Sam Steel Way
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Schickedanz receives USDA award for public service
Jerry Schickedanz, dean of NMSU’s College of
Agriculture and Home Economics, received a
national award for public service from U.S.
Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman in
Washington, D.C.
Schickedanz received a Secretary’s Honor
Award in June for enhancing service to rural,
Hispanic and Native American populations.
He was nominated for leading the college’s
outreach through the Rural Agricultural
Improvement and Public Affairs Project
(RAIPAP), welfare-to-work efforts, youth at-risk
programs and Native American partnerships.
“He will become one of three or four New
Mexicans in history to receive this award,” said
college development officer Ron Gurley.
Schickedanz, who has served as dean since
1997, previously headed NMSU’s Cooperative
Extension Service, which has offices and faculty
in every New Mexico county.
“We call him the Flying Dean because he flies
his own plane and covers the state to meet with
any group at any time to offer his personal service
to the rural people of New Mexico,” Gurley said.
Schickedanz leads a host of outreach programs cited in the nomination. In the past
three years, more than 3,000 families have
learned strategies for economic survival
through the RAIPAP project in north-central
New Mexico. Staff conduct educational programs on topics such as soil analysis, integrated pest management, beef cattle nutrition and
herd management. More than 1,200 families
have learned food processing, marketing and
packaging skills through the project.
Schickedanz’s nomination cites the
college’s leadership in administering New
Mexico Works, the state’s welfare-to-work
program, in southern New Mexico. Since the
program’s inception in 1998, 8,265 people
have taken part in education, training and
placement programs, and 4,552 have found
paying jobs.
In addition, Schickedanz works with tribal
leaders as a partner in economic development
projects.
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman with Jerry
Schickedanz, dean of NMSU’s College of
Agriculture and Home Economics.
He leads programs that serve New Mexico’s
22 Indian tribes by providing assistance with
livestock production, range management and
small-scale farming.
D’Lyn Ford
D’LYN FORD
NMSU student leaders have agricultural backgrounds
Marketing Association.
“I’ve always been interested in politics since I was
growing up,” Hill said with
a grin. “In fact, if you ever
go to Artesia they’ll give
you a hard time if you call
me Jake. It’s ‘Governor.’”
Hill swept the competition in the mid-April
election with one of the
university’s highest voter
turnouts in 20 years. He
credits his leadership
experience in FFA and
4-H for his success.
ASNMSU Vice President Kelly Jones (left) and President Jake Hill
“From public speaking to parliamentary
After a 21-year drought, a student from the
procedure, all things in these organizations
College of Agriculture and Home Economics has
help build strong leaders for society,” Hill said.
been elected NMSU’s student body president.
Jones, who will preside over the ASNMSU
Jake Hill, a senior from Artesia majoring in
Senate in his role as vice president, said sharagricultural economics and agricultural busiing similar backgrounds and experience will
ness, will serve as president of Associated
make the pair more effective.
Students of NMSU for 2001-2002. Kelly Jones, a
“We know each others’ leadership styles, and
senior from Clayton majoring in animal scithat will help us work together effectively,” Jones
ence, is ASNMSU vice president.
said. “I will most definitely collaborate with Jake
Hill has not been shy about his love of
and use teamwork to accomplish goals.”
politics. He served as ASNMSU vice president
Jones served as a senator for the college for
from 2000 to 2001, ASNMSU senator for the
three semesters beginning in 1999. He was
college from 1999 to 2000 and FFA state officer
FarmHouse fraternity president from 2000 to
from 1998 to 1999. He has been a college
2001, an officer for the dairy science club, FFA
ambassador and member of the National
state officer from 1998 to 1999 and member of
Society of Collegiate Scholars and National Agrifour honor societies: Alpha Zeta, Gamma
Sigma Alpha, Alpha Chi and Order of Omega.
Jones said keeping the Senate running efficiently and streamlining funding for clubs on
campus are his main priorities. For Hill, the
emphasis will be on campus safety and maintaining school tradition.
Melanie Dabovich
IN THIS ISSUE...
Marketing students
3
rake in awards
4
Where are they
now?
6
at NMSU
Hoofbeats
8
Alumni
profiles
NMSU roper
competes in finals
NMSU calf roper Quentin Talbot competed at the College National Finals Rodeo
in Casper, Wyo. Talbot, a senior animal
science major, was in sixth place after the
first day. He had a time of 9.8 seconds in
the first go, but no times for the second
and third, eliminating him from final
competition.
Talbot qualified for his second consecutive trip to nationals by finishing seventh at the College Rodeo Championship
Series in Hobbs. He is president of the
NMSU Rodeo Club.
Linnaean team third
at regional competition
NMSU’s team placed third in the regional
Linnaean Games, an entomology-based
question and answer competition. The
contest was held at the Southwestern
Branch meeting of the Entomological
Society of America in San Antonio, Texas.
NMSU placed third behind Oklahoma
State and Texas A&M, losing two rounds
by a single question.
Team members, all agricultural biology majors, were Ricardo Ramirez, captain; Andrine Morrison; Paul Smith; Lyn
Kirkpatrick; and Lupe Carrasco, alternate.
Wool judging team
fourth in Houston
NMSU’s wool judging team placed fourth
overall at the Houston Livestock Show.
Becky Kelling, a sophomore majoring in
animal science, was high individual in the
grading portion and fourth overall.
Houston was the final competition for
the team, which consisted of Kelling;
Krystal Winfield, an agricultural and extension education major; and Kelly Dobbs, an
animal and range science major.
“We improved throughout the season, with Houston being our best showing,” said Daniel Rivera, team coach and
doctoral candidate in Animal and Range
Sciences.
Student Activities
• Block and Bridle Club
• Pre-Vet Club
• Range Club
(Society for Range Management
student chapter)
• Rodeo Team
STUDENTNEWS
Hawkins and students recognized
Dean Hawkins, associate professor in Animal
and Range Sciences, was selected as the
Outstanding Young Scientist, and two of his
graduate students won top honors at the
Western section meeting of the American
Society of Animal Science in Bozeman, Mont.
Hawkins joined the NMSU faculty in 1992.
Since then, he has established a functional
molecular biology laboratory and received six
grants to support projects ranging from molecular biology research and teaching to nutrition
modulation of beef cow reproduction.
Hawkins advises preveterinary majors in
Animal and Range Sciences and recruits students. He has served as faculty adviser for
Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, Block and Bridle
Club and Mortar Board.
In 1997, Hawkins received the Distinguished
Teaching Award from the College of Agriculture
and Home Economics. He has presented 26
papers nationally and internationally.
David Denniston, a doctoral student in animal science, won first place in the paper competition. He presented a paper on research
about a compound that has been implicated in
maintaining bovine pregnancies.
Denniston graduated from NMSU in May. He
coached the collegiate and local 4-H horse judging teams while at NMSU. He was hired as an
assistant professor in equine sciences and animal sciences at Colorado State University.
