Gallup Journey December 2011

December 2011

g a l l u p

Jo u r ne y The Free Community Magazine

Gurley Ford Please stop by and welcome Sal Murillo to his new position as General Sales Manager

701 W. Coal Avenue (505) 722- 6621

Local Company, Competitive Pricing, Call today for a quote.

(505) 404-9380 • www.eldoradosolarnm.com

Thoughts D reaming is important.

Not the dreaming you do when you’re asleep, although that can be fun. I’m talking about the conscious, forward-thinking, creative dreaming we do when we’re awake.

You probably know some dreamers – maybe you are one. For the most part, these are people who see the big picture. They see a problem or are inspired and the whole beautiful dream instantly and completely appears in their minds. Big dreams. Fun people to be around and listen to. But not the only ones capable of dreaming!

The Ancient Way Café El Morro RV Park and Cabins

Winter Special!

Dinner for two with cabin $85 Dessert and Beverage included!

Weekday Cabin Rate through the winter $69

December 2nd - Chicken Fried Steak December 3rd - Hungarian Goulash December 9th - Shrimp Alfredo December 10th - Blackened Chicken December 16th - Pork Stir Fry December 17th - Swiss Steak December 23rd - Citrus Pan Seared Tuna December 24th - Garlic Leg of Lamb December 30th - Lemon Pepper Trout December 31st - Seafood or Chicken Pot Pie CAFÉ HOURS: 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday thru Thursday CLOSED – Wednesday and OPEN – 9 AM – 8 PM Friday and Saturday CABINS & RV PARK: Open Daily Year Round El Morro RV Park, Cabins & Ancient Way Café

elmorro-nm.com • elmorrorv@yahoo.com • 505-783-4612

Near mile marker 46 on Hwy 53, one mile east of El Morro National Monument Entrance

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I consider myself a realist (some may say pessimist) and it’s not my first inclination to dream or think big. I take things step-bystep, considering the details and limitations. However, from time to time, it’s great fun to answer the question: What if?

Everyone can and should dream. It’s fun and exciting and ignites something within. Some can dream alone; others create best in a group, with ideas bouncing around, activating new parts of the brain. I dream when I tell a story to my kids or with my husband in the car on a road trip when we try to envision our future.

I remember a school project that I was assigned in the third grade.

Using graph paper, we had to design a dream classroom. There was a list of required items to incorporate, like a certain number of desks, a blackboard, a door and windows, etc., but for the most part, we were free to create our ideal learning environment.

I drew a reading nook with pillows and blankets, a computer station (special and rare in those days), a bathroom and sink, an area with cages and aquariums for all the animals we would keep, comfortable chairs and sofas, a greenhouse connected to the classroom . . . It was a fun assignment, obviously, I still remember it twenty-some years later.

The really neat thing is that I walk into my daughter’s school now and see many of these ideas put into practice in actual classrooms!

Kids grew up, became teachers, and didn’t forget their dreams!

2011 is coming to a close and 2012 is on the horizon. Start dreaming! The bigger, the better!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! H.H.

Gallup Journey Magazine 505.722.3399 202 east hill avenue gallup, nm 87301 www.gallupjourney.com gallupjourney@yahoo.com

Thanks To:

God Our Advertisers Our Writers Ken Biornstad José the Nurse Dianne the Nurse Grail the Nurse Dr. Benavidez Dr. Guimaraes Dr. Gutierrez Dr. Kim Keith and Pat Bulthuis Linda van Asselt-King Starla Willis Tom Robinson Shopping Locally buy.build.believe

Editors Nate & Heather Haveman Chuck & Jenny Van Drunen Illustrator Andy Stravers

Features

8 Work in Beauty Murals 10 Mining, Men. 13 Gallup Giving 14 Learning to Harvest the Sun 16 Little Sister of the Poor 18 Lost Mining Towns of Gallup 28 Peace Corps Fellow in Gallup 32 A Christmas Story 38 Midwives: With Women 44 Best of Gallup Survey

Other Stuff

4 Thoughts 30 El Morro Theatre Schedule 34 IZZIT?!

41 Sudoku 48 G-Town 51 ArtsCrawl Schedule 51 News from Care 66 52 Community Calendar 54 Opinion Poll 56 People Reading Journey 62 This Is My Job

Columns

20 Driving Impressions 22 West by Southwest 24 Rounding the Four Corners 26 8 Questions 36 Adventures in Parenting 42 Money & You 46 Lit Crit Lite

December 2011: Volume 8, Issue 12

This publication is distributed with the understanding that the information presented is from many sources, for which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to accuracy, originality, or completeness. It is distributed with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in making product endorsements, recommending health care or treatments, providing instruction, or recommending that any reader participate in any activity or behavior described in the publication. The opinions of the contributors to this publication belong to them and do not reflect the opinions of the editors or publishers.

Roxanne

Kevin Beane Erin Bulow Ernie Bulow Greg Cavanaugh Sanjay Choudhrie Sue Cote Patricia Darak Steve Heil Larry Larason Brett Newberry Madge Newcomb Shirley Newcomb Deer Roberts Fowler Roberts Be Sargent Andy Stravers Mervyn Tilden Chuck Van Drunen Seth Weidenaar Betsy Windisch

December Cover by Chuck Van Drunen

All Rights Reserved. No articles, photos, illustrations, advertisements, or design elements may be used without expressed written permission from the publisher, Gallup Journey Inc.

Melissa

Contributors

This Photo by Dan Van De Riet, Sunrise and Bird

GALLUP Bachelor & Graduate Programs It’s advisement time for Spring 2012 Now’s the time to plan for next semester.

Melissa and Roxanne can help you plan your Spring 2012 schedule and stay on track for your degree.

Call or stop by today!

Calvin Hall, Rm 228 • 8am - 5pm • Monday - Friday Appointments are recommended; walk-ins always welcome.

Academic Advisors Roxanne Trujillo Melissa Collings-Yazzie

863-7613

mcolling@unm.edu Dec 2011: Gallup Journey

863-7554

rtrujill@gallup.unm.edu

believe • gallup

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Western New Mexico University Gallup Graduate Studies Center

Spring 2011 Course Schedule Course Cancellation-The university reserves the right to cancel courses not selected by an adequate number of students or not suitably staffed by qualified faculty.

CRN

CODE

COURSE TITLE

REGULAR REGISTRATION

20888 EDUC444 Professional Writing 1/11/2012 - 5/9/2012 W 21045 EDUC545 Professional Writing 1/11/2012 - 5/9/2012 W 20669 PSY505 Psychology of Learning 1/11/2012 - 4/25/2012 W 20644 EDUC503 Action Research 1/11, 1/25, 2/15, 3/7, 3/28, 4/11, 4/25 W

MA-EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP 20616 EDL520 Curriculum, Instruction, and Program Leadership (Web Enhanced: online begins 1/10 & face to face 1/19), 1/10-1/16 (online),

2/2-2/8 (online), 3/1-3/7 (online) 4/5-4/11 (online), 1/19, 1/26, 2/9, 2/16, 3/8, 3/22, 4/12, 4/26 R

1/10-1/16 (online), 1/25-2/13 (online), 2/22-3/5 (online), 3/21-4/9 (online), 1/17, 1/24, 2/14, 2/21, 3/6, 3/20, 4/10, 4/17 T

20620

EDL525

Education in a Pluralistic Society (Web Enhanced: online begins 1/10 & face to face 1/17),

TIMES CR 5-7pm 5-7pm 5-8:pm 5-8pm

3 3 3 1--3

INSTR.

RM

5-9pm

3

Dr. Linda Hoy

E

Kari Heil Kari Heil Gail DeYoung Dr. Melinda Salazar

5-9pm 3 Martha Gomez 20622 EDL560 Legal Aspects of Education 1/11/2012 to 5/3/2012 W 5:30-8:15 3 Dr. Jauregui 20626 EDL582 Advanced Internship in Educational Leadership 1/12--2/2--3/1, 3/29--4/19 R 5-9pm 3 Dr. Linda Hoy

MA-COUNSELING 21046 COUN523 Psychopathology & Psychodiagnostics 1/12/2012 -5/3/2012 R 5-8pm 3 Dr. Martha Brisky 21047 C0UN532 Program Development and Management 1/10/2012- 4/24/2012 T 5-8pm 3 Dr. Elaine Jordan 21050 COUN525 Child and Adolescent Development and Counseling 1/10/2012 - 4/24/2012 T 5:30-8:15 3 Dr. Martha Brisky 21052 COUN531 Theories and Techniques of Counseling 1/12/2012 - 4/26/2012 R 5:30-8:15 3 Dr. Michael Juda 20590 COUN581 Counseling Practicum (Nd Advisor Approval) 1/9/2012 - 4/23/2012 M 5-8pm 3 Dr. Martha Brisky 21048 COUN582 Advanced Internship in Counseling (Nd AdvrAppr.)

1/9/2012 - 4/23/2012 M 5-8pm 6 Dr. Martha Brisky

MAT-TEACHING ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY EDUCATION 21049 EDUC573 Elementary Methods and Curriculum II 1/9,23,30--2/13, 3/5,19--4/2,16,23,30 M 5-9pm 3 Dr. Melinda Salazar 20660 EDUC574 Classroom Assessment 1/10,17,24--2/7,14,21,28--3/6,20,27--4/3,10,17,24 T 5-8:30pm 3 Ron Donkersloot 20838 EDUC592 Practice Teaching-Elementary (Nd Instr. Perm) 1/12--2/2--3/1, 3/22, 4/19 R 5-9pm 1--6 Martha Gomez 20662 EDUC592 Practice Teaching -Elem. Alt Lic. (Nd Instr. Perm) 1/12--1/19--2/16--3/29--4/19 R 5-8pm 1--6 Dr. Melinda Salazar 20839 EDUC594 Practice Teaching-Secondary (Nd Instr. Perm) 1/12--2/2--3/1, 3/22, 4/19 R 5-9pm 1--6 Martha Gomez 20664 EDUC594 Practice Teaching -Sec. Alt. Lic. (Nd Instr. Perm) 1/12--1/19--2/16--3/29--4/19 R 5-8pm 1--6 Dr. Melinda Salazar 20676 RDG511 Corrective Reading Instruction 1/9/2012 - 5/10/2012 T 5:30-8:30 3 Emily Kezele

MAT-TEACHING SPECIAL EDUCATION 21051 SPED528 Curriculum and Methods in Special Education 1/11/2012 - 04/25/2012 W 5-8pm 1-3 Eva Prieto 20841 SPED541 Practice Teaching in Special Education (Nd Instr. Permission) 1/12--2/2--3/1, 3/22--4/19 R 5-9pm 1--3 Martha Gomez 20690 SPED541 Practice Teaching in Special Education Alt. Lic. 1/12--1/19--2/16--3/29, 4/19 R 5-8pm 1--3 Dr. Melinda Salazar 20693 SPED556 Culturally Diverse Exceptional Children (Web Enhanced: online begins 1/10 & face to face 1/17), 1/10-1/16 (online)

1/25-2/13 (online), 2/22-3/5 (online), 3/21-4/9 (online), 1/17, 1/24, 2/14, 2/21, 4/10, 4/17 T 5-9pm 3 Martha Gomez 20694 SPED576 Nature & Nds of Persons w/Emotional & Behavioral Disorders 1/9/2012 - 4/30/2012 M 5-8pm 1-3 M. Lindenmeyer BACHELOR OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE

20886 CJUS311 Police Administration and Management 1/9/2012 - 5/10/2012 M 6-8:45pm 3 Floyd Kezele 20887 CJUS322 Substance Abuse and Crime 1/9/2012 - 5/10/2012 W 6-8:45pm 3 Richard Malone 21063 CJUS498 Drug Trafficking in the SW 1/9/2012 - 5/10/2012 R 4-6:45pm 3 Joseph Kolb

BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK (BSW) 20003 SWK101 Introduction to Social Work 1/9/2012 - 5/7/2012 M,W.F 10-10:45am 3 Jeanine Jones 20008 SWK301 Human Behavior and the Social Environment II 1/19, 2/2, 2/16, 3/1, 3/15, 3/29, 4/12, 4/26 R 7-9:45pm 3 Jeanine Jones 20933 SWK320 Diversity in Social Work Practice 1/13/2012 - 5/11/2012 M,W,F 9-9:45am 3 Leslie Cook 20015 SWK386 Social Work Practice I 1/10/2012 - 5/8/2012 T 4-6:45pm 3 Dr. Larry Morton 20848 SWK400 Sustainable Development 1/11/2012 - 5/9/2012 W 7-9:45pm 3 Dr. Robert Rickle 20019 SWK422 Social Welfare Policy II 1/12/2012 - 5/10/2012 T,R 11-12:15 3 Dr. Robert Rickle 20024 SWK488 Social Work Practice III 1/10/2012 - 5/8/2012 T 7-9:45pm 3 Dr. Larry Morton

MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK (MSW) 20934 SWK511 Generalist Social Work Practice 1/20,21,22--2/17,18,19--3/16,17,18 F: 5-8pm, Sat: 9-4pm, Sun: 9-4pm 3 Leslie Cook 20849 SWK522 Group Dynamics in Social Work Practice 1/11/2012 - 5/9/2012 W 4-6:45pm 3 Samuel Terrazas 20042 SWK610 Social Work Administration and Supervision 1/9/2012 - 5/7/2012 M 7-9:45pm 3 Samuel Terrazas 20050 SWK630 Rural Social Welfare Policy 1/12, 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, 3/22, 4/5, 4/19, 5/3 R 7-9:45pm 3 Samuel Terrazas

LAB LAB F D

E ITV-B E D D ITVB ITVB D D E F F C F C C E F C E F C C ITVA ITVA ITVA ITVA F2FA ITVA ITVA ITVA ITVA ITVA ITVA ITVA

* dentores, Web Enhanced

Western New Mexico University – Gallup Graduate Studies Center Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) - Online & Web-Enhanced

WNMU offers an online Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the National Association of Colleges and Schools. The 36-hour program allows students to pursue graduate study in 2 to 3 disciplines. The MAIS degree is a smart way to work toward qualification as a Tier III teacher. For more information call WNMU-Gallup at 505 722-3389 for an advisement appointment or visit the WNMU web site http://www.wnmu.edu/VirtualCampus/InterdisciplinaryMasters.htm.

• Depending on the combination of disciplines, program completion can be 100 % online or a combination of online and face-to-face local courses.

• Design your own degree, select two or three areas of concentration: Bilingual Education, Criminal Justice, Educational Technology, Elementary, Secondary, English, History, Management Information Systems, Political Science, Psychology, Reading, Special Education.

505-722-3389 • 2055 State Road 602 6

http://ggsc.wnmu.edu

gallupjourney@yahoo.com

Gift Cards

make Great Stocking Stuffers!

We want to wish all of our customers a merry christmas and Happy New Year.

Thanks for your business!

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The Rocket Cafe (505) 722-8972 • 1719 S. 2nd St.

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law center P.A.

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505-722-2055 • 821 Ford Drive

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220 S. Fifth St. • Gallup, New Mexico 87301 (505) 722-2271 • www.ricoautocomplex.com

NEW MEXICO COURTS - NAVAJO NATION COURTS

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By Appointment Business Hours Monday-Friday 8:30AM-12PM & 1PM-4PM (MST)

believe • gallup

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The

Work BeautyMurals in

By Be Sargent

The Ups and Downs of Recycling in Gallup

Work of Heart Mural, lower right panel & Work of Strength Mural, lower right panel

We covered the Girl Scouts and Recycling in the June 2011 issue and now we will talk about the real movers and shakers in recycling in Gallup.

T

he Business Recyclers: left to right, Frank and Barbara Kozeliski, who, until they sold Gallup Sand and Gravel, recycled glass (see the pile of crushed glass in front of them). GS&G still recycles concrete and asphalt. Recycled concrete was used as the base course under the asphalt roadway leading to Gallup High School. Now Barbara is the principal of Gallup Catholic and Frank continues to be a concrete consultant, President of the National Pervious Concrete Pavement Association, giving troubleshooting concrete seminars. Evidently Gallup is the world headquarters for pervious concrete, which captures stormwater and allows it to seep into the ground. Frank also sells the insulated concrete forms that Chris Chavez mentioned in my last article.

Reading a paper is the late, beloved, John Zollinger, owner of the Gallup Independent, which has recycled newspapers back to their paper supplier for over 25 years. Bob Zollinger is also a committed recycler and carries on the tradition.

With wood and windows behind them, Danny and Luz Maria Rainaldi, owners of Another Man’s Treasure, have been in business for 20 years. If not for them we would be mining the landfill for the treasures that they have managed to recycle.

They know the value of old doors, moldings, bits and pieces. Danny encourages people to be on the lookout for things that are going to be thrown away.

The two friends below are Linda Popelish and Betsy Windisch, now into 20 some years of struggling to get Gallup to get serious about recycling. Persuaded by the artist, Betsy is holding the optimistic sign ZERO WASTE IN 2020.

Our own Octavia Fellin brought awareness to recycling in Gallup in 1988. Out of this, McKinley Citizens’ Recycling Council was born, and taxexempt status was achieved.

Betsy Windisch, sometimes president and sometimes not, and Linda Popelish, treasurer or secretary, have shepherded MCRC through an ongoing series of ups and downs.

UP: Drop-offs at Albertsons, Wal-Mart, Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital.

DOWN: Cessation of drop-off areas.

UP: Local recycler transported recyclables to Zuni (ZEE – Zuni Entrepreneurial Enterprise), from there taken to Albuquerque.

DOWN: Prices drop so that is no longer viable.

UP: Gallup Sand & Gravel (GS&G) takes glass. (Not any more.)

UP: Mayor Bob Rosebrough institutes collection of “Outlaw Glass.”

UP: Rainbow Recycling Center (RRC) opens. Gallup Solid Waste Dept. cooperates by hauling glass to GS&G. (Not any more.)

DOWN: Program to give restaurants free glass pick-up fails.

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DOWN: RRC closed, due to its monumental pile of plastic deemed unsightly when really it was a tribute to the enthusiasm shown by the citizenry.

UP: Jim Harlin offers to take paper and cardboard at the Community Pantry and John Shaw from McKinley Paper (now Bio-PAPPEL) provides baler.

UP: Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) grant makes it possible to hire Betsy Windisch as a Recycling Coordinator (ends 12/11).

UP: A new Recycling Center at the transfer station on Hasler Valley is open Monday-Saturday, 8 am - 4:30 pm. Now accepting plastic #1 and #2 BOTTLES only, aluminum, steel cans, mixed paper, and more.

DOWN: Many people feel it is too far to go.

I interviewed Betsy and she had this to say: “First of all we must have enlightened leadership and the commitment from government for sustainable recycling. We have tried as a volunteer organization to educate and raise awareness. It has been difficult. Volunteers and, even my position as a Recycling Coordinator on the two-year CARE grant, did not come with authority to make things happen. The grant provided time for education, communication, and awareness-raising through presentations, workshops, newspaper articles, and more.”

In spite of the McKinley Citizens’ Recycling Council members feeling like they were often the “voice crying in the wilderness,” they provided expertise in the area of recycling to the residents of Gallup and McKinley County for over twenty years. Their efforts have resulted in the diversion of thousands of tons of solid waste from our regional landfill.

