Issuu

taos news

s OCT. 8, 2026

H héroes H

tradiciones special edition

h o n o ra r a n u e st ro s h É ro e s

A N TO N I A S A N DY

CJ BERNAL

LEE & A D E L I TA G O N Z A L E S

BEN SANCHEZ

YA L E J O N E S

16 U

J. R . LO G A N

SUSIE FIORE

STEVE FUHLENDORF

30 O

JESUS MARTINEZ

44 c

50 s

S onya

S truck

CITIZEN STA FF

OF THE

YEAR

Robin Martin, Owner

Ellen Miller-Goins, Magazine Editor

Mary Chávez, Business Manager

Heather Owen, Digital Editor

Shane Atkinson, Sales Manager

Sara Kollig, Production Manager

Chris Baker, Publisher

Paul Gutches, Creative Director

Shawn Roberts, Circulation Director

Lynne Robinson, Tempo Editor

Isabel Peña Media Specialist

Jason Rodriguez, Graphic Designer

Geoffrey Plant, Editor

Chris Wood, Advertising Director

Lyle Padilla, Assistant Circulation Manager

Emily Sender, Copy Editor

Lindsey Rae Gjording, Media Specialist

Jessica Montoya, Classifieds

tradiciones: unsung heroes

6 Taos News 226 Albright St. Taos, NM 87571 575-758-2241 taosnews.com Photography by Clementine Miller, Taos News

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Thank you and congratulations to the Unsung Heroes and Citizen of the Year. Your dedication to our communities make Taos County a better place to live.

Awarded for Excellence. Inspired by You. Wanda Lucero, Your Taos State Farm Agent Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

575-737-5433 wanda@wandalucero.com

Honored to be Taos’ Best Agency 16 Years Running

Very knowledgeable and professional.. I always want to hear how I can help our communities. Call me at 575-770-3178.

“Besides being kind and personable, Keith did a great job on our refinance. He’s very knowledgeable and professional.” ~Pat and Maureen Tibbs

Roberto “Bobby” J. Gonzales

Taos County’s Oldest Mortgage Company

King Mortgage, Inc.

State Senator, District 6 Democrat

For all of your mortgage needs call 575-751-1030 304 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Taos • kmi@newmex.com NMLS 3203 #111564

Paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect Roberto “Bobby” J. Gonzales, Roberto “Bobby” J. Gonzales Treasurer

WHAT WE GIVE TO OUR COMMUNITY

LIVES ON

From one generation to the next, communities are shaped by the people who show up, lend a hand and make a difference. Today, we celebrate Taos County’s “Citizen of the Year and Unsung Heroes” —people whose dedication strengthens our community and whose contributions will be remembered long after the work is done.

With gratitude for those who lead, serve and inspire.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

FROM THE E DI TO R Pueblo youth. Jesus Martinez has used the resources of his workplace to answer community needs. J.R. Logan works to find common ground while protecting forests and communities. Lee and Adelita Gonzales have spent more than half a century supporting family, students, church and community, usually side by side. Steve Fuhlendorf has become a determined voice for people navigating addiction and recovery. Susie Fiore has spent 30 years helping Taos-area children learn, grow and find confidence outdoors. And Yale Jones has made kindness, generosity and being present for others a guiding philosophy. Different lives. Different kinds of service. But again and again, the same idea emerges: Show up. Pay attention. Help where you can. That may be one of the simplest definitions of a hero we know. We hope you enjoy meeting the people in these pages and join us in thanking them for everything they do for our communities.

FOR MORE THAN A Q U A R T E R - C E N T U R Y , the Taos News has had the privilege of telling the stories of Northern New Mexico’s Unsung Heroes: people who quietly make life better for those around them. They coach. They teach. They feed people and help them find their way through difficult times. They preserve traditions, care for the land, create opportunities for young people and bring neighbors together. Often, they simply notice what needs doing and do it. That spirit runs through the lives of our 2026 honorees. Our Citizen of the Year, Sonya Struck, has made connecting people and resources central to her work. Her approach is rooted in something she experienced herself as a young person: the profound difference it can make when someone sees a need and steps

2026 UNSUNG HEROES SELECTION COMMITTEE Members of the 2026 Unsung Heroes Focus Group (joined by the Taos News’ unofficial “mascot” Osita) gather after meeting to nominate and select this year’s Unsung Heroes for the Taos News’ annual Tradiciones edition. From left: Marilyn Farrow, Elizabeth Crittenden Palacios, Ernest Ortega, Mary Esther Winters, Ernestina Cordova, Holly Summer Berries, Barb Wiard, Lisa Sutton, Joseph Quintana, Ted Wiard, Larry Mapes, Kathleen Michaels and Kate O’Neill. Clementine Miller/ TAOS NEWS

forward without being asked. Our Unsung Heroes reflect that same generosity in remarkably different ways. Antonia Sandy has spent decades preserving and passing along the tradi-

tions of Taos Pueblo. Ben Sanchez devoted more than two decades to coaching generations of Peñasco athletes. Carpio “CJ” Bernal transformed grief into art, advocacy and opportunities for Taos

Ellen Miller-Goins, Magazine Editor

2 6 YEARS OF H EROES

2001 Citizen of the Year: Luis Reyes Unsung Heroes: Shelley Bahr Paul Bernal Beatríz Gonzáles Nancy Jenkins Ida Martinez Celina Salazar Larry Schreiber Stephen Wiard Fred Winter

2006 Citizen of the Year: Jenny Vincent Unsung Heroes: Francisco Córdova Telesfor González John Holland Vishu Magee Juan Martínez Luís C. Martínez Becky Miera Gabriel Romero Snider Sloan

2002 Citizen of the Year: Eloy Jeantete Unsung Heroes: Paulie Burt Martha Dick Shawn Duran Lucy Himes Palemón Martinez Theresa and Rúben Martinez Joleen Montoya Mary Olguin John Randall

2007 Citizen of the Year: Jake Mossman Jr. Unsung Heroes: Chilton and Judy Anderson Cindy Cross Shirley and Jerry Lujan Albino Martínez Max Martínez Ted Martínez Irene Párraz Corina Santistevan Michael and Sylvia Torrez

2003 Citizens of the Year: Nick and Bonnie Branchal Unsung Heroes: Richard Archuleta Elizabeth Gilmore Bruce Gomez Jane Mingenbach Patty Mortenson and Terry Badhand Cynthia Rael-Vigil Guadalupe Tafoya Bernie Torres Ted Wiard

2008 Citizens of the Year: Cid and Betty Backer Unsung Heroes: Crestina Armstrong Mario Barela Art Coca Mike Concha Rose Cordova Jeanelle Livingston Christina Masoliver Jake Mossman Sr. Nita Murphy

2004 Citizen of the Year: Tony Reyna Unsung Heroes: Charlie Anderson Connie Archuleta Stephen Cetrulo Victor Chavez Ernestina and Francis Córdova Clay Farrell Dee Lovato Jeannie Masters Rosemarie Packard 2005 Citizens of the Year: Art and Susan Bachrach Unsung Heroes: Mardoqueo Chacón Juan “Johnny” Devargas Carmen Lieurance Ernie and Frutoso López Roy Madrid Betsy Martínez Isabel Rendón Johnny Sisneros Dr. Bud Wilson

2009 Citizen of the Year: Rebeca Romero Rainey Unsung Heroes: Billy and Theresa Archuleta Carolina Dominguez Eddie Grant Mary Trujillo Mascareñas Connie Ochoa Marie Reyna Lawrence Vargas Frank Wells 2010 Citizen of the Year: Vishu Magee Unsung Heroes: Candido Domínguez Esther García Michael Hensley Cherry Montaño Mish Rosette Patrick Romero Charlene Tamayó Feloniz Trujillo Malinda Williams

2011 Citizen of the Year: Jim Fambro Unsung Heroes: Benjie Apodaca Patrick Delosier Cyndi Howell Alipio Mondragón Chavi Petersen Siena Sanderson Mary Alice Winter 2012 Citizens of the Year: Jim and Mary Gilroy Unsung Heroes: Marilyn Farrow Dennis Hedges Pat Heinen Judy Hofer Phyllis Nichols Loertta Ortiz y Pino Dolly Peralta Lillian Romero 2013 Citizen of the Year: Patricia Michaels Unsung Heroes: Edy Anderson Cynthia Burt John Casali Maria Cintas Father William Hart McNichols Mark Ortega JoAnn Ortiz Effie Romero Fabi Romero 2014 Citizens of the Year: Ernie Blake Family Unsung Heroes: Valorie Archuleta Jane Compton Tina Martinez Alex Medina Jean Nichols Lisa O’Brien Louise Padilla Mary Spears 2015 Citizens of the Year: Randall Family Unsung Heroes: Walter Allen Mary Ann Boughton Carl Colonius Liz Moya Herrera Melissa Larson Addelina Lucero Bruce McIntosh Thom Wheeler 2016 Citizen of the Year: Elizabeth Crittenden Palacios Unsung Heroes: Benton and Arabella Bond Paul Figueroa Carl Gilmore Judge Ernest Ortega Ernesto Martinez Medalia Martinez Sonny Spruce Becky Torres

2017 Citizen of the Year: Kate O’Neill Unsung Heroes: Juan Abeyta Claire Cote Brian Greer Max Ortega John Romero Jimmy Stadler Larry Torres Connie Tsosie-Gaussoin 2018 Citizen of the Year: Francis Córdova Unsung Heroes: Jill Cline Francisco Guevara Lucille and George Jaramillo Deacon Donald Martínez Jesse Martínez Andrew Montoya Polly Raye Angel Reyes Janet Webb 2019 Citizen of the Year: Art Abreu Jr. Unsung Heroes: Dave Córdova Virginia Couse Leavitt Russ Driskell Mary Alice Martínez Julianna Matz Sharon Nicholson Rob Nightingale Bennie and Edna Romero 2020 Citizen of the Year: Ted Wiard Unsung Heroes: Kathleen Branchal Garcia David Maes David Mapes Gayle and Peter Martínez Florence Miera Mary Romero Luzita Trujillo 2021 Citizen of the Year: David Elliot Unsung Heroes: Lisa Abeyta-Valerio Anita Bringas Benito Concha Roels ‘Roy’ Cunnyngham Valdemar DeHerrera Kathryn Herman Pauline Mondragon Bette Myerson Judy Weinrobe Malaquias Rael

2022 Citizen of the Year: Dr. Lillian Torrez Unsung Heroes: Delores Endres Juanita Marcus Turley Eric Mares Stella Mares-McGinnis Toby Martinez Leo Pacheco Lindsey Pfaff-Bain Camille Rivera Merril Tydings 2023 Citizen of the Year: Malinda Williams Unsung Heroes: Mark Goldman Judy Esquibel Robin Collier & Mike Tilley Erica Parraz Ilona Spruce Cheri Lyon Holly Summer Berries Delinda Van Brightyn Jona Olsson 2024 Citizen of the Year: Wanda Lucero Unsung Heroes: Kathleen Knoth Mark Flores Ricky Cardenas Oralia Visarraga Todd Gravelle Dr. Colin Nicholls Gilbert Suazo Sr. Donna Storch Tommy Tafoya 2025 Citizen of the Year: Dr. Ted Schupbach Unsung Heroes: Bill Waugh Abe Balsamo Guy & Marcia Wood Eleanor Romero Elizabeth Halley Miles Bonny Manuel Vigil Andy Torres Charlie Rascovics 2026 Citizen of the Year: Sonya Struck Unsung Heroes: Antonia Sandy Ben Sanchez Susie Fiore CJ Bernal J R Logan Steve Fuhlendorf Lee and Adelita Gonzales Yale Jones Jesus Martinez

An archive of past unsung heroes can be found at taosnews.com/unsung

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

I will never forget what she did because I didn’t have to ask; she simply saw someone who needed help and took action. To me, that is what makes Taos so special. We are a small, deeply connected community where people wear many hats and step forward for one another. I experienced the power of that kind of care at a pivotal moment in my life, and it has shaped the way I try to show up for others today.

