni have found this guide useful in helping them think through their goals.

Photo by Todd Fuqua

WITH JUST A LITTLE PLANNING YOU CAN HAVE PEACE OF MIND KNOWING YOU HAVE TAKEN CARE OF YOUR FAMILY AND SECURED THEIR FUTURE.

Couple Establishes Two Scholarships

(And They Aren’t Even Alumni)

By Noelle Bartl

What would inspire New Mexico natives and longtime San Diego, California, residents Darwin and Patricia Ludi, who didn’t attend ENMU, to establish not one but two $25,000 endowed scholarships? Perhaps it is because donors Darwin and Patricia Ludi had six relatives that attended ENMU and ran for the Greyhounds in cross country and track.

Darwin and Patricia grew up in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Patricia’s sister Irene Henderson (attended) was the first to enroll at ENMU, followed by her brothers Leroy Chavez (BS 74) and George Chavez (attended), who were both offered cross country and track scholarships. Even their first cousin Gary Roybal (BBA 74) was on the cross-country and track teams because of scholarship support. George, Leroy, and Gary, along with Greyhounds and future Olympians Rex Maddaford (BBE 73) and Mike Boit (BS76) and teammates Philip Ndoo (BS 75) and Dennis Williams (MBA 77, BBA75) were part of the famous Eastern cross country team that won national titles in 1973 and 1974 when ENMU was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Patricia’s nephew Larry Chavez (MS 87, BS 82) was also recruited via scholarships to run for ENMU. He married his high school sweetheart, Rosemarie “Rose” Chavez (AA 82), and the couple lived in West Campus with their first two children. Larry and Rose’s daughter, Hilaree Chavez (BS 11), and son, Lawrence Chavez (BUS 14), were stellar high school athletes. Theya also lettered and continued the family cross country and track legacy at ENMU.

The couple heard great things about ENMU Rodeo and recognized how invaluable the sport and agriculture degrees are for our state and the high plains. In 2022, they established the Frank and Orlando Chavez Rodeo Scholarship, named in memory of Patricia’s other brothers, who competed in rodeos. The $25,000 endowment will provide scholarships for students on the ENMU rodeo team.

“Rodeo Coach Albert Flinn (MBA 70, BBA 68) has taken the Eastern Rodeo program to new levels,” explained Darwin. “The recent facility improvements at the Lewis Cooper Arena and the quality students Coach Flinn recruits proved this was worth investing in. We want Rodeo to continue to succeed and be what ENMU is well known for.”

As 2023 begins, the Ludis have committed to donating a second $25,000 to endow the head track and field coach position. The new fund will be named The Chavez Family Fund in honor of all eleven siblings.

The couple owns two award-winning 1963 Corvette Split Window Coupes. They’ve loaned their Corvettes to be displayed at the

National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2003, 2008, and again in 2023 from June to December.

This generous couple recently updated their estate plans to include ENMU as a beneficiary. They plan to continue to enjoy the two Corvettes and travel to car shows for the rest of their lives. According to Darwin, “The longer we are above ground, the more the corvettes will continue to grow in value and will someday benefit these two endowments.”

Patricia remarked, “We are honored to support ENMU and pay tribute to the Chavez family legacy. Adding ENMU as a beneficiary in our trust was super easy. I hope others consider doing the same.”

Nine of the Chavez siblings: Standing (l-r) George Chavez, Clarence Chavez, Norman Chavez and Leroy Chavez. Sitting (l-r) Patricia Ludi, Connie Chavez, Larry Chavez, Sr., Irene Henderson.

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Darwin and Patricia Ludi with their black 1963 Corvette on display at the National Corvette Museum.

By Todd Fuqua

Davis Booth Helps Put Rockets in the Sky

As Davis Booth (BAAS 21) approached his impending graduation from ENMU with a degree in electronic engineering technology, he found he needed to develop another skill – job seeking. “I applied to at least 100 jobs a week, even those I didn’t feel I was qualified for,” Booth said. “Finally, I got a call from the Roman Space Telescope group at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Flight Center.”

That call led to three interviews and an eventual job offer at the facility in Greenbelt, Maryland. It’s a job he’s already parlayed into a successful career, assisting humanity in exploring the deepest reaches of outer space.