Leo Canales, an animal science graduate
student, placed third in the competition for his
presentation of research on progesterone receptors on a structure on the ovaries that is essential in sustaining bovine pregnancies.
Canales coaches NMSU’s collegiate livestock
judging team. He will graduate in December.
Jenifer Schlotfeldt
DEPARTMENTSPOTLIGHT
In the Department of Animal and Range Sciences, students can work in fully equipped labs to learn about
livestock nutrition, genetics, physiology, endocrinology, meats, wool and toxicology. The department
offers a horse management option and preveterinary studies, with graduates having a high acceptance
rate into veterinary medical schools. Four campus animal facilities house beef cattle, horses, swine and
sheep. The department also operates a 64,000-acre ranch north of Las Cruces, the Corona Range and
Livestock Center and the Clayton Livestock Research Center.
Majors: animal science, range science
Options: animal industry, animal science, ranch management, horse management, rangeland resources
management, wildlife habitat management, plant ecology and conservation, range ecology, watershed
management
Graduate study areas: animal breeding, meats, nutrition, reproductive physiology, wool, ruminant nutrition, range ecology, animal and plant nutrition, plant taxonomy, range improvement, disturbed land
reclamation, range physiology, range management, brush and weed control,
ecophysiology, and watershed management
New Faces
Mark Wise began work July 1 as head of Animal and Range Sciences. He
comes to NMSU from the University of Arizona, where he served as a
professor in the veterinary science, microbiology and physiology departments. From 1988 to 2000, Wise was an assistant, associate and full professor in the animal sciences and physiology departments. From 1982 to
1984, he was a postdoctoral researcher with the National Institutes of
Health in Colorado State University’s physiology department.
Wise received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science
from Texas Tech University in 1976 and 1978, respectively. He earned
his doctorate in animal science from the University of Nebraska in 1981.
Mark Wise
• Equestrian Team
• Polo Team
• Livestock Judging Team
• Dairy Judging Team
• Horse Judging Team
• Range Club Judging Team
• Wool Judging Team
Clint Löest (pronounced “loose”) began work July 1 as a ruminant
nutrition specialist. Löest has been a postdoctoral research associate at
Kansas State University.
Löest received a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a master’s
degree in ruminant nutrition from the University of the Orange Free
State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He earned a doctorate from
Kansas State University in ruminant nutrition.
Clint Löest
Sam Fernald has been named assistant professor of watershed
management in Animal and Range Sciences. He replaces Karl Wood,
now director of NMSU’s Water Resources Research Institute.
Fernald will teach graduate and undergraduate courses in forestry
and watershed management. His research will focus on how land use
in watersheds affects runoff and water quality measured in streams. His
goal is to provide science-based solutions to watershed management.
Sam Fernald
2
S A M S T E E L WAY
H AT S
OFF!
A hearty congratulations to outstanding
students and alumni from the College of
Agriculture and Home Economics.
President Bush appointed alumnus Paul
Gutierrez (1993) as executive director of
New Mexico’s Farm Service Agency.
John Fowler (1974), coordinator of
NMSU's Range Improvement Task Force,
was honored as the New Mexico
CowBelles' Man of the Year.
Alumna Chadelle (Henry) Robinson
(1996, 1998) won the New Mexico
Department of Agriculture’s distinguished
service award for professional staff.
Agri-marketing team wins nationals
NMSU’s National Agri-Marketing Association
(NAMA) chapter swept national competition
April 10-13 in Denver with three major awards,
including a national championship in the marketing competition, Outstanding Student Chapter
of the Year and an Innovative Idea award.
Incoming NAMA President Kimberly Smith,
a junior majoring in agricultural economics
and agricultural business, was recognized with
a $2,500 scholarship from the Agricultural
Business Education Foundation.
In the final round of the marketing competition, NMSU defeated Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,
Auburn University and Fort Hays University.
“To get to the finals we beat out 31 other
universities at this year’s competition,” said
Cynda Clary, outgoing chapter adviser and
associate professor in Agricultural Economics
and Agricultural Business.
NAMA collegiate chapters focus on undergraduates interested in agricultural marketing,
sales and business careers.
NMSU’s chapter has won a national award
every year since its creation in 1994.
“I never thought I’d enjoy marketing like I
did during this competition,” said first year
team member Brian Baumgaertner, a senior
majoring in agricultural economics and agricultural business.
The marketing competition is based on
work done during the spring course, agribusiness market planning (AGE 451). During
the semester, students research a product,
develop a one- to three-year marketing plan
and present it to the product’s manufacturer.
This year, NMSU developed a plan for the
National Pecan Shellers Association to increase
pecan sales to the hotel/restaurant industry. The
students were responsible for market research,
financial analysis and promotion design.
A marketing plan was submitted one
month before the competition. During the competition, the students gave a 20-minute oral
presentation to a panel of industry judges
using PowerPoint, Clary said.
“I think last year we had a lot of fun at the
competition, but this year we learned a lot
more about marketing,” said returning team
member Josh Beyer, a junior majoring in agricultural economics and agricultural business.
The team also won outstanding chapter for
the third time in its seven-year history, based
on its annual report. The report includes information on chapter management, programs,
membership, financial evaluations, communication objectives, career development, goals
and activities.
In addition to these honors, NMSU received
an Innovative Idea award in chapter management. The award recognized the “NAMA
BUCKS” program that was designed to reward
member participation in chapter activities.
Students on the team said the best part of
the competition was that students from other
universities recognized NMSU because of their
consistent high showing at the national competition.
The teaching assistant for this year’s group
was Shacey Sullivan of Fruitland. NAMA team
members are Baumgaertner of El Paso; Beyer of
Las Cruces; Katy Bothum of Enterprise, Ore.;
Lorna Brown of Las Cruces; Felicia Chacon of
Española; Jerry Garcia of Las Cruces; Adrienne
Harshman of Melbourne, Fla.; Levi Jackson of
Lordsburg; Jeremy Kohler from Clayton and
Farmington; Kacy Kummell of El Paso; Desiree
Maddox of Ruidoso; Darla Mayes of Carlsbad;
Josh Ramsey of Alamogordo; Crystal Runyan
of Las Cruces; Robby Shuttles of Santa Fe; and
Smith of Roy.
Jenifer Schlotfeldt
PLEASE SEND US YOUR
PHOTOS FROM
AGGIE ALUMNI
GATHERINGS
IN YOUR AREA.
SUMMER 2001
Alumna Jennifer Hopper (1993, 1995)
state director of Agriculture in the
Classroom, received a 2001 Professional
Recognition Award for an “Ag Week”
project she designed with NMSU associate professor Robert Torres.
Joel Gutierrez and Katie Paulsen, NMSU
students majoring in hotel, restaurant and
tourism management, received national
awards of excellence from the National
Restaurant Association at its Hotel and
Motel Show in Chicago.