MCRC as a grassroots citizens’ advocacy and education group see their position as the liaison between the public, local government, and the Solid

Waste Authority. The public is serious about recycling and they want their elected and paid officials to be serious about it, too! The City and County have representation on the Solid Waste Authority Board, but they may not realize how important recycling is to their constituency.

An understanding of the impact of recycling on energy reduction, cost savings, job creation, is critical. This is a quality of life and tourism issue, as well.

Betsy gets calls daily from citizens asking what and where they can recycle. New people coming to town are often in shock that more recycling opportunities aren’t visible and available. Experts have said that three dollars per household per month should pay for curbside recycling. Grants to assist with a Pay-As-YouThrow program are available and would benefit our community.

Betsy recalls one mayor, years ago, “The then-MCRC-president and I went to talk to him. He said, ‘I think it’s just great that you are doing this recycling.’ And we’re thinking, yeah right, we are just 15 volunteers, we need your help, mayor.” Government officials will need to educate themselves about the importance of a recycling program for our community. The New Mexico Recycling Coalition, with whom MCRC has collaborated for twenty years, provides expertise to cities and communities throughout the state.

Here’s where we are right now. Stimulus money awarded to the City has provided the NWNM Regional Solid Waste Authority (Red Rocks Landfill in Thoreau) with a horizontal baler. The bigger picture is, New Mexico got stimulus money, and New Mexico Environment Dept. (NMED) and New Mexico Recycling Coalition (NMRC) said let’s put out grants for rural communities to up their recycling. That stimulus money was divided among ten different communities. Each one of those communities received a horizontal baler and some of the infrastructure to go with it.

So ours has been delivered and installed. It will bale plastic, newspaper, mixed paper, aluminum and steel cans. These bales will be combined with recyclables from all over the state and sent to market. The City or SWA will then receive a check for their share depending on market price of the item, and if, and only if, the items are properly cleaned, sorted, and baled.

Recycling is a multi-million dollar business. Gallup and McKinley County, with informed and committed leadership, can get their share of the “recycling pie.”

The metal recyclers in this town hung in there during this last recession. All over the country companies were downsizing, going out of business, or merging. None of ours did. That meant people who were out of work went scavenging in the arroyos, hauled out all kinds of metal and took it to the recyclers so they could have some money. So it is in our blood . . .

Shown above in the bottom right panel of Work of Strength, Hilda Kendall, of the Community Food Pantry, driving her forklift, moving bales of cardboard that will be sent to Bio-PAPPEL, formerly McKinley Paper, in Prewitt. This used cardboard will be turned into beautiful rolls of brown paper, such as the one below Hilda, being rolled by Don Hyde who kindly consented to pose.

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By Deer Roberts

Mining, Men. When that white hat was boss it was the best time they remember in their whole careers.

H

is eyes still mist up some twenty plus years later at the recall. All the workers at the mill had a different color hat so you could tell a mill mechanic from an electrician. He had just been hired in as a “white hat.” White hats were administration and the ‘Bosses,’ which, in many cases, were to be feared.

It was 1989. ASARCO had just taken over the Kennecott mining operations in Ray, Arizona.

Morale was transitionally low. The unknown abounded. The fellas on the maintenance team had already been notified that they weren’t to play their traditional game of horseshoes on their halfhour lunch . . . which was supposed to be their own time. No one knew what the new game was.

The first day he walked in, John Mitchell, a boilermaker welder, spit in front of his shoes quipping, “Ah, fresh meat.” He knew he had to take them all under his wing, yet make his stand. It was going to be dicey. “The whistle’s blown. Get to work.”

Mitchell dove for his work. It was the end of August.

Thanksgiving came and Joe Smith, another boiler-maker, and a quiet soft-spoken man, showed up in his office. When Joe spoke, he was the type of guy to whom you listened. “Ah . . . well . . . we’re used to having a potluck, come Thanksgiving.

We’re, ah, afraid of trying it this year, but we’d sure like to.” He was worried. The new company was watching everyone. The crew was terrified to do anything in fear of being fired. All they wanted was to cook some steaks, have pintos and tortillas and make it a good group gathering for that half hour lunch. “Let me think about it,” was all the new white hat responded.

After a bit of thought, the new boss told

10 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

Joe and another worker he had a job for them up at “D” pond. He drove them up. “Gather as much mesquite as you can in the back of the truck.”

They were going to have a Thanksgiving lunch.

One man was assigned to cook the steaks before lunch. When the lunch whistle blew they all sat down within the traditional holiday of gratefulness.

The steaks were an inch thick, the beans so good when eaten with the tortillas. Satisfaction abounded. The new boss, welcomed.

The incident stayed with the maintenance boss. After some thought, he decided a ‘safety meeting’ was in order. Groaning, the guys trekked into the meeting. The new boss turned off his radio and took the phone off the hook. Out of a box he took a cake he had baked and placed it in front of one of the workers, Tommy Bryce.

“Happy Birthday, Tommy,” he announced. “It’s your job to cut the cake.” Tommy was handed the knife to slice and distribute the cake. Tommy choked, eyes stinging. “No one has ever done this for me.” “Well, then. Don’t you think it’s about time they did,” was the gruff rejoinder. Twenty minutes later the head bosses were wondering why they couldn’t get the new boss on the radio, but the guys were feeling well covered. Safety meetings became a tradition, come department birthdays.

Since it was the holiday season the new boss decided to do something to give those guys the recognition they deserved. Taking a photo he had made of the team, he placed an ad in the local papers wishing the general community a Happy New Year from the employees of the ASARCO boiler, garage and machine shops of the Ray Unit Concentrator. Then he forgot about it.

It was a bit of time before he got the call.

The General Manager of the 1600-employee mine

wanted him up at the office, IMMEDIATELY. Oh, God! What did I do? When he walked in, there was the BIG BOSS with the newspaper laid out in front of him. He remembered the ad. This is it, he thought, I’m going to be fired. “You do this?” asked the General Manager. “Yes, sir, I did.” “Why?” “Well, these are the best skilled craftsmen I’ve ever worked with. I wanted to recognize them.” The General Manager sat there a minute. SILENCE. Then, “Okay. You can go.”

Stunned, he walked back to his own office. He hadn’t really considered that placing the ad could compromise his own job, but it had.

This was going to take some getting used to. On his desk sat an unfamiliar envelope. When he opened it, a cascade of ones and fives filtered out.

No message. He asked the men, “What’s all this about?” “YOU know,” was the only response.

Apparently, someone had called up the newspaper to find who had placed the ad. The crew was reimbursing, equalizing the investment . . . and not in money. It was the new white hat’s turn to feel his eyes stinging.

Today, if you speak to anyone still alive from that crew (half are now gone), now retired, they’ll tell you when that white hat was boss it was the best time they remember in their whole careers.

Recently, on a trip back to Ray, seeing that boss’s old truck and hardhat brought folks in looking for him, decades later.

It was the best of times for their boss, as well. Tough times can define a man. These were men who had identified him as such, and he them.

No greater acknowledgement between men could have been. Respect; bonded. They were all the best. In their hearts, they remember. Being of one heart, in hard times, is a timeless bond.

Earn a dEgrEE from Unm closE to homE! ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT • Bachelor of Business Administration

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION • Master of Public Administration

COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES • Bachelor of Arts in Communication

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE • Bachelor of Science • Dental Hygiene • Radiologic Sciences • Medical Laboratory Sciences

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION • Bachelor of Science • Elementary Education • Early Childhood & Multicultural Education (ECME) • Technology and Training (OLIT) • Master of Arts • Elementary Education (K-8 Licensure option) • Secondary Education (7-12 Licensure option) • Educational Leadership • Organizational Learning & Instructional Technology (OLIT)

COLLEGE OF NURSING • RN to BSN Completion • Master of Science in Nursing • PhD in Nursing SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING • Master of Science • Electrical & Computer Engineering UNIVERSITY COLLEGE • Bachelor of University Studies

rEgIstEr noW for sPrIng 2012 choose from classes in these subject areas: Africana Studies American Studies Anthropology Architecture Astronomy Biology Civil Engineering Chemistry Chinese Chemical & Nuclear Engineering Communication & Journalism

Classical Studies Comparative Literature Counseling Community & Regional Planning Computer Science Dental Hygiene Electrical & Computer Engineering Early Childhood Multicultural Education Educational Leadership Educational Psychology

Visit us on the web at

Education Educational Media / Library Sciences Emergency Medical Services English French Family Studies Geography Health Education History Health Science Interdisciplinary Film & Digital Media Latin Linguistics

Language, Literacy & Sociocultural Studies Media Arts Mathematics Mechanical Engineering Medical Laboratory Sciences Management Math, Science, and Educational Technology Music Native American Studies Nursing Nutrition Navajo

Organizational Learning & Instructional Technology Public Administration Philosophy Political Science Psychology Physical Therapy Radiologic Sciences Religion Russian Speech & Hearing Sciences Sociology Spanish Special Education UNM Honors Program

gallupbgp.unm.edu

believe • gallup

11

Gallup Cultural Center

Open 8am - 4pm • 201 E. Highway 66

Thursday, December 15 at 6:30 pm Indian Hills 5th Grade Poetry Slam, in the Masters Gallery upstairs.

Original poetry and some of your favorites. Refreshments provided.

The public is encouraged to attend.

Saturday December 17 at 6:30 PM Classical Christmas, performances by Jason Winfield, Native Flutist Vince Redhouse accompanied by students from St. Michaels Indian School, and more. Admission is a donation of non-perishable food items for the local food pantry. Light refreshments provided.

Saturday, December 3 at 12 noon Awards ceremony for Children’s Art Scholarship Contest. Public welcome light refreshments provided.

Lavender Murphy K-6

*BEST IN SHOW*



Patrick Platero

Last Year’s Winners

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Grade 9-10

Tyler Begay Special Ed

Mindy O’Kee Grade 11-12

Sarah Scott Grade 7-8

by H. Haveman

Gallup Giving Gallup’s many charitable organizations are active throughout the year providing support and spreading hope to people in need. As we head toward winter, however, the cold weather and holidays present even greater obstacles to many children, adults and families in our community.

Below is a list of just some of the organizations in Gallup that are giving food, shelter, clothing, and education to those who are lacking such things. They have voiced some of their specific needs, but donations of any kind are greatly appreciated! If you are able this holiday season, please give of your time, talents and wealth!

Photo by Artotem

Battered Families Services, Inc. provides comprehensive services to those that experience domestic violence. Services include shelter, transitional housing, parenting classes, anger management, legal services and individual counseling.

Battered Families Services is located at 1500 S. Second St. Suite B. For more information, call 722-6389 or visit www.batteredfamiliesservices.org.

Hands of Hope Pregnancy Center is a faith-based organization that

Accepting donations of non-perishable food items.

Care 66 is a nonprofit organization “Creating Opportunities to End Homelessness” in Gallup. Care 66 is located at 2407 East Boyd Avenue in Building 11, off of Boardman. For more information, call 722-0066 or visit care66.org.

In need of winter wear – soft gloves, beanie hats, coats and hygiene items – toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.

Catholic Charities of Gallup, Inc. is a social service organization that

provides compassionate, respectful and just assistance and service to everyone, especially the poor and vulnerable. It upholds the social teachings of the Church and advocates for social justice. Catholic Charities is located at 506 W. Highway 66. For more information, call 722-5272 or visit catholiccharitiesgallup.com.

Always in need of disposable diapers of any size and wipes.

Little Sisters of the Poor is a non-profit organization that serves the elderly

poor and creates a loving home where people of all religions feel like family and are treated with dignity and respect. Little Sisters of the Poor is located at 1900 Mark Avenue. For more information, call 863-6894 or visit littlesistersofthepoorgallup. org.

In great need of paper products – paper cups, napkins, paper plates, plastic wear, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

Manuelito Navajo Children’s Home is a childcare facility and school

operated by the Gallup Church of Christ. Services include 24-hour residential care of children and the Gallup Christian School, for children kindergarten thru 12th grade. Manuelito Navajo Children’s Home is located at Campus at 12 Theta Accepting donations of winter wear – hats, gloves, hooded sweatshirts, Street, off Hwy. 66, west of Gallup. For more information, call 863-5530 or visit etc., new toys for the Christmas store, and ANY FOOD items. www.mnch.org.

The Community Pantry is a non-profit organization that strives to

acquire and distribute wholesome food to children, the elderly, and families in need in Gallup and McKinley County. The Community Pantry is located at 1130 East Hasler Valley Road. For more information, call 726-8068 or visit thecommunitypantry.org.

Accepting donations of ANY FOOD items; e.g. stuffing mix, instant mashed potatoes, pie filling, canned items, etc.

Gallup-McKinley County Humane Society is a non-profit organization that works hard to help the abandoned and abused animals of McKinley County and other areas around Gallup. The Humane Society is located at 315B Hamilton Road off of Hwy. 491. For more information, call 863-2616 or visit www.petfinder.com/shelters/NM64.html.

upholds the sanctity of human life by providing support and encouragement to those facing the challenges of unplanned pregnancy. Hands of Hope is located at 120 S. Boardman Ave. For more information, call 722-7125 or visit handsofhopegallup.com.

Greatest needs include cleaning supplies, puppy and cat food, cat litter, and puppy toys.

Needs include paper products (Kleenex, toilet paper, etc.), canned goods (soup, flour, cooking oil, etc.), household items (laundry detergent, trash bags, ink cartridges, etc.), labels (Box Tops, Campbell’s soup, Tyson Project A+).

The Salvation Army is a faith-based service organization that is a total

ministry for the total person. The Army cooperates with churches of all denominations to meet the needs of the community. The traditional red kettle is an integral part of the Christmas scene, with millions of dollars donated each year to aid needy families, seniors, and the homeless, in keeping with the spirit of the season. The Salvation Army is run through Catholic Charities of Gallup. For more information or to volunteer, call 722-5272 ext. 102.

In great need of volunteer bell ringers during weekends in December.

believe • gallup 13

Restored Solar hot air collector finds a new home at Work in Beauty house, the meeting place of Gallup Solar.

UNM students install solar hot water collectors on a home in the Wildcat Springs area of the Navajo Reservation.

UNM Gallup Green Building class proudly displays their newly rebuilt solar collector.

Learning to Harvest the

Sun

By Kevin Beane

Through projects like the collaboration with UNM Gallup, Gallup Solar is helping to meet current and future energy needs with clean, renewable solar energy.

14

gallupjourney@yahoo.com

G

allup Solar and the Green Building class taught by Chris Chavez at UNM Gallup recently joined forces to refurbish a solar hot air heating system in Gallup. The solar heating system, like many others installed in Gallup in the 1970s, was in need of repair and maintenance. The system was no longer properly functioning and was donated to Gallup Solar by local resident Theresa Diaz, who was interested in seeing the solar heating system put to good use.

The donated solar collector was removed from its rooftop perch and brought to UNM Gallup where students repaired the collector by removing and replacing the glazing, and repainting the absorber plate. The restored solar panel was then installed on the Work in Beauty house in Gallup, the meeting place of Gallup Solar. A new fan was installed, the electronic controller reused, and the rebuilt system now supplies solar-powered heat to the home on cold sunny days.

The collaboration with UNM Gallup is part of an ongoing effort by Gallup Solar to provide skills-based training and education in the solar energy field. Through projects like the collaboration with UNM Gallup, Gallup

Solar is helping build Gallup and McKinley County’s capacity to meet current and future energy needs with clean, renewable solar energy. A skilled workforce is an important component in ensuring valuable local jobs in the growing renewable energy field.

Last May students from UNM Gallup’s Green Building class assisted with the installation of a Photovoltaic (solar electric) system on a Habitat for Humanity home in Gallup and, most recently, the class assisted in the installation of a solar hot water-based heating system on the home of Leonard Tom in the Wildcat Springs area of the Navajo Nation.

Gallup Solar is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing solar energy to Gallup and McKinley County. For information about how to go solar, how to evaluate or refurbish an existing solar hot air heating system, or if you would like to make a tax deductible donation of a system that you are no longer using, please email outreach@ gallupsolar.org. For more information about Gallup Solar, please visit our website at www. gallupsolar.org.

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believe • gallup 15

The Family at Villa Guadalupe

Saint Jeanne Jugan, foundress of Little Sisters of the Poor.

by H. Haveman

Sister Gonzague oversees admissions and development at Villa Guadalupe.

O

Villa Guadalupe, home to fifty elderly residents and eight Little Sisters of the Poor.

n a quiet road, tucked between neighborhoods, is a place you may never have noticed. It’s a sprawling structure, built on a hill among the juniper trees, with breathtaking views of the red rocks east of town. Though you may never have visited, you are invited to, for this is Villa Guadalupe, a home to fifty elderly residents and the eight Little Sisters of the Poor who care for them. And they love visitors!

The First Little Sister Jeanne Jugan was born in Cancale, a small seaport in northwestern France, in 1792. She was the sixth of eight children whom her mother raised alone after her father died. As a young woman, Jeanne turned down a marriage proposal, telling her mother, “God wants me for himself. He is keeping me for a work which is not known . . .” Jeanne left home and worked in a hospital as a nurse’s aide for six years, then went to work for an elderly woman in her home, who considered her more of a friend than a maid. The two women shared the Catholic faith and visited and cared for many of the poor people in town until the elderly friend passed away.

In 1839, Jeanne took in a blind and infirm elderly woman, giving up her own bed, in order to care for her. Shortly after, another person was taken in. Two friends assisted Jeanne in caring for them. This was the humble beginning of a great work for which Jeanne Jugan would later be canonized a Saint (October 11, 2009).

Today there are 202 homes in 32 countries where the Little Sisters provide care for the elderly poor.

gallupjourney@yahoo.com

Today, fifty residents, men and women of many ethnic and faith backgrounds, make up the “family” at Villa Guadalupe. The home is an assisted living facility, not a nursing home, where residents can participate in a number of program and activities throughout the day. A staff of fifty employees, supervised by the Little Sisters, helps ensure their comfort and health. Sister Gonzague, who oversees admissions and development, among other things, said, “This is the residents’ home.

Our life revolves around theirs.”

They commit themselves exclusively to the service of the elderly poor . . . based on love and respect.

The mission of Little Sisters of the Poor and Jeanne’s spirituality are best described in her own words: “It is a great grace that God has given you in calling you to serve the poor . . . Making the elderly happy – that is what counts!” Jeanne died in 1879 at the age of 86, but her devotion to showing hospitality to the aged and unfortunate continued to grow.

16

Villa Guadalupe A small group of Little Sister foundresses came to the missionary diocese of Gallup on December 11, 1983 – the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe – at the request of Bishop Jerome J. Hastrich, who was concerned about the many elderly poor in the area. Establishing the home, called Villa Guadalupe, presented many challenges, including navigating the muddy, winter roads on the Reservation in order to bring food and water to the elderly Navajos and learning about the Navajo culture and language. However, within a year, Villa Guadalupe was home to seven elderly residents. In spring 1989 a new structure was completed to accommodate more residents and in 2000 twelve independent living apartments were added.

After speaking with Sister Gonzague about the residents, the staff, and the needs at Villa Guadalupe, she suggested that I return the following day to visit with and photograph some of the residents. When I came back, it was lunchtime and I found my way to the dining hall. Though I was interrupting their lunch, toting an ominous looking camera, I was greeted with smiles and even invited to sit down and grab a plate of enchiladas.