He started work on the Roman Space Telescope, designed to study mysterious dark matter and energy in more than a million galaxies.

You read that right – this telescope will explore more than one million galaxies. Booth’s work centered on instrument command and data handling, ensuring the telescope was in the right place and looking in the right direction after launch.

As exciting as this type of work is, Davis has moved on to a different area of space exploration – rocket technology. Specifically, he’s working on the Vulcan rocket project with United Launch Alliance (ULA) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. He’s a systems engineer for the electrical ground systems, developing upgrades to rocket control systems at Cape Canaveral and Vandenburg Space Force Base in California.

“I’ve always had an interest in rocketry,” Booth said. “I remember watching the Space Shuttle launches as a kid, and I always wanted to be a part of something like that. Also, I have family closer to Cape Canaveral, and my wife wanted to be closer to home.”

He’s still not done learning, having enrolled in graduate school at Johns Hopkins University to pursue a Master of Engineering Management degree. Eventually, he’d like to return to ENMU for a Master of Business Administration degree.

“I decided getting a degree in management will take me to the next level,” he said. “The MBA program at ENMU is affordable, and the education I received to get my bachelor’s degree was top-notch. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to return to Eastern.”

Above: The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope under construction at the NASA Goddard Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Davis worked on the instrument command handling units, part of satellite’s avionics.

Left: ULA technicians work to put the new Vulcan rocket into place on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. As a systems engineer, Davis worked on the ground systems that connect to the rocket and separate at launch. This particular rocket is scheduled for its maiden launch in May.

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By Todd Fuqua

Jodie Foster Rhodes Programs for NASA Missions

Everyone has a crossroads when they realize what they do (or do not) want to do.

For Jodie Foster Rhodes (BS 99), that crossroads came in her junior year at ENMU.

“I was a math major, but I realized I didn’t want to teach math,” Jodie said. “That’s when I discovered computer science.”

After collaborating with Dr. Thurman Elder (MA 66, BS 64) and Dr. Ann Cable, Jodie was able to double major in math and computer science, a decision that eventually led her to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and a career as a software engineer. It’s a decision she has never regretted.

“I started my career at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in June 1999 for a team that handled Shuttle and International Space Station software,” Jodie said. “I had my first code in space on a shuttle mission in 2001. Now that was thrilling!”

Currently, Jodie is busy supporting the Artemis project, NASA’s attempt to return us to the moon and beyond. Her job doesn’t sound all that exciting to non-computer people, but it is critical to the mission. Her team is creating a procedure authoring and viewing tool. This tool creates and displays procedures for everything astronauts do on a mission – from conducting experiments to going to the bathroom.

While such a job might seem tedious to many, Jodie finds plenty of excitement in planning every movement down to the smallest detail, as even the slightest misstep in orbit can spell disaster.

“We’ve spent two hours talking about a hyphen in our writing, it’s that precise,” Jodie said. “I’ve created a program that keeps every version of the procedures. This way, we can track changes and explain why they’ve been changed, and it stores them forever.”

Jodie’s work doesn’t involve her personally going into space. Only the computer code she writes makes the trip, which helps astronauts complete their missions on the Shuttle, the International Space Station, and Artemis. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t get excited on launch day.

“A lot of the days are stressful, but the excitement of a launch is beyond anything you can imagine. I tear up at every launch, and those are the days you remember why you did all those exhausting tasks.”

In 2016, she and her husband – who also works for NASA monitoring all signals that might interfere with NASA communication – moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where she has been working remotely from home ever since.

“I enjoy what I do, and I’m not retiring right any time soon,” Jodie said. “I’m not leaving yet. We’re going to the moon and Mars!”

NASA Photo

Above: Jodie with astronaut Shane Kimbrough in the hatch leading to the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery, the night before launch August 2009. This particular mission brought astronauts and equipment to the International Space Station.

Below: Jodie at an Artemis I MCC FAO Console at Misson Control. Image content blurred to ensure no proprietary information is disclosed.

ENMU ATHLETICSNEWS

Coach Lee Returns to Lead Football Team

It might have surprised some to see Kelley Lee (MS 03) returning to ENMU as the Greyhound head football coach. But for him, he was returning home.

