ENMU Green & Silver Magazine - December 2017

MAGAZINE EASTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY

JUST WHAT THE

DOCTOR

ORDERED Dr. Lonnie Alexander Retires

Page 4

GREYHOUND GRAD RETURNS

AS DIRECTOR OF ENMU

ALUMNI AFFAIRS

Page 7

KRISHNAN RAMAN

THE WONDERFUL

WIZARD OF ADS Page 6

DECEMBER 2017

Green&Silver

Green&Silver MAGAZINE EASTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY

Features 04

Just What the Doctor Ordered: Long-Tme, Local Family Practitioner Retires

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Krishnan Raman: The Wonderful Wizard of Ads

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James Tapley and the Chalkboard Car

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Greyhound Grad Returns as Director of ENMU Alumni Affairs

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Trusting Gut Instincts and a Friend’s Advice

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ENMU MaxPAC: It Runs in the Family

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ENMU Veteran Helps Other Veterans

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The Wildlife Ecologist

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2017 Homecoming Honorees

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ENMU Athletics News

Class Notes: 16 People You Know 18

In Memory

Green & Silver Magazine | December 2017 Managing Editor Noelle Bartl

Content and Design Editor Rachel Forrester

Writers and Contributors

David Aguirre, Chelsé Craig, Will Edwards, Dr. Brian Pasko, Adam Pitterman, Melissa Sena and Wendel Sloan

New address, questions, comments or story ideas?

Contact the ENMU Foundation at 888.291.5524

or enmu.foundation@enmu.edu.

You can view all past issues of the Green & Silver Magazine online at enmu.edu/Magazine

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Green & Silver | December 2017

From the President Dear ENMU Family, It’s been a hectic but exciting first four months as the 10th president of Eastern New Mexico University.

My wife Edwina and I have met so many welcoming faculty, staff, students and community members. We feel at home in Portales and already part of the Eastern family. We look forward to meeting all of Greyhound Nation whether on campus, at theatre, fine arts or sporting events, while walking our two rescue dogs Molly and Mindy, or traveling around New Mexico.

Please stop us so we can say hello and visit.

A few campus updates: Our enrollment continues to edge upwards again this fall – always good news.

The new Golden Student Success Center, on time and on budget. We anticipate a soft opening May 2018.

We received great news this September from our accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, awarding ENMU a full 10 years’ accreditation with many positive comments about our students, our programs and our commitment to Student Success.

Looking back over the first 100 days, two special moments come to my mind: standing in Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in Canyon, Texas watching the Greyhounds storm the hill to claim the Wagon Wheel (the 4th win in the last five years) and tossing candy to kids at the Homecoming parade from John and Noelle Bartl’s 1966 orange Mustang convertible.

A third special moment and the greatest honor for me will be my investiture by the Regents as ENMU’s 10th president at the Commencement Ceremony on Dec. 16, 2017. With your help, I look forward to leading Eastern to even greater prominence into the next decade and beyond.

Happy Holidays!

Sincerely,

J.S. Elwell, President Eastern New Mexico University

Green & Silver | December 2017

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Just what the DOCTOR Long-Time, Local Family Practitioner Retires

Remember in the old movies and television shows, there was usually the compassionate and caring family doctor? The one who was always willing to get up in the middle of the night, with his black bag of supplies, ready to go help whoever in the community with whatever they needed? Fortunately, the Clovis and Portales communities have been absolutely blessed to have that caring physician, Dr. Lonnie Alexander (BS 78), usually only seen in movies, taking care of their women and families.

After a 32-year medical practice, Dr. Alexander retired this August leaving big shoes to fill at Women’s Medical Center (WMC) in Clovis. The providers and professionals at the center have cherished his hard work and dedication, stating that “Dr. Alexander’s wealth of knowledge, compassion and passion for taking care of people is an asset to our community, and WMC is honored he is part of our family.”

If you’ve had the opportunity to visit with Dr. Alexander, you have most likely listened to some fascinating stories, experienced his kindness, and observed the devotion he has to his profession and community.

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Green & Silver | December 2017

At 16 years old, Lonnie Alexander left his family’s farm near Espanola, New Mexico to travel the world with Up With People – a global youth organization focused on bring the world together through service and music. In 1969 he was drafted into the Army where he served as a medic in Vietnam until 1971. He then returned home to New Mexico where he began his formal education to become a family physician.

“I came to ENMU in 1972 to study agriculture. They had a very good ag program and the number one rodeo team in the country — I used to ride bulls before my brains came in,” Dr. Alexander joked. “Because the GI Bill wasn’t enough to cover school completely, I had to work. I ended up getting a job in the ER in Portales, and while working there, I met physicians who encouraged me to go into medicine.”

Dr. Alexander graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 1982 and completed his family practice residency from the University of Colorado. He began his career in Oregon in 1985, but returned to Portales the next year to take over for his friend and local family physician at the time, Dr. Coleman.

R ORDERED Over the next 12 years, Dr. Alexander became the iconic and beloved doctor of the Portales and Roosevelt County communities. He truly was a family physician. From the delivery of babies and care of women before, during and after their pregnancies, to the care of children, teenagers, men, and the elderly, Dr. Alexander was reliable and steadfast. In 1997 he focused his career on women’s health and joined WMC where he practiced until his retirement this past August.

“Clovis and Portales were wonderful places to practice. I felt like I could – because of the rural communities – practice the full scope of medicine including OB-GYN. Both of our children also grew up in Portales and enjoyed the community.”

Many ENMU alumni may recall their own visits to Health Services on campus where Dr. Alexander tended to their healthcare needs as students. ENMU Foundation Executive Director Noelle Bartl (BS 92) recalls how kind Dr. Alexander was when she was a student, and then nine years later, after she and her husband moved back to Portales, he delivered their first child.

“When I was having my daughter Samantha, he asked me if I used to have ‘the hair,’ Noelle laughed as she motioned to her

Center: Lonnie and Karen Alexander during a Viking European River Cruise.

Top right: Lonnie and Karen with their daughter Michaela, their son Daniel, and their three granddaughters Jaden, Chloe and Mia. Bottom right: Dr. Alexander with one of the babies he delivered at WMC.

head. “He was referring to my big 80s hair. It was funny timing, but he remembered my husband Jonn (AA 94) and me.”

When asked what advice he would give to today’s medical students, Dr. Alexander stated: “Take full advantage of every educational opportunity. I felt like the degree that I got at Eastern prepared me very well for medical school. I applied in 1978 along with four other students from ENMU. All five of us were accepted, and all five of us had productive medical careers.”

Dr. Alexander is also a family man, as evidenced by his big smile at any mention of his own family. His wife Karen Alexander (MED 77, BS 74) taught reading education for 13 years at ENMU, and the couple has two grown children and three beautiful granddaughters.