Animal science student Phoenix Rogers
was named one of the NMSU Alumni
Association’s outstanding seniors for
spring 2001. Rogers has been a college
ambassador, Crimson Scholar and Dean’s
List honoree.
Kimberly Smith, a junior majoring in agricultural economics and agricultural business, received a $750 Roberts Memorial
Student Award for enhancing the quality
of life at NMSU in the past year.
If you have an item for Hats Off, contact
D’Lyn Ford, editor, at (505) 646-6528 or
[email protected].
Sam Steel Way is a publication of the Sam Steel Society,
serving the alumni and friends of the College of Agriculture
and Home Economics at New Mexico State University.
JERRY G.
SCHICKEDANZ
Dean and Chief
Administrative Officer
RON GURLEY
Development Officer
Sam Steel Way is produced by NMSU’s Agricultural
Communications department.
D’LYN FORD
JOANNA STITH
MELANIE DABOVICH
MEGHAN MCGUIRE
ANNA MARÍA PÉREZ-WRIGHT
KEVIN ROBINSON
JENIFER SCHLOTFELDT
J. VICTOR ESPINOZA
Editor
Graphic Designer
Contributors
Photographer
For a subscription to Sam Steel Way, address change
or letter to the editor, call (505) 646-6528 or write to D’Lyn
Ford, Agricultural Communications, NMSU, Box 30003,
MSC 3AI, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003.
Please visit our World Wide Web site at
www.samsteelonline.org
New Mexico State University is an affirmative action,
equal opportunity employer and educator. NMSU and
U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.
The Sam Steel Society and Sam Steel Way newsletter
are named for a student who would have been the first
graduate of a New Mexico college. He was murdered
prior to the scheduled 1893 graduation at New Mexico
College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now NMSU.
Sam Steel Way, the frontage road to Interstate 10, is
named in Steel’s honor.
3
Let your friends know where you are.
Register at www.samsteelonline.org and
we'll send you a free college lapel pin and
print your information in our next edition of
Sam Steel Way. Questions? Contact D'Lyn
WHERE
ARE THEY
NOW?
Ford at (505) 646-6528 or [email protected].
With 1951
Thomas M. McGinn, plant sciences and food technology.
Hometown: Ancon, Panama Canal Zone. McGinn attended New Mexico A & M from 1947 to 1949. He later went
on to graduate from the University of California-Davis in
1951. McGinn and his son farm 111 acres of pistachio
trees and grapes in the Tularosa Basin. They established
their own winery, San Tomas Vineyards. McGinn was
made an honorary Sam Steel member in 1998.
1951
James R. Sims, agronomy. Hometown: Santa Rosa. Sims is
a professor emeritus of Montana State University. He
retired in 1997 after 31 years with the plant and soil
science department. He is a director on the Gallatin, Mont.
County Fair Board and is president of the Gallatin
Fairgrounds Foundation. Sims is an agronomist trained
as a soil physical chemist and has developed and
released six varieties of agronomic crop species.
1952
Bill Huey, wildlife. Hometown: Socorro. Huey worked
for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish until
1975, when he was appointed secretary of the state
Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources department.
Huey retired in 1982 and directed Senator Jeff
Bingaman’s New Mexico offices for one year. Huey and
his wife, Mary, live in Tesuque. They continue to be
involved in wildlife and conservation issues.
1956, 1971
1975
James Gilmore, agricultural and extension education.
Hometown: Elida. Gilmore is a dairy management consultant for Cargill Animal Nutrition in Missouri, Kansas
and Oklahoma. He and his wife have three sons and a
granddaughter. They are expecting a grandson.
1976
Maureane Hoffman, animal science. Hometown: Los
Alamos. Hoffman is an associate professor of pathology
at Duke University Medical Center.
W. Don Byers, recreation areas management.
Hometown: Las Cruces. Byers lives in Carlsbad.
1978
John C. Senger, environmental and resource economics.
Hometown: Overland Park, Kan. Senger is a self-employed
environmental project manager.
1978, 1981
Tom Crawford, environmental and natural resource
economics. Hometown: Las Cruces. Crawford works for
the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Carson City,
Nev. He deals with water rights economics, land use
plans, wilderness and recreation economics, and urban
interface issues.
Paul L. Milan, agriculture. Hometown: Milan. Milan is
director and vice chairman of Grants State Bank. He
chairs La Fiesta de Colores and the North West
Community Development Corporation. He is treasurer
of Roberta’s Place, a shelter for battered women, and for
the Literacy Volunteers of America. Milan and his wife,
Hortensia, have been married for 43 years and have four
children, three grandchildren and one on the way.
1979
1965
Allen Dobson, pest management. Dobson graduated
from law school at the University of Arkansas-Little
Rock in 1985. He is a partner in the Cross, Gunter,
Witherspoon & Galchus firm in Little Rock. He is certified as a senior professional in human resources.
Dobson and his wife have two children, ages 2 and 9.
Irwin Weintraub, master’s degree animal science.
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y. Weintraub is a life sciences
specialist at the Brooklyn College Library. He had a
long career as an agricultural and environmental sciences librarian at land-grant universities in the United
States and Israel. Weintraub earned a master’s degree
in library science from Long Island University and a
doctorate in library and information studies from the
University of Wisconsin. He served two years in the
Peace Corps.
1968, 1970
David E. Chalk, wildlife science. Hometown: Gallup.
Chalk spent 30 years with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service. He retired in
1999 and lives in Alabama.
1970
Donald M. Case, agricultural science. Hometown:
Albuquerque. Case received his master’s degree from
Northern Arizona University in 1983 and his doctorate
from the University of Missouri in 1993. In 1999, he
retired from the U.S. Forest Service. He teaches environmental measurement and works on a stormwater project
for the University of Missouri-Columbia.
1972
John C. Cloran, agricultural and extension education.
Hometown: Lynn, Mass. Cloran has been an agricultural technology instructor at Apopka (Fla.) Memorial
Middle School for 28 years.
4
Robert Padilla, wildlife science. Hometown:
Albuquerque. Padilla works with the U.S. Bureau of
Land Management in Lewistown, Mont.
Judy Crumbley Lawson, agronomy. Hometown:
Silver City. After 14 years in the agrichemical business
in south Texas, Lawson and her husband relocated to
West Texas, where they formed Back at the Ranch, a
Western decor retail business.
1979, 1980
1981
Clinton W. Crusberg, animal science. Hometown:
Clovis. Crusberg graduated with a degree in veterinary
medicine from Kansas State University in 1985. He
owns a rural mixed practice in Delta Junction, Ark.
Crusberg and his wife, Lisa, have been married for 22
years and have two children, Jared, 20, and Jen, 18.
1983
Thomas E. Phillips, range science. Hometown:
Las Cruces. Phillips was a range conservationist with
the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for 16 years.
He is a BLM land use planner in Las Cruces.
