Vigil Family Chatter Volume 10
June 2011 PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Juan De Jesús Vigil Family Foundation Board of Directors 2010-2011 Executive Committee John H. Vigil, President JoAnn Phillips, Vice President Mimi Vigil, Secretary Carl Salazar, Treasurer Carolyn M. Romero, Member at Large Members Rosemary Salazar George F. Vigil Rose Theresa Vigil Beverly Vigil Sasse Jose Perez Phillip Vigil
Dear Family and Friends: Has it really been over a year since we sent out a full family newsletter? It is unbelievable how fast time flies. During these past 18 months much has happened:
We awarded a scholarship to John Lucero in 2010 We hosted the 5th reunion of the descendants of Juan de Jesus Vigil in Taos, NM We added Jose Perez to the Vigil Board of Directors A dear friend and Board member, Claudia True, lost her battle with cancer We awarded 5 scholarships for the 2011 school year We expanded the types of programs supported by the Foundation to include Certificate Programs and single courses that enhance job skills
Thank you to everyone who made the 5th Vigil Family Reunion such a success, including the Reunion Chair, Carolyn Romero, the members of our Board of Directors, and all of the people that joined our party. We also appreciate the work of Connie Hallahan who put together the magnificent Family Quilt.
“Educación es la luz del mundo” Education is the light of the world The Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation is a 501(c) (3) organization established in 2005 by the descendents of Juan de Jesús Vigil dedicated to maintaining opportunities for scholarship and grants to qualified descendants of Juan de Jesús Vigil.
www.juandejesusvigilfoundation.com
We are starting the process to rebuild our scholarship fund for next year. Our annual Golf Tournament and BBQ will be held on Saturday, August 6, 2011 at the Applewood Golf Course in Arvada, CO. Registration information for the golf or for the BBQ were mailed in early June. You can also download information from our website. We are working with the Front Range Gold Exchange on August 6th. We are asking family members to either bring their old or unused gold jewelry to the golf tournament or mail it to us before then so that we can get 10% of the value of their gold they are willing to sell. 1
“I have dealt with Rodney and Deb and know them. They are fair with their prices and pay immediately in cash. I have one gold earring I lost the partner to, and a few other things that I do not wear anymore that I will contribute.” Mimi Vigil We cannot continue to succeed without your support. Even if you cannot attend the Golf Tournament and BBQ, please consider making a donation to the Juan de Jesus Vigil Family Foundation. If we all make a $25 contribution, we can continue to provide scholarships and grants in 2012. Mail your contribution to the Juan de Jesus Vigil Family Foundation in the enclosed envelope. Thank you for your continued support of the Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation. Sincerely,
John H. Vigil REUNION 2010
5th Vigil Family Reunion Another Terrific Success!!!! Taos, New Mexico August 6 – 8, 2010 Neither rain, nor heat nor recession would keep the descendants of Juan de Jesus Vigil from gathering in beautiful Taos, NM. Approximately 100 people renewed friendships, shared stories, and generally had a great time. It was great to learn about how we all had overcome challenges, celebrated successes and remembered those who had passed on over the last 5 years. Many people planned their vacations around the weekend, rafting, golfing, and shopping in the Taos Square. The activities began Friday night with light snacks, a few drinks, and entertainment. The Kachina Lodge holds Navajo dance demonstrations, a real treat for many of us who do not see this art form regularly. Andrea Romero and Dennis Hattan began selling raffle tickets immediately for the money tree donated by Lillian Hattan. It was fun to watch people try to figure out just how much was hanging from that tree. Florida Vigil was autographing her book of poems, generously donating the proceeds from the sale of her books to the Vigil Family Foundation. The Vigil family Cookbook was also a hit. What a mix of traditional and not so traditional recipes. We sure have a broad taste for food.