In retirement, Dr. Alexander has been working on various rental properties and things he had been putting off for years. WMC Practice Administrator Lonnie Ray said she “will miss Dr. Alexander’s sense of humor, steadfastness and easy smile. That being said, I envy him the time to do the things that he’s tried to balance over the years while remaining a good-ol’ country doc.”

Green & Silver | December 2017

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Photo by:

Krishnan Raman

Vandana Photography

The Wonderful Wizard of Ads

By: Dr. Brian Pasko ENMU Associate Professor of Mathematics Krishnan Raman (MA 09) came to ENMU in fall 2007 after having worked as a financial systems engineer for Goldman Sachs for several years. His wife Vandana was an oncologist at Plains Regional Medical Center and Krishnan decided to attend Eastern to pursue graduate study in math. “Upon arrival, I walked up to the assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dr. Tom Brown and convinced him to let me into the graduate program despite having zero formal credentials in undergrad math! To this day I am flummoxed why he did so, and I remain in his debt for taking a chance on me.”

Since leaving Portales, Krishnan has moved across three states, worked at three different companies, and currently lives in California. He first pursued a master’s in financial mathematics at the University of Chicago, following which he was hired by Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina as a quantitative analyst, where he worked on mathematical valuation models to estimate the risk within commercial mortgage portfolios. During that time, his family welcomed their son Arjun, now 5 years old.

Krishnan was then hired by Twitter as a data scientist on the Cloud Infrastructure team and moved across the country to the San Francisco Bay area. At Twitter, he built a capacity utilization model using LAD (Least Absolute Deviation) to predict memory and CPU utilization of millions of jobs processing on the cloud. Two years later, Krishnan accepted a new job as a principal data scientist at Marin Software where he now leads the machine learning efforts. Marin is an adtech firm that enables ad-serving, the technology that chooses and

Krishnan Raman with his wife Vandana and their five-year-old son, Arjun.

releases ads on your search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing), social media feeds (Facebook, Instagram), and the display retargeting space (the space on a website where customized ads are placed about a product you had perviously searched for on another site). Advertisers bid on a particular web page in auctions where prices are analyzed via “machine learning.”

Krishnan’s group is “… also interested in the Lagrange dual optimization problem, where we seek to maximize ad revenue while constrained to a fixed budget.” He uses a formula called the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm to find the minimum value of the cost-to-function ratio. To obtain optimal prices for ads placed on Facebook, Krishnan uses a ‘multi-armed bandits’ model which is based on the theory of probability for slot machine lever pulls (one-armed bandits) and other variables to the highest expected payoff. He also repurposes algorithms that were originally created to recommend movies on Netflix, to find similar audiences for the ad space.

“Essentially, my career graph can be summarized as fervently sticking to the math I learnt at ENMU, and using it at every opportunity I obtain in the industry,” said Krishnan. “I continue to learn and hope to return to academia in the near future. I’m married to an oncologist and we have a five-yearold who recites his factorials, squares and cubes every night before he heads off to sleep!”

James Tapley

and the Chalkboard Car

ENMU senior James Tapley has worked on a few cars over the years; about three years ago, he was asked to fix his friend’s late 1990s Mazda Miata that they were looking to sell. However, the fate of unused cars befell it as it never sold, and the Miata was left sitting outside.

In October 2016, nearly two years later, James rescued the Miata. “It needed a lot of cosmetic work,” he said. “The paint was ruined, the entire back shelf area was rusted through, and it needed a new top window. I had seen chalkboard paint at the store and decided that if it was going to be my fun car, why not make it fun for my five nieces and nephews as well?” James, his fiancée and his brother set to work. Two days and many patches later they had the chalkboard Miata.

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Green & Silver | December 2017

While James is in class, he leaves his car and a box of chalk in front of the ENMU Art and Anthropology Building.

He usually comes back to some amazing designs.

Photos by: Chelsé Craig

By: Chelsé Craig

Greyhound Grad Returns as Director of ENMU Alumni Affairs

By: David Aguirre Alumna Annamaria Short (BS 11) is continuing her Eastern Experience as the new director of ENMU Alumni Affairs.

“Hands down, ENMU is the friendliest university. The staff and faculty are like family and friends, and will bend over backward to make their students successful,” explained Annamaria. “I want to make sure ENMU is represented well within the community.”

One of the director’s goals in her new position is to create more events for Greyhound graduates of all ages.

“Planning and organizing events is something I have done in the past and will continue to do,” said Annamaria, who was previously a unit coordinator for Upward Bound at Texas Tech University, as well as the interim director for ENMU Talent Search. Her experience with college students has prepared her to have a lasting impact on ENMU. Annamaria, who received bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology, said she enjoys “working with people, so studying their thoughts and behaviors was an easy choice.” As an ENMU graduate, it was an easy choice for her to come back to her Eastern roots.

“Not many universities can compare to the one-on-one attention you receive here,” she explained.

She also enjoys the faculty and staff and thinks that the free on-campus parking is a “plus.” Annamaria, who won the award for “Outstanding/Excellent Dedication to the TRIO Community in Portales,” is actively involved in her community.

“I was a teen mom, so I realized the hard work and dedication it takes to become successful,” explained Annamaria. “It’s always mind over matter!” Annamaria’s faith is important to her. She said, “Christ is at the center of everything I do and believe.”

Photo by: Chelsé Craig

TAX-WISE PLANNING BEFORE THE YEAR’S END

ith the end of the year approaching, there are opportunities for you to be tax-wise in your planning. Here are three charitable giving strategies worth considering that can provide you with additional tax savings and cash flow.

To learn more about end-of-year gift strategies and how you could personally benefit, please contact the ENMU Foundation or visit our website.

enmugift.org | 888.291.5524

1 MAKE A CASH GIFT

Make a gift of any amount and receive an income tax deduction this year. You can donate online at enmu.edu/Donate.

2 APPRECIATED ASSET GIFT

Avoid capital gains tax on the sale of your assets by giving your stock or real estate to a charity like the ENMU Foundation. Save on taxes with a charitable deduction.

3 CHARITABLE LIFE INCOME PLAN Make a gift and receive income for life! Avoid capital gains tax by giving an appreciated asset and receive a charitable tax deduction.