1984
Paul Shelton, soil science, agronomy. Hometown:
Las Cruces. Shelton is a state conservation agronomist
with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural
Resource Conservation Service in Casper, Wyo. He and
his wife, Jodi, have a daughter, Kadi Marie.
Virginia (Martinez) Gustafson, animal science.
Gustafson has worked for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture for 14 years. She and her husband, Dan,
own and run D.C. Gustafson Co., a Gallup heating and
air conditioning company. She is the office manager.
1985
Ronald E. Martinez, agribusiness management.
Hometown: Costilla. After 15 years in the agricultural
chemical industry, Martinez now works as a state information technology project manager in Santa Fe.
1987
Kim (Leo) Kerrigan, wildlife and fisheries management. Hometown: Amherst, N.Y. Kerrigan left the U.S.
Forest Service in 1998 to spend more time with her
children, Louie, 6, and Hannah, 3. She is pursuing a
second degree in elementary school education and has
been writing children’s books.
Betty Lou Little Valdez, agricultural and extension education. Hometown: Las Cruces. Valdez taught in the equine
sciences program at Colorado State University from 1988
to 1992. She teaches special education at Swink School in
Colorado. Valdez and her husband, Robert, have three
children, Matthew, 20, Erin, 19, and Kelly, 3.
1987, 1990
Greg Belcher, agricultural and extension education.
Hometown: Rogers. Belcher received his doctorate from
Ohio State University. He teaches technical teacher education courses at Pittsburg State University in Kansas.
1989
Bronwyn G. (Leamon) Campbell, master’s in home
economics education. Hometown: Merkel, Texas.
Campbell taught high school home economics for 10
years in El Paso and Wichita Falls, Texas. She teaches
reading improvement in Merkel.
Fernando Rodriguez, reproductive physiology.
Hometown: El Paso. After receiving his doctorate from
NMSU, Rodriguez completed three years of postdoctoral training with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in DuBois,
Idaho. He is a board certified andrologist/embryologist
at Chapel Hill Fertility Center in North Carolina.
1995
Mary E. Hill, hospitality and tourism. Hometown:
Versailles, Ky. Hill works as a florist at Kroger. She has
worked for Marriott Corp., Cracker Barrel, Wal-Mart
photo lab and the Kentucky governor.
1996
Albert A. Herrera, agricultural and extension education. Hometown: Albuquerque. Herrera works for the
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in El Paso,
Texas. He lives in Santa Teresa, N.M.
1997
Philip Baca, agricultural economics. Hometown: Santa
Rosa. Baca works as a fiscal officer for the New Mexico
Livestock Board and serves on the budget committee
for the Moriarty school district. He is married and has
two girls, ages 6 and 3.
1998
Andrea Pitblado, hotel, restaurant and tourism management. Hometown: El Paso, Texas. Pitblado lives in
the Seattle area and works for Marriott International.
1999
Rebecca Lynn Bayang, hotel, restaurant and tourism
management. Hometown: Gallup. Bayang is the catering service manager for the Denver Marriott Southeast.
Jack Williams, fishery science. Williams is a biologist for
the U.S. Forest Service.
S A M S T E E L WAY
ALUMNINEWS
College recognizes agricultural leaders at Awards Day
NMSU’s College of Agriculture and Home
Economics recognized three supporters of its
students, research and Extension programs
during this year’s Awards Day ceremony.
Frank DuBois received the Outstanding
Leadership Award and Phil and Yetta Bidegain
received the Phillip J. Leyendecker Agriculturist
of Distinction Award.
DuBois is secretary/director of the New
Mexico Department of Agriculture. He serves
on the governor’s cabinet, representing agriculture and serving as a liaison between producers
and state and federal government. He supervises 120 employees located throughout the state
and oversees the department’s responsibilities
for 33 state laws that provide producer and consumer
service and protection.
DuBois comes from a
ranching family near
Corona. He holds bachelor’s
and master’s degrees from
NMSU in agricultural and
extension education. He has
taught classes on public
lands policy at NMSU and
written several publications.
Dubois created the first permanent scholarship program
for rodeo athletes at NMSU.
As T4 Cattle Company
managers, the Bidegains
Phil and Yetta Bidegain
have supported the college’s
many committees and as state president. He
students, research and Extension work for
was New Mexico’s Cattleman of the Year in
decades as scholarship donors and research
1987 and CowBelles Father of the Year in 1982.
cooperators. Since 1957, more than 70 NMSU
He also is active in the National Cattlemen’s
students have benefitted from the T4 Cattle
Beef Association.
Company scholarships.
Yetta Bidegain has been active in New
The Bidegains have been nominated for the
Mexico
Cattle Growers and CowBelles. As an
National Cattlemen’s Association Stewardship
original board member, she was instrumental
Award. They have invested in soil and water
in getting the New Mexico Farm and Ranch
conservation and cooperated with scientists
Heritage Museum built. She serves on the New
from the college on at least a dozen brush
Mexico Boys’ and Girls’ Ranch advisory board
control demonstrations.
and is involved with the Tucumcari Arts and
Phil Bidegain has been active in New
Humanities Board and Historical Society.
Mexico Cattle Growers since 1948, serving on
Frank DuBois
Sam Steel Society adds eight honorary members
Eight honorary members were inducted into
NMSU’s Sam Steel Society May 11, along with
new graduates of NMSU’s College of
Agriculture and Home Economics.
The society honors the memory of Sam
Steel, who would have been the university’s
first graduate had he not been killed just
months before graduation in 1893.
Dino Cervantes is general manager of
Cervantes Agribusiness and Cervantes Enterprises.
He serves on the Chile Pepper Task Force advisory board and coordinates its drip irrigation working group. He is a past chair and member of
the American Farm Bureau Federation’s agricultural labor advisory committee. Cervantes is
president of the Las Cruces Catholic Schools
Board and past president and board member of
the NMSU Alumni Association. He serves on
the boards of Wells Fargo Bank, Southwest
Irrigated Growers, and La Union Soil and
Water Conservation District.
Marvin Clary, a crop consultant, agrono-
2000
Melissa Benavidez Woods, agricultural and extension education. Hometown: Bosque. Woods teaches
eighth grade science at an opportunity school in Las
Vegas, Nev. She integrates agricultural education in
her classes.
Karen Browne, environmental science.
Hometown: Santa Fe. Browne works with the
Hazardous Materials Response Group of Los Alamos
National Laboratory. She plans to pursue a master’s
degree in environmental policy management.
SUMMER 2001
mist and former agricultural products manager
for Border Foods, coordinates the Chile Pepper
Task Force’s best management practices working group. Clary earned his bachelor’s degree
in agriculture from NMSU in 1972.
Kris Havstad has been the supervisory range
scientist for Jornada Experimental Range since
1989, leading research on management and
repair of desert rangelands. In the last six years,
he has written or co-written more than 40 journal
articles. Havstad has been voted Rangeman of
the Year in both New Mexico and Montana. In
1995, he received the Outstanding Achievement
Award from the Society for Range Management.