“When you put your heart and soul into a program for nine years as offensive coordinator and head coach, it means a lot,” Kelley said. “I love the Greyhounds, and I love the community of Portales. I love this school. It was a blessing to have the opportunity to come back.”

Kelley returns to coaching the Hounds after a two-year period in which he coached high school ball at Veterans Early College High School in Brownsville, Texas, leading his teams to a 17-7 record. As Eastern’s coach from 2017–2020, the Greyhounds were 21-12 with a win in the Heritage Bowl over Southern Arkansas in 2019.

His decision to leave wasn’t easy, being motivated by the lockdowns occurring in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We left not so much for the coaching but to give my kids the opportunity to attend school in person and play sports,” Kelley said. “It was a decision I made for my family, and I think it was the right one then. I never thought we’d have the opportunity to return, and it just worked out.”

Kelley isn’t the only one returning to ENMU. He’s also brought in assistants Edgar Weiser (BS 00) and Oliver Soukup. Edgar played for Eastern from 1996–1999 and was part of a Lone Star Conference (LSC) championship team. He returns to Portales after coaching with fellow alum Charlie Ragle (BS 98) at Idaho State.

Oliver was an assistant at Eastern from 2012–2014, instrumental in creating solid defenses against LSC opponents.

There is also a core of Eastern students who played for or were recruited by Kelley.

That’s a big help, considering the coaching staff had only three weeks to recruit before national signing day in February.

“I’m asking the guys I knew from before to have meaningful conversations with the newer players, to get them to buy into what we’re trying to do with the program,” Kelley said. “I heard them yearning for the discipline and hard work we did before. That’s exciting.”

Kelley’s goal – indeed, the goal of any coach – is to win a conference title and get into the post-season. Given the changes in the LSC landscape with Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce moving up to Division I, he thinks the Hounds have an excellent shot.

“We were 16-4 against the teams we have left in the conference when I was coaching before,” he said. “We didn’t play Central Washington but beat Western Oregon twice. If we can return to where we were, we’re

By Todd Fuqua

in a great situation to challenge for that conference title and get into the playoffs.” Coaches are only as good as the players they lead, which is why Kelley is so pleased with the student-athletes at Eastern now.

“Our best resource is our student-athletes,” Kelley said. “We’re recruiting good kids who will do well on the field and in the classroom.”

Photo by Kemet Gatchell

Coach Lee speaks with the media and public at a press conference at Greyhound Arena in January.

Edgar Weiser Oliver Soukup

Student Body President is a Conference Champion

ENMU senior Tamia Smith (attending) isn’t intimidated when faced with challenges. That’s evident in her athletic, academic, and student activity achievements.

Tamia, from Arlington, Texas, throws hammer and shot put for the Eastern track and field team and set a school indoor record in the shot at the Lone Star Conference (LSC) Indoor Championships in Lubbock, Texas. She recorded a throw of 13.69 meters and now owns the top five distances in the event in ENMU history.

Tamia graduates in May with a degree in criminal justice and already plans to attend ENMU graduate school in the fall, to work on a degree in counseling. Her ultimate goal is to pursue a career with the FBI.

As if that weren’t enough, Tamia is also the president of ENMU’s Student Government Association.

“I got involved in student government as a freshman and worked my way up,” Tamia said. I was vice president last year, so I might as well go for the top.”

While athletics has been a big part of her collegiate career, student government has presented opportunities she might never have considered.

Frederick Qualifies for Indoor Nationals

By Jose Montoya

In March, junior sprinter Timothy Frederick (attending) represented ENMU in the 200-meter sprint at the 2023 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is the 10th Greyhound to qualify for the indoor meet in program history.

The Trinidad and Tobago native took third at the Lone Star Conference meet in Lubbock, Texas, with 21.27 seconds, the 13th fastest time in the 200-meter field at nationals.

ENMU Student-Athletes Volunteer

ENMU Athletics student-athletes volunteered more than 1,600 hours during the fall semester – more than halfway to the department’s 2022-23 school year goal (3,000 hours).

From “High-Five Fridays” to hosting a soccer camp in partnership with the New Mexico United soccer team, Eastern set a high mark for community involvement.

“I’m so proud of our student-athletes and coaches’ dedication to our community,” said Assistant Athletic Director Liz Acosta. “They go above and beyond what’s expected.”