Trusting Gut Instincts By: Noelle Bartl Alumnus Burk Ellison (BBA 80) has trusted his gut instincts for years and it has served him well. While in high school in Albuquerque, Burk’s parents encouraged him to go to UNM, however, his gut instinct told him to go to ENMU with his friend Steve Hodge (attended). This big decision opened a path that led Burk to his current position as the president of DistributionNOW’s (ticker symbol DNOW) Supply Chain Services in Houston, and in meeting his wife Kathy.

could really connect with his professors, Burk stated, “One in particular, Dr. Finical, took me under his wing and provided guidance as I navigated my courses.” With help from Dr. Finical and his other professors, Burk graduated cum laude and went on to a 37-year career in the oil and gas supply industry. It opened doors for him to travel the world, meet fascinating people and even be a part of ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

During his first semester at ENMU, a couple of friends, Steve Wells (BS 78) and Phil Demmel (MBA 80), encouraged Burk to join the PIKE fraternity and try out for the basketball team. So he did, and he made the team! He played under Coach Sterling Gibson (MA 62) and with some of ENMU’s great players, Bob Kirkley (BS 78), Reggie Hawkins, Dana Altman (BBA 80) and Doug Gibson (BS 80). He was also blessed to meet his wife Kathy (Wendland) (attended) who was a fellow athlete playing on the Zia volleyball (1978-80) and basketball teams (1978-79). The couple would like people to believe that their love story began when they met in the Greyhound Arena training room, when in actuality they met at a PIKE fraternity party … a tale as old as time.

DistributionNOW currently has over 300 locations in 20 countries and more than 4,500 employees. Burk described the company for us non-oil-industry folks as the “Walmart of the oil and gas industry, providing oilfield equipment, services and supplies for the upstream, midstream and downstream markets all over the world.” Burk has traveled to 33 countries; places like Angola, Egypt, Malaysia, the Middle East, Scotland and Russia. He has enjoyed traveling to most but claimed his favorites were Australia and the United Arab Emirates ... except when temperatures reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

“I loved Portales and ENMU was awesome,” remembers the 1980 Marketing Student of the Year. When recalling how he

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and a Friend’s Advice

Green & Silver | December 2017

“I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of smart people who have taken DNOW from a business segment of National Oilwell Varco (NOV), to its own publicly traded company in 2014,” Burk acknowledges. “The DNOW team are my second family. It is important to me to make sure my ‘family’ is taken care of,” stated Burk, who arrives at work every day by 5 a.m.

It Runs in the Family Wallace Maxwell’s Granddaughter Begins Work at the MaxPAC

By: Chelsé Craig Camille Bowens always knew she was going to come to ENMU. To the recently admitted freshman, the University means more than just a quality education; it has a family history.

“ENMU is a school that I feel welcome at. I feel like I’m more than just another student,” she said. Much of Camille’s family has attended Eastern, including her grandfather, Greyhound legend Wallace Maxwell (MS 92, BUS 81).

Previously Burk was the leader of the Energy Group, U.S. and International Sales and Operations, and it was crucial for him to be available to his overseas colleagues. He continues that habit with DNOW, where he recently took on a leadership position with their newly formed Supply Chain Services.

Regarding his immediate family, Burk and Kathy have been married for 37 years. As Burk navigated his career path, Kathy taught science and coached high school and middle school girls’ basketball, volleyball, and track and field. Their son Brett is an attorney for CB&I in The Woodlands, Texas, and their daughter Kenzi recently went to work for DNOW in Houston as a recruiter. The couple also owns a ranch northwest of Houston with a Brazos River Valley view, where they raise Black Baldy cows and calves as a retreat from their busy lives.

Thanks to trusting his gut in choosing ENMU, Burk has sustained a rewarding career with DistributionNOW. “Eastern students are recognized as having discipline and a strong work ethic, as many work very hard to pay for school while studying,” said Burk. “I’m proud to be an ENMU Greyhound.”

With a full-ride, voice and music scholarship, Wallace walked onto the ENMU campus in 1971. Within his first semester he met another student, Barbara Maxwell (MSE 04), who would later become his wife. Their story does not end there as, to prevent being drafted, Wallace enlisted in the Army during the Vietnam War. The Maxwells traveled the world with the army and began to raise a family along the way.

Eventually, Wallace took a temporary reprieve from the military to earn his degree in sports administration before returning to the Army as an officer. After his service, he developed a passion for athletics and became the ENMU director of Intramurals and Recreation, and he made it a priority to establish an area where all students could achieve their fitness goals. That center was dedicated in Wallace’s honor shortly after his death in 1998, and it is now named the Wallace Maxwell Physical Activity Center, commonly known as the MaxPAC. Today, Wallace’s granddaughter Camille works as a student employee at the MaxPAC. “I feel honored and privileged to be working in the gym dedicated to my grandfather,” said Camille.

“I sought out the job because I wanted to feel a connection to him since he passed before I was born.”

While Camille doesn’t share her grandfather’s passion for athletics, she does share his heart.

She wants to connect with and help others, so she came to Eastern with an academic scholarship to earn her undergraduate degree in Elementary/Special Education. “I have always wanted to be a teacher, and having a sister with special needs has also given me a passion for wanting to teach special education.”

Freshman Camille Bowens (above) recently started working at the ENMU MaxPAC named after her grandfather, former Intramurals Director Wallace Maxwell (pictured left).

The Maxwell family name at ENMU also continued with Wallace’s children Kymberly Maxwell (BBA 07), Jeff Maxwell (attended) and Shannon Maxwell Greer (BS 01). Along with Camille, two more of Wallace’s granddaughters continue the legacy today. Brea Bowens (AA 15) recently graduated, sophomore Kayla Nicole Maxwell is an ENMU cheerleader.

Green & Silver | December 2017

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ENMU Veteran

Helps Other Veterans

By: Wendel Sloan

Gretchen Leigh, executive secretary to Clark Elswick, ENMU’s vice president for technology and system CIO, doubles-down as the secretary for Information Technology Services. Going above and beyond her administrative duties, she established a veterans assistance telephone line in her office (575.562.2195) and fields questions or issues veteran students have. She also emails self-identified veterans with information they can use, or sends them leads on employment and career fairs.

Gretchen first went into the Women’s Army Corps (women weren’t allowed in the regular Army then) in 1973, during the Vietnam era. She went to basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, secretarial training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and was stationed at Fort Ord, California. After almost two years, Gretchen was “encouraged” to agree to a discharge for pregnancy.

Seven years later, she decided to go back into the Army (it was combined, men and women by that time), so she enlisted again – and had to go back through basic training. From there, her assignments included Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Heidelberg, Germany, Fort Hood, Texas and the El Cajon Army Recruiting Station in San Diego, California.

Gretchen Leigh receiving one of five Army Achievement Medals.

“The most exciting times were in the Emergency Action Center in Germany,” Gretchen said. “If you ever saw the movie ‘War Games,’ it was similar. I had to walk through the war room to get to our office. We called all the alerts in Europe, monitored nuclear weapons storage sites throughout that part of the world and took ‘incident’ reports that involved military, their family members or Department of Defense civilians.”

After the Army, she joined Robert Half International and helped to start other recruiting companies similar to them.