•

SONYA STRUCK, IN REFERENCE TO 2019 UNSUNG HERO JULIANNA MATZ

CITIZEN tradiciones: unsung heroes

OF THE

YEAR tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

S O N YA S T R U C K tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

S O N YA S T R U C K Turning ideas into action

BY GEOFFREY PLANT

onya Struck, the Taos News’ Citizen of the Year, demonstrates her dedication to community every day by connecting people with organizations, people and resources that uplift those in need and improve local quality of life now and into the future. After a 15-year career in corporate finance and banking, Struck became the LOR Foundation’s Taos community officer in 2021, a role in which she guides philanthropic assistance where it is needed most in the community. Community officers must be highly active participants in the communities they serve. Struck might stumble upon a community need anywhere, from the sidelines of a high school soccer game to a town council meeting or in an encounter with someone at the grocery store. Her ability to strategize how LOR can provide “key resources to enhance livability and prosperity,” as her bio at lorfoundation.org puts it, relies on her strong personal and professional relationships, deep community roots, a natural ability to connect people and organizations, and a knack for amplifying the right voices at the right time. Before her role with LOR, Struck’s seven-plus years at Centinel Bank in Taos were among the most gratifying of her career precisely because Centinel’s mission, in part, is “to make the dreams of our local community a reality.” Now with LOR, Struck works directly with residents, nonprofits, schools and local governments to identify needs and connect people with resources. She helps guide more than $1 million annually in community investments while fostering collaboration across sectors. Golden Willow Retreat founder Ted Wiard, the Taos News’ 2020 Citizen of the Year, said Struck’s passion for making and maintaining connections and communication between every nonprofit, government and philanthropic resource in the area is “incredible.” “She shows up — to every event, every meeting, every ribbon cutting — way past her job and really tries to support anything that’s going to help our community be a better community,” Wiard said. He recalled that Struck was at a community breakfast not long ago when she learned that Recovery Friendly Taos was in need of a washer/dryer. “She immediately got them a washer and dryer so our people with no homes could wash their clothes,” Wiard said. “First of all, she was there — and that’s not even what the meeting was about.” Struck turned an initial $2,000 grant proposal into $10,000, covering not only the washer/dryer, but a stove, refrigerator, two minisplits for heating and cooling, plumbing and gas lines, and labor for the installation.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

WITH LOR, Struck works directly with residents, nonprofits, schools and local governments to identify needs and connect people with resources. She helps guide more than $1 million annually in community investments while fostering collaboration across sectors.

SONYA AT A LOR FOUNDATION EVENT AT THE TCA / COURTESY DANEECA BARRONE

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

HONORING THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY STRONG

CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR’S CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AND UNSUNG HEROES. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO TO CELEBRATE OUR CULTURE, CARRY ON OUR TRADITIONS AND MAKE TAOS A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYONE.

kitcarson.com THIS INSTITUTION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER AND EMPLOYER

Taos Community Foundation is proud to honor Tim Roake and Kathleen Gutierrez as our 2026 Philanthropists of the Year. Tim and Kathleen are passionate about education, establishing and supporting the Beatrice and Virgil Gutierrez Scholarship fund, which has given out fifteen scholarships to local students over the past decade. We are so grateful for their generosity and drive to help our local students achieve their dreams of higher education! We also want to celebrate our 2026 Nonprofit of the Year, Las Cumbres Community Services! What started as a structured program of day services for developmentally disabled adults has grown into a comprehensive network of services that uplifts our whole community —from infants to elders, from families facing crisis to individuals seeking healing and empowerment. They will receive a $5K grant from TCF to continue their work. Learn about our work by scanning the QR code and signing up for our e-newsletter!

WWW.TAOSCF.ORG | 575-737-9300 | INFO@TAOSCF.ORG | 115 LA POSTA RD. STE A TAOS, NM 87571 tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

A SPECIAL PLACE IS MADE SPECIAL

BY ITS PEOPLE.

For generations, the people of Taos have come together to care for this community, preserve what makes it unique and help shape its future. Today, the Town of Taos joins our community in celebrating the Citizen of the Year and Unsung Heroes and all those who give their time, talent and heart to making Taos a better place. Celebrating community. Honoring service. Preserving what makes Taos, Taos.

Daniel Barrone — Mayor

Genevieve Oswald — Councilor

tradiciones: unsung heroes

Darien Fernandez — Councilor

Billy Romero — Councilor

Tetsuro Namba — Councilor

Lupe Martinez — Town Manager

Cathy Romero — Executive Assistant

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

eople are humble about their asks,” Struck said. “I want to understand the whole need.” “Wherever the need is, it’s almost like she sniffs it out like a hounddog,” Wiard said. “It’s all these tiny but not tiny pieces that over and over again she identifies that allow us to keep enormous services going for our town.” Struck has served on numerous volunteer boards and advisory groups and was a founding director and vice president of Taos MainStreet and a board member of the Taos County Chamber of Commerce. She currently participates on the Taos Housing Action Team, is on standby with Enchanted Circle Community Organizations Active in Disaster and sits on the boards of Leadership New Mexico and New Mexico Business Excellence. She was Taos Milagro Rotary’s New Rotarian of the Year in 2022. Struck brings people together to turn ideas into action, both for immediate community benefit and to create opportunities for future generations. Fittingly, family is paramount in Struck’s life. Her mother, Kathleen Branchal-Garcia, was a 2020 Unsung Hero. And Struck has immense pride in her daughter Amaya, a senior at Taos High School who was Fiesta de Taos Queen in 2025. What Struck wants for her daughter reflects what she wants for the community: “She feels safe; she feels connected,” Struck said. “How do we create a community that fosters that for all of us, from generational families, new families, to teenagers, to retired folks who want to remain here and have good quality of life?” Struck knows what an unsung hero is from early personal experience. In her senior year at Taos High School, Struck’s family experienced a traumatic event that threatened to derail her plans after she had earned a full ride to the University of Notre Dame. The eldest of three sisters, she passed on Notre Dame and instead accepted a presidential scholarship to attend the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, so she could “be very fully present for my family.” “I had to shift everything I had planned for my life,” she recalled. During that difficult time, her high school chemistry teacher, Julianna Matz, a longtime neighbor and 2019 Unsung Hero, quietly stepped in to help. Matz’s actions reflected the compassion and multigenerational sense of community that continue to inspire Struck in both her personal life and her work. “She knew what my family was going through and how determined I was to do well in school,” Struck said. “Without my asking, she spoke with some of my teachers and made a plan to help me stay on track. She was not going to let me fail.” “I will never forget what she did because I didn’t have to ask; she simply saw someone who needed help and took action,” Struck said. “To me, that is what makes Taos so special. We are a small, deeply connected community where people wear many hats and step forward for one another. I experienced the power of that kind of care at a pivotal moment in my life, and it has shaped the way I try to show up for others today.”

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

HERE’S TO THE PEOPLE WHO SHOW UP FOR TAOS. The LOR Foundation congratulates all of the 2026 Unsung Heroes—and is especially proud to celebrate one of our own, Sonya Struck. A true daughter of Taos, Sonya has spent years serving the community. Across her many leadership roles, she has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to working alongside her neighbors, bringing people together to solve problems. For the past five years at LOR, she has continued to do what she does best: listen to Taos locals of all ages and backgrounds and help them put their ideas into action. Sonya, thank you for your dedication to making Taos a place where everyone has what they need to thrive. We can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish next. LOR also extends our deepest gratitude to Ed Jaramillo and Amy Wyss, whose generous investment in the ideas of Taos locals makes Sonya’s work with the foundation possible.

Have an idea for Taos? Talk to Sonya. Whether it’s a small, practical fix or an ambitious idea, Sonya is here to help you find a path forward. With LOR, there’s no formal application and no red tape. All it takes to start is a simple conversation, and most eligible projects receive funding within 30 days.

sonya@lorfoundation.org (575) 770-8469

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Experience and Knowledge

ve: Cathe Moon

Corrina Hodge

Will Smith III

Amanda Fritsche

Jennifer Hoffmann

Amy Oliver

Lisa Harris

Marci Kipnis

Samantha Weeks

Peter French

Dominic Serna

Clark Henley

Suni Lucas

Sunshine Deisig

Terry McClymond

Wendy Shuey

Jeanette Sanchez

Judy Willingham

Amanda Taylor

Ethan Thoms

Kim Smallwood

Cynthia Arvidson

Gabriel Traister

Jeff Weeks

Robbie Puskarich

Kensey Chase

Gary Hillman

Mike Woolley

Mike Birdsong

John Trujillo

Jerry Kay

Joel Avila

Leah Nelson

Lexi Garner

Noel Olsen

Montee Sue Miller

All in One Place.

We know this land — our agents are local experts who are the ideal guides to navigate the real estate market and the heroes that bring you home. Vicki Lanon Lisa Sutton We know this land — our agents are local experts who are the ideal guides Qualifying Broker Whether you’re buying selling estate real estate market in the Enchanted the most important decision you is to find the right broker to navigate theorreal andCircle, the heroes that bring home. to beknow your guide. Ourland brokers—atour Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties have deep rootsare in thethe community, love for the We this agents are local experts who idealaguides Whether buying orreal selling real estate in the Enchanted the out most decision isideal to find the right broker We know this land — our agents are local who the guides to the estate market the heroes that bring you home. area,navigate andyou’re a commitment to excellence that will help youand makeCircle, the experts most of important your realare estate journey. to the real estateBanker market and the heroes bring you home. to benavigate your guide. Our brokers at Coldwell Mountain Properties have deepthat roots in the community, a love for the Whether buying orto selling real estate in the Enchanted Circle, the out most decision is to find theBanker right broker area, andyou’re a commitment excellence that will help you the reach most of important your real and estate journey. With proven local real estate expertise, leveraged by the make powerful of the regional national Coldwell Whether you’re buying or selling Coldwell real estate in the Mountain Enchanted Circle, thehave most important decision is to find athe right to be your guide. Our brokers Banker Properties deep roots in the community, love forbroker the networks, let our team be youratguide to Taos, Angel Fire, Santa Fe and the surrounding areas. to beproven youraguide. at Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties deep roots in the community, a love for the area, and commitment to excellence that will help the reach mosthave out of your real and estate journey. With local Our real brokers estate expertise, leveraged byyou the make powerful of the regional national Coldwell Banker area, aletcommitment excellence willAngel help you outsurrounding of your real estate networks, our team betoyour guide tothat Taos, Fire,make Santathe Femost and the areas. journey. Meet and our brokers at WWW.TAOS.REALESTATE. With proven local real estate expertise, leveraged by the powerful reach of the regional and national Coldwell Banker With proven realWWW.TAOS.REALESTATE. estate expertise, by Fire, the powerful of the regional and national Coldwell Banker Meet our brokers at networks, letlocal our team be your guide to leveraged Taos, Angel Santa Fereach and the surrounding areas. networks, let our team be your guide to Taos, Angel Fire, Santa Fe and the surrounding areas. Meet our brokers at WWW.TAOS.REALESTATE. Meet our brokers at WWW.TAOS.REALESTATE.

