Sunday, August 25, 2013 THE NEW MEXICAN
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Man helps free officer trapped under car T
he officers, especially the one whose arm was trapped under a law-enforcement vehicle, could not have asked for a better person to spot them on the side of the highway and stop. Santa Fe Fire Department service worker Jason Jaramillo was returning to Santa Fe in the department’s fleet service truck when he Gussie spotted several police cars on the shoulder of Fauntleroy Interstate 25. Public Works An officer had been changing a flat tire when the jack slipped and fell. The other men were attempting unsuccessfully to lift the vehicle with jacks when Jaramillo pulled up and asked if he could help. Thanks to the large pneumatic jack in the fleet service truck, he was able to raise the vehicle and free the man’s arm. According to his nominators, Jaramillo’s actions reflect the praiseworthy personal and professional qualities that earned him the city of Santa Fe’s August employee of the month award. uuu
Callista Davies in 1988 with members of the Dana Tribe in Iran Jaya, Indonesia. COURTESY PHOTO
Her heart always draws her home
Artist, teacher and world traveler says nothing compares to Santa Fe
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n 1988, Callista Davies traveled to the island of Iran provide students with a fine arts education. Computer Jaya, Indonesia, where she encountered members technology, which is offered as part of the educational of the Dana Tribe. After that eye-opening advensystem today, is important, but without the fine arts, ture, she trekked through Pokhara, Nepal, on an it excludes a lot of people that could go on to a career elephant, sailed in the Falkland Islands, became in art.” familiar with exotic animals in Ecuador’s Galápagos In addition to selling her impressionistic paintings, Islands and also has done her share of salmon fishing Davies had a successful career in the 1980s selling in Alaska. hand-painted clothing and, more recently, customIn between her travels, Davies works at her ranch made jewelry. in Durango, Colo., spends time at her condo in ScottsHer artistic endeavors included interior dale, Ariz., and always makes time to come design. In 1988, she purchased an old train to Santa Fe, where she also owns a home. car that she moved to her ranch in Durango. “I’ve been all over the world, but nothing She refurbished the 7-by-30 boxcar as a compares to Santa Fe,” said Davies, who is Victorian guesthouse, replete with running an artist and has worked as an art teacher. water and electricity, which she calls “Boxcar “There are so many interesting people Named Desire.” here. This town has its own feel to it, and Davies was born in Kansas City, Mo., in as an artist, it’s a great environment to create things. I’ve made friends from all over 1937. She was the youngest of three daughters Ana Pacheco born to John Leonard and Callista Davies. the world in Santa Fe who are on the same track as me.” A Wonderful Life For many years, her father ran a furniture Davies moved to Santa Fe in the summer business in Kansas. When Davies was 5, the of 1959, between her sophomore and junior family moved to Phoenix, and she graduated years at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colo. from West Phoenix High School in 1955. As a teenShe worked at La Posada as a cashier in the resort’s ager, she worked as an assistant wrangler at the now restaurant and lived with her older sister, Patricia defunct Golden Horseshoe Ranch in Durango, where Sherwood, in Arroyo Hondo. the family owned a summer cabin. In 1959, Davies, an Sherwood eventually purchased property at accomplished rider, won the top prize at the Western 730 Canyon Road, which is still owned by the family horse show at the Durango Fiesta parade. and is home to three art galleries. It was in Durango where Davies found financial For the past 44 years, Davies has been traveling success. In 1988, she purchased and remodeled an back and forth to Santa Fe and has been active in the apartment house there and subsequently bought and city’s art scene. In 1960, she was honored at the New refurbished other rental properties throughout the Mexico Museum of Art, then known as the Museum Southwest. Through the income generated from her of Fine Arts, for her milk casein and water-based real estate business, Davies has been able to support abstract landscape paintings. herself as an artist and enjoy the finer things in life, “I’ve always been inspired by the work of Vincent such as international travel. van Gogh and Impressionistic artists,” she said. Having just returned from a trip down the Rhine After receiving a degree in art education, Davies River that began in Amsterdam and ended in Basel, taught art to high school students in California and Switzerland, Davies said she continues to enjoy the then went on to get her master’s degree in art educasuccessful life that she created. tion at Arizona State University in 1968. “When the traffic gets to be hectic in Scottsdale and “I truly enjoyed my years teaching high school the winds too much in Durango,” she said, “I always students,” she said. “Some were naturally talented, but even the students that didn’t have artistic ability know I can come home to Santa Fe.” benefited from my art classes because they were able Ana Pacheco’s weekly tribute to our community elders to express themselves and be creative. It’s so sad that appears every Sunday. She can be reached at 474-2800. many of the public schools in this country no longer
El mitote Bless Me, Ultima, the film adaptation of Rudolfo Anaya’s novel of the same name, continues to garner recognition from the film community. Most recently, the New Mexicanfilmed flick snagged three Imagen awards, accolades that aim “to recognize and reward positive portrayals of Latinos in all forms of media,” according to The Imagen Foundation’s website. The film won best feature film; Luke Ganalon, who plays the young protagonist Antonio, won best actor in a feature film; and Míriam
Colón, who plays the healer Ultima, won best actress in a feature film. Bless Me, Ultima’s DVD release is set for Sept. 17.