A few years ago, Gretchen decided she wanted to give back to her fellow veterans, so she left the corporate world to become a Disabled Veteran Program Specialist for the state of Texas.

“It was extremely rewarding for me to help veterans or their family members. I’ve always helped companies make a lot of money, but this job was, by far, the greatest job I ever held,” Gretchen said. “I helped veterans get jobs, complete medical paperwork, enroll in school, etcetera.”

A “newbie,” Gretchen started with ENMU two years ago, and “feels fortunate to be so warmly included into the ENMU family.”

She is currently a grad student pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. This year Gretchen organized ENMU’s first Veteran Resource event, and she was recently approved to make the event an annual tradition. The second annual Veteran Resource event will be held in March of 2018.

We double dog dare you ...

to unleash your generosity!

Thanks to the help of many of our alumni and friends, ENMU recorded the highest enrollment in the University’s 82-year history this fall 2017 semester. That’s 6,027 Greyhounds learning and growing like generations before them, receiving the same quality and innovative, student-centered education ENMU is known for.

Would you consider a charitable contribution to the University Fund so we may continue this momentum of success?

As a thank you for your University Fund donation of $150 or more, we’d like to send you this limited edition spirit scarf.

Donate online at enmu.edu/SpiritScarf or use the enclosed envelope.

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Green & Silver | December 2017

The Wildlife Ecologist By: Chelsé Craig Dr. Ivana Mali (faculty) saves the world one turtle at a time!

Born and raised in Serbia, Dr. Mali is a herpetologist with a passion for turtles. She received her Master of Science and Ph.D. at Texas State University and has focused her career on freshwater turtle research. In 2015, Dr. Mali decided to pursue her love of teaching and is currently an assistant professor of wildlife biology at ENMU. The University offers a unique experience for her students with a wildlife preserve behind the old Greyhound Stadium.

“Not many universities have the land where professors can take students … we really cherish it!” Dr. Mali’s transition, into academia was challenging, in an effort to find the balance between her research and the classroom, but she explained that when you love what you do, there really are no obstacles. “It’s been very rewarding seeing students get excited about their research and succeed in my classroom.

I don’t make it easy for them. They will tell you that!”

Besides her role as an assistant professor and researcher, Dr. Mali is director of the Gennaro Natural History Live Exhibit, the sponsor of the campus Wildlife and Fishery Club, and she is working to educate the public about box turtles.

“They’re cute! Everybody loves them and wants to take them home and you can’t really do that.” Box turtles are threatened and although they are commonly found in this area, they are rare to find elsewhere.

Dr. Mali lives by the idea that you should do what you love.

“I spend my summer camping in the desert, working [to collect data on the Cooter] with students ... A lot of people will hear that and think, ‘Oh my goodness, you worked all summer!’ But my turtle trapping trips are my vacation because that’s what I love doing.”

To learn more about the Mali Lab and Dr. Mali’s research, go to: imwildlife.weebly.com

Photos by: Chelsé Craig

In fall 2016, Dr. Mali established the Mali Lab at ENMU where students assist her research on the threatened Western River Cooter Turtle, graduate students work on thesis projects, and undergraduate students assist in collecting the data. “ENMU has been very supportive,” she said. The lab received internal research grants for a study on the disease ecology of rodents last year. This year, the grants have allowed the lab to set up game cameras to monitor vertebrate animals that use prairie dog burrows and to study soft ticks that often inhabit these burrows using fluorescent dye. “When it comes to this region, the wildlife is so diverse and everything is so undersurveyed,” observed Dr. Mali. “Very rarely do people come over here to do research … It’s a great opportunity.”

Dr. Ivana Mali is an ENMU assistant professor of wildlife biology, and the director of the Gennaro Natural History Live Exhibit.

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Please email your news and images to alumni.affairs@enmu.edu.

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2017 Homecoming Honorees 12

ENMU Foundation Awards Business of the Year: Big Valley Automotive, Inc. ENMU Athletics corporate sponsor Big Valley Automotive, Inc. has generously supported the University and ENMU Athletics for the past decade. They are one of only two Anchor Board sponsors for Greyhound Club, donating thousands of dollars in monetary and trade gifts per year. In trade, the company loans multiple cars for ENMU coaches to use when recruiting and traveling to out-of-town games. As coowners of Big Valley — one of the 10 largest private employers in Roosevelt County — ENMU alumnus Randy Van Leuven (BBA 93) and Wade Rutter (attended) value the importance of keeping money local. In addition to their support of ENMU, Big Valley actively fundraises to help the local economy. In the last 18 months alone, they have raised $24,000 for local schools and Roosevelt County Crime Stoppers. This past August they brought the community together for their Drive4UrSchool event, where the company donated $20 per test drive toward Portales High School Athletics.

Philanthropist of the Year: Healy Foundation A strong supporter of education and the arts, Healy Foundation – spearheaded

by Ed and Trudy Healy of Taos, New Mexico – has contributed generously to ENMU’s KENW-TV since 2008. They are a main financial backer for the interview series “Report from Santa Fe,” and they also helped fund the KENW-produced documentary “Ol’ Max Evans – The First Thousand Years,” which premiered at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival in October. Because of their generosity, KENW was able to upgrade production equipment, utilize a more attractive set, and provide an enhanced learning experience for ENMU students who work in the studio to get valuable, hands-on training.

For the 25 years they have been established, the Healy Foundation mainly supports the state’s land and water issues. In addition to their donations to ENMU, the foundation (previously named the Martha Ann Healy Family Foundation) has funded programs to aid the farming industry at NMSU, to UNM for land and water issues, and to the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, a division of New Mexico Tech, for an aquifer mapping and monitoring project.

Volunteer of the Year: Billy K. Gaedke Jr. For the past 17 years, Billy K. Gaedke, Jr. (MED 89, BS 88) has loyally agreed to review the hundreds of College of Education and Technology (CET) scholarship applications that come through the ENMU Foundation office – an important and tedious task. Even though he officially retired from ENMU in 2006 after working 16 years as an instructor of education foundations, he remains actively involved and does not take his position as the chair of the CET Scholarship Committee lightly. In recent years he expanded his role even further to also review the ENMU Foundation general scholarships.

Since joining ENMU’s faculty in 1990, Mr. Gaedke has mentored more than 900 prospective teachers and has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and three terms on the Council of Professors Emeriti (COPE) Board of Directors.

In 2002, ENMU honored him with the Chester Haughawaut Exemplary Human Relations Award, and in 2006 he was named Eastern’s Collegiate FFA Teacher of the Year. He received Distinguished Emeritus Faculty status in 2014. Mr. Gaedke may be most well-known, however, as the “voice” of the Clovis Wildcats, since he has been volunteering his time as the announcer at their games for the past 38 years.