ANGEL FIRE

santa fe

TAOS

3375 Mountain View Boulevard ANGEL FIRE 575.377.1192 www.angelfire.realestate 3375 Mountain View Boulevard ANGEL FIRE 575.377.1192 ANGEL FIRE www.angelfire.realestate 3375 Mountain View Boulevard

132 E Marcy Street santa fe 505.988.7285 www.santafe.realestate 132 E Marcy Street santa fe 505.988.7285 santa fe www.santafe.realestate 132 E Marcy Street

204B Paseo del Pueblo Norte TAOS 575.758.8673 www.taos.realestate 204B Paseo del Pueblo Norte TAOS 575.758.8673 TAOS www.taos.realestate 204B Paseo del Pueblo Norte

3375 Mountain View Boulevard 575.377.1192 575.377.1192 www.angelfire.realestate www.angelfire.realestate

132 E Marcy Street 505.988.7285 505.988.7285 www.santafe.realestate www.santafe.realestate

204B Paseo del Pueblo Norte 575.758.8673 575.758.8673 www.taos.realestate www.taos.realestate

thinking of selling? earn more for your home. on average, coldwell banker earnsfor 20.7%your higher home. thinking of selling? earn more sales price than the national average.

on average, coldwell banker earnsfor 20.7%your higher home. thinking of selling? earn more thinking of selling? earn more for your home. sales price than the national average.

on average, coldwell banker earns 20.7% higher on average, coldwell banker earns 20.7% higher t r a d i c i o n e s : u n s u n g h e r osales es price than the 14 national average. t a o s n e w s / o c t . 8 , 2 0 2 6 sales price than the national average.

Unsung Heroes

A N TO N I A S A N DY

page

20 tradiciones special edition

honorar a nuestros hÉroes

BEN SANCHEZ Coaching generations of Panthers, one mile at a time

BY BLYNN BELTRAN

“

The coach didn’t apply for it, so I applied for it and took over.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

”

THAT WAS THE MOMENT BEN Sanchez became head coach of Peñasco High School’s crosscountry program in 2004, when his son was a sophomore. Not even Sanchez knew it would take him on a two-decade journey of early mornings and late evenings, hauling athletes to meets and beyond, and loving every second of it. The Peñasco native graduated as a Panther in 1980 and participated in multiple sports in the small town. Sanchez ran cross-country and track and played basketball with the same Panther squad that won the 1981 state championship. During his senior year, Sanchez said he had a scholarship offer to run for Adams State in Alamosa, Colorado, but turned it down because he planned to join the Marines. For one reason or another, Sanchez chose not to join the Marine Corps, went back home and tried to run in college again at New Mexico Highlands University as a walk-on. After two semesters, Sanchez realized school was not his strong suit, joined the Marine Corps anyway, kept running and served eight years in the military. “When I was in basic training, I became rivals with a young man from St. Catherine in Santa Fe. He was in our sister platoon, and the drill instructors would race us against each other and bet to see which one was going to win,” Sanchez said. “That would put a lot of pressure on us. I lost track of him, but I kept running.” In 1989, Sanchez joined the Los Alamos Fire Department and served for 20 years before retiring in 2009. Sanchez said his firefighting job made it somewhat easier to coach because emergency personnel worked a 48-hour-on, 96-houroff schedule. He relied on his assistants on days when he could not be physically present. “I would tell them what the training was for that day, and on the days when I was here, we would have meetings, and I’d be coming from work at midnight so I could make it to the bus at five o’clock [in the morning] to go to a meet, but it made it doable. It was a lot of work and sacrifice, but it was worthwhile,” Sanchez said. Sanchez said he had to adjust his teaching style because he was used to talking to adults in the Marine Corps and said he was demanding and very strict when he first started coaching. He learned to adapt, finding ways to connect with each athlete individually rather than relying on the brutal training he was used to in the military and high school. “As my career went on, I found different ways to train them instead of just running, running, running, because that’s the way I train. I’ll get out there and run for miles, but that’s my training strategy,” Sanchez said.

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

TAOS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY Make a plan to vote for

Your 2026 Mid-Term Election Democratic Candidates

Deb Haaland Governor

Stephanie Garcia Richard Lieutenant Governor

Ben Ray Lujan U.S. Senator

Teresa Leger Fernandez U.S. Congress

Raul Torrez Amanda Lopez Attorney General Askin Secretary of State

Juan de Jesus Sanchez III Commissioner of Public Lands

Laura Montoya State Treasurer

Joseph Maestas State Auditor

Kristina Ortez State Rep District 42

Yolanda Jaramillo State Rep District 41

Kristopher Houghton NM Court of Appeals

VOTING BEGINS WITH TAOS AND ENDS WITH DEMOCRATS IN THE HOUSE

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Age Up Well Taos Community Rewards recipient

Powering meaningful change

anchez’s connection with athletes did not come naturally; it grew from coaching Peñasco Little League and middle and high school basketball for boys and girls. Sanchez had a hand in every sport in Peñasco except volleyball. He also served as athletic director for five years while coaching in Peñasco. As a cross-country coach, Sanchez helped break a 35-year drought by leading the Lady Panthers to a first-place finish in the A/2A state cross-country championship in 2016. “I coached one year of soccer, because when I was AD, I couldn’t find anybody to coach,” Sanchez said. “At the time, we were bussing everybody to Taos to play our games because our field was not good. That one was rough, but I got through it. And I just enjoyed working with the kids, and I still do.” Sanchez had a hand in the success of many Peñasco athletes and even their coaches during his long coaching tenure at Peñasco schools. Sanchez organized fundraisers with his athletes to help pay for trips to Anaheim, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Las Vegas, Nevada, where they competed in events and explored each city. Sanchez said he retired because of his health and because he did not want to get up at 4 a.m. to get to Dulce by 8 a.m. He said he regretted the decision at first. “My granddaughter lives with us. She ran cross-country last year in middle school, so I was missing it,” Sanchez said. “But I said to myself, ‘I accomplished what I wanted to do,’ and I helped a lot of kids along the way. A lot of kids still see me and call me coach, and that’s the best thing. The relationships and friendships you make with the kids are the most rewarding part because they’re going to grow up to be parents. My goal was always to make the kids feel wanted.”

For over 10 years, our Community Rewards® program has enriched the places we call home. Whether supporting community services, arts, education, environment and wildlife, or healthcare, together we can do great things! In 2025, the Nusenda Foundation granted $1 million to 108 programs. Now that’s The Power of WE®!

Learn more at nusenda.org @NusendaCU |

Insured by NCUA | Equal Opportunity Lender

Taos Pueblo A living Legacy

Unesc

orld W o

i te e S g a Herit

SINCE 1992

Taos Pueblo was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, honoring its extraordinary historical and cultural significance and its enduring legacy as one of the world’s most important Native American communities—a testament to the diverse peoples, cultures and traditions that shape our shared history.

Taos Pueblo Hours: Sunday—Saturday 9am—4pm Winter hours are subject to change. Please see events calendar for any changes to schedule.

www.taospueblo.com

Taos Pueblo honors this year’s Unsung Heroes and Citizen of the Year tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

hen the Tradiciones committee selected Antonia Sandy as one of the 2026 Heroes honorees, members cited not only her sewing and volunteer work, but also her role as a keeper of traditions, mentor to younger generations and a person whose home and life have become a resource for others seeking knowledge, guidance and support. Known for her generosity and willingness to share knowledge, committee members described Sandy during the Tradiciones selection process as an “unofficial cultural educator and historian” who has spent much of her life helping preserve and pass along Pueblo traditions. Community members said she never hesitates to answer questions, teach traditional practices or help families understand cultural customs.

She grew up the youngest of five sisters at the Pueblo, before electricity and running water were part of everyday life. Her childhood was shaped by work, family, the seasons and the rhythms of a community that understood survival as something you learned by watching, listening and doing. She taught herself to sew. What began as a practical skill became a craft and eventually a vocation. For 25 years, she worked alongside her sister Lucy, who had already been working for the legendary Martha’s of Taos for several years. They sewed the clothes that Oklahoma transplant Martha Reeves designed. “Martha didn’t sew,” Sandy told me as we talked over lunch one day recently. “She made drawings and had a pattern maker, and several seamstresses working with her

to produce the clothes.” The clothes sold mostly to wealthy tourists, Sandy explained. Very few locals could afford them. Those years at Martha’s of Taos honed her skills, which translated into a lifelong career. She is still sewing, but mostly for her neighbors at the Pueblo, doing alterations and making traditional garments, including mantas and ribbon shirts. For years she sewed for the Fiestas as well, but not this year. She told me she is slowing down a little. Sandy is especially known for her beautiful pleated skirts, and I asked her about those intricately made skirts we still see Hispanic and Pueblo ladies wearing for special occasions. “They are hand pleated,” she explained.

Keeping Taos Pueblo traditions alive, one tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

“Each of the three tiers is pleated by hand.” I wondered how they handled the slippery material used for velvet broomstick skirts. “We only used rayon velvet,” she explained. “We wet it and pleated them inside out.” Those years sewing for Martha’s of Taos taught her something she would carry into everything that followed: Tradition survives because someone takes the time to teach it. Her sewing skills have also served the religious life of Taos Pueblo. A member of the Guadalupanas, she frequently makes new garments for the saints at San Geronimo Church and helps maintain archival ceremonial attire connected to Pueblo traditions.

U N S U N G

At Taos Pueblo, where the mountains seem to hold time in place, she has spent decades asking a deceptively simple question: “What will our young people carry forward?” The mother of three, daughters Cheryl and Merideth and son Manuel Jr., Sandy is now the matriarch of an immediate family that has grown to include a brood of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She knows that preservation is not the same as refusing change. “The challenge,” she said, “is knowing what cannot be lost.” And perhaps she knows this better than most. She has suffered her own losses over the last year: her husband, a sister and a very

close friend. She said she’s taking things slower now, but when she starts talking about everything she is still doing, one wonders what her days were like before. She grew up without many of the things young people now take for granted. She learned to make something from what was at hand. She learned from her mother, from her sisters. She learned from her community. And she learned that knowledge is only truly preserved when it is passed on. Now, as another generation comes of age, she continues that work. Her legacy is not only in the beautiful things she made or in the traditions she helps preserve. It lives in the young people she encouraged to remember who they are, in the skills she learned from those who came before her and passed on to those

who came after, and in the quiet example of a woman who understood that culture survives because someone chooses to carry it forward. From a childhood without electricity or running water to decades spent sewing, teaching and serving her community, she has witnessed enormous change without allowing change to erase what matters. Her life is a reminder that preserving tradition is not about living in the past. It is about making sure the past still has a voice in the future. A lifelong member of the Guadalupanas, she not only supports her community through the church and faith-based shared knowledge, she keeps showing up. For the children. For the elders. For the land. And for the future of Taos Pueblo.