Some residents allowed me to take their photos while they ate; some even invited me to chat, while others looked too involved in their lunch or companions or the beautiful view from the cafeteria windows. One woman began telling me about her years as a volunteer and now resident at Villa Guadalupe. “You couldn’t live in a nicer place,” she remarked.

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Downtown Gallup 211 W. Coal • 505 726-9100 beemanjewelrydesign.com on love and respect, as well. They continue to rely on donations of food, commodities and money to help offset their operating costs. Never having accepted a perpetual or permanent form of income, according to St. Jeanne Jugan’s wishes, the Little Sisters of the Poor have never had to close a home because of lack of funds!

Their devout faith and trust in God’s provision has resulted in important bonds with local markets and nonprofits and supporters around the world.

The Little Sisters of the Poor have cared deeply for the elderly poor around the world for more than 170 years, Villa Guadalupe residents, Emerson DeGroat, Bertha Todd and Jean Tillian (left to right). yet they provide a relevant example for our society today. By 2030 one in five Americans will be elderly. In a Be Blessed society that is tragically unprepared for After visiting with the residents, I was pleasantly greeted by a couple of long-term the aging population, the Little Sisters help to emphasize the value of advancing age volunteers who have traveled here for five consecutive years from Show Low, AZ and the contribution that elderly can make through wisdom and experience gained to serve. Cathy and Darrell couldn’t say enough about the life and youth that throughout their lives. they absorb from being at the home and working with the residents. Volunteers are always needed and welcomed, announced Mary Smallcanyon, the volunteer Truly, Villa Guadalupe is a blessing to the residents who live there, but the blessing coordinator at Villa Guadalupe. “It’s a small place, but it’s a big place, too,” she said is reciprocated and experienced by all who spend time with these dear men and with a laugh. “There’s always something to do here.” And there’s something for women. everyone who has a bit of extra time, from yard work, helping with arts and crafts, and laundry, to food prep, visiting or taking a walk with the residents.

For more information on Little Sisters of the Poor or to volunteer at Villa Guadalupe, call (505) 863-6894 or visit www.littlesistersofthepoorgallup.org.

The congregation of Little Sisters throughout the world holds firmly to the example of hospitality and the tradition of begging that was demonstrated by Saint Jeanne Jugan. They commit themselves exclusively to the service of the elderly poor, not only in taking care of their basic physical needs, but in forming relationships based

believe • gallup 17

A Brief History of Lost Mining Towns near Gallup

By Mervyn Tilden Tilden is a Diné (Navajo) photojournalist who has written for local and regional newspapers since 1992. He is a life-long activist, documentary producer, archivist and media bug who enjoys political commentary, real-time event news feeds, family life, nature hikes and exploration of the past.

American Coal Company plant, Gallup, New Mexico, circa 1920.

W

hen I first began my extra-long walks, inadvertently coming upon the ruins of another time and places, it was like walking through a ghost town where human life once thrived and celebrated but was now desolate. The portals of time opened up and I came upon unknown remnants, only later to discover through much research and interviews what the object or building was and its purpose at the time.

There are homes in ruins out there and there are also burial sites, which must be respected at all times. With that I wonder what the last thoughts of the inhabitants were when they foresaw the coming end and made a mass exodus, taking everything with them.

Then Gallup made its debut.

The coal industry provided a substantial amount of income to the state in the form of taxes and royalties and Gallup is in a strategic location in regards to the construction of the early railroads that moved people and material resources across the nation. Sixteen railroads were in service to New Mexico mines between 1880 and 1963.

During World War I and II the railroads and mines were crucial. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 every able-bodied man went to war except the Japanese immigrants who provided the manpower to mine the coal and supply

18 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

the area with electricity.

It’s quite different when you hear those, who were children back then, speak the living history than when you read about it somewhere. There once were trails blazed but were abandoned and the high road to the unknown that was taken with adventure and discovery in mind now scarcely remains in the minds of a few. But it is left in the touching of the object or structure of the past. Standing in the place where others once stood. Observing what they saw.

timers talk about the old times. I knew some of the people so that is what made it interesting,” Williams recollected. “We need to document this and get it all on record before it is lost.”

The community of Gibson was developed following the discovery of the Gallup Mine in 1882; John Gibson was the mine superintendent and namesake of the town. Gibson had a hotel, company

The road that was taken with adventure and discovery now scarcely remains in the minds of a few.

According to Bruce Williams, owner of Cowboy Auto Sales, at one time Gamerco was bigger than Gallup and many of its residents were affluent.

“It had a tennis court, swimming pool, racquet ball court, baseball field (where Navajo Tractor is presently located), streets with names and numbers for the houses.

“My family were strictly Indian traders but I remember sitting at the table and listening to the old

store, hospital, meat market, Catholic church and a school. By 1919, there were 1,200 people living there. The closing of older mines and the decreased demand for coal in the late 1940s erased Gibson from the map. The railroad that went up Gibson Valley was dismantled and reused because of the scarcity of metal during WWII.

“It was a big community and had electric

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96% of Gallup Catholic High School students make Santa’s Nice List.

Applause broke out among student body when the news of great grades for the entire high-school was announced this November.

46 of the 48 students earned grades of C or higher in every single subject. This achievement came at great cost as students have worked hard to earn such consistently high marks.

The class-work for students this year is rigorous. In order to help students achieve good grades, a new policy requires any student pulling lower than a C in any subject to attend after school tutoring proctored by one of the teachers.

In addition to good grades Gallup Catholic Students have excelled in extracurricular activities such as Volleyball, Swimming, Soccer, Dance, Leadership Training and Drama this school year.

Gauging from the affirmative cheers of the GCHS student body, it appears that these young men and women are receiving more than just a quality education but also a sense of accomplishment for a job well done.

What a great way to start Cathedral-Gallup Catholic’s Centennial Year!

Gallup Catholic High School and water. There was a big railroad running through the valley,” said retired librarian Octavia Fellin. “A lot of houses, too, but the jail is the only real structure left.” Fellin added, “My father was a mining contractor and he helped build the underpinnings of the claims that became the Navajo and Weaver mines and later, The American Coal Company in Gamerco. He worked there for 30 years and my mother was a nurse at Gibson hospital.”

Although the structure at the Gibson mine site, mentioned by Fellin, is described as a powder shack (where all the explosives for mining were kept) in many historical accounts, all those interviewed said it was definitely used as a jail. On some weekends there would be eight to ten guys in there for disorderly conduct.

There was a mule barn by present-day Navajo Shopping Center. The mules were used to assist the miners and pull up the coal carts from the mine along with the underground hoists. Some said they knew when it was quitting time on Fridays; they would just stop pulling the coal carts and start braying.

Today there are mines still open but most are sealed and concealed quite well. Frank Trujillo, Chief Appraiser for the McKinley County Assessor’s Office, recalled the mines that were near his neighborhood. “We used to play in them (coal mines) when we were kids and get in the coal cars. We even used to explore the tunnels until a kid got lost and they were closed up.”

Johnny Espinosa remembered that when he was a child only the coal separator building was there, where they also burned slack. “I was ten years old when we moved from there; there were two camps at the time – the Heaton and Weaver mine camps – and two houses out there along with the hoist house, which was used to pull out coal. They were covering all the mineshafts and air shafts.

Old structure thought to be that of the Gibson powder shack / jail.

The Weaver and Navajo mines caught fire; one is still burning and you can see the smoke in the winter time.”

Through the exploration of my neighborhood hills and valleys I have been fortunate to let the ruins of former towns and communities be a teacher and educate me about the history of the people that once lived here.

The areas and ruins described in this article are remote and potentially dangerous. Do not attempt to find them. The author did so at his own risk and shares his findings here.

believe • gallup 19

Driving Impressions: 2012 Ford Focus

Text and photo

by Greg Cavanaugh

Fool Don’t You letthe n a m e

T

he new Focus is so much better than the old model that Ford might have been wise to give it an entirely different name. Being a completely new vehicle though, it’s not without a few pre-season jitters.

The domestic automakers have been working hard to take back command of the small car market from the Asian imports. The domestic competition is namely between the new Focus and the new Chevy Cruze. Having never driven a Cruze I can’t make any comparisons between the two. Having driven the Focus for several days I can say, without doubt, that Ford didn’t pull any punches in this fight!

Much like the new Fiesta I drove last fall, I continue to make the argument that small cars are not just for Europe and that these are the types of vehicles most of America SHOULD be driving. The American penchant for superfluously oversized vehicles has numbed our senses to tolerate lifeless steering, slow reflexes, wallowy and uncontrolled body motions and poor maneuverability – all traits that the good folks at Ford worked to avoid in the new Focus, and it worked.

Small cars are so much more fun to drive and the Focus is a strong example! The Focus is not a hassle to park; it darts in and out of parking lots with little effort and makes your everyday errands so much less of a chore.

20 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

The steering and suspension combination is, without a doubt, the defining character of the Focus. The steering feels connected. If you remember the last time you drove a go-kart and the way the steering just seemed so instant and communicative, that’s the Focus’s steering. It’s so quick that when I was waiting to turn right with my blinker on, my hand relaxed just enough to turn the wheel only the slightest bit . . . and the blinker turned off! The suspension reinforces the steering’s intentions. While a few roads around Gallup were slightly rough for the Focus’s modest suspension travel, and it certainly would beat you up a bit on the Reservation’s rough dirt and gravel washboards, for the most part, as a city car, it does its job amicably.

The powertrain is designed for economy. Using Ford’s 2.0-liter Duratec with 160 hp and 146 lb-ft. of torque, the engine is smooth, particularly for a 4-cylinder, and returns excellent fuel economy of 28 mpg city and 38 mpg highway. The engine could use a bit more torque to keep the transmission from having to hold the lower gears longer on hills, but overall it suits the purpose of the car and the easy revving nature adds to the innate sportiness of the Focus.

So what are those jitters?

Small cars are so much more fun to drive and the Focus is a strong example!

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Firstly, while this is simply a packaging issue, I managed to test drive a car that had both the tech-laden Sync system and heated seats – but no cruise control. I didn’t even know you could get cars without cruise control anymore.

The Focus’s integration of technology is superb. There are several different screens available in the dash that relay a variety of information, most notably, a cool “driving score” that helps a driver determine which parts of their driving habits are most affecting their economy. And I’m still a big fan of Ford’s Sync system, whether in this base form or the higher end MyFord Touch. However, the ergonomics as a whole need some work. The heated seat dials are clearly an afterthought and appear almost as aftermarket modifications; they are behind the cup holders in the center console and under the center armrest. Weird. Also, the center dash-mounted lock button, while not solely a problem of the Focus, makes it a real pain to unlock the doors for others or to lock the doors if the fob is already in your pocket.

Lastly, and here’s the big one, the dual-clutch automatic transmission needs some work. So much so that I went online and did a little research to find out if maybe I had gotten a fluke example . . . not the case. While a couple of things I read stated that after about 1,000 miles or so the transmission came into its own, I found it confusing. At low speeds it was often slow to shift or felt like it was hunting for gears for no apparent reason. Downshifts were similar; often I was waiting for the tranny to shift and wondered if I had somehow accidentally knocked the gear level into 1st or 2nd. The upside is that the automatic pulls like a manual at higher speeds, with none of the torque converter mush of a typical automatic transmission.

Frankly, the new Ford Focus is much more of a world car than the previous generation and its nice to finally get the same basic architecture, handling characteristics and overall spirit as the Europeans are getting. Whether or not Americans as a whole are going to subscribe to those is the million-dollar question – one I’m hoping, for the sake of American drivers everywhere, that the answer to which will finally be yes.

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believe • gallup

21

‘BIG INDIAN’

AND THE CASA DEL NAVAJO

G

allup owns way more than its fair and proper share of characters and crazy stories. Bordertown, railroad stop, mining center, frontier outpost – even though Native Americans and historic Hispanic families dominate the citizenry, certainly in sheer numbers, even the “Anglo” element has been composed largely of immigrants and outcasts.

According to tradition, B. I. Staples, the most looming of local figures for a time, was carried into New Mexico on a stretcher – literally. He was so weak he couldn’t even knock on Death’s door. Staples, born in Vermont, had been a successful businessman in the East and seemed to have plenty of money, but he wasn’t expected to live to spend it.

From his arrival in 1912 Staples’s life is the stuff of legend. When the high desert air had put life back in the gangly, somewhat effete Easterner, he immediately began to reinvent himself as the quintessential “local.” His given name was Berton (a rare few friends may have called him Bert), but he always went in public by B. I. and C. N. Cotton, once said his initials stood for “Big Indian” and is supposed to have remarked that, “Staples knows more about Indians than they know about themselves.”

That’s the sort of assertion that always makes me flinch, but Staples became an almost instant authority on the Red Man, and spent half of each year touring the East with a small contingent of Navajos, giving speeches and demonstrations. His troupe of weavers, silversmiths and medicine men varied over the years.

Somewhere between 1924 and 1926 (there are lots of versions of his story) he started construction on one of the most remarkable buildings in the area. He called his tiny “trading post” Crafts del Navajo and the sprawling “hotel” and museum joined to it was known as Casa del Navajo. It was supposedly designed after the original Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe and would eventually feature three rooms of an ample twenty-five by fifty feet, and they became the living room, rug room and museum. There was also a post office on the premises. Surrounding two well-planted courtyards, with viga-ed porticos, and more than one hundred exterior doors, the building was nearly two hundred feet long and seventy deep. The place sported eleven fireplaces, which burned a lot of piñon in the winter.

The Gallup area boasts nearly as many nearby ghost towns as ghosts – with at least twelve place-names in the Zuni Mountains and almost that many scattered over the coal fields just north of town. Staples built his dream house in a town that lasted just over fifty years – a goodly stretch by local standards.

It started out as Bacon Spring, was renamed Crane (later Crane’s Station), then

22 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

Coolidge for a railroad official. It was renamed Dewey and then Guam (which may have been the name of a nearby village). When Staples showed up he renamed it Coolidge, for the American President, not the railroad magnate.

A cluster of buildings that made up Bacon Springs pre-existed the railroad and was apparently a hotbed of sin – serving the needs, liquid and otherwise of the Fort Wingate soldiers just a few miles away. Big brown beer bottles are still found where they were discarded along the trail in Wingate Valley.

By 1882 the new railroad had built what amounted to a division point, which included a roundhouse, water tank, coal chute, eating house and other facilities.

It was only a few years before Gallup got the facility moved a few miles farther west.

The legend of B. I Staples begins with his miraculous recovery and grows considerably with his kindness to an unfortunate Navajo boy. Somewhere in Colorado, Berton happened to be handy when the Indian lad was run over by the train and lost both his legs. The train workers didn’t even notice and went on down the tracks. Staples gave the boy what comfort and aid he could. It didn’t do the young man much good and he died anyway.

But the skinny Easterner (his nickname was Chizzy Nez – Tall Stick) had won the respect and affection of the boy’s father, a powerful medicine man who immediately wanted to make Staples a blood brother. The initiation ceremony lasted nine days and nights (the length of a major chantway) and drew a crowd of nearly two thousand Navajos.

Staples’s out-of-pocket costs must have been formidable.

According to a Vermont news article, Berton was only the third white man to ever receive the honor of Navajo citizenship.

The same news article quotes Mr. Staples: “The Tribe believed I was born a Navajo, but had been retained in the East by the Palefaces and they had taken me into their tribe because I was a good fighter.” He clearly believed the story himself.

B. I. went to work for the A. B. McGaffey lumber enterprise in Thoreau, but shortly opened his own Indian store. Staples was soon caught up with promoting Indian arts and crafts and is said to have paid higher prices to artists who were willing to do superior or more complex work. As a Republican and a Mason, Staples rose quickly in the Gallup business society.

He held various offices in the fledgling Ceremonial organization and only retired as its president a short time before his death. He was obviously a man of taste (one story has him designing clothes in New York City) and he is associated with one of the most important Navajo weavings in history.

In the late 1880s Lorenzo Hubbell had either commissioned or simply purchased a giant two-faced rug, a uniquely Navajo product. The design on each side is completely different, not just reversed like the twilled saddle blanket, or a Pendleton. The huge rug is seen hanging in the background of the famous photo

West by

Southwest

By Ernie Bulow photo by Erin Bulow

of Hubbell inspecting a large weaving in front of his Ganado store.

Lorenzo owed his former partner, C. N. Cotton, a lot of money at one point and the weaving passed to him in Gallup. It was in the possession of Staples when an early writer on Navajo blankets described and photographed the piece. His “museum” – he called it the Wayside Museum of Archeology – got international attention during the period and famous folks flocked to what was promoted as an oasis of culture in the Southwest desert.

Staples’s guests may have been paying customers, but his guestbook was as richly autographed as the one at Hubbell’s as writers, artists, photographers, archeologists, ethnologists and people famous for being famous trooped through. Several books were written there, including Erna Fergusson’s classic Dancing Gods.

Anna Ickes, the wife of Roosevelt’s notorious Secretary of the Interior, Harold Ickes, had her own personal hogan on the Casa del Navajo property and spent summers there, writing her famous book Mesa Land: The History and Romance of the American Southwest. Another resident writer, Gouverneur Morris (author of many books and several films, as well as short stories in major magazines) stayed on with the Newcombs when they took over the place and became a virtual member of the family.

When the United Indian Traders Association was organized in 1931, Staples became the first president and served in that position for the rest of his life. His wife Rebecca died in 1937 and Berton followed in less than a year.

They had two adopted children. Staples’s car went off the road into a thirty-foot deep arroyo. There were rumors that Staples wasn’t able to get past the death of his wife and the car wreck that killed him might not have been an accident.

This is unlikely because he had his pet dog and a Navajo hitchhiker in the car with him.

Pallbearers and honorary pallbearers included a who’s who of Indian arts, and most of the prominent men in Gallup. Secretary of Interior Harold

Staples’s life is the stuff of legend.

Ickes and Indian Commissioner John Collier both sent moving tributes for Staples. Both men had known B. I. before rising to prominent positions in the government.

Soon after Staples’s death the Casa del Navajo was purchased by Charlie and Madge Newcomb who had been traders at Naschitti, Crystal, Prewitt and elsewhere. Famous guests continued to find a congenial welcome in Coolidge and Joel McCrea was one of many actors who starred in a movie in the area.

The film, Colorado Territory, co-starred Virginia Mayo. The only change that needed to be made to the set was signage, the building was perfect.

John Havens, the son of Gallup photographer Pete Havens, made some excellent drawings and ground plans of the rancho which give a better picture of the place than any photo was able to capture (see drawing at left). Pete and John are members of the extended Newcomb family.

There were several fires over the years (eleven fireplaces might contribute to that), but the whole place tragically burned down in 1955. Not long before the fire, the Newcombs had sold the place to Hazel Prewitt. The town of Prewitt was named for her brother-in-law. Fire was apparently in Hazel’s destiny – she died a few years later in a blaze she had started accidentally while smoking in bed.

When Casa del Navajo went up in smoke the town of Coolidge was already long gone and Shirley Newcomb Kelsey says there is hardly a mark to show where it once stood. Luckily, Shirley and her father were avid photographers and the magnificent place is well documented.

CORRECTION Zuni Housing employee Linda Luna caught a couple of errors in the piece last month on the Zuni Housing Fair. The crowd was served oven bread as part of the traditional meal, no tortillas. More importantly, I gave credit to Costco for the wonderful generosity of the local Wal-Mart and I apologize.

B.I. Staples: The Big Indian toured the East with his Navajo friends.