Other programs that the Hounds helped include the St. Helen’s Fiesta, roadside cleanups, and youth day.

Football, softball, men’s soccer, baseball, and women’s basketball also volunteered their time between August and December.

By Todd Fuqua

By Jose Montoya

ENMU Athletics

Courtesy Photo

Photo by Shanna Smith

ENMU softball athletes Kianna Galindo and Taylor Harrison read to students at the Brown Early Childhood Center in Portales, New Mexico. The team works with the students every Wednesday.

ENMU Athletics

Class Notes People You May Know

Following her retirement from a 16-year career as the Family and Consumer Sciences agent and program director for the New Mexico State University (NMSU) cooperative extension service office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cindy Schlenker-Davies (BS 80) was honored with an induction into the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Hall of Fame. Cindy may have retired from NMSU in 2021, but she continues to do grant and contract work.

Valerie Cisler (MM 83) is Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication and a professor of music at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She has given numerous performances and presentations at state, regional, national, and international conferences. As a professional clinician for Alfred Publishing, she also presents workshops for piano teachers throughout the United States and Canada.

Manuel Quintana (BBA 84), senior strategic account manager at Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), won the Edison Electric Institute’s Oustanding Customer Engagement Award in June 2022. The award recognizes his role in establishing, managing, and enhancing relationships with businesses, government, and institutional customers of PNM. Manuel has been with PNM for 38 years.

Dr. Brian Reithel (BBA 85), a University of Mississippi business professor, is chairman of the National Marrow Donor Program, chosen for the position by Be The Match in November 2021 and officially taking his place in June of 2022. Dr. Reithel had previously been elected to the Be The Match board of directors in 2014, serving to guide the organization’s information technology and corporate strategy.

In January, Wayne Propst (BS 87) was appointed Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Before his appointment, Wayne served as the Chief of Staff to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC), overseeing a staff of 100 employees and a $13 million operating budget.

Ron Hruby (BS 94) is the director of Career and Technical Education at Adams 14 School District in Commerce City, Colorado, taking the job in January of 2022. He has enjoyed a 20-plus-year career in education in Colorado.

Samuel Harley (BS 96) has spent 15 years in the learning and development industry, managing training departments for various companies to help them comply with workplace safety standards and company policies. Currently, he serves as a manager of material training for Atlas Air, an aviation outsourcing company.

Holly Brady (BA 97) was promoted to counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in July 2022. Holly advises clients on privacy, cybersecurity and data protection matters in her position at the firm’s Richmond, Virginia office.

Vincent Rodriguez (BS 97) is a William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom award winner for 2022, honored by the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (FOG). Vincent was honored at the Dixon Award event in October and recognized for his commitment to watchdog journalism at KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Ben Buie (MBA 01) is the vice president of grain for Crystal Valley Coop, located in Mankato, Minnesota, bringing more than 26 years of experience in grain management to the position.

Friends and alumni Valerie Garcia Borgen (BS 91), and Renee (BS 93) and Phillip Flores (BS 90) show off their ENMU pride during a vacation to Mykonos, Greece, in October 2022. Valerie planned the trip through her agency, StorymakersTravel.com.

Paul Allen Hunton (BS 06) has made his mark on public broadcasting nationwide, having served on the Board of Directors for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) since June of 2021. He is president of WUNC public radio in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, taking that position in October.

In January, Robert Riggins (BS 08) was named a hitting strategist for the San Francisco Giants baseball team. Robert has also owned and operated Heavy Mettle Baseball in Amarillo, Texas, using neuroscience to fine-tune hitting techniques and improve power.

Juan Prado (BBA 09) currently serves as business manager for Fullmer Cattle in Syracuse, Kansas, joining the company in June 2022. Prior to that, he was the director of dairy and logistics at Kansas Dairy Ingredients in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Betty Yun Xu (BS 10) has a career in data analytics that has taken her across the globe. Most recently, she took on the position of senior business development manager for METRO Markets in Düsseldorf, Germany, in January.

Robert Johnston (BS 13) was elected shareholder at Sutin, Thayer & Browne, New Mexico’s leading business law firm. Robert’s practice centers on public finance and taxation, advising clients on all New Mexico tax law aspects and representing taxpayers before the Taxation and Revenue Department.