H E R O E S

A N TO N I A S A N DY BY LYNNE ROBINSON

generation at a time tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

SUSIE FIORE

Helping generations of Taos kids discover the outdoors

BY ELLEN MILLER-GOINS

or Susie Fiore, being an “Unsung Hero” may have something to do with the “unsung” part. “I think unsung heroes maybe are the people that avoid the limelight and just do the work, do the things they believe in,” Fiore said. For 30 years, Fiore has been doing that work through the Field Institute of Taos, the nonprofit outdoor education organization she founded in 1996. What began with Fiore and a friend loading eight kids into their personal vehicles and heading for the trails has grown into a year-round organization offering summer camps, school programs, youth leadership opportunities and cycling programs. Fiore estimated about 750 young people, from first grade through high school, participated in FITaos programs in the past year alone.

FINDING A HOME IN TAOS Fiore grew up in Los Angeles and attended Colorado College, where she studied anthropology and geology and spent considerable time doing fieldwork. After graduating, she worked in the college’s anthropology department before moving to Taos in 1988. Here, she worked seasonally as an archaeologist for the U.S. Forest Service and with children as a supervisor in the children’s ski school at Taos Ski Valley. In 1996, she decided to combine field science, outdoor exploration and working with kids. “I thought it would be something fun to do for a couple summers,” she said. “It was pretty tiny but we had so much fun exploring!” she said. But the program kept growing. Fiore organized FITaos as a nonprofit because she believed the cost otherwise could put programs beyond the reach of many local families. “Scholarships are always available,” Fiore said. “As long as there is space in a program, there is a scholarship available.”

LEARNING DISGUISED AS ADVENTURE A FITaos outing might mean collecting macroinvertebrates to learn about water quality, studying alpine ecology while hiking Gold Hill or searching for wildlife tracks and other animal signs. “The whole premise of FIT from the beginning is they’re learning a ton and they’re growing a ton, but they don’t feel like they’re learning,” Fiore said. “They feel like they’re just going on an adventure and having fun. That to me is the magic.”

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

HOME

The lessons extend beyond natural science. Fiore said “the FIT way” includes teaching self-care, outdoor safety, decision-making, flexibility and adaptability. She also hopes children develop enough confidence outdoors to see nature as a place of refuge. “If I can just get out into nature, you know, a hike, a bike ride, whatever, that’s healing for me, and it helps me be able to cope with things better,” she said. Giving young people that same confidence, she added, is “my little underlying hope.”

REMOVING BARRIERS

Means Something Different Here

Access has remained central to FITaos as it has grown. Transportation was one of the organization’s biggest early obstacles until donations allowed it to acquire four 15-passenger vans. OUR majestic home of Northern New Cost is another. FITaos finds sponsors for races, Mexico is a culturally rich community, covers travel costs for its high school mountain surrounded by an incredibly diverse bike team and maintains a fleet of loaner racelandscape bikes. that offers a plethora of acMore than half of the middle and high schooltivities team to experience, and breathtaking members use loaner bikes, Fiore said. views to witness, all of which make it According to Barb Wiard, who nominated an Fiore ideal place to Live & Visit. as a Tradiciones Unsung Hero, FITaos also offers five Get to know and understand the culweeks of free Rio Fernando camps for SNAP-eligible ture, traditions and people of Northern families and awards more than $30,000 in camp New Mexico. Visit local museums, scholarships to local children. School programs and shops & small businesses, bike rodeos reach children who might never galleries, have have conversations, be respectful, and signed up on their own.

ask questions. New Mexico, particularly the North, is a diverse melting pot which makes this part of the world so unique.

The whole premise of FIT from the beginning

Start in central Taos at Taos Plaza and make your next stop at the sovereign

Taos Pueblo for a humbling experience of learning from and paying respect to the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America. As a multi-generational New Mexican, I'm here to be your LOCAL guide and your RESOURCE when it comes to all your real estate needs; from marketing and selling your property for the very best value to finding your very own dream property here in the Land of Enchantment. Call me today for an introductory meeting and market analysis for your listing.

First Place

Best Real Estate Broker 2023•2025

2026

First Place First BestPlace Real

Estate Broker •2025 2023 Best Real Estate Broker 2023•2025

2026 2026

Visit: TaosLocalGuide.com

575-770-8650 575-770-8650 575-770-8650

HomeInNM.com HomeInNM.com HomeInNM.com

Follow Ryan online: @HomeinNM Follow Ryan online: @HomeinNM Follow Ryan online: @HomeinNM Residential • Vacant Land • •Commercial Residential • Vacant Land Commercial Residential • Vacant Land • Commercial

is they’re learning a ton and they’re growing a ton, but they don’t feel like they’re learning. They feel like they’re just going on an adventure and having fun. That to me is the magic.

of the franchise ©2025 BHH Affiliates,A LLC.member An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the system of BHH Affiliates, LLC Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of 314 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte A, Taos, NM 87571 | 575.758.Columbia 1924 Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing 314 Paseo Del Pueblo A, Taos, NM 87571 | 575.758. 1924 Opportunity. A memberNorte of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates, LLC 314 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte A, Taos, NM 87571 | 575.758. 1924 ©2025 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway ©2025 BHH HomeServices Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchiseeInsurance of BHH Affiliates, LLC.a Berkshire and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeSersymbol are registered service marks of Columbia Company, Berkshire Hathaway Hathaway HomeServices affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity. vices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity.

•

FITaos founder Susie Fiore

GROWING UP WITH FIT The impact is perhaps clearest in the children who stayed with FITaos as they grew older. Campers can become Counselors in Training, paid Junior Counselors, Youth Bike Coaches, Assistant Counselors and Lead Instructors. Some former participants now coach younger riders. Even after decades of teaching children about the outdoors, Fiore said the learning has gone both ways. “The kids have taught me so much over the years,” she said. Wiard said she has also been struck by the number of former campers who have gone on to careers involving natural resources. With a focus on sharing trails and exploring, cycling became part of FITaos after Fiore began racing mountain bikes professionally on weekends in 2000. Curious campers kept asking about her races, prompting her to consider taking kids riding. FITaos began after-school mountain biking in the early 2000s, offers summer and school cycling programs, and launched a high school mountain bike team in 2015 and the middle school team a few years later. After nearly three decades of running the organization, Fiore stepped down as executive director and became bike program director. Some friends suggested she remain executive director, but not if she wanted to keep spending time in the field with kids. For Fiore, that made the choice easier. “That’s the fun part for me,” she said.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

s Congratulation

Susie!

A 30-YEAR COMMUNITY EFFORT As FITaos marked its 30th anniversary this year, the organization unveiled a new learning center at its El Prado Base Camp. FITaos has operated from the leased Base Camp for nine years, a home Fiore said has helped the organization grow and become more visible in the community thanks to generous property owners. Fiore did not know until the ribbon cutting that the new center would be named the Susie Fiore Outdoor Learning Center. Executive Director Elizabeth LeBlanc said Fiore’s humility makes it difficult for her to see herself as the community does. “This is not just 30 years of FITaos, but years of Susie’s work and commitment to the community,” LeBlanc said. Fiore redirected the credit.

For more than 30 years, our fearless and beloved founder, Susie Fiore, has been working with Taos kids with one mission in mind:

PLAY OUTSIDE! We are proud to celebrate Susie's joy and legacy with our greater Taos community and join in recognizing her as one of our Unsung Heros. Thank you, Susie, for all that you have done for the children and youth of Taos!

The support from the families that have believed in us,

www.fitaos.org

the kids that have followed me blindly down so many trails, the donors, the board, and the different, incredible staff we’ve had over the years. None of this would happen without this entire community.

•

FITaos founder Susie Fiore

She also emphasized the generations of FITaos leaders, calling them “some of the most incredible people” with a passion for teaching and exploring outside. Fiore also singled out Sean, her “right hand” since 2002, and her family for the support that helped make FITaos’ growth and impact possible. After three decades, Fiore has watched thousands of Taos-area children grow up. She remains slightly uncomfortable with the hero designation, but she has made peace with it. “I have worked really hard for a really long time,” Fiore said. “It’s like a community hug.” And, she admitted, “that feels good.”

Live. Love. Indulge. 575-751-7246 salonmarjorie.com 237 Ledoux Street, Taos, NM 87571

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

To Our Heroes St. James Episcopal Church would like to congratulate all of the unsung heroes.

Thanks for making Taos a better place.

St. James Episcopal Church 208 Camino de Santiago • 575-758-2790 www.stjamestaos.com

Honoring our Culture, Traditions And all Things Taos for Generations...

Photos by Chuck McLaughlin of Sean Kelly Portraits, Taos, NM seankellyportraits.com

Fiesta de Taos July 16-18, 2027

A centuries old fiesta celebrating the gathering of generations to enjoy delicious cuisine, traditional music, And fellowship, while honoring the cultural uniqueness of taos. We invite you to join us for the Fiesta de Taos JULY 16-18, 2027, FIESTA DE TAOS, INC.

WWW.FIESTADETAOS.COM tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Reemergence Reemergence Reemergence Reemergence Reemergence Reemergence

Tradition,Innovation, Innovation,and andthe theReopening Reopeningofofthe thePicur Picu Tradition, Tradition,Innovation, Innovation,and andthe theReopening Reopeningofofthe thePicur Picu Tradition, Tradition,Innovation, Innovation,and andthe theReopening Reopeningofofthe thePicur Picu Tradition,

Tradition, Innovation, and the Reopening of the Picuris Museum

he Picuris Museum

Reemergence

nnovation, and the Reopening of the Picuris Museum

Reemergence Tradition, Innovation, and the Reopening of the Picuris Museum

An exhibit which showcases the remarkable reach of Picuris’s ancestral roots, and the world of future possibilities that are unfolding as Picuris balances tradition with innovation.

THE PICURIS PUEBLO MUSEUM & INTERPRETIVE CENTER Monday-Friday 10-4, Saturday 10-2. Group tours by appointment: museum.director@picurispueblo.org

www.picurispueblo.org/programs/museum-interpretive-center • 575-779-3883 • 201 C Pueblo View Road, Penasco Funded in part by the Taos Couty Lodger’s Tax

Anexhibit exhibitwhich whichshowcases showcasesthe theremarkable remarkablereach reachofofPicuris’s Picuris’sance ance An of future possibilities that areremarkable unfoldingas as Picuris balances tra Anof exhibit which showcases the remarkable reach Picuris’s ance future possibilities that are unfolding Picuris balances trad An exhibit which showcases the reach ofofPicuris’s ance of future possibilities that areremarkable unfoldingasreach as Picuris balances tra future possibilities that are unfolding Picuris balances trad Anof exhibit which showcases the remarkable reach Picuris’s ance An exhibit which showcases the ofofPicuris’s ance THE PICURIS PUEBLO futurepossibilities possibilitiesthat that areunfolding unfolding asPicuris Picuris balancestrad tra ofoffuture are as balances THE PICURIS PUEBLO

THE PICURIS PUEBLO THE PICURIS PUEBLO & INTERPRETIVE CEN & INTERPRETIVE CEN THE PICURIS PUEBLO THE PICURIS PUEBLO & INTERPRETIVE CEN & INTERPRETIVE CEN Monday-Friday 10-4, Saturday 10-2. Group tours by appointment: museum.dir Monday-Friday 10-4, Saturday 10-2. Group tours by appointment: museum.dire s’s ancestral roots, and the world www.picurispueblo.org/programs/museum-interpretive-center 575-779-3883 • & INTERPRETIVE CEN & INTERPRETIVE CEN An exhibit which showcases the10-4, remarkable reach of Picuris’s ancestral roots, and• •the worldmuseum.dir Monday-Friday Saturday 10-2. Group toursby by appointment: www.picurispueblo.org/programs/museum-interpretive-center 575-779-3883 • 2 Monday-Friday 10-4, Saturday 10-2. Group tours appointment: museum.dire of future possibilities that are unfolding as Picuris balances tradition with innovation.