(Photos courtesy of Shirley Newcomb)

believe • gallup

23

Food of the Ancients?

Anasazi Stir Fry H

An All-American, One-Dish Dinner

umans are natural foragers. In early times we might have gone exploring in the woods and returned home with a basketful of berries and a pretty rock. Today we explore at WalMart or Family Dollar and return home with bags of stuff we don’t always need. A book published in 1962, Stalking the Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons, promoted foraging for wild food. This book, and others by the same author, proved very popular and are still in print.

Although he grew up in Texas and New Mexico, the wild foods he wrote about were mostly found in the eastern parts of the country. And Gibbons’s list of plants included some that were not native to North America. For example, he recommended day lilies, which in some climates may escape cultivation and go wild. I did learn some things from Gibbons. I tried putting cattail buds in pancakes. Once was enough! But I found that cattail shoots could fit right in many of the dishes on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. And he introduced me to Jerusalem artichokes, a native sunflower relative that makes edible tubers, which can be peeled and sliced to add some crunch to a salad. If you find them in a grocery they will likely be labeled “sunchokes.”

24 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

In the early 1960s, when his books came out, I lived in Phoenix, so I didn’t have much luck finding anything that Gibbons wrote about. But I had foraged for wild foods before. When I was growing up in northwestern Oklahoma, almost every year in early July my mother would take me and my sisters to gather sand hill plums, which grew in thickets hither and yon in that part of the world. We almost always had a supply of wild plum jelly at our house. I wish they grew around here, because that jelly is the best I ever tasted. One time we found fox grapes growing along a creek and made jelly from those, as well. While living in the Southwest my wife and I have tried two or three times to make prickly pear jelly; we never got it to jell, but the result made beautifully colored pancake syrup.

I’ve gathered other wild foods including persimmons and walnuts. One fall, while in college with a tight budget, we found a stand of hickory trees in a state park in Oklahoma and collected a bag of nuts. They were the most difficult nuts I’ve ever tried to get out of the shell, but they produced the best chocolate chip cookies ever. A cost-benefit analysis might show that hickory nuts are almost worth the trouble of

By Larry Larason

Nowadays, I do my foraging at Safeway or Albertsons. But the Ancients ate many of the same foods we eat today.

harvesting for their superb flavor.

Want to eat something like the Ancient Puebloans might have eaten? I don’t mean forage for your dinner. Not now, in December.

Nowadays, I do my foraging at Safeway or Albertsons. But the Ancients ate many of the same foods we eat today. The three staples of the agricultural tribes were corn, beans, and squash. This trio is sometimes called “the three sisters.” I’ve always been a fan of oneskillet meals. We can add some meat and onion to the three sisters to make a good one-dish dinner.

I apologize for the title of this piece. Of course the Anasazi didn’t do stir fry. But that got your attention, didn’t it? And if a time traveler had gone back to their time and presented them with skillets or woks, I’m sure they would have learned how to stir fry in no time. Here’s my take on this.

Meats:

The Ancients had a choice of venison and elk. If their rock art is any indication, they also were fond of mountain sheep. They also ate rabbit, quail, and other small game. To be moderately authentic you should look for ground buffalo at the grocery. If you find it, fine; otherwise, substitute hamburger. I can’t tell much difference between red meats of whatever source.

Squash:

We’ll use summer squash for this dish. I prefer the yellow, crookneck. When I was a kid I remember that these had a very mild, gourd-like under flavor. I think it has been bred out of modern cultivars, but I miss it.

The Anasazi may not have grown this particular squash, but it was certainly grown by other agricultural tribes in what is now the U.S. They may have dried and stored it for future use. Don’t slice it too thin.

Tomatoes:

I’m not sure if tomatoes had spread to the Southwest in pre-Columbian times, but they are definitely American in origin.

Lacking tomatoes the local Ancients might have used tomatillos. The ones picked off wolfberry bushes might substitute for tomatoes. Seeds of these fruits have been found in archaeological sites all across the Four Corners, and today the plants grow around so many of the ruins and sites that archaeologists believe they were popular with the ancient inhabitants. Interestingly, these fruits are closely related to the goji berries that are currently a focus of interest for herbal medicine fans. Cost-benefit analysis says go buy a tomato at the grocery store and slice it into wedges.

Onion, chopped:

Seasonality is the problem for all huntergatherer people. North America has many species of wild onions, but they come up in the spring, bloom, and then the leaves and stalks dry up and blow away. After that there is no indication of where the bulb lies in the soil. Did the ancients harvest and store onions for later use? Maybe. In any case, wild onions are quite small. Go buy a baseball sized one at the grocer

Corn:

This time of year you will have to buy canned corn, or maybe frozen. Or you could use hominy.

Actually, I consider corn and beans to be optional in this recipe.

Beans:

Obviously, you want precooked beans for this recipe. I suggest pintos, or, if you are cooking them yourself, try Anasazi beans, which cook faster than others, although they are more expensive.

Brown the hamburger and onions till the onions are translucent.

If the meat was fatty, you may want to drain it before you toss in the other ingredients. Now I have a confession: cooking red meat without garlic is a sin in my opinion, so I would shake some garlic salt over this dish while it cooks. Gibbons indicates that some wild onions taste like garlic, so adding it is not a major violation of the idea of a Pueblo-type dish. Stir and fry until the tomatoes have gone runny and the squash is limp. You could cheat by sprinkling some grated cheese on each serving. Or you could throw in some authentic food stuffs like juniper berries or sunflower seeds. In the spring add dock leaves for something green.

You may have noticed that I didn’t specify quantities. The proportion of ingredients is not crucial. Use your own judgment of how much you want to prepare and how much of each ingredient you want.

The Ancients could only procure plant foods when they were in season. Our modern food network is a wonderment, supplying fresh produce year round. Appreciate our bounty, and enjoy a Merry Christmas.

believe • gallup

25

8 7 65

Questions

43

2

26 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

For

By Fowler Roberts

Tom Robinson

Red Rock Balloon Rally Board Member

Q. What got you interested in serving with the Red Rock Balloon Rally?

A. Well, it was sort of a natural extension of being a pilot. I started taking lessons with Peter Procopio in 1988 and bought a balloon. The natural thing to do was to join the association and help out with the rally.

Q. What do you enjoy most about your affiliation with the rally?

A. I enjoy the camaraderie. It’s a small, very tight group that puts on the rally.

We’re all volunteers and we’re very close and work very well together. It’s a hectic time but it’s very enjoyable.

Q. What is the biggest challenge?

A. The biggest challenge for me is finding time. I’m very busy with my office and practice and sometimes I just have to tell my receptionist: “Block off next Thursday afternoon. I have some balloon rally stuff to do.”

Q. With regard to the sport of hot air balloon in general, what trends do you see nationwide?

A. Well, I think that the biggest thing we are seeing is fewer and fewer balloonists and the ones that are out there flying are getting grayer and grayer. Some rallies are dwindling as a result of that.

Q. What do you foresee in terms of the future of the Red Rock Balloon Rally?

A. We are better off than most rallies because this is a very popular rally with great flying conditions and scenery. We are still able to attract lots of pilots. I think in the future you will see us drawing people from wider and wider areas to our rally using social media and the Internet to advertise.

Q. What do you enjoy doing during the little off time that you have?

A. Well, when I’m not ballooning, I enjoy gardening, hiking and being outdoors.

I also like reading. I’m enjoying my Kindle.

Q. What is your favorite book or author?

A. I like history and I recently finished Shelby Foote’s Civil War trilogy and really enjoyed that. It gave me more of an appreciation of what that era was about.

Q. If you could trade places with one famous person, who would it be and why?

A. I would like to be a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The idea of using your skills and abilities to overcome danger and adversity and then be rewarded with discovery and adventure – that’s very appealing. (smiles) It’s like ballooning.

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believe • gallup

27

Peace Corps & Gallup:

By Sue Cote

-Peace Corps Volunteer 2002-2004 -Gallup school teacher since 2004

E

very now and then, something will send me back. The smell of mutton, finding piñon shells on the floor, sandstorms, double rainbows, sunlight hitting the hills. But mostly, it’s the kids. Somehow, the kids in Gallup have the same sparkly, mischievous grins that stole my heart in northern Mongolia, in a region of the world most know simply as “Siberia.” I was mesmerized by that country the moment I first read about it filling out my Peace Corps application in 2001, and I fell in love with the children the moment I stepped off the plane a year later.

Mongolia is wild and wide open, covered with scrub grasses and wildflowers. The north is dense forest and deep glacial lakes, the south is home to the Govi Desert (a redundant name if ever there was one – “Govi” actually means desert in Mongolian). The sky is bright blue and cloudless by day, flooded with stars at night, and horses, yaks, sheep, and even camels graze the land with no apparent boundaries. In the northern mountains a small indigenous group of Tsaatan people survive the extreme winters in canvas teepees with a single hearth fire, herding, riding and even milking domesticated reindeer. In the Altai Mountains of the west, ethnic Kazakhs hunt wolves from horseback using trained eagles.

how to bring that simpler lifestyle back to the U.S. when I was done.

I began my application (a year-long process) and wrote in Mongolia as my first choice, based on its peaceful politics, wide open spaces, horsemanship (boys begin riding in the traditional 10- to 20-mile races at the age of four), but mostly its absence of the sweltering heat that plagues so many of the tropical Peace Corps posts.

My ‘straight-line’ engineering personality began to become flexible in how I saw the world.

There are just under three million souls living in Mongolia, an area five times the size of New Mexico. It‘s the most sparsely populated country on earth (4.5 people/sq. mi.) and when I moved there in 2002 the average “professional” made around $50 a month.

There are only a handful of cities with decent jobs, however, and most people get by on a fraction of that.

When my cousin (who often works in China) heard I’d applied to spend two years in central Asia, he was incredulous. “You know the Chinese are dirt poor, but the Mongolians – they can’t even afford dirt. What’re you thinking?”

Bewilderment was the reaction from most of my friends, with my favorite response from the late great Mitch Mason, who bellowed his amazement in a deep Georgian accent, “Mon-GO-lia? Mon-GO-LIA??!!” Even my own family had no idea why I’d willingly give up the comfortable lifestyle of New Hampshire and the well-paid engineering job I’d worked so hard for to travel 10,000 miles and live in comparable poverty on $4.28 a day. I had my reasons.

?

Why Peace Corps

To see the world (in a well-supported program where my parents needn’t worry about me). To live a simpler life (among people who’ve done so for thousands of years). To be a little adventurous (but with a safety net of American-style doctors and even an evacuation plan in the event of trouble). To become a teacher, in a part of the world where I might actually feel needed. And maybe even make a difference.

Despite everyone doing their best to talk me into staying, I knew Peace Corps was the best way to break free of the “golden handcuffs” that held me tight to an unsatisfying career. I could leave the rat race behind and live among people who have managed to get by, even be happy getting by, with far less. My success would no longer be judged by my possessions, and maybe I could learn

28 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

Mongolia is famous as having the coldest capital in the world (Ulaan Baatar) and being the birthplace of Ghengis Khan (his actual name was Chinngis Xhan). Temperatures average -20°F in winter but can climb to 100°F in summer, even north of the Govi.

A third of the population is still considered nomadic, living in round felt-covered “gers” and moving their family encampments up to four times per year based on the availability of grazing land.

Occasionally, driving through the Navajo Nation will send me back. The homesteads and dirt roads could easily be those I saw on the other side of the world. Both nomadic Mongols and those living in villages (in wooden houses and semi-permanent gers) survive quite efficiently despite the poverty, adverse climate, sporadic electricity and general lack of running water. Some have access to a hand-dug well in their or their neighbor’s yard, but often quite close to an equally shallow outhouse. Others, even those in long-established towns, trek up to a mile each way to a local river or watering hole, chopping through ice half the year to haul buckets all the way home, Jack and Jill style. Mongolia has never had much water (it’s even drier than New Mexico) but is rich in copper, turquoise, and silver.

Somehow, I made it. From 2002 to 2004 I lived in the city of Erdenet, population 70,000 (the third largest in the country) and taught English at, guess what, an engineering school. I had done my training in a tiny pictorial “soum” about an hour south of the Russian border and hoped to stay, but Uncle Sam had other plans for me. Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) get their teaching feet wet in a short summer class with a small group of students. My students came to apply fully dressed in their Disney Princess best. Huge white bows in their hair and frilly tulle skirts. Forget the fact they haven’t had a full bath since the river was last warm and swimmable, Mongolians took school seriously and dressed to impress their teacher.

Mongolians overall take education very seriously, perhaps a trait instilled by the Soviets. Mongolian mothers typically give up their careers when children start school, and when youngsters come home in the afternoon, mothers spend the

This Feels Like Mongolia All Over Again!

next three to five hours poring over homework with them, drilling math facts, penmanship, and reading.

I loved that summer school class, and I mostly enjoyed teaching the engineering students in my charge for the two years that followed. We had some cultural differences (a few felt they could skip half the semester and show up with a small bribe on the last day and still pass; I felt they actually had to come to class and do the work to pass), but I learned far more than I taught. Mostly I learned about tolerance and acceptance, and understanding that people’s value systems are based on the way they were raised, and had little to do with how I was raised. I learned to get by with less, to appreciate what others had to offer, and to cherish people’s gifts and strengths. Finally, my “straight-line” engineering personality began to become flexible in how I saw the world.

Yes, I was pickpocketed (six times). Yes, I was harassed. Yes, it was intensely difficult being so isolated and it was tough to make friends. Yes, many Mongols assumed I was there proselytizing for Christianity (“Are you a Christ?” I was often asked). And yes, it was hard to discern exactly what was going on at any point in time since I wasn’t fluent in the nuances of the language. But I learned how to go with the flow, and not let the small stuff get me down.

?

From Mongolia to Gallup

At the time I was applying to grad school, there were only three P.C. fellowship programs offering candidates a degree in Elementary Ed. while teaching fulltime. I knew I wanted to work with young children, I wanted to teach math, and I wanted to be in a rural location. I applied to all three : NAU (which closed its program as soon as I applied), Columbia University (not exactly rural), and Western N.M. University’s Gallup Graduate Studies Center.

I chose well. WNMU has received national recognition for its excellence in multi-cultural education programs, and it’s the only N.M. teacher preparation program to earn NCATE (National Council of Teacher Education) accreditation without provision last year. It has a strong core of professors with backgrounds in rural education who have each taught in area schools for many years. And it is a solid partner to the NMPED, bringing in college grads committed to becoming strongly qualified teachers.

I worked full-time for three years (if you call the 60 hours a week new teachers put in “full” time), first at Juan de Oñate then at Gallup Mid, attending school nights and weekends, learning pedagogy and strategies in class and applying them in my classroom the very next day. It was tough. It was insanely tough.

It pushed me even harder than Dartmouth’s engineering program in so many ways and I got so much more out of it. My WNMU education has enabled me to meet the challenges we all face in our schools. It has helped me create a wealth of instructional and assessment strategies, it has helped me see the

children in my classroom and their families as individuals deserving of my respect and advocacy, it has helped me become patient and keep my eye on the prize. Mostly it has helped me continue to work hard as I and my colleagues are barraged with statistics and news stories about how our schools are failing to prepare our children and how teachers need to improve what they’re doing in the classroom.

Teachers are doing a good job in Gallup, and around the country. We’re working harder and harder every year, and there‘s actually very little room for improvement (unless you consider the acquisition of magical powers an improvement). The teachers I know show up to school at 7 a.m., leave around 5 p.m., work like crazy all day and bring work home every night and weekend.

We care about each and every child under our care, and we bend over backwards coming up with creative ways to reach and teach each one of them.

Still, students are bombing the state test year after year. Despite its “levels of proficiency,” the test is mostly a pass-fail assessment tool and although I would love my students to pass, it is not the tool by which I measure their (or my) success. Bill Richardson left New Mexico’s schools with the “toughest standards in the country,” and hence the toughest test to pass. Either students can correctly decipher and navigate the language-laden, multi-step word problems to choose the one correct answer to satisfy the test authors, or they fail.

The test is not what I look at. I would be thrilled if each of my students failed the state test but did leave my classroom knowing basic multiplication, division, fractions, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills. I would be ecstatic to be out of a job at UNM where I teach remedial math to adults, performing at about the same level as my sixth graders. If each and every child came to school with a pencil and a full stomach, and didn’t need to worry about the drama in the hallway, on the school bus, or in their neighborhood.

If each child showed up in sixth grade following eleven years of being wellrested, well-nourished (i.e., not eating Hot Cheetos two meals a day), and well-read to from birth, was self-disciplined enough to treat others’ belongings with care and not disrupt class by shooting spit wads at the ceiling, knew the importance of respecting and tolerating others, and valued the promise of education, our jobs would be easy. That would feel like magic.

My family and friends still question my career choice, but I’m sticking it out.

Things need to change, and I’m staying in Gallup because I feel our children deserve a fair chance. It’s not their fault they’re failing. But they need to be included as part of the solution. They need to value education – just because it’s in my value system doesn’t mean I can easily transfer it to them.

I’m staying in Gallup because I see hope here, every day, in the eyes and smiles of the children I teach. I love this town. I see promise. A little bit at a time, I see hope that all of our kids will succeed.

Believe • Gallup

29

ElDecember Morro Theatre Schedule

www.elmorrotheatre.com

No Kids matinees for the month of December. We will resume in January 2012. Happy Holidays!

Saturday, December 3 Show Time: 7pm City of Gallup, Lodgers Tax, Gallup BID and Native Stars present: Waymore’s Outlaws in Concert Opening Group: Knifewing and Tribal Jam Admission: Advanced: $15/person Reserved(limited): $20 At The Door: $25 Tickets On Sale at The El Morro Theatre M-F 9am-6pm Waymore’s Outlaws consist of former members of Waylon Jennings recording and touring band.

The Waylors, featuring Richie Albright, Waylon’s original drummer, bassman Jerry “Jigger” Bridges and steel guitarist Fred Newell. Lead guitarist and singer Tommy Townsend adds to their mix of Outlaw music keeping the spirit of Waylon and his music alive today.

Monday, December 5 Show Time: 8pm Doors Open: 7pm Documentary Film Screening: Eight Murders A Day Admission: FREE The documentary is about the Mexican Drug War and its impact on Juarez.

Director/Producer: Charlie Minn and Joe Kolb will have a mini panel after the film to answer questions about the documentary.

Friday, December 9 Show Time: 6:30pm En Croix Dance & Mentorship Program of The Stronghold Church present: The Nutcracker Time: 6:30 pm (Doors open at 6:00 pm & will close at 6:35pm) Admission: FREE! (Tickets are on a first come, first served basis)

30 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

Saturday, December 10 Show Time: 7pm The 3rd Annual “Noche De Recuerdos con Antonio Reyna

Featuring: Antonio Reyna, Mariachi Raices de America, Trio Los Amigos, Ballet En Fuego de Frances Lujan and Rocio “Chio” Ramos.

Admission: $15/person Tickets available at Millennium Media (upstairs above Wells Fargo Bank) or At The Door day of the show.

For more information please call (505) 238-4555 Friday, December 16 Show Time: 7pm Native Comedy All-Stars Featuring 7 comics: 49 Laughs Comedy-James Junes, Ernie Tsosie, Tatanka Means, Pax Harvey and Adrianne Chalepah and from PowWow Comedy Jam-Marc Yaffee and Vaughn Eaglebear.