Azalia Rodriguez-Vieth (BS 16) serves as a representative for Defenders of Wildlife in Austin, Texas, working to protect biodiversity and promote the repair of damaged ecosystems.

Lindsey Adcock (MBA 18, BBA 17) is an assistant project manager for Bradbury Stamm Construction in Albuquerque, New Mexico, creating pay applications, monitoring project costs, and ensuring construction projects are finished in a timely and cost-effective manner. Since December of 2021, Lindsey has been president of TruWest, a company offering construction equipment and supplies in west Texas.

Quintus Callant (BAAS 21) is working to make electric power safer, reliable, and economical as an automation specialist for Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Denver, Colorado.

Tawny Barry (MBA 19, BUS 17) was named a Medical Device Territory Manager for the CONMED Corporation in February 2022, helping to bring surgical and patient monitoring products to hospitals and physicians in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area.

Cameron Cox (attended) is on the sidelines and on the scene at some of the biggest sporting events in the Phoenix, Arizona, area as a sports anchor and reporter for KPNX News 12.

Class Notes In Memory

Darlene Rose (BA 54) died Dec. 13, 2022. She was a teacher in several school districts across New Mexico, including Roswell, Las Cruces, Socorro, Tucumcari, and Clovis, where she retired after a 26-year education career.

Wayne Hunton (MBA 60, BA 59) died Jan. 10, 2023. Wayne had his own accounting business, serving customers as a CPA in Tucumcari and Clovis, New Mexico, all while farming wheat on the family farm. He was also a professor of accounting at ENMU and served as the president of the New Mexico CPA Association after selling his accounting business. He was a banker at Citizens Bank in Tucumcari for 14 years after that before retiring.

60s

Dennis (Redfield) Rhoton (Attended) died Jan. 6, 2023. Dennis had a 30-year onscreen acting career, appearing in television shows Dallas, Emergency!, and Gunsmoke and feature films like Problem Child and Dead and Buried. He frequently appeared on stage in the Los Angeles, California, theater scene and was a theater instructor at high schools in the L.A. area.

Kenneth Dunsworth (BA 61) died Dec. 1, 2022. Kenneth began working in the grocery business as a teenager and spent most of his working life in the industry.

Peggy Lyndell “Nell” Bass (MBE 66) died Oct. 29, 2022. Nell taught for 30 years at the college and high school levels in Hobbs, New Mexico, and Austin, Texas. Before retiring, she was an instructor at New Mexico Community College, East Texas State University, and Wichita State University.

Donald “Don” Harris (BS 67) died Nov. 12, 2022. Don was a teacher and coach at Gallup High School in Gallup, New Mexico, and also worked for Gurley Motor Company in repossession and sales. He was also licensed to practice law on the Navajo Reservation. He later worked for Carbon Coal until the mine closed and sold insurance for Mutual of Omaha. He drove for Roadrunner Trucking before returning to teaching and coaching in 1992 until his retirement.

Margaret Richer (BS 69) died Feb. 2, 2023. Margaret met her husband, Donald (BBA 69), and maintained their homes while living in Dayton, Ohio, Los Alamos, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was a devoted mother and never missed a school event in which her children participated. She was also a dedicated member

of the P.E.O. sisterhood and devoted many hours of community service through the organization.

Rayford McIlhaney (MA 69) died Nov. 11, 2022. Rayford spent most of his education and coaching career in New Mexico and Texas, retiring as the executive director of human resources in Willis, Texas, in 2010. A highlight of his coaching career was in 1971 when he helped lead the New Mexico Junior College track and field team to a national championship.

Carol Thompson (attended) died Feb. 23, 2023. Carol worked for radio stations KTRC and KBOM, the Santa Fe New Mexican, and membership coordinator at the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

70s

Jimmy Parrish (BA 70) died Feb. 5, 2023. Jimmy was the owner of Chaparral Irrigation in Portales, New Mexico, for more than 20 years and raised cattle. For 12 years, he served as a Roosevelt County Commissioner and was a loan officer for Ag New Mexico before retiring in 2013.

Tommie Kemp (AA 70) died Dec. 21, 2022. After traveling the globe as an Army wife, she returned to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where she served as an assistant to the Dean of the College of Business at New Mexico State University until she retired.