Lesley Billy, District 5 payroll administrator in the New Mexico Department of Transportation, was honored as the district’s latest employee of the quarter for her “great customer service” in helping more than 300 employees with benefits enrollment. Billy’s supervisors praised Lesley Billy her ability to “speak with and respect each employee on a personal and compassionate level.”
uuu Professional engineer Habib Abi-Khalil, District 5’s supervisor of the quarter, has been with the district more than 23 years. Having run two project offices for the past year, Abi-Khalil is known as a “working supervisor who is well-organized, caring and considerate of his employees and coworkers.” uuu
ABOVE: Davies in 1959 at the annual fiesta parade in Durango, Colo., where she won the top prize in the Western show. COURTESY PHOTO
BELOW: Davies wears one of her hand-painted blouses and showcases her custom-made jewelry. COURTESY ANA PACHECO
District 5’s most recent crew of the quarter award went to members of Crew 45-55 of the Taos Patrol for their “excellent quality customer service” and teamwork. In one example cited by nominators, the team volunteered to start work very early one morning to sweep roads that were to be striped in downtown Taos, to avoid traffic. The crew consists of supervisor Walter Sandoval, Ray Garcia, Victor Herrera, Jose Philbert Duran, Jesse Arellano, Mario Romero, Adam Vigil, Gary Gonzales and Martin Serna. uuu Earlier this summer, District 5 employees and supervisors bid farewell to Ruben Garcia, who retired after 35 years with the Department of Transportation. Garcia began his career in 1978 while a student at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. He earned his professional engineer’s license in 1989. Among other positions, he worked as an engineer in the agency’s General Office and as coordinator of GRIP II (Governor Richardson’s Investment Partnership program) before becoming a District 5 traffic engineer in 2006. “Ruben was a tremendous asset to District 5, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience, and he will truly be missed,” his colleagues said. If you have news about a public employee, contact Gussie Fauntleroy at gussie7@ fairpoint.net.
Santa Fe Opera on Monday. The Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid star will be in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
raised $1,100 as of Friday morning. The movie also would boast cameos from national personalities such as the host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, Scott Simon, author and humorist Dave Barry, uuu uuu former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Rudolfo Anaya Affairs Hodding Carter III, talk-show host and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg New Mexican filmmaker Jim Terr broadcaster Jim Bohannon, journalist James likely distracted Santa Fe Opera viewers with is launching a new project, and he’s seeking to Fallow and actor and member of the Firesign her presence this past weekend. Someone also crowd fund the endeavor through Kickstarter. Theatre group Philip Proctor. spotted the justice milling about Santa Fe last The film, Snapdragon, focuses on the legacy For more information, visit the Kickstarter week. of country singer Buddy and his two brothers, page at http://kck.st/17Z0DuH. Also, check out Ginsburg has served on the Supreme Court one of whom is a disfigured head Terr’s music video, Viva Las Cruces, of the United States since 1993, and she usually who writes songs. which focuses on Doña Ana County Jim Terr attends The Santa Fe Opera during the sumTerr plays most of the major roles, Clerk Lynn Ellins granting marriage mer. but those who fund the project for licenses to same-sex couples, at $99 or more will be included in the http://bit.ly/1f7ixyY. uuu movie. Send your celebrity sightings to The filmmaker is seeking elmitote@sfnewmexican.com. Robert Redford also was spotted at The $7,790 by Sept. 18, and he had already
Section editor: Bruce Krasnow, 986-3034, brucek@sfnewmexican.com
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