Admission: $15/person Tickets available at Cash Cow and At The Door day of the show beginning at 5pm.

Saturday, December 17 Show Times: 2pm and 6:30pm Gallup Firefighters Annual Christmas Show Come join the Gallup Firefighters for a day and evening of magic, dance and fun with Craig Davis and Company.

Advanced Tickets: Adults: $9.00 Children 12 and under: $8.00 At The Door: Adults: $10.00 Children 12 and under: $9.00 For more information and to purchase tickets please call (505) 859-7620 Saturday, December 24 No Kids Matinee Today.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Saturday, December 31 No Kids Matinee Today.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Short Story

1. Each story must be no more than 750 words.

2. Each story must be typed and emailed to gallupjourney@ yahoo.com with your name and mailing address.

3. One entry per person.

Poetry

1. Each poem must be typed and emailed to gallupjourney@yahoo.com with your name and mailing address.

2. One entry per person.

Photos

1. Please submit your photos via email (gallupjourney@ yahoo.com), bring a disc to the gallup journey office (202 east hill avenue), or bring the photo to our office to be scanned.

2. No limit on the number of photos that can be submitted, but please include your name and mailing address. submissions due by monday, december 5, 2011. send short stories, poems, and digital photos to us at gallupjourney@yahoo.com or drop a disc off at our office (202 east hill avenue)

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Equal Housing Opportunity

31

A Christmas Dinner fo

For days the snow had been falling in great dreamy flakes and our outside world was one of silence. The roads themselves, so lately bare and worn deep with the crunching, creaking wheels of countless wagons could only be guessed at from the general contours of the land.

Inside all was warmth and coziness. Our house was of log and adobe and was filled with the pleasant scent and sound of crackling cedar and piñon logs heaped in the fireplaces.

The little girls wondered how Santa ever found our remote trading post – and their own tree and stocking-hung fireplace – in the midst of so much snow.

The aroma of turkey roasting and all the other goodly smells of a Christmas feast were ours to savor. The children, our Indian maid, Mary Peshlakai, and I were enjoying everything. Especially the fragrance of the candle-lit piñon tree, so lately a living part of the lovely Chuska Mountains just east of us.

Our home was at a trading post, high in the mountain country, sixty miles northwest of Gallup, New Mexico, the trading center for most of the Navajo Indians and traders for miles around. The source of all our supplies hauled to us on wagons drawn by four Indian ponies – tough, wiry little animals.

We had large warehouses and all fall the Indians, with their freight outfits, went back and forth from town bringing in quantities of the many items – chiefly sugar, flour, coffee, bacon and lard – which seemed indispensable to the winter’s needs.

Before the flocks of sheep and herds of cattle were moved from the mountain over into the desert country for the winter’s grazing, we bought from the Indians several whole mutton and three or four beeves. Thus our warehouses were crammed and we could watch the high-piled snow very calmly and with pleasure. We were like a little island community with everything necessary for life’s sustenance at hand, including a cow and many chickens.

Our family consisted of my husband and myself and our two little girls. Then we had living with us a young white man, Walter, who clerked in the store. In the house, Mary, our Navajo girl, helped me.

In this valley where we lived, many Navajo families stayed during the winter. None of them lived closer than a mile to us. Our nearest white neighbors were at Fort Defiance, twenty-five miles away. The roads, never very good, were usually impassable in winter. On our first Christmas at Crystal, in 1919, we felt the distance between there and our family and friends in Iowa to be especially vast. Then came a happy thought! Why not have our friends, the Navajos, come for a Christmas dinner!

Over a hundred came for that first dinner although we had scarcely expected so many.

Illustration by Ernest Franklin

32 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

We had ordered bread and cakes from Gallup. I had baked many large pans of beans, roasted many huge rounds of beef, boiled huge quantities of potatoes and onions together – so we were able to take care of all who came. It was a gay and happy festival and we felt that the Spirit of Christmas and the Grace of God had truly blessed our home.

The next Christmas was much the same except that several came with gifts for us and the number mounted to one hundred and seventy-five!

Now came our third year at Crystal, with its deep snow that made the landscape like a thickly frosted cake with only the pine trees standing high above it all like candles. Never did we imagine our Navajo friends braving such weather for a dinner – so none was prepared.

So, on this snow-bound day there came the jingle of the bell that connected the house and store. I asked Mary to hurry over and see what was wanted. She returned, her face ashine with laughter. Then, giggling so she could hardly speak, she told me the store was full of our Navajo friends who had come for their Christmas dinner! It was unbelievable. I rushed to the store to see for myself.

The store was full of Navajos. As I stepped inside I was greeted with mingled cries of joy and relief. “Chahlah Asun!

Chahlah Asun!” (Charlie’s wife) and scolding from one and all because I had come out in the cold and snow with a thin, sleeveless dress, bare head, satin shoes and no coat!

It was all very well for Charlie to have given them their customary Christmas treats – sacks of candy, nuts, cookies, raisins, oranges and apples, which for the moment they had appreciated until they heard there was to be no Christmas dinner. Now a monstrous injustice was about to be righted.

Here was “Younger Sister” and she would see that everything was all right. She was their friend. She wanted them to have “Clismas” dinner. Glances of scorn were directed at their erstwhile friend, “Chahlah,” who had said there would be none.

Hungry Man (most aptly named) was their spokesman. We had first known him when we lived in the desert country. Now, with several others, he had come through the snow-piledmountain pass to be with us.

A long ride, they had broken their own trail. Afoot the greater part of the way, they stumbled and plowed along while the horses wallowed through steep and dangerous banks on the narrow trail – or took rabbit-like jumps to carry them over drifts piled treacherously high.

So – Hungry Man went on – Chahlah must be a liar, a great liar (bi oh

What would y planned on a suddenly fou for miles arou

or the Navajos

By Madge Newcomb

chee tho i yei), to say their Younger Sister had no dinner for them. All of them knew she had one the year before. She had one two years before. Surely there was much food for them at the house now! Surely Younger Sister had dinner for them. Chahlah was nothing less than a monster to try to deceive them this way. They waited for my answer.

What would you do if you had not planned on a Christmas party and suddenly found that your neighbors for miles around had come – through deep snow and in biting cold – with the trustful expectation of sharing Christmas dinner with you?

I told them, “Yes, yes, there will be a Christmas dinner for you,” and stood there shivering at my own temerity – or maybe I only shivered in the blast of a fresh breeze as the store door opened to admit five more guests.

As it was now ten o’clock, I began to wonder what we would have for dinner. True, there was turkey roasting in the oven, but in those days the

you do if you had not a Christmas Party and und that your neighbors und had come?

Navajos ate no poultry of any kind, having either an aversion to or a taboo against it.

Of course, with my promise of dinner, they all settled down to a nice, jolly, laughing time in the store, happily munching from their sacks of goodies so lately scorned. My husband and Walter started sawing and cutting mutton into small chunks for me to cook. I dashed home with my apron filled with boxes of jello and raisins, and cans of pineapple and peaches. I was almost afraid to tell Mary the news, for I was now wondering how she would bear up under it.

Her face wreathed in smiles and sounds of delighted planning issued from her lips. “Shoo shoo, yahte (fine or good), Mrs. Newcomb. Oohooh, bah do beeg a dah (not enough bread). Biscuits, dahtse (maybe)? I make biscuits.” And could she make them!

Tell me truly, now, did you ever have a maid who would exclaim with pleasure at the thought of thirty-nine extra for dinner? At least that was the count when I left the store. We had to get busy.

By this time the meat had been brought over and we filled the top of our large range with kettles of mutton. Then we peeled and cut potatoes and onions into the stew, not forgetting to add several cans of green chile.

Maybe you think our guests were getting restless. Apparently not.

They had free tobacco and their sacks of treats. They were warm. They knew I was preparing their dinner, so the wit and humor flowed freely.

Mary went over to the store to get the Arbuckle’s coffee without which no Navajo feast in those days would have been complete. When she returned she was again giggling so she could hardly tell me the joke – which was that there were many more Navajos than I had counted at ten o’clock! So then I started making dumplings to supplement the biscuits and Mary cut up more meat and vegetables for the stew.

It was always interesting to see them come in. No pushing, nor crowding. Almost shyly they entered at my invitation of “Cut chin yah gah,” literally, now, “the food.” When all who could be were seated, the rest either went back to the store or sat in our wide hallway to await their turn.

At the first Christmas dinner I had made a little talk about Christmas and what it means to us. Especially on that day was it strong in our hearts to give happiness to others and that we were now far from our own people and so

we were glad to have our friends, the Navajos, share this joyful day with us. Again, on this third Christmas with them, I repeated these thoughts.

Then one of our neighbors, Roanhorse, arose Madge and Charlie at and made a speech in return.

Snake Rock with their dogs.

He expressed the thanks of his people. It was really very touching.

The Navajos love to make speeches and, as each succeeding group of diners finished, someone of their number thanked me for the dinner and extended many good wishes to my husband, our children and me. They thanked Mary for helping prepare it and Walter, too, for his help cutting the meat.

Some of the women who had eaten at the first tables came out into the kitchen and helped with the dishes and, with so many willing hands, it was not long before we had the tables reset and the next guests seated and served.

By dark everyone had eaten and gone home – and the food as all gone, too. It was a miracle that it had lasted, but it had – right down to feeding the last little sheepherder to arrive. There had been some extra cakes, but the women who washed the dishes thought it would be nice if they took them home – so they did.

Never again did we have a surprise party like that, for always thereafter, as long as we lived on the Navajo Reservation, no matter what the state of roads and weather, we prepared for – and were never disappointed in having – many guests for our Christmas dinner for the Navajos.

About the Author In 1913 Charles Newcomb was working for the McGaffey Company in Thoreau, but he pined for Madge Pentony back in his Iowa hometown. Somehow he persuaded her to marry him and they found themselves running the lonely trading post at Naschitti, north of Gallup.

The dust, loneliness, dreadful roads and total isolation didn’t bother Madge one bit, so he moved her to an even more remote post at Crystal, which added severe winters to the other hardships. Madge loved it. All her life she took every opportunity to say how much she adored New Mexico and her many Navajo friends.

This story, in a longer form, was privately published by the family some years ago, along with others, and poetry, and observations on Reservation life. Adored husband Charlie published two barely fictionalized books based on his many years as a trader, The Smoke Hole and Throw His Saddle Out, and both of them received rave reviews.

Daughter Shirley wrote a column about life in Zuni for the Gallup Independent for many years and has had articles published in New Mexico Magazine among others. It is a family gifted with words, and central to the golden age of Navajo trading. Chee Dodge was a close friend of the family and Shirley recalls he gave her a five-dollar bill every time they met. That was about a week’s wages for a working man at the time.

Snow at Crystal Trading Post (Photos courtesy of Shirley Newcomb)

believe • gallup

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Adventures in

by Patricia Darak

Parenting

Gratitude

My baby knew how to organize my priorities for me. Homework could be done anytime, but story time and snuggle time come first.

A

s I sat at my desk, brain-deep in university coursework, my youngest daughter tiptoed out from her bedroom and peeked in the doorway.

“Mommy?”

I put down my pencil and calculator and turned, focused entirely on my should-be-sleeping-by-now angel. “Yes, darling?”

Her eyes, already large, opened wider. “I can’t sleep.

Can you read me another story?”

I gazed at her for a few seconds, then turned and shut my textbook and binder. Glancing at the clock, I realized that my looming deadline would pass me by.

“Mommy? Are you coming?”

Smiling widely, I swept her into my arms, kissed her round pink cheek, and headed toward her bedroom without further hesitation. “But of course, my princess! I was just thinking of you. How did you know that I wanted to give you another story? Is your brain magic?”

She let loose with a musical wave of giggles and hugged my neck tightly. “I love you, Momma.” She sighed, then laid her head on my shoulder. “You’re the best Momma in the whole world.”

I kissed her on the top of her golden mane and gave her another smile. “And you’re the best you in the whole world.”

After I set her down on her bed, I chose a few storybooks from her bookshelf and made my way over to my princess with the expectantly smiling little face. She pulled back the covers and invited me in to snuggle while I read to her. I slipped off my shoes and slid in next to her, then lifted the books up as she tucked in the blanket around me.

“Okay, Momma, you can start now.”

36

gallupjourney@yahoo.com

Thirty (or so) minutes, three stories, and many squeals of delight later, my princess was fast asleep with a small smile on her lips and her teddy bear clutched in her folded arms. Carefully, I leaned over to kiss her forehead and slipped out from under the covers and made my way to the door, stopping to smile down at my baby who knew how to organize my priorities for me. Homework could be done anytime, but story time and snuggle time come first.

Quietly closing her door, I made my way down the hall so that I could check on my other two sleeping angels. I stepped silently into their bedrooms and kissed them lightly on their foreheads, then closed their bedroom doors, each with the same happiness that I felt with their little sister.

Gratitude.

Making my way back to my desk, all hope of finishing my homework on time now abandoned, I sank down into my chair and closed my eyes. I wanted to think about their sleeping expressions and I did; but other thoughts intruded. Dark thought wrung from newspapers and seemingly endlessly covered accounts of children neglected, abused, abandoned, and worse, swam up from my subconscious and briefly lodged in the forefront of my mind. Horrible actions, angry people, innocent children, and every stomach-churning combination of the three made me suddenly weep, covering my face with my hands as if to shut out the thoughts and pictures coming from my own head.

When my tears subsided, I washed my face and stared at myself in the mirror.

It wasn’t just stories on the news. I had grown up with friends’ stories of welts from spankings that took weeks to heal, either at home or in the principal’s office. How had we all thought that such behavior was normal? Or even worse, justified? I shook my head and broke the painful reverie. Stop it, I told myself. Just stop it.

I went back to each of my children, now all deeply asleep, and carefully gave them kisses and snuggles, making sure not to wake them and thanking everything that was good in the world that I had been spared and that, in turn, my children would be spared. I had married a man who had the same beliefs as myself, and who cherished the children and their innocence as much as I did.

Every day we tell each other that we love each other and every day hugs and kisses and laughter are freely given and honestly felt.

Gratitude.

And hopes for the new year and all the years beyond?

I hope that my children (and their children, and their children, etc.) can and will grow up mentally, physically, creatively, and spiritually healthy and happy.

I hope that my children (and their children, and their children, etc.) can and will grow old gracefully and full of wisdom and love their family and themselves with all of their hearts.

I hope that the world grows to be a world that encourages and cherishes and holds forth opportunity, not only for my children, but for all children (and all people, for that matter).

I hope that my husband and I can share a long and loving life together, secure in the knowledge that we did our best to live our lives to the fullest.

I hope that gratitude remains a constant part of our daily thoughts and love remains the basis of our existence.

I hope that we, and everyone that we know, have a wonderful holiday and a wonderful every-other-dayof-the-year.

Gratitude.

Winner of the 2010 BID CHRISTMAS DECORATING CONTEST!

210 W Coal Ave Gallup, NM (505) 863-4101

believe • gallup

37

by H. Haveman

Midwives:

With Women, Mothers and Families

38

Some of the 2500 children that certified nurse-midwives, Linda van AsseltKing and Starla Willis (at right), have delivered in Gallup. gallupjourney@yahoo.com

I

n the final moments of childbirth, when a woman’s body experiences all the pain and fatigue and expectation that it possibly can all at once, there’s also a sense of loneliness. A realization that no one else can push this baby out, that no matter how many people are in the room or waiting by the phone, that despite what seems to be all the strength she can muster, she’s afraid that she can’t do this. All the reading, all the preparation has gone out the window. Nothing else matters in this single moment before birth. Wavering between doubt and determination, a calm, yet strong, voice breaks through the fog, “Your baby is coming. You are doing it.” With new resolve clinging to desperation, another deep breath, another push, a scream that is heard but unconsciously released, and it’s over. A new baby and a new mother are alive in the world.

This was my experience. During both my daughter’s and my son’s births, my body succeeded in doing what my mind, at the time, thought impossible. Truthfully, few thoughts were being processed at all, while muscles functioned instinctively. But in those moments of doubt, it was the voice of my midwife, Starla Willis, that I heard above all else, not telling me what to do, but assuring me of what I was already doing.

Her words gave me strength when I felt completely powerless. Immediately after delivering each of my children, pain and weakness were replaced with a lasting sense of empowerment.

Midwife, derived from Middle English, literally means “with woman.” During pregnancy and childbirth, as with any health issue, it’s good to know that someone who has experience and expertise is with you. Midwives are trained to guide women through the natural process of pregnancy and childbirth, as well as educate and give basic care to women of childbearing age. In the earliest days of American midwifery, patients living in the hills and hollows of rural Kentucky were isolated and alone.

Where roads could not be built, nurse-midwives, traveling on horseback, served as a source of healthcare and community for women and their families. Children there were taught that babies came, not from storks, but from the nurse-midwife’s saddlebag.

From the mid-1920s up until World War II began, qualified nurse-midwives worked for the Frontier Nursing Service to provide care, primarily, to mothers and children in rural Appalachia. Nurse-midwives were obtained in one of two ways: they were either trained in Great Britain or were British nurses already qualified in midwifery. When the war started, it was no longer feasible to send nurses across the Atlantic for training, so in 1939, The Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery was founded in Hyden, Kentucky.

Now called The Frontier Nursing University, it has been in continuous operation since its inception. However, in the 1980s, the traditional midwifery program became difficult to support as the local number of births decreased. So, in 1989, the nursemidwifery program was transferred to the University of New Mexico. During this time, the Community-based Nurse-midwifery Education Program (CNEP) began a pilot project with the goal of allowing nurses to remain in their communities while obtaining graduate education as nurse-midwives. It was hoped, ultimately, that the number of practicing nurse-midwives working in underserved areas would be increased. The project has been very successful and was adopted as the primary nursemidwifery education program by The Frontier Nursing University. Since 1991, CNEP has graduated over 1100 nurse-midwives, at least two of which work here in Gallup.

Starla Willis and Linda van Asselt-King are both certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) whose careers have followed similar paths. They both earned their nursing degrees during undergraduate studies, Starla in Oklahoma and Linda in Kansas. They both worked at Gallup Indian Medial Center as nurses, along with fellow RN, Jane MacDuffie, and obtained their degrees in midwifery through Frontier’s CNEP program. When the midwifery practice began at Rehoboth McKinley Health Care Services in 1998, Willis, van Asselt-King and MacDuffie were the first team of midwives hired. Sadly, Jane passed away two years later. Michele Forlines joined the practice then, and worked with Starla and Linda for ten years. (Recently, Michele has been working on the East Coast, closer to her grandson.) Over the last thirteen years, Starla and Linda have delivered 2500 babies in this community.

Just as every mother’s birth story is unique, these nursemidwives tell different tales about what brought them to midwifery. For Starla, a strong midwife mentor during college and the opportunity to observe

several births as a nursing student sparked an interest in midwifery as a career. For Linda, it was a positive experience with her own pregnancy and delivery in Nigeria that prompted a desire to work with other expecting women. “Especially in developing countries, women may not have a lot of power, but they have great strength,” Linda says.

Midwifery has been in practice around the world for thousands of years and midwives still attend the majority of births worldwide. While they are utilized far less in this country, the Indian Health Service has used midwives since 1969. According to an early study examining nurse-midwifery care at an IHS clinic in Ft. Defiance, Arizona, marked improvements in pregnancy outcomes were observed with the availability of nurse-midwifery care. Midwives’ long history of caring for isolated and vulnerable populations is just one reason that Native American women are more likely than any other ethnic subgroup to deliver their infants under the care of midwives.