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Saturday was a very busy day. Half of the group toured the Taos Pueblo, learning about the culture, viewing the pueblos, and buying food and jewelry from the Navajo families. A few family members played golf, including Joseph Apodaca, Sr., the senior member attending the reunion. We can only hope we are able to enjoy so much life with our family and friends when we are in our 90’s. Saturday was a scorcher, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. They played games and ate ice cream. Blowing bubbles was especially popular. It sure made the swimming pool a popular gathering place. Saturday night was the main event. John Vigil once again ran an interesting program. We were welcomed by the Honorable Mayor, Darren Cordova. Mayor Cordova presented a proclamation proclaiming “The Vigil Family Day in Taos.” The Board members presented some of the letters we received from dignitaries including NM Governor Bill Richardson, US Senator Mark Udall (CO), and Congressmen John Salazar (CO) and Jarid Polis (CO). Ms. Anita Lee Murphy provided the Key Note presentation sharing with us a brief history of Taos and the value and benefits of genealogy and the study of family. She shared several resources available to us to continue researching our family history. In keeping withtradition, John Vigil acknowledged several people for some fun achievements: Senior member in attendance: Joseph Apodaca, Sr. Youngest member in attendance: Braylon Eloy Vigil Person traveling the longest distance: Anthony Maes (Prague, Czech Republic)
David Raskin, Anita Lee Murphy, and Mary Alice Raskin
The Juan de Jesus Vigil Family Foundation presented its 2nd Lifetime Achievement Award to Carolyn Romero. Along with being editor of our newsletter, Carolyn has spent more than 25 years reseraching and documenting the Vigil Family history. You did a wonderful job this weekend at Taos. Thanks for giving us all a good time with the Family this weekend. You’re awesome, thanks again! ~J.R. Vigil~
In 1984, Carolyn attended the 1st Vigil reunion in Albuquerque. The stories she remembered hearing while in the kitchen of her Grandma, Margaret Belarde Vigil, and her Aunt Rita (Vigil) Gallino, came to life as names and faces were joined. She was fascinated by how such an eclectic group of people were intertwined as a result of the life decisions of one man and one woman. 3
She started with developing a database of the family members she met in Albuquerque. The hours turned into years as she contacted people for information and began reading in the Denver Public Library. In 1986, she started taping conversations with the elder members of the Vigil family. Now there are over 100 tapes of stories going back to memories from the early 1900s to present day. We look forward to when Carolyn publishes her 2nd book about the Juan de Jesus Vigil family. Dennis Hattan, one of the Vigil family poets, traveled from Illinois to share his recent poem, “They’ll be With Us Always”, dedicated to the Family Reunion. We have included it in this newsletter so you can enjoy it, too. Before the entertainment started, it was announced that JoAnne Phillips was the winner of the money tree. We were treated to something special when John Chandler pulled out his guitar and began singing for us. It was just a prelude to the program he would provide on Sunday. The sun was bright once again on Sunday. The conversation shifted to the silent auction and who would be the winner of the Vigil quilt. We egged each other onto buy more raffle tickets. Thank you to everyone who donated a square, and to Connie Callahan for putting the quilt together. The winner was Julia Walker Romero from California. Mimi Vigil once again coordinated the auction for the many items generously donated, to raise additional funds for scholarships. Of course there was more food and more conversation and LOTS of pictures, too many for this newsletter. We will be updating the website shortly, adding a section for the 2010 Reunion. We also plan to add a section for each of the 5 reunions that we have had. Do you remember what you looked like 25 years ago?
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ONE MORE REUNION THING We have a few items still available for sale: Short Sleeve Shirt - Large (5 left) Books: Trujillo Creek in Early Days – 4th Edition By: Anne Lucero Vigil Family Cookbook By: Andrea Romero
$15.00
A note from Jan Lindgren:
$ 7.50
Since the Vigil reunion in 2005 I have given each of you interviewed a free copy of your own tape/s.
$15.00
Embracing Life: Poems that Inspire the Heart and Soul $14.95 By: Florida Vigil Vigil Family Directory (1 left)
contact Jan Lindgren at jan@lifesreflections.com or at (303) 980-0432. If you are not in the Denver area, we can make arrangements to take your history over the phone.
$ 5.00
Contact Carolyn Romero at (303) 514-0620 or carolyn.romero@comcast.net for more information.