Green & Silver | December 2017

Alumni Association Awards Outstanding Alumni Award: Dr. Glenda Balas Dr. Glenda Balas (MBA 89, BS 75) is a nationally recognized educator known for her outstanding scholarship in mass communication and her bold commitment to broadening educational opportunities for underrepresented communities. A Portales native, she has served as the dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of North Texas at Dallas since 2013, as well as their interim provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs since 2016. From 2010-13, she chaired the Communications and Journalism Department at UNM, and from 2008-10 she chaired the Mass Communications Department at Sam Houston State University in Texas, was faculty at DePauw University in Indiana, and was a teaching assistant at the University of Iowa. Before her 25-year career in higher education, Dr. Balas had an already impressive media industry career, having worked at KENW-TV as the director of public information, director of programming, and director of development.

Outstanding Alumni Award: Hossein Zamanian Hossein Zamanian (MBA 74) first traveled to Portales from his home in Iran to attend ENMU for the low-cost tuition and the excellent reputation of the College of Business.

He worked hard, earning his degree in 18 months before going on to earn his doctorate in education from East Texas State (now known as Texas A&M-Commerce). Hossein taught for nine years at Southwest Christian College in Terrell, Texas before taking the CPA exam and beginning work as a junior accountant. Today, he has his own firm which has 10 accountants and more than 500 clients. In addition to his success as a CPA, in the 1980s Hossein designed, marketed and manufactured a booming jewelry line that sold to major department stores including Nordstrom. He also designed and patented two products. One invention is a kabob maker manufactured and sold in both Iran and in America at World Market stores nationwide. The other, a uniquely designed computer stand base with wheels, manufactured in Dallas, is sold online and via Fry’s Electronics. His most recent patent pending involves an innovative education software for bilingual reading and learning to read music, which is currently being rolled out at Montessori schools.

Honorary Lifetime Award: Dr. James Miller Sr. and Jr. For 50 years, Dr. James Miller, Sr. was one of the foremost educational leaders in New Mexico public schools and community colleges. He taught and served as an administrator, superintendent or board consultant in nearly 40 of the state’s 89 districts. He moved to Los Alamos in 1954 and spent the remainder of his career and life advancing the cause of education, particularly for women and Hispanics. He founded Santa Fe Community College in 1983 and Rio Rancho Public Schools in 1994. He was instrumental in establishing the Mimbres Valley Learning Center at Western New Mexico University-Deming in 1996.

Dr. James Miller, Jr. served as a teacher in New Mexico and for the Department of Defense, as well as the superintendent in Farmington and Carrizozo. He was the founding director of ENMU’s Ruidoso Instruction Center, securing grants, donations and other financial support. He worked diligently to position the center for branch campus status (achieved in 2005). Since retiring, Dr. Miller, Jr. has remained active in Lincoln County and Mescalero, in economic development, with business energy efficiency programs, rural water systems and more. He was also instrumental in securing a Memorandum of Understanding between ENMU and the Mescalero Apache Tribe.

Green & Silver | December 2017

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ENMU ATHLETICS By: Adam Pitterman and Will Edwards

Five Inducted into Greyhound Athletics Hall of Honors The Athletics Hall of Honors welcomed five new members during their September banquet. The 2017 induction class includes Larry Riley (men’s basketball), Gary Good (rodeo), Alex Mayo-Otis (softball), Anna Bellum (volleyball), and Samantha Lawrence-Ward (women’s soccer).

Although most people recognize Larry Riley as the general manager and architect of the Golden State Warriors’ recent NBA Championship team, his 27-year journey through the NBA also included working as a video coordinator/scout, serving in the front office and in coaching capacities with the Vancouver Grizzlies (1994-99) and Dallas Mavericks (2000-05). Prior to his work in the NBA, Riley served as the Greyhound Men’s Basketball coach for 10 seasons from 1978-87.

Gary Good was one of ENMU’s top rodeo stars from 1971-75 and reached the College National Finals rodeo every year. He also competed for the 1972 Greyhound Track & Field program. He had a strong post-ENMU career, won eight PRCA rodeos and numerous titles including PRCA World Champion steer roper in 1979 and All-Around Cowboy at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1978.

Alex Mayo Otis (BS 10) played for the ENMU Softball team from 2007-10 and was one of the most complete players in program history. She could hit for both average and power, steal bases, and bunt. Mayo Otis concluded her career in the top 10 of nearly every offensive category and set the program record for hits in a career with a grand slam against Northeastern State.

Anna Bellum (BA 06) was a First Team All-Lone Star Conference selection for the ENMU Volleyball team in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Also strong academically, Bellum was an ESPN the Magazine First Team Academic All-District selection and was chosen as Eastern’s LSC Scholar Athlete. Her 481 kills in the 2003 season are seventh all time for Eastern, while her 942 career kills are eighth in ENMU history.

Samantha Lawrence-Ward (BS 10) played for the ENMU Women’s Soccer team from 2006-09 and was one of the most highly decorated players in program history. She is Eastern’s all-time leader in goals and earned numerous academic honors.

Lawrence holds the ENMU career records with 37 goals and 13 game-winning goals.

Photos from left to right: The 2017 Athletics Hall of Honors inductees: Anna Bellum, Gary Good, Alex Mayo Otis, Larry Riley and Samantha Lawrence-Ward.

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Green & Silver | December 2017

Successful College Daze Rodeo In September, the ENMU Rodeo team hosted the annual College Daze Rodeo at Lewis Cooper Arena. Overall, the women’s team tied for fourth with 155 points while the men’s team finished ninth with 145 points. The women’s goat tying team turned in a strong performance, while the men’s steer wrestling team also produced a quality outing. South Plains College took home the top spot on the women’s side with 255 points. On the men’s side, Odessa College won the event with a score of 360.

Volleyball Team Upends Buffs for ThirdStraight Home Win in the Series The ENMU Volleyball team picked up its third-straight home win over West Texas A&M with a four-set thriller against the Lady Buffs this past September in front of over 500 rowdy fans.

The match went back-and-forth the entire night, featuring 25 ties and 10 lead changes. ENMU improved to 6-9 overall and 4-2 in the Lone Star Conference following the victory.

Bailey Hale Chosen as Season’s First LSC Special Teams Player of the Week After a strong showing in the season-opening win over Southwest Baptist, Bailey Hale from the ENMU football team was chosen as 2017 season’s first Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. Hale’s dramatic 41-yard field goal with seven seconds left was his second of the day from that distance. It also lifted the Greyhounds to a season-opening victory over No. 18 Southwest Baptist. The sophomore kicker went three-for-four on field goals to score 11 of ENMU’s 23 points of the day. The contest also marked the first time a Greyhound kicker hit multiple 40-yard field goals in the same game since Lee Price against East Central in 2005. Hale also had three touchbacks on six kickoffs, which included the final one after ENMU took the lead with seven seconds left. Hale is the first Greyhound to earn LSC Special Teams Player of the Week since Mitchell Cox in 2014, a date in which Eastern swept the LSC weekly awards. Last season, the Hounds received three weekly awards from the conference.