Funded in part by the Taos Couty Lodger’s Tax ces tradition with innovation. Funded in part by the Taos Couty Lodger’s Tax • •2 www.picurispueblo.org/programs/museum-interpretive-center 575-779-3883 www.picurispueblo.org/programs/museum-interpretive-center • •575-779-3883

Monday-Friday 10-4, Saturday 10-2. Group tours by appointment: museum.dir Monday-Friday Monday-Friday10-4, 10-4,Saturday Saturday10-2. 10-2.Group Grouptours toursby byappointment: appointment:museum.dire museum.dir Funded in part by the Taos Couty Lodger’s Tax Funded in part by the Taos Couty Lodger’s Tax THE PICURIS PUEBLO MUSEUM www.picurispueblo.org/programs/museum-interpretive-center • 575-779-3883 www.picurispueblo.org/programs/museum-interpretive-center • 575-779-3883 www.picurispueblo.org/programs/museum-interpretive-center • 575-779-3883• ••2 & INTERPRETIVE CENTER Funded part by the Taos Couty Lodger’s Tax An Funded Fundedinin inpart partexhibit by bythe theTaos TaosCouty CoutyLodger’s Lodger’sTax Tax

BLO MUSEUM CENTER

futur

Monday-Friday 10-4, Saturday 10-2. Group tours by appointment: museum.director@picurispueblo.org

www.picurispueblo.org/programs/museum-interpretive-center 575-779-3883 •• 201 201 C C Pueblo Pueblo View View Road, Road, Penasco Penasco www.picurispueblo.org/programs/museum-interpretive-center •• 575-779-3883 Fundedin inpart partby bythe theTaos TaosCounty Couty Lodger’s Funded Lodger’sTax Tax

seum.director@picurispueblo.org

t r a•d i201 cionC e s :Pueblo u n s u n g View h e r o eRoad, s -3883 Penasco s Tax

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Mond

HELPING CHILDREN

REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. Compassionate care. Local support. Brighter futures.

Early Intervention — Helping children ages 0-3 reach their milestones.

Home Visiting — Support for families in the comfort of your home.

Maternal Health — Care and resources for moms during pregnancy & beyond.

SERVING

FAMILIES

Care Coordination/ Community Health Worker —

ACROSS

Connecting families to resources and support in the community.

NEW MEXICO

LEARN MORE

mecatherapies.com

We’re bridge builders, bringing the people, resources, and ideas together to help more people make a home in Taos. We’re working to Keep Taos Home for all of our unsung heroes. TaosHousingPartnership.org

Scan QR Code Voices of Taos

Jolie Jones

Angelo McHorse

Larry Mapes

Genevieve Oswald

Maria Gonzalez

J.R. Logan “Housing reflects the values of our community. We all deserve the dignity of a decent place to live. Keeping Taos home means showing respect.”

Robyn Chavez

Chris Romero

-J.R. Logan

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Unsung Heroes

CJ BERNAL

page

34 tradiciones special edition

honorar a nuestros hÉroes

J. R . LO G A N Finding Taos’ common ground BY EMILY SENDER

H e

e loves Taos. Not the idea of it, but the reality — the complexities, the challenges, the beauty, the things that change and the things that stay the same. Logan’s understanding of Taos is rooted in a seemingly simple idea: people may disagree about what the place should be, but they share a deep love for it. “All of us have a love of place here. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here,” Logan said. “But all of us have a very different vision of what that place is, what it means, what it represents, what it should be, and so, I think the overlap of the Venn diagram is a love of place and wanting to protect it.” Logan has dedicated himself to reminding people of this common ground through a career in forest restoration, wildfire mitigation and storytelling. He’s devoted himself to protecting the land and its people, and shepherding the difficult conversations needed to get there. Logan first came to Taos as a Colorado kid who grew up ski racing. He remembered the mountain, the hotels and eating Chinese food. When he came back as an adult, he “imagined Taos as being like another Aspen or even Crested Butte, a place that was glitzy and built up and designed for tourists and a little bit of the Disneyland — and it’s not.” In September in 2009 Logan returned to see if he wanted to move here, and found himself at Taos Pueblo for San Geronimo Feast Day. Witnessing the way the sacred clowns interacted with visitors that day — a central element of the feast day’s traditions — sold him on the place. “I was just like, any place that has this sense of identity, and is like ‘We’re not here to cater to you, you’re in our house, and this is how we behave in our house, and you’re going to be part of the real experience’ — I just loved that,” Logan said. In Taos, Logan became a reporter at the Taos News. For over seven years, he reported on some of Taos’ most contentious subjects: water, land, history, local politics, culture and economic development. “I think about my experiences in that job, and I use my experiences in that job every day — not just in my work, but in my life,” he said. “It was an incredible fast track to gaining access to people and to conversations, and really complex and controversial ideas.” Eventually, Logan wanted to stop reporting and start participating in a different way. He compared his years as a reporter to eight seasons on the bench, on the team but not on the field. “All I wanted to do was like — ‘put me in, coach.’ I just really wanted to go play,” Logan said. His experience as an environment reporter had tuned him into the landscape. He began to see the forest, and wildfire, not just as an ecological issue, but a convergence of many of Taos’ social and cultural tensions — and perhaps a catalyst for healing. “When I decided to go into forestry and the fire stuff, I saw it as an issue that was uniting everyone, whether we wanted to or not,” Logan said. “I saw it as an issue that felt like such a crisis that it creates the disarming atmosphere for people to have conversations around a topic that they’re not willing to have in other contexts.”

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

EARLY DETECTI N

SAVES LIVES

Holy Cross Hospital offers advanced mammography technology with the comfort and convenience of care close to home. Talk to your doctor about getting a referral to Holy Cross Hospital for a Genius™ 3D Mammography™ exam.

Join us for events that raise money for Taos Cancer Support Services

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

October Activities!

Learn more & register: TaosCancerSupport.org

Oct. 18 • Heart Light: A Fall Sound Journey for Healing with Jennifer Manhoff. 5pm at Aura Fitness.

Oct. 24 • Zumba at the Taos Spa and Tennis Club from 1 to 3pm.

Oct. 25 • Posing in Pink: Yoga in Honor of Breast Cancer Oct Awareness with Aura. 9am at Aura Fitness.

Oct. 31 • Taos Cares Raffle drawing.

Dine-Out to Help Out! The following restaurants will donate proceeds from food sales on select dates to Taos Cancer Support Services.

Oct. 15 • Aceq Oct. 19 • Taos Mesa Brewing Taos Tap Room Oct Oct. 30 • Martyrs Steakhouse (lunch service) LEARN MORE AND DONATE: TaosCancerSupport.org

HolyCrossMedicalCenter.org/mammogram (575) 758-8883 • 1397 Weimer Rd., Taos, NM 87571

Thank you to our additional Paint Taos Pink supporters: Daleee KTAOS, Gutiz, Pizaños, tea.o.graphy, Town of Taos

Keeping Taos Moving. World-Class Orthopedic Care. Close to Home.

Expert shoulder, hip, knee, and now foot and ankle surgery, right here in Taos.

Contact Holy Cross Orthopedics and Taos Orthopaedic Institute: 1-888-758-0009 HolyCrossMedicalCenter.org/ortho

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

L ogan has become a prominent figure in local conversations about wildfire, and finding ways to deal with it. In 2022 he became the Taos County forest and watershed health program manager. He’s worked with local, state and federal agencies, with the U.S. Forest Service, land grants, nonprofits and neighbors towards forest restoration, watershed protection and wildfire mitigation. He founded his own forestry consulting company, Del Medio Forestry, and 2023 he received a master’s in forest sciences. A central part of Logan’s contribution to the community is the Forest Mayordomo Program, a community-based forest management program that pays residents to gather wood from the forest for their own use or sale. The program, which Logan founded alongside his neighbors in San Cristobal, has expanded throughout the county. It addresses traditional land use, economic development and overgrown forests while helping repair the historically fraught relationship between multigenerational Taos County residents, especially Spanish land grant heirs, and the U.S. Forest Service. Rene Romero, former fire management officer for the Taos Pueblo Division of Natural Resources, called the Mayordomo Program “groundbreaking” — a step towards healing the land and the communities that interact with it and each other. Romero met Logan when he worked at the county and emphasized Logan’s ability to listen as a cornerstone of his leadership. “He came in with that humble attitude of just listening and empowering the groups to do their work, from communities to individuals to federal entities to tribes to NGOs,” Romero said. Logan leans into the nuanced, deep-rooted challenges of Taos. He’s become known as a bridge, facilitating dialogues and projects that cross cultural, political and historical divides. Nick Streit of Taos Fly Shop and Friends of Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is a close friend of Logan’s and remembers meeting him for the first time “down on the river,” where the two “shout[ed] hellos across the stream. “ “He genuinely has so much respect for the community and cares so much about it that he puts a lot of thought and effort into making sure that he is understanding and hearing people and meeting them where they’re at,” Streit said. Then, he helps find “alignment that maybe people didn’t realize was there” and “leverage that to get things done that that benefit everybody,” like the Mayordomo program, Streit said. With his Del Fuego Project, Logan has hosted events in forests and in theaters, and recently collaborated with The Paseo Project, local governments, organizations, artists and scientists on “Disturbance,” an interdisciplinary project that examines “wildfire as both a destabilizing force and a generative ecological process.” Del Fuego’s tagline — “Fire is complicated. Let’s talk about it.” — captures Logan’s philosophy: difficult problems require difficult conversations. In 2022, the Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon fire shook the forestry community, and the entire region. Like many others in his field, Logan faced a reckoning. “I saw that fire roar over the exact kind of treatments that I do because of the wind and the drought conditions, and I felt totally fatalistic. I felt completely helpless,” he said. But he didn’t turn away. He continued working with community members and government agencies, and harnessed his relationships and storytelling capabilities to help change how people think about wildfire. He doesn’t flinch when he talks about the inevitability of fire, but he lights up when he talks about how communities can unite prepare for it. “We’re not going to stop a catastrophic wildfire from happening in Taos County, but we might be able to create and nurture the relationships between the people and organizations that need to be together to respond to and recover from those challenges,” he said. “We’re in a period of massive adaptation, whether we know it or not, and that adaptation is going to require the reorganizing of our ecosystems. My theory is it’s going to require the reorganizing of our social systems.” When the changes come, as they already are, Logan’s hope is that resilience will come from the strength of the community he’s spent years helping to build. “The place that we love is going to change, and that’s really scary,” he said. “And I think there’s a lot of comfort in being able to go through those changes and recover from those changes and adapt to those changes as a community that shares a little more mutual understanding and a little more mutual respect.”

tradiciones: unsung heroes

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AND THIS YEAR’S UNSUNG HEROES!