Hi Carolyn, I received the quilt today. I was completely amazed at how beautiful the quilt looked. It brought tears to my eyes. I feel very fortunate to have this and am looking for a place to display it in my home. Please thank all those who contributed to the making of this wonderful piece of family history. Thanks Again, Julia Walker Romero
REQUEST FOR MORE ORAL HISTORIES
Since July 2005, we have obtained the oral histories for more than 70 people. If you are willing to participate in this project, please
I have kept an audio taped copy of each of your interviews over the years and would like to offer you an opportunity to have your story converted to cds or a zip drive. The process is timeconsuming as it has to be played minute to minute so the cost is $40 per tape. Once you have those cds you can make as many copies on cds, zip drives, etc. as you wish. For those prior to 2005, I have a copy of each person’s story as does Carolyn and I can make you or your immediate family a copy, knowing you haven’t heard your own story. Check out my website www.lifesreflections.com to see what has been written about the Juan de Jesus family!
FOUNDATION UPDATE
In August 2010, the Scholarship and Grant committee met and selected one outstanding student to receive a scholarship from the Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation. John Lucero resides in Thornton, CO and is currently attending Heritage College in Denver, majoring in Esthetics. He was recently named "Outstanding Student" for the year 2010. John attended the 2010 Vigil Family Reunion and thanked everyone for the opportunity to continue his education. In June 2011, as a result of the successful reunion and your generous contributions, we awarded 5 more scholarships.
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Andrew Apodaca will be attending Red Rocks Community College studying to be a Sports Trainer. Amanda Vigil is attending Trinidad State Junior College studying Nursing. Benique Lucero is attending the University of Phoenix studying Accounting. Sarah Oates is attending Eastern New Mexico State University and is enrolled in the Pre-Med program. Adam Vigil will be attending the University of Colorado, Boulder studying Political Science and Pre-Law. NEW: The Board of Directors has added grants for people who are not attending full degree programs. The grant committee will meet quarterly to approve requests for funding for Certificate programs or for individual classes to help the applicants increase their job skills. Applications for scholarships and grants can be downloaded from the website or contact John Vigil at (303) 650-0470 or jhvigil1440@msn.com WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
CARL RIO (Hilario)
We are happy to announce the birth of our new great grandson, Carl Rio, born 11/1/2010 at 8:38 am; 7 lbs 11 oz 21 1/2 inches long. He was born at Boulder Community Hospital. Love, Rosemary and Carl Salazar
ELIAS CRUZ SALAZAR (Manuel)
Well here he is, my 1st great grandchild. I don't know how that happened but isn't he just a bundle of joy and so very handsome already. Born: 8/16/2010 Daddy: Elijah L. Salazar Mommy: Ayrin R. Valdez (Herald) Rose Therese Vigil SAD GOOD BYES
ROBERT APODACA (Celedon)
(Excerpt from Life’s Reflection Interview on 5/15/2007)
When I worked at American Linen I met a good looking gal named Georgia. I was very interested in her. She is still good looking. She grew up in Denver and is Catholic like me. She has two brothers and two sisters. Her maiden name is Lomeli, which is Mexican and Italian. I got along with her parents very good; they treated me well. We were married in 1972. We drove to Yellowstone for our honeymoon that year. It was our first time up there and it was pretty impressive. We had one child together, Robert J. Apodaca, also known as Bobby. He was born in 1973. He started school in Arvada and then he went to Arvada Junior High then Arvada High School. He was involved in Little League and very interested in football and baseball. I went to all his games. We often went fishing and camping on the Western slope. The best vacation was when we went to California as a family. We would visit my sister Judy and Georgia’s side of the family. We would also go sightseeing and went to Disneyland. Bobby was just a few years old at the time. When my son was growing up was the happiest time of my life. 6
Over the years I have learned a lot about myself and about relationships. The best advice I can give you on marriage is that you have to work on it. It takes a lot of work. You have to have a lot of trust and work together. And keep the lines of communication open. The best advice I can give to you on life is to take care of your family. STEVE VIGIL (Celedon) May 23, 1954 - July 4, 2010