Edward “Eddie” Phillips III (MA 72, BS 71) died Nov. 23, 2022. Eddie was a prominent educator in Roswell, New Mexico, with many years spent as the head principal at Berrendo Middle School. He was also a hunter safety instructor, vice president of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, and always involved with wildlife conservation. After retiring, he was a psychology professor at ENMU-Roswell.

Frances “Frankie” Gay (MED 71) died Oct. 28, 2021. Frankie was a first-grade teacher at the Newport Special School district in Newport, Arkansas, and was a Sunday School teacher and leader in the Holden Ave. Church of Christ for 46 years.

Evelyn Combs (MED 82, ED 72) died Jan. 20, 2023. She was a teacher at Portales Junior High in Portales, New Mexico, before retiring in 1999, after serving 25 years. She and her husband George also built the Combs Electric and Mechanical business, running it for 52 years before moving to Lubbock, Texas.

Green

Karen Tillman (MED 72, EDSP 78) died Jan. 31, 2023. Karen enjoyed a 50-plus-year career in education at public schools and the Mescalero Reservation in New Mexico, finding success as a teacher, counselor, diagnostician, principal, director of federal programs, assistant superintendent, and school psychologist.

Peggy Stricklin (BBA 73) died Jan. 22,. 2023. Peggy practiced accounting for many years in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to Denver, Colorado, starting her CPA firm Stricklin & Associates in 1983. After semi-retiring, she spent several years traveling the country.

Larry Hunnicutt (BBA 75) died Feb. 7, 2023. Larry worked as a petroleum land manager and was vice president in the land department for Hondo Oil and Gas in Houston, Texas.

Frances Kay (Lee) Nuckols (MED 78, BS 73) died Jan. 7, 2023. Kay was a school teacher in Portales, New Mexico, for 29 years, retiring in 2003.

Burton “Burt” Gammill (BBA 78) died in November 2022. Burt had a varied career that included serving on the New Mexico Wheat Growers Association Board and assisting his sister in the restaurant industry in Lampasas, Texas. He was in the business of eyeglass and optical sales.

Marjorie Gennaro (MBA 79, BBA 73) died in November 2022. Marjorie came to ENMU as a bookkeeper and textbook buyer in the bookstore, later working in the business office as an accountant for federal grants and contracts. She finished her career at Eastern as chief financial officer for the university.

Louie “Pete” Nalda (Attended) died Jan. 15, 2023. Pete was a musician and student of all things relating to aviation and the military. He taught himself to play guitar and keyboards. He honed his talent as a session musician in Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas.

80s

Ricky Dale Belcher (BA 1982) died Nov. 9, 2022. He was a missionary and teacher in many places worldwide, including Thailand, Maine, Michigan, Arizona, and Cloudcroft, New Mexico.

Laura Lee High (BME 84) died Jan. 11, 2023. A gifted musician, Laura was known as a performer and teacher of voice and piano. She sang with Opera Colorado and the Colorado Symphony Chorus. Later Laura was a performer, costumer, coach, and teacher for Magic Moments, a non-profit organization allowing people to realize their theater dreams while raising funds to benefit the developmentally challenged.

Stacye Layne Hunter (BBA 86) died Aug. 28, 2022. She was a credentials specialist at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell, New Mexico. She served the city of Roswell as human resources director and assistant city manager for more than 25 years.

Roy Newberry (BSI 87) died Dec. 20, 2022. Roy was a respected drafting, woodshop, and industrial technology teacher at Oñate High School, Las Montañas Charter High School, and Doña Ana Community College in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Sandra Kay Cole (BS 89) died Oct. 14, 2022. Sandra served the Clovis Municipal Schools in Clovis, New Mexico, from 1987–2001 and was an artist, using inspiration from the natural landscapes of eastern New Mexico’s high plains to create still-lifes, portraits, landscapes, and contemporary art.

2000s

Chris Eaton (BS 11) died Nov. 21, 2022. Chris was head baseball coach at Sandia High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, since 2017. He was named Coach of the Year by the New Mexico Baseball Coaches Association in 2022 after leading the Matadors to the Class 5A state championship game.

Kristen Hanrahan (MSN 19) died Jan. 15, 2023. She was the director of Emergency Services at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) and worked at the Presbyterian Rust intensive care unit. More recently, she switched positions at UNMH to serve as a nurse educator.