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

S r

ince his sister’s passing, Carpio “CJ” Bernal has transformed his grief into a powerful source of advocacy, art and healing for the Taos Pueblo community, first by seeking justice for his sister and other Native people facing trauma through a federal lawsuit, then through businesses that honor his sister’s memory and create jobs for their youth. That metamorphosis earned CJ recognition as one of the Taos News’ 2026 Unsung Heroes, but he’s unwilling to accept the honor alone. “It’s not me that should be getting this,” he said. “I’m accepting this award in honor of my sister, Coral, my family and my community of Taos.” A portrait of Coral Dawn Bernal in all-white regalia hangs inside Dawn Butter-

U N S U N G

fly, a two-story restaurant located on Taos Pueblo lands along Veterans Highway. The portrait, like many things having to do with his sister, represents a strange yet meaningful coincidence for CJ. A week before Dawn Butterfly opened, his father, Carpio Bernal Sr., attended the estate sale of a longtime Taos artist relocating to England. He requested she paint Coral, who died unexpectedly at age 33 on July 18, 2020. The artist led him to the back of her home and dug through her paintings. “Here you go,” she said, handing him a stack of portraits. “I painted Coral about five times.” One such portrait has hung inside Dawn Butterfly ever since. “She comes to us in spirit in those weird ways,” CJ said.

Coral Dawn Bernal was a prolific poet and writer. She studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts and received a Native Writers Award from the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference. She left her family an archive of over 800 pieces of writing and artwork. Then, on July 18, 2020, her life was cut short. An independent medical practitioner the family hired to analyze Coral’s bloodwork told them she should’ve been hospitalized. “She said, ‘I don’t know why Coral wasn’t admitted to the hospital at this point,’” CJ said. “There were obvious findings in all of this bloodwork that was taken and she should’ve been admitted to the hospital and been getting treatment.” In 2022, the family went public with their concerns and issued a 15-point call to action

H E R O E S

CJ BERNAL BY OLIVIA LEWIS

Dawn Butterfly ho tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

seeking reforms within IHS, as well as more mental health resources and improved coordination among tribal, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. The Bernals pursued a case against the IHS, but abandoned the effort two years later. CJ said delays involving the Office of the Medical Investigator prevented timely testing, weakening their case. “That’s one thing I’ve never been silent on,” CJ Bernal said. “Yes, she had a difficult life, but when we went through this as a family, we didn’t just look at the last year or two years of her life — we looked at her whole life and all of the underlying systemic issues she underwent as a young Native woman in this community.” Advocacy and art run deep in the Bernal family. Paul J. Bernal, CJ Bernal’s grandfather and a past Unsung Hero, served as Taos Pueblo secretary and translator. He also fought for the return of Blue Lake and 48,000 acres of wilderness seized by the U.S. government.

CJ’s father is a lifelong Taos artist, while CJ’s mother, Rose Bernal, worked in Taos as a technical writer. Rose was recently elected as a councilor for the Sqwá First Nation in British Columbia, Canada, where she lives with family. The family may never have all their questions answered, but Bernal said one thing remains true: “She was fighting for that sobriety and she was fighting for her life." CJ decided his pursuit of answers couldn’t be the only way his family honored Coral’s memory. That meant opening Dawn Butterfly after years working in restaurants, coffee shops and kitchens across the country, as well as in dance and choreography. “We decided to heal ourselves as a family and move forward in a positive way, which was to create work again and create artwork and create what we’ve created here,” CJ Bernal said. The family kept noticing pairs of deer,

doves, eagles and hawks after Coral passed away. CJ believes them to be the spirits of his sister and a man she loved, but who died shortly before her spirit joined his. While drinking coffee one morning, two butterflies landed on his cup. “I’m going to start the coffee shop,” CJ remembered telling himself. “I heard her voice saying, ‘Just do it.’” CJ opened Dawn Butterfly Café inside his family’s gallery at Taos Pueblo’s traditional village. The restaurant along Veterans Highway was built by his father, mother, brother, Kwantlen Bernal, and other tribal members. At the restaurant, CJ hires Taos Pueblo youth, providing mentorship and job opportunities that can be hard to come by. “All my intention has ever been is to give people an opportunity to learn,” he said. “I want to continue on that path of giving younger people jobs and a chance to get some work experience.” He opposes people calling him “Chef

CJ,” noting that while he loves to cook, he isn’t formally trained. “Food is healing and gathering together is healing,” CJ said. “Those two things come together as a main focus.” He also approaches Dawn Butterfly much like an artist would. “There’s an art to everything,” he said. “There’s an art to creating a space, then there’s an art to creating a restaurant.” That fits neatly with his vision for the Coral Dawn and Paul J. Bernal Center for Arts & Literature, which CJ Bernal plans to open as a space where people can heal through artistic expression. CJ doesn’t romanticize the work it takes to run Dawn Butterfly. He’s still figuring out challenges that new restaurants face, but what keeps him going is visible near the front door. Coral Dawn Bernal. “Her spirit is behind all of this,” CJ said.

Her spirit is behind all of this

•

CJ Bernal, Owner Dawn Butterfly Cafe

onors sister through art, food and advocacy tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

STEVE FUHLENDORF Advocating for recovery, one person at a time

BY GEOFFREY PLANT

teve Fuhlendorf has worn many hats throughout his professional life, from casino slot host and publicist to Sears store manager and peer support worker. He is primarily known for his tireless work with Recovery Friendly Taos, which he co-founded in 2012, and for his determined advocacy and support for addiction treatment services. Working with Lawrence Medina, co-founder of Recovery Friendly Taos and executive director of Rio Grande Alcoholism Treatment Program, Fuhlendorf was instrumental in getting the Taos County Detox Center ready to open in the near future. Having started his own journey to long-term recovery from alcoholism at the medical detox facility years ago, Fuhlendorf said the work is “very personal to me.” Recovery Friendly Taos is a peersupport program in which individuals with lived experience and at least three years of sobriety guide folks struggling with substance use disorder or who are new to recovery. It’s the kind of work that requires dedication, patience and mental fortitude. In addition to hosting support groups, the program helps “pretty much anybody who comes through the door,” with basic needs like Medicaid applications, assistance getting a birth certificate or an ID, for example. If a newly sober person’s basic needs are met, Fuhlendorf said, they are far more likely to stay sober. “So many people have lost these things, and they find they want to get back into the stream of life and find they can’t do it without the right paperwork,” he said. “[Addiction] is not a moral failing on [their] part; it’s not something where you just buck up and pull yourself up by your bootstraps. It’s a disease requiring treatment.” Decades of experience in public relations and marketing lend themselves to his advocacy for harm reduction, reducing the stigma of addiction and lobbying lawmakers for funding for services like the detox center. The facility, which long served a critical local need for medically supervised detox, closed in 2015. “He was there when the whole behavioral health system crashed under Gov. Susana Martinez,” Ted Wiard, founder of Golden Willow Retreat Center and the Taos News’ 2020 Citizen of the Year, recalled. “Steve was the spokesperson who showed up and got up there and was the voice. He applied a consistent approach and passion to make sure we have a service that we were missing.” “He is that voice for the people who don’t have a voice,” Medina said. “Steve goes above and beyond every time.” Fuhlendorf’s public relations and marketing career began in the 1970s

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Fostering Safer

Communities by Supporting Survivors & their Families

in an industry associated with another type of addiction: gambling. Fuhlendorf worked in casino guest services, then marketing, for 17 years. That career is what landed him in Taos in 1999, when he took a job at Taos Mountain Casino. “I ended up throwing all my stuff in a car and driving to Taos,” he said, adding that he worked at the Pueblo’s casino for about a year — he had already become disenchanted with the industry. “I felt like my entire existence boiled down to how much money I could get out of people’s pockets,” Fuhlendorf said. “I was just tired of it.” He went on to work for the Taos County Chamber of Commerce for a total of 11 years, serving as its executive director for the last six of those years. In 2006, he launched Taos Public Relations and Marketing, his own PR firm, later did a two-year stint as Kit Carson Electric Co-op’s public relations coordinator, and, for a year, was public information officer for Taos County. The county gig coincided with one of the most high-profile news events in recent Northern New Mexico history. In August 2018, local and federal police raided a heavily fortified compound near Amalia, where authorities uncovered a cache of weapons, men, women and 11 malnourished children living in squalid conditions, and discovered the remains of a 3-year-old boy. News media descended on Taos. “I was the face of the county for that,” Fuhlendorf said. “That was pretty wild.”

If a newly sober person’s basic needs are met, they are far more likely to stay sober.

If you or a loved one CAVexperienced provides sexual have effective or domesticprograms violence, to help keep you safe CAV is here for you.

and prevent violence.

24 24 Hour Hour HELPline HELPline 575.758.9888 575.758.9888 24 Hour TEXTline 575.770.2706 575.770.2706 Hablamos Español Hablamos Español Hablamos Español Hablamos Español

Happens Here

TaosCAV.org TaosCAV.org

Three Generations,

One Family.

Building a Century of Strength and Service

So many people have lost these things [birth certificate, ID, etc.], and they find they want to get back into the stream of life and find they can’t do it without the right paperwork. [Addiction] is not a moral failing on [their] part; it’s not something where you just buck up and pull yourself up by your bootstraps. It’s a disease requiring treatment.

•

Recovery Friendly Taos Co-founder Steve Fuhlendorf Celebrating our heroes today and yesterday — in our families and communities.

After more than a century shaping Taos, our roots run deep. We stand for an honest day’s work, a genuine handshake and fair prices — that’s our promise.

A legacy built on dedication to our customers, our families and our town.

“The Home Experts” • 315/317 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Taos • randalltaos.com • 575.758.2271

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

He is that voice for the people who don’t have a voice. Steve goes above and beyond ever time. Recovery Friendly Taos Co-founder Lawrence Medina

A YEAR LATER, he was running Taos Entrepreneurial Network when he decided to devote the rest of his life to recovery work and advocacy. His connections in the business community and nonprofit world, and his relationships with local officials, state and federal lawmakers, government officials and first responders, have proven invaluable to local efforts to expand resources for individuals in crisis. “Steve just has a gift — and he’s the PR guy, right? — and he uses that gift to help people living with addiction and/or mental health conditions,” Medina said. Fuhlendorf was born in Hawaii into a military family, which bounced around the West Coast as a child until his father retired from the service and moved the family to Fallon, Nevada, where dad operated the local Sears franchise. When he was a young man, Fuhlendorf took over the store for several years before he moved to Reno, on a path that eventually led him to Taos. Wiard said Fuhlendorf’s key talent relative to his service work is “discernment.” “I watched Steve really come to a place where he could stay quiet and listen first, and from there have the discernment to see how to be of support,” Wiard said. “He doesn’t intercept somebody else’s light, he supports that light after he has listened and contemplated how to take action. That discernment is very rare.”

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

T W E N T Y- S I X T H A N N U A L

A video of last night’s live awards ceremony honoring nine Unsung Heroes and our Citizen of the Year is available now at taosnews.com

Honoring an Unsung Hero-

Steve Fuhlendorf The Board of Directors and Staff of Rio Grande ATP, Inc. extend heartfelt congratulations to Steve Fuhlendorf, a man whose quiet leadership and deep commitment to Taos have touched countless lives.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

A Community Shaped by Those Who Serve It Some of the biggest contributions to our community happen quietly—through time given, helping hands, and a commitment to making a difference.