NEWS Women’s Soccer Showing Scoring Punch This Season Five games into last season, the ENMU women’s soccer team had scored 11 goals, all coming against University of the Southwest in a record-setting performance. Five games into this season, Eastern looks much improved and the Hounds have scored 10 goals against NCAA Division II competition. In September the Greyhounds played a stellar defensive game and not only picked up their first shutout in nearly a calendar year (one day short), but defeated Texas Woman’s for their first league win.

Men’s Soccer Also Finding the Net This Year Early in the season, the Greyhound Men’s Soccer team went double overtime to claim a dramatic win at University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. The Mountain Lions rallied from a 4-1 deficit to force overtime, but senior Nicolai Alstrom’s doubleovertime goal pulled out the win. Alstrom also had late heroics against Oklahoma Christian, with a late tie-breaking goal.

Freshman Christopher Mesquita has a team-best three goals as the Hounds have scored 12 over their first 18 games. Ignacio Dicun, Mitchel Meisinger and Alstrom each have scored twice.

Yuri Nascimiento and Cody Wann have split time in net.

Cross Country Teams off to Strong Starts Coley Norcross and Omer Almog helped the ENMU Cross Country teams to get off to strong starts. The duo were the top finishers in the first two competitions of the season. In the opener at Texas Tech, Almog’s seventh-place performance led the men’s team to a sixth-place finish. For the women’s team, Norcross took 26th and was joined in the top 50 by Cynthis Tovar, as ENMU placed sixth. At New Mexico Highlands, the duo helped get the Greyhounds to second-place finishes. Almog placed fifth, while Norcross was fourth.

You can now purchase Greyhound gear online!

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This news was written in September 2017.

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OFFICIAL WEBSITE

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Photos from top to bottom: Senior Ignacio Dicun takes on a player from St. Mary’s University.

The Women’s Rodeo team tied for fourth place after a successful College Daze Rodeo.

Sophomore Ariel Lopez goes up against a Fort Lewis player.

Greyhound sophomore kicker Bailey Hale made a dramatic 41-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the game against 18th ranked Southwest Baptist.

Green & Silver | December 2017

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Class NotesPeople You Know James B. Dobbs (BS 54) was inducted into the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Legion of Honor after 50 years of membership. After graduation from ENMU, he served in the Army as a senior soils technician for the 35th Heavy Construction Engineering Group. James worked for 50 years developing and delivering chemical applications in support of petroleum production, including contributions in establishing the first specification for hydraulic fracturing sand. He worked with several companies including The Western Company, AMOCO, NL Treating Chemicals, UNICHIM and BJ Services.

Lonnie Vigil (BBA 73), who grew up at Nambé Pueblo in New Mexico, is a preeminent practitioner of micaceous pottery, built in classic Pueblo vessel shapes and glimmering with tiny flakes of mica. Vigil worked as a financial consultant for several years with the Eight Northern Pueblos and then with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. before he resigned in 1982 and returned to Nambé Pueblo.

He is credited with reviving unpainted, micaceous pottery and establishing its credibility as a contemporary art form.

In August, Marquis Who’s Who, the world’s premier publisher of biographical profiles, named alumnus Dean Overton (EDSP 78, MA 69) a Lifetime Achiever. After accruing nearly 45 years of professional excellence in his field, Dean retired from his role as an ENMU teacher of religion, philosophy and counseling. At the start of his career, he joined a Christian church as their minister.

Over the years he held a number of youth and campus minister roles for churches in Oklahoma and New Mexico. Additionally, he has lent his dedicated efforts to ENMU’s Christian Campus House for 25 years as a director. Mr. Overton has also been featured in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Education, Who’s Who in the West, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in Religion, and Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare.

Valerie Cisler (MM 83) is the new dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at the University of WisconsinStevens Point. Valerie has taught music, piano, piano pedagogy and graduate music courses at the University of Nebraska at Kearney since 1994. She served as chair of its Department of Music and Performing Arts for 10 years, and is nationally certified with the Music Teachers National Association. Valerie has also received teaching and scholarship awards and coauthored the “Composition Book” series for Alfred’s “Basic Piano Library” and “Technique for the Advancing Pianist.”

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Green & Silver | December 2017

Dr. Assegedetch Hailemariam (MA 83) earned a Ph.D. in school psychology from Central Michigan University in 1999. She is a professor of psychology and currently serves as the graduate program’s coordinator of school psychology at Eastern Illinois University. Her research interests include ADHD in children and adults, depression in children, and educational achievement of bilingual children.

Former KENW student worker Carey Moots (BS 83) and awardwinning journalist Sumiko Corley paid ENMU a visit in August, after they covered a story for NBC’s TODAY Show. Carey is a multiple Emmy award-winning director of photography for Moots Productions based in Albuquerque.

Pictured (from left to right): KENW-TV Production/Community Services Consultant Don Criss (MED 73, BS 67), alumna Carey Moots (BS 83), KENW Director of Broadcasting Duane Ryan, journalist Sumiko Corley, and KENW-TV Producer/ Director Allan Crawford (BS 01).

Bernard Sandoval (BS 86) has been inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame, receiving the Special Recognition Award for spearheading the creation of the “Olympic City USA” concept as a branding vehicle for Colorado Springs.

The city has now adopted the concept as their official moniker and it has been embraced by leading organizations. Bernard is the founder and current president of SANDIA Advertising, and he has won more than 100 awards for marketing and design excellence. He is a graduate of Raton High School and currently lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two daughters.

In July, financial service holding company BB&T named Jodie Hughes (BBA 96) president of their Greater Washington Region, which includes BB&T Community Banking markets in Washington, D.C., South Central Maryland and Northern Virginia.

He previously served as the director of regional commercial real estate and has more than 20 years of banking experience.

In May, Michael Madrid (MS 01, BSE 98) was hired as an assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He has an impressive resume with ample experience at both the high school (10 years) and college levels (12 years).

His coaching career started at Portales High School, which culminated with the squad taking home the 2001 Class 3A championship. Since then he has worked at San Jacinto College in Houston, Paris Junior College in Texas, Texas Woman’s University and Lubbock Christian University.

Stefanie Juliano (BS 04) has opened Stefanie Juliano Therapy, LLC, a local private practice counseling business in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. She specializes in multiple issues including postpartum and perinatal mood disorders, and was recently interviewed for a documentary titled “Kassy’s Hope.”