Steve, 56, was born in Denver, Colorado to Celedon and Rita Vigil and raised in Lakewood, Colorado. He passed away while camping and boating at Chatfield Reservoir. He graduated from Alameda High School, became a master plumber and obtained a Colorado State Master Plumber License - Class A. Steve earned a BS degree in Business Administration through the University of Phoenix. Steve worked with his father, Cel, in plumbing and mechanical contracting before starting his own business. Steve was troubled by many health issues which affected his ability to continue in his profession but he continued to dabble in his trade and then became very active in his church. Steve loved his family, especially his children. Steve relished any opportunity to be with any or all of his grandkids. Steve was a good father, grandfather, son, brother, nephew and cousin. He was a wonderful friend to many and took great pride in helping and mentoring young people to turn their lives around. He was active in his church providing counsel and guidance to many. Steve loved the music of Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. He would always say Stevie Nicks was his baby. He would brag about the Stevie Nicks concerts he attended and figuring out ways to get closer to her. Once he was able to touch her and even took a very close photo of her. Boy was he slick! He enjoyed playing his bongo drums and had reignited his love of playing guitar. He longed to ride a Harley Davidson motorcycle again and loved to share stories of his Harley adventures. Two of his favorite pastimes
were boating and fishing. Steve was also famous for his flirty attitude with beautiful women. He loved to make pretty women blush and he was good at it. Steve had a great sense of humor. He loved to harmlessly tease his family and friends. Steve lived his life to the fullest to his last day with several of his loving children by his side. Steve will be missed by many but he will always be with us in our hearts and the beautiful memories he helped create with so many of us. GABRIEL VIGIL (Manuel) February 14, 1947 - April 5, 2010
Gabriel Merced Vigil joined the Navy at the young age of 17 and retired from there with an honorable discharge on June 27, 1968. He retired from the post office in OH. He made his home in OH, up until he returned to his roots in Aguilar, CO in 2005. Claudia True Juan de Jesus Vigil Foundation Board Member
Claudia True was born in Tunica Mississippi on Aug 16, 1953. She joined the Army in 1970 where she served as a helicopter mechanic and attained a Marksmanship Badge (M16). Claudia earned her BA from Metro State College and her Masters Degree in Social Work from Denver University. She received training from the Ministry of Peacemakers where she was very involved and taught class in homes and different church's in the Denver area. She is survived by her husband Mark and 2 brothers and 1 sister. Claudia was also the coowner of Butts Rental where she worked parttime. She was a personal true friend of Rosemary Salazar who recruited her and her husband Mark to serve on the Vigil Educational Foundation Board. We will all miss her. 7
FAMILY NEWS
were Agnes and Jack Birosak representing the descendants of Col. Francisco Montes-Vigil, the original recipient of the Alameda Land Grant granted by Spain and based in the village of Corrales, NM.
WEDDINGS Rose Therese Vigil and Jose Perez were married on April 23, 2010. I now have another bit of news for you all....brace yourselves. Jose and have tied the knot. All was very impromptu. We applied for the license one week and on Friday, 4/23, went to the Littleton courthouse. James Vigil and Nicole Valdez were married on August 21, 2010
LOOKING FOR PICTURES Hello, my name is James. I was going through your photo gallery and noticed a picture of my grandfather's aunt Encarnacion, wife of Hilario Vigil. I was just wondering if you had any other old pictures of, the Herrera family. Please let me know I'd really appreciate it. James Herrera jdherrera66@gmail.com
BE PART OF THE FUTURE As we mark the 5th anniversary of the Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation, it is amazing to stop to acknowledge the opportunities and dedication of our wonderful family.
300 ANNIVERSARY OF ALAMEDA, NM
In January 2011, Jose Perez (Rose Therese’s husband) joined the Foundation Board. Jose has an accounting background and will be helping with the website.
On January 2, 1710, the lands constituting the Alameda Land Grant which included lands where the village was located to Corporal Francisco Montes Vigil and shortly thereafter, on January 27, 1710, he was formally placed in the possession of these lands.
Phillip Vigil joined the Foundation Board in June 2011. Phillip recently published a book entitled Early Roads to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. We are working with Phillip to permit you to order a copy of the book from our website.
It is my understanding that Corporal Francisco Montes Vigil was the great grandfather of Juan De Jesus Vigil. This information and event was called to my attention by our cousin Agnes Vigil Birosak.