NEW MEXICO

To this year’s Unsung Heroes: Thank you for all that you do. Your generosity, dedication and community spirit help make Taos a place we’re proud to call home.

With sincere appreciation, Celebrating the traditions that define us and the heritage that unites us.

VisitQuesta.com This ad sponsored by Chevron

Congratulations!

We, the congregation of El Pueblito, and the leadership, volunteers and participants of the Shared Table, offer you our blessings and our thanks for your faithful commitment to caring for our community. Your life is an act of loving kindness to all God’s creatures.

1309 Paseo del Pueblo Norte • 575-758-3166 elpueblitoumc.org

Worship Sundays at 11:00 am

Shared Table distributions 2nd and 4th Wednesdays

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Acute Acute AcuteAcute Weprovider Weprovider PostPostpremier re a premier are aare premier a premier provider in inprovider in Postin PostNursin led Nursin andg Skilled and LonNursin Nursin and Lon -Term Care. Care. -Term Care.Care. g Skilled gLon gg-Term g and gLon g-Term

Now Now Hiring Hiring

RNsRNs s LVNs LVNs As CNAs CNAs As CMAs CMAs

AOS AOS AOS AOS

HEALTHCARE HEALTHCARE HEALTHCARE HEALTHCARE

ealthcare we believe AtweTaos believe that At Healthcare aTaos maintaining thatHealthcare a maintaining we believe a quality, we believe that a quality, supportive a maintaining thatsupportive a maintaining a quality, a quality, supportive supportive our ent team for our environment members teamenvironment members is key. for our Our is key. team for clinical our Our members team clinical leaders members is leaders seek key.toOur isseek key. clinical toOur clinical leaders leaders seek to seek to dnew experienced andempower experienced care-givers empower newcare-givers andnew byexperienced offering andbyexperienced offering comprehensive, care-givers comprehensive, care-givers by offering by offering comprehensive, comprehensive, on-going g trainingtraining to help on-going to strengthen help on-going strengthen training clinical training toclinical skills. help to strengthen skills. help strengthen clinical clinical skills. skills.

Whether Whether you you are aare new a new graduate graduate or or an experienced an experienced nurse, nurse, we have we have career career opportunities opportunities for you! for you! For more For more information information contact contact

TaosHealthCare.com TaosHealthCare.com dylan@opcoca.com dylan@opcoca.com | (214) | (214) 288-3672 288-3672

For tours For of tours theof building: the building: admissions@taoshealthcare.com admissions@taoshealthcare.co

1340 1340 Maestas Maestas Rd, Taos, Rd, Taos, NM 87571 NM 87571

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

In Recognition of Our Unsung Heroes This year, Taos Municipal Schools is proud to recognize our Educational Assistants— the dedicated professionals whose compassion, patience, and commitment make a difference in our classrooms every day. Often working behind the scenes, our Educational Assistants provide the encouragement, individualized support, and steady presence that help our students learn, grow, and succeed. Their contributions are essential to the success of our students, teachers, and schools. Thank you for your unwavering dedication and for always being there when our students need you most. Your work may not always be visible, but its impact is felt throughout our entire school community.

Congratulations to the Unsung Heroes of Taos! Taos Municipal Schools is honored to recognize and celebrate our Educational Assistants. One Team Together

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Unsung Heroes

L E E & A D E L I TA G O N Z A L E S page

tradiciones special edition

honorar a nuestros hÉroes

YA L E J O N E S A life built on kindness and connection BY ELLEN MILLER-GOINS

t the edge of Yale and Shanti Jones’ living room sits a sculpture of two bears locked in a tight embrace. Beyond them, enormous windows look out across the Taos landscape toward the mountains. Yale says the bears represent him and Shanti. But the sculpture could just as easily stand for the couple’s embrace of the community they have called home for more than two decades. For Yale Jones, that embrace has taken many forms: scholarships for first-generation college students, years as a Big Brother, work with the Taos Milagro Rotary Club and Taos Community Foundation, and support for organizations serving young people and people experiencing homelessness. “My wife calls me a connector,” Jones said. That description may come closer than “philanthropist” to explaining why Jones was selected as one of the Taos News’ 2026 Tradiciones Unsung Heroes. Jones, who turns 85 the day after this year’s Tradiciones awards ceremony, is quick to deflect the honor. “The most important single thing to me, to helping me become an unsung hero, is my dear wife,” he said. “She has inspired me. She has supported everything I’ve done. She comes up with good ideas.” Shanti, he added, “is really unsung.” The two met in Oakland and married in 1995. A family trip brought them to Taos, and after returning in different seasons, they eventually bought land. Architect Oscar Palacios designed their home, where they spent their first night over Labor Day weekend in 2000. Jones retired from his law practice, and the couple moved to Taos full time in early 2005. “I felt quite embraced by people here,” he said. Before long, he began returning the embrace. He served on the Millicent Rogers Museum board, volunteered at Shared Table and became involved with Rotary and the Taos Community Foundation. Eventually, he and Shanti asked themselves where they could make the greatest difference. Their answer was young people. They established the First Generation Scholarship Fund through the community foundation, helping students attend New Mexico State University or schools through the Western Undergraduate Exchange. “That’s really where our heart is, helping the youngsters,” Jones said. One recipient is Demarcus Allen, who received a scholarship to attend the University of New Mexico. Jones said Allen worked about 30 hours a week at Walmart while attending high school and living at DreamTree.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

“N

Doing our Best, Honoring Those who do Theirs

ow that’s the boy you want to help,” Jones said. “Maybe we have a little impact in his life.” His commitment to young people has not been limited to money. Through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern New Mexico, Jones was matched with a Taos boy who was 7 years old. Jones saw him nearly every week, and the relationship remains part of both their lives today. “Once you take somebody on, you just can’t say, ‘Okay, he’s 18. I’m done with him,’” Jones said. His Little Brother, now an adult living in Albuquerque, taught Jones something in return. “He helped teach me the value of being kind, and being generous, and being present for him,” Jones said. That emphasis on presence runs through Jones’ approach to philanthropy. He looks at the motivation of the people seeking support and the impact their work can have. True Kids 1, which teaches media skills to young people, is one organization that has impressed him. Jones is helping finance a student film about The NEST, Taos’ emergency overnight shelter. Jones’ philosophy of service began long before Taos. While attending UCLA School of Law, he heard Martin Luther King Jr. speak about the Vietnam War and its effect on the civil rights struggle. Soon afterward, Jones joined the Peace Corps and taught high school in Kenya instead of immediately beginning a legal career. “It taught me so much,” he said. “It taught me that we’re all the same under our skin. It taught me more humility. It taught me how to get along with people.”

TaosRealEstateBroker.com

575.758.2723

Mountain Home Health Care’s staff and board members would like to congratulate all 2026 Unsung Heroes.

The most important single thing to me, to helping me become an unsung hero, is my dear wife.

Thank you for being an inspiration to our community!

She has inspired me. She has supported everything I’ve done. She comes up with good ideas. Shanti [he added] is really unsung.

• Yale Jones

HE ALTH CARE

C E L E B R A T I N G

630 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, #180, Taos • 575.758.4786 www.mtnhomehealth.com

Y E A R S

Taos’ only nonprofit home health and hospice agency- serving Taos since 1975.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

OF SERVIN G TAOS

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

IVING AMONG THE LUO PEOPLE in western Kenya also introduced him to an approach to conflict that placed little emphasis on blame. The lesson stayed with Jones through a career as a lawyer and later as a mediator. Even in litigation, he said, he never viewed opposing attorneys as enemies. “Nobody does anything alone,” Jones said. Throughout his life, he added, he has benefited from mentors, teachers and people willing to open doors for him. The couple’s philosophy can be summed up in a single word: kindness. “Life has been very good to us,” Jones said, “and we’re trying to do a little something back.” “My definition of success is a good impact on other people,” he said. “It has nothing to do with me.”

tradiciones: unsung heroes

Years ago, he and Shanti established a donoradvised fund through the community foundation. Jones told his two children the decision would ultimately reduce their inheritance. Their responses were nearly identical: He had put them through college and law school and helped them buy homes. They had enough. “Do something good with your money,” they told him. It is one more example of something he has come to believe more strongly as he has grown older: “Everything one does has echoes in the lives of others.” Those echoes do not require wealth. They can begin with how someone treats a stranger, Jones said, even the person gathering shopping carts in a parking lot. “You can make somebody’s day, or you can ruin somebody’s day.” For all the organizations, scholarships, boards and donations attached to his name, Jones insists the exchange has never traveled in only one direction. “I get more out of the accomplishments for other people and the relationships with other people, by far, than they get out of me,” he said. Back in the living room, the two bears remain wrapped around one another, facing the mountains. For Yale and Shanti Jones, it is an image of a marriage. After years of giving, connecting and being present in Taos, it has become something larger, too: a pretty good picture of how they have chosen to live.

Everything one does has echoes in the lives of others. Yale Jones

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

SOOTHING HEARTS, SUSTAINING EARTH: RED WILLOW HOSPICE, WHERE COMPASSION MEETS CONSERVATION. Red Willow Hospice actively promotes eco-friendly practices, and leads the way in environmental initiatives within our community.

Home Office, Email, Shopping, etc.

Red WilloW Hospice re dwi l l ow h o sp i c e . c o m

(575) 737-1811

AN UNSUNG HERO OF OUR COMMUNITY

CONGRATULATIONS

YALE JONES AN UNSUNG HERO OF OUR COMMUNITY AN UNSUNG HERO OF OUR COMMUNITY

YALE JONES

AN UNSUNG HERO OF OUR COMMUNITY

CONGRATULATIONS

CONGRATULATIONS AN UNSUNG HERO OF OUR COMMUNITY

AN UNSUNG HERO OF OUR C OCOMMUNITY N G R Acontributions TULATIONS Your many heartfelt and invaluable

YALE JONES

toYour your many familyheartfelt and community are deeplycontributions appreciated. and invaluable CO CONGRATULATIO NNSG R A T U L A T I O N S Thank you for all you are and all that you do.

YALE JONES

to your family and community are deeply appreciated.

YALE JONES YALE JONES

Your many heartfelt and invaluable contributions

Your many heartfelt and are invaluable contributions Thank you for all you and all that you do.

to are appreciated. W I Tcommunity H ALL OUR L Odeeply VE, to your your family family and and community are deeply appreciated. Your many heartfelt and invaluable contributions Thank you for are and that Thank you heartfelt for all all you you are and all all that you you do. do. Your many and invaluable contributions toWyour and are deeply appreciated. I T H family ALL OU R Lcommunity O VMarianna, E, Shanti, Rachel, Keith, Aaron, to your family and community are deeply appreciated.

Your many heartfelt and invaluable Thank you all you Johann are and all that you do. Wcontributions IKaren, THERO H A L L OF O UOUR R for LO V E , and Pasha, Yulia, Roz, Joy, AN UNSUNG COMMUNITY WIT H you A L Lare O Uand R LO VE , Thank you for all all that you do.