Larry Hobson, co-owner of Hobson Farms, is
beginning his third year as president of the
Extension Support Council. He also serves as
president of the Chaves County Fair and the
Eastern New Mexico State Fair. This year,
Hobson was recognized by Epsilon Sigma Phi
national honorary Extension fraternity with
the State Friend of Extension Award.
Tiny Faye Jones is a former state 4-H program leader for home economics. She served on
national project committees that initiated popular 4-H projects like photography. Jones provided
leadership for 4-H’s outreach through television
programs in New Mexico and helped establish
the long-running Southwest Recreational
Leaders Laboratory. She began more than 30
years of Extension work as a home demonstration agent in Chaves and Torrance counties.
During his 39 years at NMSU, Billy Melton
developed six new alfalfa varieties and helped
make alfalfa the state’s most important cash
crop. He received the Distinguished Research
Award from NMSU’s College of Agriculture and
Home Economics, the Distinguished Scientist
Award from Northrup King and Company, and
the Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching
Award from Gamma Sigma Delta.
Melton helped develop NMSU’s doctoral
program in agronomy. About 70 percent of the
nation’s commercial alfalfa breeders got their
start with him. Melton died June 26. (See p. 11.)
Mary Kay Papen, a first-year state senator,
serves as vice chair of the education committee
and as a member of the public affairs committee. She earned her bachelor’s degree in horticulture from NMSU in 1978, graduating with
honors. She’s had a successful 30-year career in
business and public service. Papen has served
on the advisory board for the Southwest and
Border Cultures Institute at NMSU and was
selected as a Community Luminaria by the
New Mexico Community Foundation.
Ron Salak is the general manager of
KRWG-TV. He took the lead in informing southern New Mexicans about a successful educational bond issue to partially fund the conversion of
the state’s public television stations to digital
broadcasting. He also suggested that NMSU’s
Cooperative Extension Service produce a gardening program for public television. The result has
been “Southwest Yard & Garden,” carried on all
New Mexico public stations and one of
Extension’s most visible educational programs.
5
Hoofbeats...
NMSU riders win national championships
NMSU’s equestrian team members won
national championships in alumni riding and
horse judging at the Intercollegiate Horse
Show Association National Finals Show in
Conyers, Ga.
Miguel Maes, a graduate student in
mechanical engineering, was national champion in alumni stock seat and alumni reining.
Rachel Rosencrans, a sophomore majoring in
animal science, was high-point individual in
the national horse judging contest.
The horse judging team placed third overall and second in oral reasons. Josh Smith, a
sophomore majoring in agricultural economics and agricultural business, made the
national champion zone all-star team.
Other students who represented NMSU at
the national competition were Erin Frye, a
sophomore majoring in animal science; Kristi
Gottsponer, a junior majoring in animal
science; and Margaret Clark, a junior majoring
in industrial engineering.
Equestrian team members representing NMSU at nationals were, from left, Miguel Maes,
Margaret Clark, Josh Smith, Kristi Gottsponer, Erin Frye, Rachel Rosencrans and coach
Deborah Rosencrans.
From earth to the arena
NMSU graduate student Miguel Maes
won national championships in alumni
stock seat and reining this year.
6
Miguel Maes saddles up to
unwind from a trip on NASA’s
zero gravity research jet, nicknamed the “Vomit Comet.” The
test engineer and NMSU graduate student is a two-time
national collegiate champion
in alumni stock seat events.
“Riding is like therapy,”
Maes said. “It’s an escape
from what I do in my daily
routine.”
Maes, who has been riding
for only six years, started
competing as an NMSU
undergraduate after a friend
on the equestrian team
encouraged him. When
Maes took a beginning
English equitation class,
the coach liked his riding
so much that Maes made
the team the following
semester and began competing in Western
events. Now a professional who’s working on a
master’s degree in mechanical engineering, he
ranks among the nation’s best riders.
Besides repeating his 2000 national championship in alumni stock seat, Maes added an
alumni reining title this year. Both events
require the rider to follow a specific pattern in
the arena to test horsemanship, but reining
has a higher degree of difficulty, said team
coach Deborah Rosencrans. In reining, the
rider must coax an unfamiliar horse to
perform spins and stops without visible cues.
Rosencrans said Maes helps others on the
team improve their riding. “The neat thing
about Miguel is that he started at the basic
level and came up to be a national champion,” she said. “You always see him out there
working with other students who are starting
out just like he did.”
Since its formation in 1993, the NMSU
equestrian team has won national championships in 1995 and 1998 and was reserve
champion in 1997. Twelve NMSU students have
won national titles in individual competitions.
“NMSU has a great riding program. That’s
why I’ve been there so long,” Maes said.
“Everyone I’ve encountered has taught me
something about riding and myself.”
He plans to defend his titles next year.
Jenifer Schlotfeldt
S A M S T E E L WAY
Armstrong moves on
After 21 years of leading NMSU’s horse programs,
Joe Armstrong rode off into an active retirement
of horse breeding and ranching in August.
Armstrong, an Animal and Range
Sciences professor and horse specialist with the
Cooperative Extension Service, leaves a legacy of
successful students and a high-quality breeding
herd for use in teaching and equestrian sports.
He helped build the 4-H Horse School, supported NMSU’s winning equestrian sports
teams and taught the art of packing through
trips. Along the way, he traveled around the
world for horse-related reasons.
“Horses have sent me to Uruguay, Mexico,
Canada, Japan, Russia, Cuba, Sweden and
Germany,” he said.
Armstrong, who learned through hands-on
experience with horses growing up in
Mississippi, didn’t know horses and teaching
would play a major role in his life.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry from Mississippi State, a master’s in animal breeding from Oklahoma State and a doctorate in animal breeding from Colorado State.
Planning to ranch, he bought cattle in the
bust year of 1973. “When I went broke in the
cow business, I had an education,” he said.
Armstrong worked as an Extension beef
cattle specialist at Auburn University and as
an Extension livestock specialist in Georgia. In
1979, he learned about an opening at NMSU
through a phone call from Bobby Rankin, a
graduate school classmate at Oklahoma State
and former head of Animal and Range
Sciences.
“This was the first teaching job I ever had,”
Armstrong said.
NMSU’s horse program, which started with
donated Arabians in the early 1970s, was also new.
Armstrong helped establish a productionoriented program with quarter horses that
gives students plenty of experience. A horse
production option has been in place for a
dozen years.
“You take the whole spectrum at least once
if you follow the sequence for horse production,” Armstrong said. “You breed the mares,
help with birthing the foals, break them to ride
and prepare them to show, sell or compete at
horse shows.”
Though he expects few of his students to
become full-time trainers, Armstrong’s goal
has been to help them gain the skills and practical experience they need to do it.