Nationwide, midwives attend only 8% of births, but this is beginning to change.

American women are beginning to shift their thinking about the childbirth process to one that doesn’t rely on so many medical interventions. It’s the idea that birth is a normal and natural process for which the female body is designed. Midwifery holds to these ideals, as well, and emphasizes the importance of educating women about their health and options.

“New Mexico is a great place to be a midwife,” according to Starla. In fact, The Land of Enchantment leads the nation with the highest rate of vaginal births attended by midwives at 38.2%. When there were three certified nurse-midwives at RMCHCS, they performed about 60% of vaginal deliveries there. In addition to pregnancy and childbirth, midwives can provide counseling and information about diet, exercise, family planning and general preventative healthcare that women, who, by and large, determine their family’s healthcare, can pass on to their children and partners.

Contrary to what many believe about midwives, the vast majority of them work in hospitals (96% according to the American College of Nurse-Midwives), which can provide many benefits, even to women who desire a natural birth experience. At RMCHCS, women who seek a natural process can listen to music, walk around, eat, shower, or sit on a birthing ball while in labor; pain management is available in a variety of forms for those who request it; and emergency equipment is close at hand, should it be needed. While most pregnancies are uncomplicated and proceed with normal deliveries, complications can and do occur. When this happens in the hospital setting, midwives work with obstetricians to ensure the best outcomes for both mother and baby.

The women’s health unit at RMCHCS offers abundant support to patients and employs techniques that are natural and healthy for mother and baby in general, such as encouraging breastfeeding, baby rooming in with mother, and skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby immediately after birth. Pregnancy and childbirth are so personal that a large part of a Starla and Linda’s job is to listen and help each woman get the experience she wants.

Anna, local mother of four children, says, “I loved that I got to make decisions regarding my labor. I got to choose what I did or didn’t want to do. I often heard ‘whatever you want.’ Linda was quiet and gentle and gave me the peace to just enjoy my babies after she had tenderly helped me through it all.”

Meghan, local mother of two, says “Michele saw me through my first pregnancy and delivered my daughter.

At each visit, Michele would take time to see how I was doing emotionally, as well as physically. I knew I was in good hands and our first birthing experience was so positive and amazing.”

Stacey, local mother of three, says, “Giving birth in this town would not be the same without Linda and Starla.

When I compare my birthing stories to my sister’s and friends’ back in a larger city in the Midwest, with much larger, better equipped hospitals, I always come away appreciating the midwives and RMCHCS’s women’s health unit even more than before. They provide a personal touch along with adept skill and experience that is rare to find anywhere.”

After thirteen years as midwives in the Gallup community, Starla and Linda have shared in miraculous and memorable experiences with, literally, hundreds of local families. They have delivered baby girls who they are now beginning to see as patients.

They have even had patients who have been motivated to become nurses themselves because of the impact that nurse-midwifery care has made in their lives. Being ‘with women’ through some of life’s greatest adventures has been one the most rewarding aspects of being a midwife in this community.

believe • gallup

39

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&You

Money

by Brett Newberry AKA The Business Doctor

Brett is a CPA and Profitability Consultant with Newberry & Associates, Ltd. He has been a CPA and Business Consultant for more than 25 years in Gallup.

His passion is to help the small business owner improve their business operations and impact their income and quality of life.

Credit Traps for the Public I

t’s hard to imagine functioning in today’s society without access to credit. However, you need to be careful not to fall victim to some of the pitfalls associated with it.

Credit cards allow you to spend money you don’t currently have, and to repay what you’ve spent over time instead of all at once. When you use a card, the balance you owe increases, and your remaining available credit decreases. As you make your payments to reduce your outstanding balance, your available credit once again increases. Thus, your credit revolves around for you to use again.

Since you can spend more than you currently have, you can easily spend more than you can afford. As your balance increases, your minimum monthly payments also increase, and soon you’ll find yourself in over your head – especially if interest rates and a variety of fees are high.

Credit card debt generally carries a high interest rate.

Your minimum monthly payment – a percentage (often as low as 2 to 4 percent) of the total balance due – may cover little more than the monthly interest charge.

Consequently, your minimum payment may only minimally decrease what you already owe. If possible, increase your monthly payment above the minimum required. The higher you can make the payment, the faster you will pay off the debt.

If you have two different interest rates on one account (i.e. a lower rate for purchases, a higher one for cash advances), the creditor will post the minimum payment toward the lower interest rate balance, not the higher.

However, a credit card company must apply any payment over the minimum payment due toward the portion of an existing balance with the highest interest rate.

You may also incur a wide variety of fees. Creditors may charge you an annual fee to maintain the account.

These fees can range from $25 to $50 or more each year. They may also charge fees to transfer balances from

42

gallupjourney@yahoo.com

other cards. Generally, these processing fees equal 2 to 4 percent of the amount you transfer. Many banks levy a similar surcharge on transactions involving conversions from foreign currencies. If you’re late with your monthly payment, you may be charged a late payment fee that can be as much as $39 each month you’re overdue. If you authorize the creditor to complete a transaction that sends your balance over your approved credit limit, you will be assessed an over limit fee.

When these fees add up, you may find that making your minimum monthly payment won’t bring your balances down. In fact, your balance will increase if your monthly payment isn’t greater than the accumulated interest and fees due, since these unpaid charges become a part of the principal you owe. Moreover, your account may then be considered past due and reported as such to the credit bureaus.

You may periodically transfer your balance from one introductory offer to the next. This is known as surfing.

Done successfully, surfing lets you avoid the higher interest charges that your debt would incur when the original card offer expires. By the time the interest rate on the original card increases, you’ve surfed over to a new offer at another low rate.

Although surfing helps keep your interest charges to a minimum, it’s not without pitfalls.

You may be offered a low rate only on balance transfers; if new purchases and cash advances are billed at a higher interest rate, these charges could offset the savings you would otherwise enjoy.

Moreover, as creditors move to counteract the surfing trend, many stipulate that if

you transfer balances to another card within a certain time after opening your account, you’ll be retroactively charged a higher rate of interest on the amount you transfer. Thus, surfing before this time period is up eliminates the savings.

Finally, if you transfer balances to a new card, close the original account as soon as you’ve paid it off. Write the creditor a letter asking them to inform the credit bureaus that the account was closed at your request. This prevents new potential creditors from denying you credit when they see too many open lines of credit, and it also deters anyone else from fraudulently using an inactive account.

Credit fraud and identity theft are two of the fastestgrowing crimes today. In many cases, you may not know you’ve been victimized until it’s too late. To minimize the chances of being victimized, take precautions to safeguard your credit account information. Don’t carry credit cards you don’t use often. Be sure to sign your cards, and never sign a blank charge slip. When you use the card, try to keep it within your sight.

Until next time, The Business Doctor

Since you can spend more than you currently have, you can easily spend more than you can afford.

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Sitting on more than 4 acres with 5 bedroom and 3.5 baths, this home fits all those ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ at one time. Call for an exclusive showing today.”

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Kid’s Bikes • Helmets • Parts

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T

Christmas Sale Don’t Miss the 50% Off Sale!

Only the 2nd time Ever!

Annual Holiday Sale

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You’ll always find the lowest prices & the best selection at Ellis Tanner’s.

1980 Highway 602 You’ll always fi nd POB 636 • Gallup, NM 87305 505-863-4434 the lowest prices www.etanner.com & the best selection at Ellis Tanner’s.

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believe • gallup

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

GallupGreats TheBestof2011

A s Vo t e d o n b y G A L L U P !

So, vote!

You can also fill out this form online at our website!

g a l l u p j o u r n e y. c o m

1. Best Burger: _____________________________________________________ 2. Best Breakfast Burrito: ____________________________________________ 3. Best Coffee Joint: ________________________________________________ 4. Best Grocery Store: _______________________________________________ 5. Best Sandwich: ___________________________________________________ 6. Best Hiking/Biking Trail: ___________________________________________ 7. Best Pizza Joint: _________________________________________________ 8. Best Margarita: __________________________________________________ 9. Best City Sponsored Tourist Event: __________________________________ 10. Best Local Bar: ___________________________________________________ 11. Best Restaurant Atmosphere: _______________________________________ 12. Best Place for a Picnic: ____________________________________________ 13. Best Mural: ______________________________________________________ 14. Best Green Chile: _________________________________________________ 15. Best Red Chile: ___________________________________________________ 16. Best Burrito: _____________________________________________________ 18. Best Restaurant for kids: ___________________________________________ 19. Best Salsa: _______________________________________________________

This is so easy. Here’s what you do: Write down any or all of the answers to these questions, rip the page out, and bring it to the journey office (202 east hill) or if we’re not in the office, drop it in the mail slot on the curb. Join the conversations on facebook and gallupjourney.com.

44 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

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17. Most Recognizable Gallupian: _______________________________________

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Lit Crit Lite A look at some books available at your local public library

by Seth Weidenaar

T

he Cut is a new novel from George Pelecanos, a writer who launched himself to fame with the television series The Wire. Since I have spent a great part of the past few years watching The Wire, reading about The Wire, thinking about The Wire, and finally re-watching The Wire, I quickly pounced upon the opportunity to read a new Pelecanos offering. In The Cut I found a new character, Spero Lucas, who Pelecanos intends to turn into his serial detective, and several narrative tricks playing out upon the pages that I had read previously in other detective novels and seen previously on the screen in Pelecanos’s earlier work.

Spero Lucas is an ex-marine veteran who works part time for a Washington D.C. defense attorney. This attorney takes high profile murder and drug cases, using Lucas as an investigator. The rest of the time Lucas spends working as a private investigator, taking

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gallupjourney@yahoo.com

on any job that pays. This is the driving force behind The Cut, a midlevel marijuana dealer hires Lucas to retrieve a few parcels of stolen property for a cut of forty percent of the value of the parcel.

The plot has enough twists and turns to keep the reader of detective novels happy and involved in the solution of the case. In the interest of heightening your interest, the plot involves drug dealers who can trace drug shipments with package tracking websites, and these traced packages are shipped to unsuspecting homes and then retrieved before the homeowner is aware. This system is far from perfect, and the right palms need to be greased, which leads to the disappearance of one of the packages.

Lucas appears to be a private investigator cut from the same cloth as Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade. These hardboiled investigators of the past always kept their cards close to their chest and followed a personal code of honor, which typically led them to the solution

Lucas appears to be a private investigator cut from the same cloth as Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade. of whatever mystery they faced. Lucas has a similar code of honor, however, he is also a veteran of the Iraq war, something that differentiates him from hardboiled investigators of the past. The fact that Lucas saw action in Fallujah gives him a much more sinister edge than these previous detectives. When Lucas takes on the more sordid duties of his investigation he does them without flinching, and he leaves the actions in the past. Unlike Marlowe and Spade who second-guess themselves throughout their respective novels.

Another great difference between Lucas and his historical counterparts is a piece of Pelecanos’s narrative mastery. Lucas comes from a GreekAmerican family, one of four adopted children, two white and two black.

Lucas’s race is never firmly established throughout the novel. Nor is the race of his brother, a schoolteacher in Washington D.C. who plays a prominent role in the novel. This racial de-emphasis hearkens back to Pelecanos’s work on The Wire; in the show the citizens and police of Baltimore banded together for better or worse, a person was accepted for his or her personality and gifts rather than race. The Cut depicts family ties remaining strong or falling apart due to the personalities of the characters, not their race.

Pelecanos writes with an enormous knowledge of Washington D.C.’s geography. The narration knows every street, avenue, park, restaurant, bar, and warehouse in the city, and Lucas navigates them with ease.

Just as The Wire explored seemingly every inch of Baltimore, so The Cut narrates every piece of Washington D.C. The familiarity with and the treatment of the city makes it a major character, one that Lucas manipulates and massages for the secrets required for the case.

Keeping true to his form in The Wire Pelecanos sends some unsuspecting characters into moments of peril in The Cut. One seventeen-year-old student, who likes to read books on film and dreams of someday making films, inhabits the novel’s pages. For most of the novel I felt myself drawn to the character, but like the adolescents of The Wire, I thought he was an accident waiting to happen. I was right, but his treatment in the conclusion of The Cut is not nearly as gut wrenching as The Wire’s young characters. Similar treatments meet the sleazy barons of crime who inhabit the novel. Pelecanos’s past narratives certainly helped to shape the movements of this current one.

The Cut offers a terrific new style hardboiled detective narrative. Unlike the works of the Hamment and Chandler, Pelecanos’s offering suggests a detective who is of an even harder-boil, and readers should be aware of this before beginning. There are a few unsettling moments in the novel, however, it is an exciting page-turner ready to entertain you through the holidays.

El Rancho Hotel “Home of the Movie Stars”

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy Hour

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Every Friday and Saturday Starting in December Don’t Miss It!

I-40 Exit 22, 1 Block South • 1000 East Hwy 66

“Come and visit a past that begins with tomorrow.”

928.871.7941 www.navajonationmuseum.org Window Rock, AZ believe • gallup

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TOWN Uplift Community School Uplift Community School soon will be providing a free, public, school-wide experiential curriculum to children grades K-4! Your new charter school will open in August 2012 with an Expeditionary Learning curriculum that teaches math, literacy, social studies, science, and the arts, through “learning expeditions,” which are hands-on projects that make school relevant for both students and their families.

Uplift Community School’s charter application was approved by the New Mexico Public Education Commission in September. Uplift is its own Local Education Agency, or school district, independent from Gallup-McKinley County Schools. The governing council is now a functioning Board of Finance.

It is to be comprised of community members committed to the Expeditionary Learning model of education (www.elschools.org), and unlike other public elementary schools, enrollment is not limited by neighborhood boundaries.

Instead, a lottery determines enrollment when demand for the school exceeds the planned school size.

At this time the governing council, consisting of Anneke Lundberg, Kim RossToledo, Jennifer Brown, Linda Kaye, and Anne Doucette, has much to do before the school can begin to serve the students of McKinley County next fall. Three committees are forming, each with specific work to be done in the coming months: • The Facilities Search Committee will do the research necessary for the council to select a location.

• The Director Search Committee will prepare for hiring a principal for the school.

• The Transportation Plan Committee will prepare to submit a bus transportation plan before the end of 2011.

December Library Events at Octavia Fellin Public Library Second Annual Mitten Tree Project @ Your Library Beginning December 1, the Octavia Fellin Public Library will once again have a Mitten Tree in both the Main Library and the children’s branch. These trees present an opportunity to spread holiday cheer. The community is asked to place hats, scarves and mittens on the trees for children of Gallup who might otherwise go without.

Last year, the project’s success reflected the season of giving covering the library mitten trees with new scarves, hats and mittens. This year, we hope to donate even more items to Battered Families, Inc. For further information email library@ci.gallup.nm.us, or call (505) 863-1291.

Santa’s coming to the Octavia Fellin Library’s Children’s Branch December 10, from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm, the library’s children’s branch will host Santa Claus. Children can get their picture taken with St. Nick for free. They must be registered beforehand. Parents can register their children either in person at the children’s branch or by phone. No unscheduled photos will be taken.

For further information email library@ci.gallup.nm.us or call the library at (505) 726-6120.

Your questions are welcome by email: coordinator@upliftschool.org

NM Small Business Development Center is Here to Help The New Mexico Small Business Development Center works in twenty locations across the state, including here in Gallup. The NMSBDC is here to help small businesses in several ways, many which are free of charge. They offer one-on-one, confidential counseling, various trainings, and serve as a resource link to other businesses, civic clubs, the Chamber of Commerce, and other centers around the state.

Flo Dow, Assistant Director of Marketing and Professional Development, from Santa Fe and Dan Sanchez, Director of Gallup’s SBDC, work to help small businesses in a variety of ways.

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Recently, the NMSBDC has teamed up with the US Small Business Administration to launch the Gateway to Exporting Program. The program is aimed at developing New Mexico’s small businesses and increasing their capabilities to export their products and services to Mexico’s maquiladora industry. The program will help small businesses in becoming export ready, promoting their products or services to selected target markets, and identifying buyers. Free and easy access to the program will be provided through NMSBDC’s International Business Accelerator (IBA)

in order to help small businesses team with other businesses and export and diversify their products or services.

Another tool that the NMSBDC has to share with the small business community is the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP). This is a government-funded program that provides counseling, workshops and training on how to obtain government contracts for your business. Advisors offer information on marketing yourself to the government, reading requests for proposals and writing effective responses, researching strategies for accessing governments markets, understanding government regulations and more.

For more information, please call Dan Sanchez, Director of Gallup’s Small Business Development Center, at (505) 722-2220 or email sbdc@gallup.unm. edu.

87301 REUSE – REDUCE – RECYCLE and . . . BUY RECYCLED this Holiday Season

By Betsy Windisch The year end holidays are fast approaching and many of us are scurrying to buy gifts for our friends, family, and co-workers. And then there are the parties, festive luncheons and dinners, friends gathering to lift a cup of hot cider or other cheerful beverage. In all of these happenings there are many opportunities to Reuse, Reduce, Recycle and also to Buy Recycled!

The McKinley Citizens’ Recycling Council surveyed a number of stores for the availability of household products made from recycled materials. The products researched were: Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Napkins, Facial Tissue, Plates, Trash Bags, and Aluminum Foil. The stores are ranked here by the number and variety of recycled products made available. Coming in first is La Montañita Food Co-op, followed by Albertsons, Safeway, Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and Family Dollar in that order. (Note: not all the “dollar” type stores were surveyed due to the lack of volunteers and time.)

For a complete list of stores and the items they carry contact Linda (905-5966) or Betsy (722-9257). A list can be forwarded via e-mail or snail mail. The council noted that not all items will be listed due to being out of stock and not all items were available at all the stores. If you shop at one particular store and they are not carrying a specific recycled product you would buy, ask the management to look into carrying that item. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised with the volume of recycled products available now in Gallup.

Sometimes they will be a little more expensive so Watch for the Sales!

Also, check out these web sites for coupons. www.mychinet.com www.marcalsmallsteps.com www.reynoldsrecycled.com/coupon.aspx www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/Home www.seventhgeneration.com/coupons RECYCLING REMINDERS The following are some ideas on how you can be a more caring citizen of Planet Earth this holiday season and throughout the year. *Buy Local, watch for sales, and art & craft fairs. *Buy Used at the various thrift stores and flea markets in town.

Great Green Stocking Stuffers *Pencils and Pens made from recycled materials *Halogen, LED, or CFL light bulbs *Crank flashlights (no batteries needed) Gifts *Homemade gifts – mustard, jelly, cookie / drink / soup mix placed in reused jars. *Reuse all wrapping paper and bows from last year. *Save wrapping paper, bows, ribbon from this year for next year’s gift giving. *Wrap gifts in towels and materials that are functional as well as decorative. *Decorate gifts with items from nature’s bounty.

Entertaining *Purchase plates, cups, napkins, paper towels made from recycled paper. *Purchase plates, cups, cutlery that is biodegradable. *Purchase paper plates and cups over plastic, unless you plan to wash and reuse. *Purchase recycled aluminum foil and then reuse / recycle when possible. *Reuse plastic cutlery and plates when possible (add bleach to your wash water).

The heavy duty cutlery will wash very well in the top section of your dishwasher.