The Foundation is searching for three more board members who are willing to make a difference in the lives of the descendants of Juan de Jesús Vigil through the gift of education. We need people who are just willing to just get involved. Call Carl Salazar at (303) 429-4105 for information.
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John and Jackie Vigil attended Heritage Day Celebration on May 15-16, 2010. In attendance
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FUNDRAISING UPDATE On behalf of the Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation Board of Directors, I would like to thank you for your past support and contributions. Your gifts are important to our Foundation. As a result of your generosity, we awarded scholarships totaling $2,500 to one deserving student during 2010. The demand for scholarships increased in 2011, resulting in5 scholarships awarded. The Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization. The organization was established in 2005 by the descendants of Juan de Jesús Vigil, dedicated to maintaining opportunities for scholarship and award grants to qualified and deserving descendants of Juan de Jesús Vigil. The Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of directors that represent a cross section of our community and who are committed to making a difference for the educational success of the hundreds of Juan de Jesús Vigil descendants. The Foundation honors the name of Juan de Jesús Vigil and promotes our Vigil family legacy into perpetuity. The Mission for our Foundation is to promote educational scholarships, grants, and to provide support to charitable causes that will benefit the descendants of Juan De Jesús and Maria Bustos Vigil. We would like to thank our 2010 donors for their generosity and support of the Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation. They are: To r c h bear er - D IAM O N D (> $1,000) Carolyn Romero
To r c h bear er - Pla t in u m ($500 - $1,000) Mark & Claudia True * John H. and Joyce Vigil
* Rose Therese Vigil * George and Florida Vigil
To r c h bear er - G o ld ($250 - $500) Agnes Birosak * George and Florida Vigil
Fin an c ier ($100 - $249) Joseph D. Apodaca Dr. Donald Bruno
Lillian Hattan Alex Reuter
Mary Romero Bernice Vigil
Fr ien d (< $100) Jamie Brown Carol Ann Crow Dorie Ann Foust Janyce Lindgren Anne Lucero Diane Mason
Matilda Mestas Nelson & Company Novak Agency Dave & Gloria Nugent Carl & Rosemary Salazar Pauline Salazar
June Valentine Brett Vigil-Gowen John F. Vigil Mimi Vigil
IN M EM O R Y O F R o ber t Apo d a c a * Fr an c is C h iso lm Carolyn Romero
* Vin c e C o bo
John H. and Joyce Vigil
Ann Zelma Cobo
M AR Y H U R T AD O * JER R Y R O M ER O Anne Lucero
Dorothy McQueen
IN H O N O R O F M r . & M r s. Jo seph H a tt an Carolyn Romero
Please help us by returning the enclosed donation envelope with your contribution. Any amount will help and your donation is tax deductible. Thank you again for your continued support.
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THEY’LL BE WITH US ALWAYS While seeing all of you here together as a Union I feel the strong pride of this Family reunion I see the love between sisters and brothers Mothers and fathers and so many others I’m taken back to memories of the past With family together having a blast Memories of stories about people I never met Others that have past whom I’ll never forget They’re still in my heart like so many others Some mothers, some fathers, some sisters, some brothers Let us not forget those who could not be here And bring them here in our hearts and minds For they’ll always be with us In this family of love By: Dennis Hattan 08/02/2010
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JUAN DE JESUS VIGIL FAMILY FOUNDATION ANNUAL GOLF OUTING And BBQ Cookout
Save the date AUG . 6TH 2011
APPLEWOOD GOLF COURSE GOLDEN, CO 80401 TEE TIME:
2:00 PM
100% of the net proceeds support the Scholarship program. Please help by: 1. Sponsoring a hole HOLE SPONSOR
2. Sponsor a team GOLD $500.00 INCLUDES TWO FREE PLAYERS 3. Be a golfer ($100 per player SILVER $300.00 INCLUDES ONE FREE PLAYER 4. Come to the BBQ BRONZE $200.00 For Information, Contact: Carl Salazar 303-429-4105, csalazar41@msn.com
4745 Coffeetree Dr. Loveland, CO 80538
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