“This is a hard industry to make money
in,” he said. “But there are lot of opportunities
with allied industries—pharmaceutical and
feed companies and breed associations.”
Armstrong can name
students who work as trainers, instructors and
horse farm managers, but he delights in the
many others who have developed a lifelong love
of horses at NMSU.
A recent example is Miguel Maes, an engineering graduate who has won alumni riding
titles the past two years.
“He came to us and had never ridden a
horse,” Armstrong says. “He’s a product of the
equestrian program. It really gives me a thrill
to see students start from the ground up and
get to be champions.”
Though he plans to stay in touch with former students and colleagues, Armstrong’s
retirement plans will keep him busy.
He intends to split his time between his
horse breeding operation in La Mesa and
ranching interests on the Willow Creek Ranch
in Wyoming, made famous by Butch Cassidy
and his Hole-in-the-Wall Gang.
After conducting Western riding schools in
Germany for the American Quarter Horse
Association, Armstrong also looks forward to
participating in the AQHA’s expanded international program.
Joe and his family will remain involved in
NMSU horse events. His son Josh, a professional horse trainer, never misses a 4-H horse
school. Son Edward has an online store specializing in horse tack and equipment. Daughter
Chris is a teacher in Artesia.
“I won’t be down for coffee every day,”
Armstrong says, eyes twinkling. He will, however, attend NMSU’s annual horse sale. “I
know the good mares, and if they make a
mistake and sell any, I’ll buy them.”
Joe Armstrong, left, and auctioneer
Charles Dickerson work at NMSU’s
annual horse sale. Since it began in
1980, the college has sold more than
400 horses. Proceeds are used for
feed, equipment and supplies for the
horse program.
D’Lyn Ford
Horse sale has highest average ever
Twenty horses were sold during the annual horse
sale April 21 at the NMSU Horse Center to produce the highest ever average of $2,875 per horse.
“The sale is part of a class that NMSU students can take where they work to prepare and
put on the sale,” said Joe Armstrong, retired
professor in Animal and Range Sciences. “I
believe this also is the highest grossing year
with $123,900.”
SUMMER 2001
Eleven yearlings, eight 2- and 3-year-olds
broken to ride and four pregnant mares were auctioned. The center made $57,500 on the horses.
Forty-eight Angus, Brangus and Brahman
bulls also were sold with an average price of
$1,383 for a total of $66,400. Angus and
Brangus heifers were also auctioned.
7
1 9 5 6
O F
C L A S S
8
ALUMNIPROFILES
Bursum’s family roots help Socorro grow
Like his father and grandfather
before him, Holm Bursum III is a
rock-solid pillar for economic
development in Socorro.
Seated at his desk as president of First
State Bank in Socorro, Bursum is a
commanding figure with a gentle smile
who appears to carry the weight of
family tradition with grace and pride.
“I’m a third-generation Bursum
and this is where I’ve always hung my
hat,” he said. “Since my grandfather’s
days my family’s primary goal has
always been to live in Socorro and
take care of Socorro.”
Indeed, since the first Holm
Bursum established a family ranch in
the late 1800s on homesteads just east
of Socorro, the Bursum family has
been a driving force in local and state
development.
Holm Bursum was a U.S. Senator
from 1921 to 1925, and a key figure in
water rights issues and mining development in the state.
His son, Holm Bursum II, co-founded
First State Bank in Socorro in 1947 with
a group of local investors. He served as
the bank’s president and chief executive
officer for 40 years. Before retiring, he
led a drive to preserve historic buildings
in downtown Socorro that helped revitalize the city’s core.
Now, Holm Bursum III is leaving
his imprint on the community, both as
head of the only independent bank in
Socorro and Catron counties, and
through leadership roles in more than
a dozen commissions and associations.
“I have a personal interest in seeing this community grow and succeed,” Bursum said. “We have real
roots here, and people’s roots are what
make communities strong.”
Bursum put down roots while living and working on the family ranch
in the 1930s and 1940s. His love for
the land encouraged him to pursue a
degree in animal husbandry from
NMSU in the 1950s.
“I worked with my dad and granddad on the ranch, and I spent every
summer and Christmas holiday there,”
he said. “It’s what I loved doing, and
it’s the reason I majored in animal
husbandry at NMSU. I didn’t know at
the time that my career would end up
in banking rather than ranching.”
Bursum was the 1998 College of
Agriculture and Home Economics distinguished alumnus.
When Bursum graduated in 1956,
he changed career paths under his
father’s counsel. In 1959, following a
three-year stint in the Air Force, he
joined Albuquerque National Bank as
a loan officer and worked his way up
Holm Bursum III, 1998 Distinguished Alumnus for NMSU’s College of Agriculture
and Home Economics, is president of First State Bank in Socorro.
to assistant vice president. In 1966, he
returned to Socorro to become vice
president of First State Bank.
When his father retired in May
1987, Bursum III became president and
chief executive officer. Under the
Bursum family, which now owns the
bank, First State has grown from its
original $7.5 million in total assets to
$65 million today.
True to family tradition, Bursum III
dedicated his professional life to community development. He was a Socorro
“I have a personal
interest in seeing this
community grow
and succeed. We
have real roots here,
and people’s roots
are what make
communities strong.”
City Council member from 1974 to
1978 and chairman of the Socorro
County Board of Commissioners from
1981 to 1982. He serves on the Socorro
County Chamber of Commerce and
the board of directors for the New
Mexico Tech Foundation.
He was a board member of the
New Mexico Association of Commerce
and Industry and the Independent
Community Bankers Association of
New Mexico. He served as an adviser
to the Federal Reserve Bank’s Council
of Financial Institutions, the U.S. Small
Business Administration’s National
Advisory Committee and the National
Transportation’s Advisory Board.
Bursum’s proudest achievements,
however, are as chair of the state
Highway Commission, an appointment he began in 1995 and was reappointed to last March for another six
years. Under Bursum’s direction, the
commission has built more than 500
miles of new four-lane highways
around the state.
Bursum’s years at NMSU had a profound impact on him professionally,
creating a lifelong social network.
“It created lasting political and business relationships for me with people
from all over the state, and those contacts have held throughout my career,”
he said. He still collaborates with
NMSU, helping organize annual
recruiting events for prospective students in Socorro. He’s a member of two
scholarship programs, the NMSU
Foundation and the Presidents’
Associates, and a board member for
NMSU’s Rio Grande Historical Society.
Like the family’s ties to Socorro, the
Bursums have developed lasting connections to NMSU.
Bursum’s grandmother was a member of NMSU’s Board of Regents from
1935 to 1940. Former Sen. Holm
Bursum’s papers during public life in
the 1920s are archived on campus. All
four of Bursum III’s children also
earned NMSU business degrees.
“I’ve always been proud of graduating from NMSU,” Bursum said. “In
my day, most students in the state
attended NMSU. I believe it’s still the
university for New Mexico.”