Shanti, Keith, Aaron, Marianna, to your family and community are Rachel, deeply appreciated. and the manyRachel, others whose youMarianna, have touched. Shanti, Keith, lives Aaron,

Rachel, Keith, Marianna, WKaren, I T H you A L L Odo. URoz, RAaron, LOV WEJoy, I, T H Aand L L O Johann UR LOVE, Pasha, Yulia, Thank you for all you areShanti, and all that Pasha, Yulia, Karen, Roz, Joy, and Johann Pasha, Yulia, Karen, Roz, Joy, and Johann

CONGRATULATIONS

Shanti, Rachel, Keith, Aaron, Marianna, and and the the many whose lives have touched. manyothers othersShanti, whose lives youyou haveKeith, touched. Rachel, Aaron, Marianna,

and the many whose lives have touched. Karen, Roz, Joy,you and Johann WITH ALL OU R Pasha, LOV EYulia, , others

YALE JONES

Pasha, Yulia, Karen, Roz, Joy, and Johann

and the many others whose lives you have touched.

Shanti, Rachel, Keith, Aaron, Marianna, and the many others whose lives you have touched. Karen, Roz, Joy, and Johann t r a d i c i o n e s :Pasha, u n s u nYulia, g hero es

and the many others whose lives you have touched.

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

S r

pend a little time with Lee and Adelita Gonzales and it becomes difficult to talk about one without talking about the other. Married 52 years, they finish details for each other, gently correct one another and laugh easily. More important, they have spent a lifetime sharing the work of raising a family, building careers and serving their church and community. Describing the years when Adelita worked while he pursued a master’s degree, Lee said, “We were both very supportive of each other’s jobs. We worked together.” The couple met while attending New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas. Lee, an El Prado native and Taos High School graduate, majored in Spanish and

U N S U N G

minored in social studies. Adelita, who grew up on Gonzales Ranch in San Miguel County, majored in biology and minored in chemistry and physics. Lee began his teaching career in Antonito, Colorado, before moving to Questa, where he spent more than two decades teaching Spanish and history and later served as a principal. He eventually returned to Taos, where he taught Spanish. He also taught at UNM-Los Alamos. Full disclosure: Lee was my New Mexico history teacher at Questa High School and sponsor of my class, the Class of 1979. He sponsored other classes, too, with Adelita often involved. Together they took 22 members of the Class of 1984 to Mexico City and Acapulco and later accompanied 12 members of the Class of 1992 on a trip that included the Bahamas, a cruise and

Disney World. Adelita also checked tests, chaperoned activities and worked the concession stand when Lee was student council sponsor. Adelita built a demanding career of her own. After training as a medical technologist, she worked at Holy Cross Hospital for 37 years and helped establish its first histology laboratory, a laboratory devoted to the study of tissue. For years, she said, she essentially had three jobs: her hospital work, her work at home and billing she did for pathology. “I had to take care of the kids, take them to their appointments, take them to school, take them to conferences,” she said. Their support ran both ways. Early in their marriage, when they had only one vehicle and Adelita was on call, Lee often drove her to the hospital. When Lee

H E R O E S

L E E & A D E L I TA GONZALES BY ELLEN MILLER-GOINS

A partnership tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

attended Highlands during the summers to work on his master’s degree, Adelita stayed home with their children while continuing to work. “What you need to do, you need to do,” Adelita said. That give-and-take has continued into their community service. Lee has devoted years to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish where he serves as mayordomo, or caretaker, in Taos and Santa Teresa de Jesus capilla in El Prado. The chapel is part of his family history. He said his grandparents were connected to its founding, and he made his first Communion there. That history surrounds the couple. Their home stands on Gonzales family land once owned by Lee’s grandfather, with relatives still living nearby along Calle Isidro. Family photographs and mementos fill the house. Over the mantel hangs a portrait of Lee’s mother, Carmen Cisneros Gonzales, painted by Taos artist Rich Nichols when she was selected for the first Tradiciones: Raíces in 2001. Carmen died before that issue

appeared. Lee recalled that after Kathy Córdova interviewed her, his mother kept asking when the magazine would come out. Twenty-five years later, the portrait remains in the family home — and Lee and Adelita are being honored in Tradiciones themselves. At Santa Teresa, Lee has overseen improvements including new gas lines, a heater and windows. Adelita served alongside him as mayordoma after a vehicle damaged the chapel and still sews banners and other items for the church. Lee also started La Peregrina Guadalupana, in which families take a small statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe into their homes for a week. He said the tradition helps Spanish-speaking immigrant families feel connected to home while also feeling less isolated. “They call me and I go and help,” Lee said of his church work, which also includes decorating for different seasons and assisting with funerals. Adelita also volunteered for about two years at the St. James food pantry. Retirement opened another avenue for her.

She became an actress, appearing in “Los Pastores” for two years and later playing Pachita in Enriqueta Vásquez’s “Flor and the Gift of the Blue Eagle.” Then there are the lights. For more than 30 years, the Gonzales family’s Christmas display on Calle Isidro has drawn Taoseños and visitors. Lee and Adelita began dedicating it to deceased family members after Lee’s niece, Peggy Romero Martinez, died in 1993. In recent years, it has included more than 100,000 lights across five homes. Former students now bring their own children and grandchildren to see the display. Even there, Lee and Adelita divide the work. Adelita said Lee does “all the climbing” while she does “the gopher.” The humor is typical of them. Family has remained at the center of their lives. Lee and Adelita raised three children, Xavier, Ramiro and Marisela, with help from Carmen, who cared for the children while both parents worked. Years later, Lee and

Adelita did much the same for the next generation, helping to raise three grandchildren for many years (the couple have seven grandchildren in total). Now they help care for a great-grandson. Both came from families of 11 children. Looking back on those close-knit households, Lee said caring for younger generations is simply “what you do in a tight-knit family.” Asked what advice they would give parents, Lee said to love children and show them you care. Adelita added that children need to know “you’re there for them.” That instinct — teach them, care for them and show up — runs through their lives. For more than half a century, when one needed to study, the other held things together. When one was called to work, the other helped make it possible. When children needed raising, students needed guidance, a chapel needed repairing or a family tradition needed carrying forward, Lee and Adelita Gonzales showed up. Usually together.

built on family, faith and service tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

JESUS MARTINEZ

Putting community first, one store at a time BY BLYNN BELTRAN

esus Martinez was born and raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where family values became a foundation for his life at a young age. Martinez said growing up in a strong Catholic home taught him to lean on God and serve those around him. “Being raised in a tight-knit town showed me firsthand how a community comes together to support one another, especially through tough times, a lesson that shaped the person I am today,” Martinez said. Martinez has been around the grocery business most of his life. His father also worked in retail, and in 2004, while Martinez was attending the University of New Mexico, he joined the Lowe’s Supermarket team and began managing the company’s Angel Fire store. He has been with Lowe’s for more than two decades. Martinez said the company’s emphasis on family and community reflects his own values. When Lowe’s acquired Super Save Discount Food Store in Taos in 2017, Martinez took on management of the Taos store as well. He said Taos immediately felt like home to him and his family.

Being raised in a tight-knit town showed me firsthand how a community comes together to support one another, especially through tough times, a lesson that shaped the person I am today

•

Jesus Martinez

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Thank You To All This Year’s Unsung Heroes!

Congrats

to Jesus & all the other honorees!

SAWMILL & FIREWOOD

758-1506

M-F 8:00am - 5:00pm Sat. 9:00am - Noon 24930 Highway 64 West Located One Mile West of the Old Blinking Light

VIGAS • LATILLAS • CORBELS CARVED POSTS • FIREWOOD LUMBER • RAILROAD TIES • SAWDUST

Specializing in SouthweSt Building MaterialS v

Congratulations, Jesus! Your light radiates with warmth and brilliance, as you quietly accomplish so much behind the scenes, providing a steady anchor for our entire community.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

LONGSIDE THE SUPER SAVE TEAM, Martinez has supported local nonprofits and community efforts throughout Taos County and beyond, often finding ways to put the store’s food, space and vendor relationships to work for people who need help. Ernestina Córdova, who nominated Martinez for the Unsung Heroes honor, said he has been a steady supporter of Taos Feeds Taos. She said Martinez allows the organization to use Super Save to provide grocery vouchers for people in need and feeds volunteers who help distribute food. He also helped start a car show fundraiser for Taos Feeds Taos and works with store vendors to secure donations for the event, which helps raise money for food baskets. Córdova said Martinez also supports veterans outreach events by providing food and has helped Special Olympics fundraising efforts. She credited him with helping launch a car show fundraiser for Special Olympics, another example of how he uses the resources around him to support community organizations. That willingness to respond quickly was especially visible when Acoma Pueblo lost water service several years ago. Holly Summer Berries, who seconded Martinez’s nomination, said she called Super Save while trying to organize help for the Pueblo. Martinez agreed immediately and donated an entire semi-truckload of bottled water. Taos Special Olympics director Yavanne Jaramillo said Martinez and the Super Save crew are an amazing help with the organization’s fundraising efforts. “Oh my, he is amazing to us. He provided all the food and the place to do our car shows,” Jaramillo said. “When we do our bingo, he donates whatever food we’re going to be cooking and donates gifts for our raffles.” Martinez has also served on the Angel Fire Chamber of Commerce board. In a 2024 Chamber profile, he said he chose to be active on the board because he believes in helping local businesses grow and succeed. Martinez credited his Super Save team for everything it has accomplished in the community. He said giving back to Taos County has been a blessing and has made him a better leader. Promoted to area manager in June, Martinez oversees 10 stores and hopes to bring new energy, resources and support to more communities in need across the region. “Through every step of this journey, I remain deeply grateful for our wonderful customers, my store family and, above all, my amazing family at home — my wife, Angelica, and our three daughters: Allison, Zoey and Lilah. My passion will always be using my work and resources to help those most in need whenever our community calls,” Martinez said.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

The warmth of this community inspired me to give back in every way possible Jesus Martinez

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

HONORAR A NUESTROS HEROES

TRADICIONES

ANNIVERSARY

TO OUR SPONSORS As we look back on the success of Tradiciones, we are reminded that none of this would be possible without our sponsors. Your dedication to making a positive impact is truly commendable.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Ivette Z.

Cancer Survivor

Northern New Mexico’s home for truly compassionate cancer care. When advanced cancer care is close, you can get a screening or treatment and still make it home for dinner. And that’s exactly what CHRISTUS Health offers – exceptional care delivered with exceptional caring, close to your home and Learn more about advanced cancer care.

your life. Visit CHRISTUShealth.org to learn more about our cancer health risk assessments and screening programs.

26-1887450

GOLDEN WILLOW RETREAT Facilitating Healing for over 24 years.

Golden Willow Retreat is your sanctuary of solace, a non-profit dedicated to promoting healthy grieving by empowering people impacted by all forms of loss. We honor your journey with compassion and support. We offer our heartfelt congratulations to this year’s Unsung Heroes. goldenwillowretreat.org

575.776.2024

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

A LIVING TRADITION

Our Community tells a story...

EXPLORE

Taos Pueblo, a living landmark of its Native heritage and timeless beauty.

DISCOVER the benefits of being a Bison Rewards member at Taos Mountain Casino.

EXPERIENCE convenience at Hail Creek Travel Center, your one-stop road-trip destination.

tradiciones: unsung heroes

tao s n e w s / o c t. 8 , 2 0 2 6

Tradiciones / Heroes 2026