New Mexico Junior College has hired Stewart Kinley (BAAS 11) and Clay Bonner (BS 15) to coach their Top 10 National Rodeo team. Bonner specializes in timed events and is a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the United Professional Rodeo Association. He was the year-end champion calf roper when he was a member of the Texas Cowboy Reunion. He is in the equine and beef business, working with AgriClear and Richard Derrer Horseshoeing. He continues to compete in rodeo events at the amateur and professional level. Stewart concentrates on rough stock events and also has extensive experience with timed events, competing for 10 years in bull riding, four years in bareback riding, and 10 years in team roping. For the last eight years, he has taught kids how to rope and ride bulls at different camps in the U.S. and Canada.

David McVey (MA 10) is now the director of Lincoln County Medical Center’s Heritage Program for Senior Adults, a behavioral health outpatient treatment program that provides individualized intensive treatment to older adults. McVey served as a Special Operations Command military and family life counselor at Cannon Air Force Base. He also worked as a pastor with Christian churches and Churches of Christ.

In August, Robert J. Johnston (BS 13) joined the Sutin, Thayer & Browne law firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He belongs to the firm’s Commercial Group and practices primarily in business and corporate law, including in secured transactions. He also has experience in litigation matters, including insurance defense, employment disputes, land-use disputes, medical negligence, construction defects, oil-field injury and wrongful death.

Hemant G. Sule (BSN 11), a house-wide nurse educator at the Rehoboth McKinley Hospital in New York, has been selected to join the Nursing Board at the American Health Council. He will be sharing his knowledge and expertise of nursing education, as well as emergency, industrial, ophthalmic and operating room nursing. In the future, Hemant hopes to start a fully-operational legal nurse consulting firm and to become a chief nursing officer or a chief operating officer of a healthcare services organization.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Submit your story ideas, news and memorials to us at alumni.affairs@enmu.edu.

This summer, Kappa Sigma alumni reunited in Albuquerque surrounding the annual ENMU Alumni Scholarship Golf Tournament. In attendance were (from left to right standing) Larry Gregory (BS 72), George Garro (BBA 72), Peter Serena (BBA 68), Jim Stephey (MA 73, BA 69), Bill Ford (BS 71), Robert Garner (BS 70), Curtis Johnson (BBA 73), Alvin James (BBA 70), Terry Othick (MBA 70, BBA 68), (seated) John Lorentzen (BBA 71), Ron Geoffrion and Ray Lewis (BBA 75).

Not pictured: Jeff Gartz (BBA 72) and Richard Ybarra (BA 68).

December 2017

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Class NotesIn Memory 40s

Mary Selby Ditto (BA 46) passed away on June 9, 2017. Mary was a member of the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants and Delta Pi Epsilon. She also taught at Emmanuel College, Sharon Bible School and Southwestern Christian University, and served as registrar for over 30 years. She was married to ENMU alumnus C. Edwin Ditto (BA 41).

50s

Maydelle Meier (BA 50) passed on July 3, 2017. She enjoyed photography, genealogy and water color painting. served in the Red Cross during the Korean War, and also spent time in South Korea, Morocco and France. She obtained her Master of Arts at the University of Denver and helped to establish a kindergarten program in Valencia County.

Charles Singleton (BA 52) passed away July 5, 2017. Charles worked as an industrial arts teacher at Albuquerque High School, and as the drafting teacher and school counselor for Sandia High School. He was the president for Church of Christ ENMU Student Center and helped start jail ministries in Clovis and Portales. He also helped finance the Church of Christ Cambodian Outreach Mission that has planted more than 60 congregations.

Edgar Knotts (BA 54) passed away July 20, 2017. Before college, Edgar served three years in the Air Force. He played football for ENMU and went on to a 35-year career teaching history and carpentry classes in the Akron Public School system. He was the proud owner of Knotts Remodeling and was an avid Cleveland Browns and Ohio State Buckeyes fan. His hobbies were hunting, fishing, camping, boating, golfing and doing daily word searches.

Ada Ingle Ryan (BS 54) passed on June 9, 2017. She married Michael Ryan (BS 78) and was a dedicated military wife, loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was always tickled when she heard a clever joke, and she enjoyed traveling, playing bridge, bowling, golfing and spending time with family. Ada had a natural grace and southern charm that illuminated her personality.

Charles R. Cooper (BA 56) passed on May 27, 2017. He earned his master’s in English from Sacramento State University, and his Ph.D. in English Education at the University of California Berkeley.

He taught at UC Riverside, SUNY Buffalo, and for 20 years at the University of California-San Diego. He wrote books and articles on teaching writing, and was the co-author of a book still used throughout the country, “The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing.”

William “Odell” Hickman (BA 56) passed away on July 11, 2017.

He worked for Exxon for 30 years before retiring. He was married to Shirley, the love of his life for nearly 60 years. He enjoyed bowling and was the secretary/treasurer for the Dallas Men’s Bowling Association for 10 years.

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Green & Silver | December 2017

Mariflo (Neergaard) Estes (attended 56-58) passed away on May 31, 2017 in El Paso, Texas where she taught at Hacienda Height Elementary School (YISD) for 27 years. She is survived by her husband Johnny Mac Estes (BME 59), her three children and three granddaughters.

60s

William E. Daws Sr. (MED 60) passed away July 21, 2017. Bill served as an Army medic and later earned his degree in education at North Texas State, where he met Betty, his wife of 56 years. In 1963, he and Betty moved to Corpus Christi where they taught for the next 23 years. Upon retirement, Bill began another career selling books to librarians in South Texas.

Over the years, he was a member of the Masonic Lodge, Shriners, Kiwanis, and a member of Grace United Methodist Church.

Don Morrow (BA 60) passed away April 20, 2017.

Don worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the mechanical fabrication division, hiring and recruiting prototype machinists with the specialized skills needed at the lab, as well as developing an apprentice program to train existing employees. He was also an assistant division leader. After retiring in 1995, Don and his wife Delores Ann were active members of a local RV club and many organizations in Rio Rancho. Don moved to Fort Collins in 2012 where he served as an ambassador in the Rigden Farm community.

Frank Love (MA 61, BA 57) passed away on Sept. 7, 2017. During his 27-year career with Albuquerque Public Schools, Frank was the first head basketball coach for Del Norte High School when it opened in 1964. In retirement he was a dedicated volunteer for many organizations including the Elks Club and the VA Medical Center. He and his wife of 50 years loved to travel, and were blessed to have visited and experienced over 200 countries together.