Kevin Robinson
S A M S T E E L WAY
Agriculture is a practical mission and a
holy calling for Aurelia Atencio as she
helps farmers who toil in the potato
fields of the Andes Mountains. Atencio,
an agronomist who assists peasant
farmers in the Peruvian mountains, is
also a Maryknoll nun.
“Working here has been challenging, but has given me an appreciation
for the people’s tenacity for life under
such harsh conditions,” Atencio said.
Atencio received a bachelor of science in general agriculture studies in
1974 and a master’s in agronomy in
1975, both from NMSU.
A native of Tierra Amarilla,
Atencio entered the Congregation of
Maryknoll Sisters, a Catholic missionary community, in 1966.
“Growing up in rural northern New
Mexico, I always felt close to the land,
but I never thought about studying agriculture,” she said. “My first year as a
Maryknoll Sister, I met Sr. Fran Kobets
who was studying agriculture at Kansas
State. It fascinated me and I immediately
thought that’s what I’d like to study.”
Atencio was assigned to work in
Peru in 1968.
“I was able to experience the
importance of potatoes in the lives of
the Aymara people—not only as a
product for sustenance, but as an element of deep religious significance,”
she said. “Each moment in the agricultural cycle is accompanied by ritual.
At Carnaval time, people will bless the
potato and dance in the fields in
thanksgiving for the coming harvest.”
She returned to the United States to
study at Rogers College in Maryknoll,
N.Y., in 1970, transferred to NMSU in
1971. There weren’t many female agriculture students at the time and she’s
grateful to the late Billy Melton, her
adviser, who encouraged her to pursue
a graduate degree. Atencio was
NMSU’s first female graduate student
in agronomy.
“A couple of times, professors asked
if I was sure I was in the right classroom! But all in all, my experience at
NMSU was one of acceptance, respect
and encouragement.”
Atencio returned to Peru in 1976
and worked in the Institute of Rural
Education in Juli, Puno, located in the
southern Andes, where potatoes are
the primary crop. She managed a 100acre farm and taught courses in agriculture and livestock production.
Hail and frost are the biggest problems for farmers at 12,500 feet. “To
avoid excess damage, farmers plant
small plots in several different areas.
Some may be hit by hail, but others are
not,” Atencio said. “Farmers also make
huge bonfires to minimize the damage
on nights when frost threatens.”
In the early 1980s, the area suffered
a devastating drought that claimed 90
percent of the crops. Atencio helped
develop a rotating potato seed bank.
The project provided Atencio with an
opportunity to promote improved
planting techniques and train local
Aurelia Atencio (center) with Rufina
Ticona, (left) and Lucia Calle, members
of a community youth group Atencio
helps lead.
farmers as agricultural technicians.
The rotating seed bank project continues today and includes quinoa, barley
and habas seeds. Atencio is now more
involved with community development
work in the District of Vilquechico in the
northern part of Lake Titicaca.
“Being near a people who have a
close relationship to the land, and care
for it as their mother—they call it
Pachamama Mother Earth—gave me
another perspective in working the
land,” Atencio said. She sees the importance of guarding the environment.
“People need to develop an ecological consciousness and commitment
because each one of us can make a
difference in the world.”
Anna María Pérez-Wright
SUMMER 2001
Monclova, Ohio, where her dad
still grows soybeans, corn and
wheat. After earning a business
degree from Davis College in
Toledo and working for a few
years, she returned to her roots.
She earned a bachelor’s
degree in agricultural and extension education from Ohio State
University, where she met her
husband, Robert. They moved to
Las Cruces when he returned
from educational leave to teach
in NMSU’s Agricultural and
Extension Education department.
That’s when Torres began
working at Gadsden Middle School.
“Most of the kids there have parents who work on farms, so I proposed
a curriculum built around agriculture,”
Torres said. “I thought with this type of
curriculum, the kids could make a connection from school to their lives.”
Torres started an FFA program
at the school and incorporated agriscience into all the science classes.
Torres’ students loved the class so
much, the eighth-grade classes
became completely agri-science based.
“Other teachers complained about
Sara Torres works on science projects
with students Jeremy Armijo (foreground)
and Jammal Hart.
poor attendance, but I think because I
connected what I taught them to the
work their parents did, they wanted to
be in my classes,” she said.
Torres, who has a son, Austin, 2,
and a newborn son, Brandon, says seeing the spark of understanding in a student’s eyes is the best thing about
teaching. “It’s like seeing the world for
the first time through your child’s eyes.”
Anna María Pérez-Wright
CLASS OF 1999
Torres makes agri-science connection in classroom
Magnet school teacher Sara Torres has a
knack for attracting students to her science and agriculture classes. Torres, a
sixth grade teacher at Sierra Middle
School in Las Cruces, has a waiting list
for her science classes. In her previous
job at Gadsden Middle School, she doubled the number of agri-science students
and increased FFA membership sixfold.
Torres received her master’s degree in
agricultural and extension education
from NMSU in spring 1999 and won
the Dean’s Award of Excellence.
She was also named New Mexico’s
Science Teacher of the Year in 1999, her
first year at Sierra Middle School and
the year it became a magnet school.
“Magnet differs from regular
instruction because the students
receive 90 minutes of science instruction each day,” Torres said. “The more
time we have in class, the more time
we have to do activities, outside field
trips and hands-on experiments.”
She takes the science classes on field
trips throughout the year, including
overnight travel to the Albuquerque
Museum of Natural History and
Biosphere Center 2 in Arizona.
Torres grew up on a farm in rural
CLASS OF 1974,1975
Atencio pursues agricultural mission in Peru
9
RETIREMENTS
Donart
On Aug. 1, Gary Donart retired after a 30-year
career as an NMSU researcher and range science
professor. The following day, he spoke at a field
day at NMSU’s Agricultural Science Center at
Tucumcari—a fitting wrap-up for research that
has taken him across New Mexico.
Donart was campus coordinator of range
science research in range fertilization and
plant physiology at Fort Stanton until its sale
in the mid-1980s.
He worked on plant response studies at
the College Ranch, renamed the Chihuahuan
Desert Rangeland Research Center, where
he supervised the research project of Rick
Miller, the first NMSU student to earn a
doctorate in range science.
Most recently, Donart has been heavily
involved in developing new livestock and
range management research at the Corona
Range and Livestock Research Center and in
doing Conservation Reserve Program
research at the Tucumcari science center.
One factor hasn’t changed. “I came in
with a drought, and I’m going out with a
drought,” Donart said.
Donart’s NMSU service includes chairing
both the Faculty Senate and the Advisory
Council on Academic Policy and serving on
two university appeals boards.
He is a past president of the International
Society for Range Management and recipient of Gamma Sigma Delta’s distinguished
graduate teaching award.
Waelti
John Waelti, head of Agricultural Economics
and Agricultural Business since 1990, retired
from NMSU Aug. 1 before heading to his
next assignment in Oman.