Decorations If you are buying new Christmas or Holiday lights this year, look for the low-energy use strands. Light strands that are Broken or Unwanted can be recycled at the Community Pantry. Rather than tossing them in your trash, these lights can be stripped for their valuable metals and recycled, keeping them out of our landfill! All types of string lights are accepted, including icicles and LEDs. Bulbs are okay. Place them in the box behind the pantry (near the hoop houses) 24/7 along with other recyclables.

Recycle what you can with one of Gallup’s recycling businesses, The Community Pantry, or the Recycling Center (Gallup Transfer Station), before adding it to the waste stream.

For questions about what, where, and how to recycle your electronics, paper items, plastic, glass in our region call Betsy Windisch, Recycling Coordinator (Connections, Inc.) at 722-9257 / 879-2581 or Gerald O’Hara (Chair, McKinley Citizens’ Recycling Council) at 722-5142.

Dr. Joseph Shepard New President of WNMU The Board of Regents unanimously appointed Dr. Joseph Shepard the 15th President of Western New Mexico University (WNMU) on April 27, 2011.

Dr. Shepard assumed the office on July 5, 2011 and now leads the Silver City campus, as well as learning centers in Deming, Gallup, Lordsburg and Truth or Consequences.

Dr. Shepard earned his Ph.D. in Public Administration specializing in public finance from Florida International University. He earned a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance and Banking where he specialized in international finance from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor of Science in Math Education from Northern Arizona University.

Dr. Shepard has also remained active in the classroom and with research. His teaching areas have been at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in quantitative methods, public finance and business leadership. He has also taught internationally in Mexico.

All Gallup Graduate Studies Center (GGSC) programs embody the WNMU School of Education mission to ignite and nurture a spirit of learning in both

teachers and students. GGSC offers a student friendly atmosphere, personalized academic advisement, rigorous courses which purposefully blend theory and practice, on-site supervision in internships and practicums, affordable tuition, and knowledgeable faculty at the cutting edge of their respective fields.

The Center offers complete masters degree programs in special education, elementary and secondary education, educational leadership, and counseling.

In addition, the GGSC offers TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Bilingual endorsements with a master’s degree in secondary or elementary education. The center offers Alternative Licensure programs in Elementary, Secondary, and Special Education. In addition the Center offer the Bachelors of Social Work upper division program and the complete graduate School Psychology Licensure Program. The Center’s newest program is an Interdisciplinary masters degree with options to combine education, English or History courses in a combined face-to-face (f2f) and on-line format. Many programs have web-based components and courses and thoughtfully integrate technology.

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TOWN Waylon Jennings and Knifewing.

A Letter from the Mayor and City Council CITIZENS OF GALLUP: With the holidays and the New Year approaching, we would like to take this opportunity to tell you what has been accomplished to date and share our future priorities with you: TOGETHER WHAT WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED

Here is some, but by no means all, of what we’ve tackled: • PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT. We have brought professionalism to City Hall with the hiring of Dan Dible as City Manager and George Kozeliski as City Attorney.

• COMMUNITY CLEANUP. We have had a community wide clean up that was followed by ten neighborhood cleanups supported by city vehicles and crews.

• NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD. We have taken our economic development efforts into the future by creating a NonProfit EDC Board, which can prospect, negotiate and close opportunities with private sector entrepreneurs outside the constraints and red tape of government.

• WATER BREAK THROUGH. We have reached an agreement with the Jicarilla Tribe to acquire water to be delivered through the Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project.

• COHESIVE COUNCIL. We have worked to mold what we feel is a positive, cohesive council who can work together for our collective future.

TOGETHER WHERE WE’RE HEADED • UPGRADE INFRASTRUCTURE. Our infrastructure is aging and we will aggressively pursue systematic upgrading of our roads, sidewalks, water lines and sewer lines.

• ZERO TOLERANCE FOR PUBLIC INTOXICATION. We are intent in pursuing all legal avenues to deter public intoxication, aggressive panhandling and DWI. • NUISANCE PROPERTIES. We are committed to tightening and enforcing ordinances for enforcement of code compliance on both residential and commercial nuisance properties.

• BUSINESS FRIENDLY CITY HALL. We are reviewing our city building codes to weed out outdated or harsh requirements that stifle growth and we have charged our City Manger with creating a customerfriendly environment in City Hall for people who want to invest in their properties and in Gallup.

• REFURBISH EXISTING FACILITIES. We have placed a priority on refurbishing our existing facilities including the El Morro Theatre, Red Rock Park and our parks and sporting facilities.

Together we are intent on pursuing these priorities. We personally invite you to join us at our semi­monthly meetings. But whether you attend the meetings or not, we commit to keeping you informed with updates on our progress on these priorities.

Thank you for your trust, Mayor Jackie McKinney Councilor Mike Enfield Councilor E. Bryan Wall Councilor Allan Landavazo Councilor Cecil Garcia

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Waymore’s Outlaws in Concert Saturday, December 3, 7:00 pm El Morro Theatre The legend of Waylon Jennings lives on through Waymore’s Outlaws. The Outlaws are former members of the original recording and touring band The Waylors.

Richie Albright, Waylon’s original drummer, longtime friend and right hand man, joined Waylon and The Waylors in 1964. He also produced or co-produced many of Waylon’s records that are still being played on radio today. Jerry “Jigger” Bridges worked with Waylon on “The Dukes of Hazzard” soundtrack. After contributing bass work on Waylon’s Greatest Hits album, Richie and Waylon asked Jigger to join The Waylors on the road. Fred Newell joined Waylon’s touring band on pedal steel in the 90s after the late and legendary Ralph Mooney retired from the road. He was the first country guitarist to receive an endorsement from Marshall Amplifiers. Not only is he considered a legendary guitarist but also one of the top steel players of all time. Tommy Townsend is the lead guitarist and singer for Waymore’s Outlaws. He was mentored by Waylon in youth and collaborated several times over the years with Waylon playing and singing harmony on some tracks and co-producing a full album on Tommy with Jerry Bridges.

In April 1993, Gallup’s own, Knifewing, performed on national television during Farm Aid VI with the late Waylon Jennings singing harmony on the song “First American Heroes.” After Farm Aid, Richie Albright produced Knifewing’s album One Spirit, Two Worlds. Waylon again sung harmony on “Talk To The Children.”

“To have Waylon Jennings sing and record with me and to have Richie Albright produce my album was an honor and a privilege. I will always consider it a great blessing,” says Knifewing.

The City of Gallup, Lodgers Tax, Gallup BID and Native Stars are presenting Waymore’s Outlaws in concert at El Morro Theatre on Saturday, December 3 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available at El Morro Theatre Monday through Friday, 9am-6pm for $15 in advance or $25 at the door.

December ArtsCrawl S a t u r da y , D e c e m b e r 1 0 , 7 - 9 p m ART123, 123 W. Coal Ave.

Holiday ART Show, Come on down for the Cash & Carry ART Sale – $40 or less, live music, food and 2 Christmas tree raffles!

Open Studio / Outsider Gallery, 123 W. Coal Ave. (East Room)

Featuring new painting by Jay Dickens, Robert Martinez and Floyd Nelson, contemporary bead jewelry by Frances Martinez, fine contemporary jewelry by Leaf Ashley, fiber art by Leah Kostopolos, paintings by Rossi Bright, pinhole photographs by Bill Keeler, photography, nichos, milagros cards by Jill Farkas, photography by Raven Bright and drawings by Akira Ashley.

El Morro Theatre, 206 W. Coal Ave.

3rd annual “Noche de Recuerdos con Antonio Reyna,” at 7:00, featuring Antonio Reyna, Mariachi Raices de America, Trio Los Amigos, Ballet En Fuego de Frances Lujan and Rocio “Chio” Ramos. Tickets available at Millennium Media or at the door on the night of the show, $15/person. For more information, please call (505) 238-4555.

Beeman Jewelry Design, 211 W. Coal Ave.

Open. Hand-made, one-of-a-kind, custom jewelry created by John Beeman using high quality gemstones, ancient beads, and unique findings from around the world.

Makeshift Gallery, 213 W. Coal Ave.

Will feature all 16 artists showing unique handmade items that will please you and will help you in your holiday gift giving. Enjoy our Christmas window decorations and the great variety of local creations.

Youth Art Display, 305 S. Second Street

Will showcase the work of Ramah Elementary School artists working with art teacher, Patricia Jordan. Reception for young artists and community from 6:30 to 7pm.

Camille’s, 306 S. Second Street

Open for business and offering FREE HOT CHOCOLATE during ArtsCrawl from 6:30 to 9:00. Come in a grab a cup to warm you up!

Gallup Cultural Center, 201 E. Highway 66

Will be having a photographic exhibit in the East Room from 6:00 to 9:00. The photographs are excerpts from a new book called A Year or So in the Life of New Mexico. The editor and one of the photographers will be on hand to sign and sell books. The proceeds from the book will go to the Esperanza Shelter in Santa Fe. The Esperanza Shelter is a safe haven for families that are victims of domestic violence. The shelter is in great need of funding because its budget has been slashed by over 30% in the last year.

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To find out more about CARE 66 go to www.care66.org, we also have a blog at http://care66.blogspot.com, which we have been known to update once in a while. Sanjay can be reached at Sanjay@care66.org.

ehab of the Lexington Hotel will be done by the end of this month, hopefully before Christmas. When completed, the Lexington Hotel will provide transitional housing for approximately 15 people (men and women), and low-income housing for 21 people. It will also house our case managers. If you want a tour, please send me an email. We are planning some community events in early January for the Lexington Hotel. Please watch for an announcement for the Grand Opening.

Hooghan Hozho’ is in planning at this time. We have received a grant award, which we will leverage to develop approximately 45 units, along with an Early Childhood Development Center, play areas, space for support services, administration offices and maybe even a coffee shop. We are working out the details so that we can begin construction in the spring of 2012.

In the meantime, we are also working on a couple of different projects about which we will share more with you as time goes by. Budget cuts to HUD, the availability of grant funds that we tend to leverage with other grants and debt, are definitely not helping to get people into housing and jobs.

We have much to be thankful for as this tough year ends. We are always short of money but we have had enough to scrape by with. Being short of money has meant that we will not be completing the patio of the Lexington Hotel, among other things.

Until next month stay well and do good!

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December Community Calendar Sunday ONGOING

Sunday MTB Ride meets at mile marker 3 trail head on NM 400, 7 miles south of I-40, Exit 33.

During months when the forest is inaccessible this ride meets at the East Trail Head of the High Desert Trail System.

Support Class for Parents of Teens at First United Methodist Church from 6:30-7:30pm. Info: 8634512.

Poetry Group, call Jack for more information (including location) at 783-4007.

Psychic Playtime with RedWulf at the Old School Gallery 1st and 3rd Sundays, 7-9:30pm. Tarot, drum journeys and more tools to explore your inner self. $1 donation. Info: RedWulf @ 505-7834612.

Tai Chi at Old School Gallery, 9:30am. Info: Reed at 783-4067.

Coyote Canyon Women’s Sweat Lodge Ceremony on Sundays, 1-4pm, potluck dinner. Located 3 miles east of Highway 491, Route 9 junction, 1 mile south of Route 9. The ceremony is for wellness, stress reduction, purification and cultural sensitivity. All women are welcomed. For more information, call 505 870-3832.

Monday

ONGOING Battered Families Services, Inc. has a women’s support group that meets weekly. A children’s support group is available at the same time for children six years of age and older. Info: 7226389.

Codependents Anonymous, 6pm at First United Methodist Church, 1800 Red Rock Drive, library room. Info: Liz at 863-5928.

Tai Chi Chuan with Monika & Urs Gauderon at Old School Gallery, east of Ramah on Hwy 53, at 5PM. $50/month. Info: Monika @ 775-3045.

“Teen Survivors of Dating and Domestic Violence” support group meeting, 6:30-8:30pm.

Info: 722-6389.

Sustainable Energy Board meeting in the Mayor’s Conference Room, 3-5pm, on the fourth Monday of each month. For info/agenda, email brightideas98@gmail.com.

Zumba Fitness Dance Class at Foundations of Freedom Dance Studio (115 W. Coal) at 6:30pm.

For more information email zumbagallup@ yahoo.com or call Stephanie at (814) 282-6502.

Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness 12 Step Support group. Meets every Monday from 5-6 PM at the First United Methodist Church, 1800 Red Rock Drive, library room. For info call 863-5928 or chronicpainanonymous.org.

ZUMBA Fitness Classes at Larry Mitchell’s Recreation Center (701 E. Montoya Blvd.) starting at 5:30 p.m. For more information email r_roanhorse@yahoo.com or call Ralph Roanhorse at (505) 862-2970.

ZUMBA Fitness Classes at Wowie’s Activity Hall on the corner of Maloney and 3rd Street starting at 7:00 p.m. For more information email r_roanhorse@yahoo.com or call Ralph Roanhorse at (505) 862-2970.

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Gallup Community Choir, directed by Linda Kaye, presents “The Lighter Side Of Christmas” at 4 pm at the First United Methodist Church (1800 Red Rock Drive). Please bring a non-perishable food item for the Gallup Community Food Pantry. For more information, call Mary Lou Mraz at 863-4512.

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The candlelight Advent Taize’ worship service of music, Scripture, silence, and prayer will be held at 4 pm at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, Boardman Drive (just south of the Orleans Manor Apartments). This hour service is offered by the ecumenical community for personal reflection and spiritual renewal. Take time to walk the Labyrinth (on the right before the final ascent to the church on the hill) before or after the time or worship. For more information call Kathy at 722-5011; for childcare call 7229257.

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Habitat for Humanity meeting on the 1st & 3rd Mondays from 6- 8pm at Comfort Suites on East Hwy 66. All welcome!

Quilt Club at Gallup Service Mart, 6:30-9pm. Holiday potluck, bring your favorite dish and share with other quilters about projects you are working on or have completed. Bring some canned goods to donate to the Food Pantry. For more information, call 722-9414.

Third Seven, mad cello scientist from Oregon, US / European Tour, Sammy C’s at 9pm. Hear music at www.thirdseven.com.

Tuesday ONGOING

Preschool Story Time, 2:00pm, Knitting Club at 4:00pm at the Children’s Library. For more information, call 726-6120.

Tai-Chi Taught by Monika Gauderon at RMCH Vanden Bosch Clinic. 6pm for beginners. $60/ month.

Wednesday ONGOING

Cancer support group, for information call 8633075 or 863-6140.

Book Club and Explore & Expand 4:00pm at the Children’s Library. For more information, call 726-6120.

Community Yoga, beginner/athletic beginner level.

6:15 pm, Catholic Charities/CIC. 506 W. Rte. 66.

Info: Steph Asper (717) 357-0231 .

Studio Drawing Class at ART123, 7-9pm on WEDNESDAYS. $10 for non-members, $5 for members. Artist Steve Storz will teach ages 14 through adult in various drawing techniques utilizing Abstract, Art Brute, Minimalism, contour line, and others. Students need to provide their own materials. For more information, call 575-779-6760 or email steve. storz0@gmail.com.

Ladies’ MTB ride at High Desert Trail System starting at Gamerco trailhead at 6PM. Come to exercise, socialize, and have fun!

Gallup Solar Group open community meetings.

6pm at 113 E. Logan. For more information, call Be at 726-2497.

Adult chess club at Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe in Gallup, 5-7pm.

Spay-Neuter Discount Clinic for Low Income Pet Owners at the Gallup McKinley County Humane Society, N. Highway 491. Call 863-2616 for an appointment.

RMCHCS Diabetes Education Classes – First four Tuesdays of the month, starting at 6pm. RMCHCS 2nd floor library. For more information, call 7266918.

Gallup Al-Anon meetings at First United Methodist Church, 1800 Red Rock Drive (next to GIMC).

Tuesdays at 12 noon and Thursdays at 7pm in Conference Room #1.

Zumba Fitness Dance Class at Foundations of Freedom Dance Studio (115 W. Coal) at 6:30pm.

For more information email zumbagallup@ yahoo.com or call Stephanie at (814) 282-6502.

Red Rock Chapter ABATE of NM (American Bikers Aimed Towards Education) meets every 4th Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm at Gallup Fire Station #2 (911 N. 9th St.). For more information, call (505) 409-5311, 863-9941 or 870-0951.

Capoeira classes offered at Foundations of Freedom Dance Studio, Tuesday and Thursdays at 8pm, $8 (first class FREE). For more information, call Chelsea at 808 344-1417, email info@capoeiraguerreirosnm.com or visit www. capoeiraguerreirosnm.com..

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NM Small Business Development Center “Getting the Most Out of Your Employees” workshop at Gallup Chamber of Commerce Code Talkers Room, 9am – noon, 5:30 – 8:30 pm. $35/person. For more information, go to www. nmsbdc.org/gallup or call 722-2220.

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Gallup Film Foundation meeting at Red Mesa Center, 6:30-8 pm.

ZUMBA Fitness Classes at Wowie’s Activity Hall on the corner of Maloney and 3rd Street starting at 6:00 p.m. For more information email r_roanhorse@yahoo.com or call Ralph Roanhorse at (505) 862-2970.

Zumba Fitness (6-6:45pm), Wai Lana Yoga (7-7:45pm), Meditation and Prayer Circle (88:45pm). Limited space at HealinGifts lobby (807 Metro Ave., Gallup). Suggested love offering: $5.00/event. RSVP please. (505) 863-3772.

More info at website: http://store.healingifts. com.

Intermediate YOGA classes, 6:45pm at Foundations of Freedom (115 W. Coal). Everyone welcome - $6 suggested donation. For more information, call Gene at (505) 728-8416 or email at gallupyoga@gmail.com.

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PFLAG Gallup Meeting, Parents Families Friends of Gays Lesbians and Transgender, 6-8 pm in the RMCH Solarium 3rd Floor (1901 Red Rock Drive, Gallup, NM).

Submit

Your Event For January TODAY

Deadline: December 20 Call: 722.3399 Email: gallupjourney@yahoo.com

Holiday Parade of Homes, meet at the NM Cancer Center (2240 College Dr.) at 4pm for refreshments while tour groups are being formed.

Departure at 5pm. Start your holiday season by viewing four lovely homes that are beautifully decorated! Sponsored by the Ups and Downs Team of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Gallup. Tickets available, call Linda (722-2175), Joyce (863-3075) or Jeanneen (8636140).

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CHRISTMAS

Christmas Day service at 9 am. Please celebrate with us! Bring the whole family to First United Methodist Church (1800 Red Rock Drive Gallup, NM). For more information, call Mary Lou Mraz at 863-4512.

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Would you like to donate a toy for a child who cannot afford to buy one this Christmas?

Catholic Charities Gallup is conducting a toy drive for Christmas 2011, now until December 15th. We are requesting NEW toys to stock our Christmas Store. Toy donations or monetary donations for this drive may be dropped off at Catholic Charities Gallup in 506 W Historic 66 Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm (Please see Vera, Toni or Sister Pacita, DC). We are grateful for your help and generosity!

December Community Calendar Friday

Thursday

Saturday

ONGOING

ONGOING

ONGOING

Tween Crafts 4:00pm at the Children’s Library. For Movie Day, 3:00 pm at the Children’s Library. Overeaters Anonymous meeting at 11 am, at the First United Methodist Church, 1800 Red Rock Drive, more information, call 726-6120.

For more information, call 726-6120. library room. Info: Liz 505-863-5928.

Moms Supporting Moms at Church Rock School, 9-11:30am.