Charles Hubbard (BS 61) passed away Sept. 27, 2017. He served as a flight engineer in the Navy during the Korean conflict. After earning his engineering degree, he became a licensed land surveyor and civil engineer. He worked many jobs, but ultimately ended up at Mountain Bell, where he rose through the ranks to reach 3rd level before retiring after 22 years. Charles loved to fish, hunt, collect rocks, watch sports, and entertain friends and family.

Gerald “Jerry” Ball (BS 62) passed away Aug. 10, 2017. Jerry and his wife Carolyn, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary earlier this year. Gerald served in the Marines from 1953-56 as a drill sergeant and later in the chaplain’s office. In 1956, Gerald began his lifelong calling as a minister, and he spent 61 years preaching in Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Glen R. Smith (BA 67) passed away on June 4, 2017. Glen graduated from Elida High School and came to ENMU, joining the Delta Sigma Pi Fraternity. After earning his degree, he served as a Military Intelligence Officer for the Army Security Agency from 1968-70. After, Glen returned to New Mexico and was an insurance adjuster until he retired. He was a gun enthusiast, and enjoyed selling and trading with his friends at local gun shows.

Richard Lake (BBA 68) passed away June 30, 2017. He served six years in the Army Reserve and worked as a civilian at Cannon Air Force Base from 1963 until his retirement in 1996. He enjoyed camping, hunting, fishing and shooting, and was also an amateur photographer and woodworker. He volunteered with the Boy Scouts for 14 years, and also coached basketball and Little League baseball. He played tenor saxophone in the Clovis Community Band for 30 years.

Betty (Carpenter) Efurd (MBE 69, BBE 60) passed away on March 15, 2015. She married Carl Efurd (MED 70, MA 59) in 1961 at Ruidoso Downs. She moved to Lincoln County in 1997 after having taught in the Farmington schools for 25 years. She was a member of the Community United Methodist Church.

70s

Malcolm E. Rogers (BS 72) passed on June 2, 2017. He was raised in Melrose and was a star basketball player in high school, loved to write poetry and listen to music. He had a 37-year career with BNSF Railroad. He met the love of his life dragging Main Street in Clovis, and had a great love for family and sports, knowledge of the Bible, and a great slapstick sense of humor.

Jeffrey “Stick” Strain (BS 72) passed away on June 23, 2017. He was a member of Eastern’s golf team, and the game was his passion and livelihood for most of his life. He loved Hawaii, birds of paradise, New Mexico, green chilies, chili burgers, the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Cubs. He loved the art of conversation and debate and, of course, loved to win. He had a soft spot in his heart for stray dogs, cats and people.

Philip Martinez Jr. (BS 73) passed away on June 17, 2017. Philip served two tours in Vietnam as a Marine. He earned his degree in biology and physical education and became a respected coach and athlete. He won two national Masters Track & Field championships, and also took gold medals in the Hammer Throw.

Tommy Hook (BBA 75) passed away June 26, 2017. He worked as an accountant at the Pantex plant near Amarillo, and eventually moved with them to Los Alamos to be part of the management team that ran the guard force for Los Alamos National Labs (LANL). He later became an internal auditor for LANL.

80s+

Bob Martin (BA 79) passed away on Sept. 16, 2017. Bob’s calling in life was storytelling through journalism, and he combined that with his love of flight. Bob worked for more than 40 years as a journalist in New Mexico, spending nearly all his career at KRQE as a news reporter, photographer and pilot. He also developed the drone-use program for the station from its infancy.

Nancy (Haugen) Cook (BS 80) passed away July 22, 2017. Nancy spent her professional career teaching in the Oklahoma City Public Schools. She and her husband, Grayson, were avid Thunder fans, rarely missing a game. Their trips and cruises created memories for a lifetime, and their involvement in their church home led to lasting friendships and fun times together.

Betty Greathouse (MED 86, BS 73) passed away June 29, 2017.

She belonged to Beta Tau Chi, Chapter R PEO, Eastern Star, Beta Sigma Phi and Delta Kappa Gamma. She and her husband, Jack, had two sons, Dan Greathouse (MED 97, BS 80) and the late Ross Greathouse (AA 07). After teaching for almost 20 years, Betty retired in 1994 from Valencia Elementary School.

Mark Howell (BSE 97) passed on July 2, 2017. Mark was an educator for Clark County Schools in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Previously, he taught for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in northwest New Mexico. He loved motorcycles, traveling, reading and spending time with his wife, Jeanette, and their dogs.

A devoted husband and father, Nathan Mastin (BS 03) passed away on June 5, 2017. He went to ENMU with a football scholarship and claimed “Friday Night Lights” as the all-time best movie. Most recently he was the vice president of customer and public relations for Globe Energy Services.

Dorla McCoy (staff) passed away Aug. 20, 2017. Dorla first worked in the ENMU Office of the Registrar and the Office of Extended Learning, and spent 25 years in the College of Education as the certification specialist. She retired in 1997 and pursued hobbies including overseas travel, genealogy and scrapbooking. She was a faithful member of the First Baptist Church choir and was married to Glenn McCoy (faculty) who taught religion at ENMU. Dr. Penny Stewart (faculty) passed away on July 20, 2017. Penny led a colorful life in South America before arriving at Eastern in 1973 to teach linguistics and English. She retired 22 years later and was named Distinguished Emeritus Faculty in 2003. She co-founded the High Plains Writing Project and coauthored one book of poetry and two novels. Penny was known for her humor and enthusiastic approach to life.

Green & Silver | December 2017

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A LETTER FROM YOUR

ENMU FIRST LADY

EDWINA GOWER What an adventure this has already been. In these first several months at ENMU, Jeffery and I have been trying to make it to as many student and community functions as we possibly can. We have supported our Greyhound athletes at games in town and away, we’ve experienced an array of ENMU Homecoming festivities this past October, and I also joined Roosevelt General Hospital to run their Step by Step 5k.

The students, staff, faculty and Portales residents have been very welcoming, and I know this is going to be an incredible journey.

Youth is a passion of mine (I realize that college kids really aren’t youth, but they are to me) and this is an amazing opportunity to impact a wide variety of kids at a very pivotal time. Students are the reason ENMU staff and faculty have their jobs. They’re the whole reason Jeffery has a job. If the “Pod People” come take all the students away, we don’t have a reason to be here. They have to be our focus.

In fact, Jeffery and I are trying to utilize our time and our new home as an anchor for the ENMU family. That’s why we have already had a wide variety of events here and will continue to do so.

Personally I love, love, LOVE cooking. For me it’s a manifestation of affection. It’s not about me making what I want to make. I remember what people like so that I can make something they’ll enjoy and maybe make it interesting. We want the students, staff, faculty and wider community to feel comfortable – like this is a piece of home.

So if you’re in the area, please stop by. Chances are, if we’re home, somebody’s probably going to have something for you to eat when you walk through the door.

Always, Edwina Gower