High Desert Mesa Workgroup meets to scrapbook and more Thursdays 1-3pm at the Rehoboth Post Office. Info: LaVeda 722-9029.

AL-ANON support group for family and friends of alcoholics. Every Thursday at 7pm, first United Methodist Church (library). Info: 1-888-4ALANON or www.al-anon.alateen.org.

The weekly Old-Fashioned Hootenanny, at Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe, every Thursday, starting at 6:30PM. Acoustic musicians are welcome to sit in with the regular players.

Toastmasters at Earl’s Restaurant, 6:30am. Info: Dale at 722-9420.

Substance Abuse Support Group, CASA, at Gallup Church of Christ, 7pm. Info: Darrel at 863-5530.

Community Yoga, beginner/athletic beginner level. 6:20 pm, Catholic Charities/CIC. 506 W. Rte. 66. Info: Gene at 505-728-8416.

Gallup Al-Anon meetings at First United Methodist Church, 1800 Red Rock Drive (next to GIMC). Tuesdays at 12 noon and Thursdays at 7pm in Conference Room #1.

Divorce Care Support Group, Thursdays at 7pm.

Location to be determined. For more information, call or email Dan at 505 878-2821 or dkruis@ yahoo.com.

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Sports Page hosting GLBT Night every Friday! Friday nights will be a place to celebrate and be yourself! For more information contact: Raiff Arviso; rca87121@gmail.com, Sports Page - 1400 S. 2nd St, Gallup, NM (505) 722-3853.

Habitat for Humanity construction materials sale, every Saturday, 9 am to noon, E. Pershing & High St.: tile, doors, windows, sinks, lights, shingles, etc. Info 505-722-4226. Weather permitting.

Fall Belly Dance classes, at Foundations of Freedom Dance Studio (115 W. Coal) Fridays at 6:30 - 7:30. One time non-refundable registration fee $20 plus $5 per class. Benefits include stress relief, improved posture/muscle tone, strengthening the core, and bringing your sexy back! For more info, call Leaf @ 722-2491.

Capoeira Classes at Foundations of Freedom Dance Studio. Kids’ class 11:30am ($5), beginning Portuguese classes 12:30pm, Adults’ class 1:00pm ($8). First class FREE! For information, contact Chelsea 808-344-1417, email info@capoeiraguerreirosnm.com or visit www.capoeiraguerreirosnm.com.

Zumba Fitness for fun and health! Limited space at HealinGifts lobby (807 Metro Ave., Gallup), 6pm-6:45 pm. Suggested love offering: $5.00. RSVP please. (505) 863-3772.

More info at website: http://store.healingifts. com.

Wai Lana Yoga for relaxation and health!

Limited space at HealinGifts lobby (807 Metro Ave., Gallup), 7pm-7:45 pm. Bring your yoga mat. Suggested love offering: $5.00. RSVP please. (505) 863-3772. More info at website: http://store.healingifts.com.

Meditation and Prayer Circle for healing and health! Limited space at HealinGifts lobby (807 Metro Ave., Gallup), 8pm-8:45 pm.

Bring your yoga mat. Suggested love offering: $5.00. RSVP please. (505) 863-3772.

More info at website: http://store.healingifts. com.

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World AIDS Day Candlelight Vigil, 6-8 pm 14th Annual Keshmish Festival & at My Brothers Place-Gallup (Aztec Street /Puerco Platero’s Concert at Navajo Nation Museum, Drive).

Window Rock, AZ. Dec. 1, 11am-5pm, Dec. 2, 10am-7-pm, Dec. 3, 10am-5pm Contact UNM-Gallup Student Senate and Gallup Film Eunice Kahn (928) 810-8539 or 871-7941.

Foundation present music by internationally renowned hip-hop duo Rebel Diaz at 2pm in 31st Annual Red Rock Balloon Rally, Gurley Hall. “Contra el Silencio” and “Oaxaca en December 2-4 at Red Rock Park. For more Resistencia,” short films by Mexican community information, visit www.redrockballoonrally. rights defense organizer and filmmaker, Simón com.

Sedillo, 6pm in Calvin Hall Auditorium, UNM-G. More Info Call Mike @ (505) 906-0339 or GALLUPRISING@GMAIL.COM En Croix En Croix Dance & Mentorship Program of The Stronghold Church present: The Nutcracker. Time: 6:30 pm (Doors Christmas Bazaar at Fort Defiance open at 6:00 pm & will close at 6:35pm).

Presbyterian Church (Between Conoco and Car Admission: FREE! (Tickets are on a first Wash). Navajo Tacos and Food Sale at 5pm come, first served basis). (hot dogs, soda, frybread, chili also available).

Activities begin at 5:30pm (cake walk, Christmas Crownpoint Rug Weavers Association crafts for sale, clothing room, white elephant Auction at Crownpoint Elementary School. sale, baked goods). For more information, call Viewing at 4 – 6:30 PM, auction at 7 – 10 729-2485.

PM. For more information, visit www.

Crownpointrugauction.com.

Quilt as You Go Shoulder Bag workshop at Gallup Service mart, 6-9pm. A fun purse with a bit of modern flair. Two outside welted pockets as well as a slew of pockets on the inside make this Barbara Telynor, harpist and a convenient bag for daily use. $15 plus pattern. vocalist will perform at Camille’s from 11 am For more information, call 722-9414. to 1 pm.

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2nd Thursday of the month Survivors of Homicide Support Group meets 6-8pm. For more information, call Deborah Yellowhorse-Brown at 870-6126.

The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit hosts support meetings for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics from 5:30-6:30 pm on the second and fourth Thursdays at 1334 Country Club Drive in Gallup. Information from the American Diabetes Association will be presented and local health-care professionals will often be available. For more information call 863-4695.

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UNM-Gallup Ingham Chapman Gallery, “New World Border” on exhibit until December 20, (gallery hours, 9am-3pm), artists respond to US / Mexico border wall. Gallery reception at 6:30, Gurley Hall, room 1232.

High Desert Mesa Workgroup meets to scrapbook and more Saturdays 10am-1pm at the Rehoboth Post Office. Info: LaVeda 722-9029.

Children’s Library Events: 10am Music & Movement, 11am Road to Reading, 12:30pm Chess Club, 2pm Song & Stories (ages 6-9). For more information, call 726-6120.

ZUMBA Fitness Classes at Wowie’s Activity Hall on the corner of Maloney and 3rd Street starting at 11:00 a.m.

For more information email r_roanhorse@yahoo.com or call Ralph Roanhorse at (505) 862-2970.

Beginner to advanced beginner YOGA classes, 10-11am at Foundations of Freedom (115 W. Coal). Everyone welcome - $6 suggested donation. For more information, call Gene at (505) 728-8416 or email at gallupyoga@ gmail.com.

McKinley County Search and Rescue has joined forces with Open Skies Search and Rescue and Amatuer Radio Emergency Services. We are now under one name, McKinley County Search and Rescue. We are looking for donations for training and to acquire equipment for our members. To donate, please go to www.gofundme.com/mckinleycountysar.

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Pre-Christmas Festival at St. Francis of Assisi School (215 W. Wilson), 10am to 2pm. Food, fun, games, gifts, and music. Vendors many reserve space for $10. For more information, call 863-3145 or (928) 640-1955.

The monthly McKinley Citizens’ Recycling Council Meeting will be held at 508 Sandstone Place in Indian Hills beginning at 2 pm. The public is encouraged to attend. MCRC welcomes your ideas and comments about recycling in our area. For more information call Gerald (722-5142) or Betsy (722-9257).

Clear Channel Radio is having their annual Christmas at the North Pole following the Christmas parade. From 4 to 6 pm Santa will be riding the fire truck to the American Heritage Plaza where children can meet Santa and get a goodie bag.

El Morro National Monument will conclude its 2011 program season with an evening owl prowl. Join us for, “The Night Shift; the Life and Lore of the Great Horned Owl,” and discover the unique adaptations that make owls such capable nocturnal predators. After a brief discussion in the visitor center, we will take a walk to look and listen for owls. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for cooler, nighttime temperatures. The program begins at 4:30 pm and ends at approximately 6:00 pm. The park entrance fee is $3.00 per adult (16 yrs and older). For more information, call the El Morro Visitor Center at 505 / 783-4226 or visit www.nps.gov/elmo.

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ARTS CRAWL Downtown Gallup, 7-9pm. See page __ for schedule of events.

Pre-Christmas Festival at St. Francis of Assisi School (215 W. Wison), 10am to 2pm. Food, fun, games, gifts, and music. Vendors many reserve space for $10. For more information, call 863-3145 or (928) 640-1955.

The monthly McKinley Citizens’ Recycling Council Meeting will be held at 508 Sandstone Place in Indian Hills beginning at 2 pm. The public is encouraged to attend. MCRC welcomes your ideas and comments about recycling in our area. For more information call Gerald (722-5142) or Betsy (722-9257).

Clear Channel Radio is having their annual Christmas at the North Pole following the Christmas parade. From 4 to 6 pm Santa will be riding the fire truck to the American Heritage Plaza where children can meet Santa and get a goodie bag.

El Morro National Monument will conclude its 2011 program season with an evening owl prowl. Join us for, “The Night Shift; the Life and Lore of the Great Horned Owl,” and discover the unique adaptations that make owls such capable nocturnal predators. After a brief discussion in the visitor center, we will take a walk to look and listen for owls. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for cooler, nighttime temperatures. The program begins at 4:30 pm and ends at approximately 6:00 pm. The park entrance fee is $3.00 per adult (16 yrs and older). For more information, call the El Morro Visitor Center at 505 / 783-4226 or visit www.nps.gov/elmo.

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CHRISTMAS EVE

First United Methodist Church (1800 Red Rock Drive Gallup, NM) offers two Christmas Eve services at 4 pm and 6 pm. For more information, call Mary Lou Mraz at 863-4512.

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NEW YEAR’S EVE

Na’Nizhoozhi Center, Inc. is having their 13th Annual NCI New Year’s Eve Sobriety Pow Wow and Gourd Dance at Miyamura High School Gym. For More Information call 722-2177.

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Local Resident Knows Name of 8 reindeer: FBI Notified! ! e v Poll i s u inion l c Ex Op 1) Who are you most excited to get a gift FOR this year?

2) How many reindeer can you name?

3) Would you support a TRAIN quite zone for Gallup?

4) What is your New Year’s resolution?

Anna

1) My granddaughter 2) 3 3) Hell yeah 4) To have a successful radio station, KNIZ 90.1

Jill

Doug

1) My wife 2) 3 3) No 4) Do more artwork

Diane

1) My sister 2) 8 3) I would 4) To be always kind

1) Probably family 2) Not a lot 3) Sure 4) I don’t make New Year’s resolutions

Labor

1) Good citizens of Gallup 2) 5 3) Most definitely, absolutely 4) To network for the new year and be the most dynamic person

John

Barry

Chantelle

1) My daughter 2) 3 3) I think that the priority of Gallup should be to save lives 4) To get out more in nature

Anita

1) My daughter, Beth 2) Maybe 7 3) Yes, I would 4) Try to de-stress

Bruce

1) My grandchildren 2) 5 3) You bet, yes!

4) Keep running

Raven

1) My sister 2) Only 3 3) Yeah, totally 4) Learn how to do a windmill

54 gallupjourney@yahoo.com

1) My best friend 2) 5 3) Yes, most definitely 4) Just to be a better person

1) My mom 2) 5 3) No 4) Eat healthier

Anonymous Short-Fry

1) Uh . . . my brother 2) 23 3) Yes, I like trains but they’re loud 4) What’s “resolution”?

“I think that the priority of Gallup should be to save lives.” -Barry

Nayee’eji Fierce MMA/Jiu-Jitsu “Fiercely Protecting Love”

Self-Defense Knife Fighting (Navajo/Apache) Kickboxing/Boxing Jiu-Jitsu/Submission Grappling

Private & Group Training (505) 879-1865 • www.mitchellmma.com • 604 E Coal Ave.

Meet some of the great women of Elite Laundry:

Dolores, Laverne, Gloria and Roberta

Text “benjaminfranklin” to 90210 to receive special offers, discounts, and tips!!!

Happy Holidays!

505-863-6868

w w w. V i s i o n S o u r c e - G a l l u p . c o m

If you’re in a hurry, Call in your order!

Healthy, Wholesome, Homemade

Soups, Breads, Sandwiches, Salads, Vegetarian and more!

 203 west coal ave • downtown gallup 505.726.0291

Elite Laundry 208 Highway 66 505-863-9543

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People read Gallup Journey in the darndest places! send photos to: gallupjourney@yahoo.com or 202 east hill, 87301

Wishing

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606 E. HWY 66 Gallup, NM (505) 722-3845

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1. Alondra Angel Mariano, Bread Springs Day School Princess, reads the Journey in Shawnee, OK at the National Junior Bullriders Finals.

2. Michael and Yvonne Blake along with Cal Marshall and Pat Maguire read the Journey at La Posada in Winslow, AZ, before or just after a delectable meal.

3. I misplaced the text for this photo - if it’s you . . . please email me so I can rectify it in the January issue . . . SO SORRY! 4. The Haveman family reads the Journey at this past summer’s USA PRO CYCLING CHALLENGE in Crested Butte, CO.

on your

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5. Jenny and Chuck Van Drunen, along with Bob Rosebrough, read the Journey near the finish line of the USA PRO CYCLING CHALLENGE’s first mountain stage - which American, Levi Leipheimer won!

6. Gallupian Billie Hall (right) reads the Journey with her father, Lee, on a recent trip to Havasupai Canyon.

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7. The Schaffer-Harris family reading the Gallup Journey at the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden.

606 E. Hwy 66 Suite B (505) 863-9377

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606 E. HWY 66 Gallup, NM (505) 722-3845

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1. Shay reads the Journey on the Santa Monica Pier on a recent trip to Los Angeles California.

2. Wyllis Woods read the Journey while tooling around Stockholm, Sweden.

3. DJ and Kendra Biava reading the Journey at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.

4. Part of the Hadassah Interfaith Mission to Israel reads the Journey at a quick stop!

5. Will Paul Arviso reads the Journey at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, AZ during the Jim Abeita exhibit.

6. Ann and Charles Arviso read the Journey at Mount Rushmore.

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606 E. Hwy 66 Suite B (505) 863-9377

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Prius INNOVATION

Highlander DEPENDABILITY Corolla EFFICIENCY

Camry SAFETY

4Runner LONGEVITY

AMIGO TOYOTA 2000 S. Second, Gallup (505) 722-3881

Options shown. *Based on Polk U.S. Vehicles In Operation registration statistics MY 1991-2011, as of July, 2010.

S

Glenn’s

Thanks Everyone.

Don’t forget to stop by for all of your holiday goodies!

505-722-4104, 900 W. HWY 66 • 505-722-9321, Mall Food Court w w w . g l e n n s b a k e r y. c o m

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This Is My Job... and More!

Mi n i s ter

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

• Bible • prayer • coffee • flexibility • sense of humor • ability to listen • being able to recognize adequacies and inadequacies within yourself • joy – knowing what just makes you happy

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t’s difficult to separate the job of a minister from his life in a community. As a church leader, he comes alongside members of the congregation to teach and to guide through life’s ups and downs. A pastor is immersed and intertwined in the lives of those he shepherds. It isn’t work that can be left at the office at 5:00. Consequently, he is connected to the community at large, and his life, every aspect, is connected to his calling. While this is the summary of a job, it is a biography of sorts, as well.

Keith and Pat Bulthuis have worked and lived in Gallup for more than twenty-seven years. Never much for mapping out their lives or having a plan for the future, they’ve stayed on course by “doing the next thing.” They laugh and reminisce as they describe the places they’ve lived and ways that God has used and shaped them. “The right place for me to go is the place I don’t want to go,” remarks Keith. Each experience has been rewarding and educational, in unexpected ways.

After, admittedly, floundering in college, Keith found that his favorite classes were the required Bible and theology courses. He graduated from Calvin College and went directly to Calvin Seminary, both in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After seminary, he took an internship in campus ministry at Western Washington University where he met Pat, who had earned her degree in elementary education there. Soon they went to the Philippines to teach (where Keith ended up pastoring a church), then to Madison, Wisconsin to work in campus ministry again (a completely different experience from Washington), then to Gallup, New Mexico – now, with four kids in tow.

Having children in school immediately connected the Bulthuises to this community. They met other families, got involved in coaching, and put down roots. Meanwhile, Keith was ministering to the congregation at Bethany Christian Reformed Church and Pat substitute taught from time to time. The ministry has provided some important opportunities for growth through writing weekly sermons and earning a master’s degree in counseling to training up leaders in churches on the Reservation and working within the larger church government during times of transition.

The Bethany congregation is a beautiful example of a diverse community, something that Pat and Keith have appreciated about raising their kids here. The church functions as a body that works together to show God’s acceptance and healing to those who seek Him. Where some are weak, others are strong. However, the church is also fluid and changing, and must be so.

Keith remembers the time when he was the young guy asking all the questions; now he’s the one being asked. Retirement is the “next thing” for Keith. Now with their four children and six grandchildren scattered across the country, Pat and Keith are moving to Logan, Utah, near one of their sons, with no future plans, except to go hiking and spend time with the grandkids. As with any change, they are looking forward to what’s ahead and grieving for the community they’ll be leaving. As their January moving day approaches, Pat says reassuringly, “We know our way back!”

Richardson’s Trading Co. Since 1913

505.722.4762 • 505.722.9424 fax • rtc@cnetco.com 222 W. Hwy. 66 • Gallup, NM 87301 www.richardsontrading.com

Gallup Senior of the Month

Jack Fuhs Mr. Jack Fuhs is celebrating seventy years in Gallup this month. His father was a railroader and brought the family here in December 1941; Jack was a teenager. While there’s far too little space here to give a full account of his life in Gallup, Jack has employed many individuals through his businesses, been involved in the Church, and raised a family of his own – five boys and one girl, all here in Gallup.

Today Jack is still active and involved in the commercial rental business and says, “I’m only 87; I can’t quit yet!” Though he’s traveled quite a bit, Gallup and its people are home to him. “I can’t imagine anything else for me.”

This Gallup Senior of the Month is sponsored by the Rosebrough Law Firm T: (505) 722-9121 F: (505) 722-9490 101 W. Aztec Ave., Suite A Gallup, NM 87301

Estate Planning Business Law Employment Law

The

Rosebrough Law Firm, P.C.

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“A Downtown Christmas�

Schedule of Events December 2-4 - Historic Downtown Gallup Welcomes Participants of the Red Rock Balloon Rally

December 10 - Gallup ArtsCrawl - presented by the Artists of Downtown Gallup

December 3 - Christmas Parade - presented by the Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce

December 17 - A Classical Christmas - presented by the Gallup Cultural Center

December 3 - "Waymore's Outlaws" - at the Historic El Morro Theatre

December 19 - Living Nativity Scene - presented

by First Baptist Church

December 9 - The Nutcracker - presented by En Croix Dance & Mentorship Program

December 19 - Storefront Decorating Contest Judging Complete

December 10 - Santa's Caravan - presented

by Millennium Media

December 21 - Storefront Decorating Contest Winners Announced

December 10 - Official Lighting of The Downtown Gallup Christmas Tree at the Courthouse Square

After decades of talk, BID gets Banners Over Aztec!

Join us for a Downtown Christmas!

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A Family Tradition in Historic Downtown Gallup