Waelti has accepted a two-year position as
department head of agricultural economics
and rural studies at Sultan Quaboos University.
He will work with college and university faculty
to develop an agricultural economics degree.
Waelti learned about the position from
Dawood Al-Ajami of Oman, who earned his
master’s degree in animal science from NMSU.
One of Waelti’s major satisfactions at
NMSU has been seeing younger faculty
develop into mature professors. He presided
over a “modest increase” in department
enrollment and oversaw curriculum reviews
to ensure graduates are well-grounded in
business and economics.
In 1992, Waelti and James Peach, a colleague in the economics department, took
top honors in a national essay competition
for an article titled “Out of Recession and
into a Prosperous 21st Century: What It
Takes.” That year, Waelti taught basic economic policy to Polish faculty in Belarus.
Waelti traces his international interests
back to his childhood on a dairy farm in
Monroe, Wis. “When I was a kid, I liked
maps and geography, and I liked to imagine
living in other places,” he said.
Waelti worked as a visiting professor in
Nairobi, Kenya, for two years.
Waelti’s other assignments have taken
him to Panama, Mexico and Washington,
D.C., where he was a scientific adviser to the
Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army.
“I’ve been to 12 countries–13 if you
count the Pentagon,” Waelti joked. “I have
one more foreign adventure yet.”
10
Ray Nieto and Anna Maria Perez-Wright of NMSU's Agricultural Communications department host "Oye
Como Va," a syndicated, bilingual radio program aired in eight southern New Mexico counties.
New Mexico Works radio program
reaches listeners in eight counties
Listeners in eight counties can hear a lively
mix of music and bilingual information on
“Oye Como Va,” a weekly, syndicated radio
program promoting New Mexico Works, the
state’s welfare-to-work program.
“Oye Como Va,” is produced by NMSU’s
Cooperative Extension Service, which administers New Mexico Works in southern New Mexico.
The hour-long radio program is hosted by Ray
Nieto and Anna María Pérez-Wright from
NMSU’s Agricultural Communications.
Listeners in Otero and Lincoln counties can hear
“Oye Como Va” on KRSY-FM (92.7) Sundays
from 1 to 2 p.m. In Grant, Hidalgo, Luna and
Catron counties, the program airs Saturday
mornings from 8 to 9 a.m on KNFT-FM (102.9).
In Chaves and Eddy counties, “Oye Como Va”
airs Sunday mornings on KPSA-AM (1230).
The program recently won a silver award
for regular radio program from Agricultural
Communicators in Education (ACE), an inter-
national association of communicators.
“A very nice mix of music and information
makes an enjoyable program that also deals in
an important issue,” ACE judge Vincent Duffy
wrote in his critique.
“Oye Como Va,” which began as a daily program in Doña Ana County on KRUX-FM, features music by New Mexico artists. “We showcase
musicians from New Mexico and the Southwest,
but we also play popular songs by national and
international artists,” Pérez-Wright said.
The program promotes education, training,
work experience, community service, life and
employment skill classes and job placement
opportunities. Listeners who may be New
Mexico Works participants learn about the program while listening to their favorite music.
Employers can learn about benefits available to
them by hiring New Mexico Works participants.
For more information about New Mexico
Works, call (505) 523-7580.
Meghan McGuire
New faculty join college
NMSU’s College of Agriculture and Home
Economics welcomed new faculty across the state.
Connie Trnka (pronounced TURN-ka) is the
home economics/4-H agent and acting county
director for the Cibola County Extension office.
She came to Grants from Minneapolis, Minn.,
where she taught family and social science at
the University of Minnesota. She completed
course work toward a doctorate and is writing
her dissertation.
Justin Bollinger is the 4-H agent in the
Quay County Extension office. A native of
Logan and a graduate of Grady High School,
Bollinger earned a master’s degree in animal
science from NMSU in 1999. He studied the
effects of dietary supplements on reproduction
rates in sheep. He has remained active in the
Bollinger Farms sheep operation near Clovis.
Ron Byford was named Extension Plant
Sciences department head. Byford will oversee
18 faculty and staff in six locations. He had
served as interim department head since 1997.
Byford was a professor in Entomology, Plant
Pathology and Weed Science.
Fruit production in northern New Mexico
will receive a boost from Ron Walser, NMSU’s
first fruit specialist based in Alcalde. He will conduct fruit research at the Agricultural Science
Center at Alcalde and work with area producers
to improve and diversify fruit production. Walser
has more than 30 years’ of experience, including
lengthy stints with the Cooperative Extension
Service in other states and industry consulting.
Theresa Trujillo, a native of Loco Hills,
began work as a 4-H agricultural agent in
Otero County. She earned a bachelor’s degree
in agricultural and extension education from
NMSU in May. She served 11-week internships
as a teacher at Carlsbad High School and as an
assistant in the Lea County Extension Office.
Nancy Flores began work July 9 as an
Extension food technologist and assistant professor. She previously worked for NMSU as an
Extension food technology specialist based in
Alcalde and was a quality assurance coordinator for the Louis Rich division of Oscar Meyer
Foods. Flores will complete her doctorate at
Kansas State University in December.
S A M S T E E L WAY
IN MEMORIAM
Allen
Buck Allen, 46, program director and agricultural agent for the Harding County Extension
office, died June 9.
Allen began working for NMSU’s
Cooperative Extension Service in 1981. As
Harding County’s sole agent, he coordinated
all Extension programs from agriculture to
4-H. Allen served on the Harding County Fair
Board, the National 4-H Council and the Soil
Conservation District Board.
Before that, he worked as a vocational
agriculture teacher in Roy, N.M., and for the
Farmers Home Administration in Pratt, Kan.
Allen received bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in agriculture and extension education
from NMSU in 1976 and 1989, respectively.
He is survived by two sons, William, 14,
and Slade, 12.
Banegas
Best Building
Skeen Hall was recognized as one of New Mexico’s 13
best buildings for 2001 in a competition sponsored by
the New Mexico Building Branch of Associated
General Contractors and New Mexico Business Journal.
Skeen Hall was designed by Van H. Gilbert Architect
and built by Jaynes Corporation.
Fall construction
planned for
equestrian center
NMSU’s Board of Regents approved construction of a 4,500-square-foot building to serve
equestrian programs. The building, approved
May 11, will include a classroom, tack room,
office, kitchen, work area, storage, two locker
rooms and an additional 1,650 square feet of
covered exterior space.
Samuel Meraz of the University Architects
Office said that construction would not start
before mid-September and should take six
months. The building site will be in the northeast section of the current equestrian complex
south of Stewart Street on campus.
The project has a $600,000 budget—$500,000
from the 2001 general obligation bond and
$100,000 from the 2000 severance tax bond.
Ron Gurley, development officer for the
College of Agriculture and Home Economics,
said he hopes the approved building is just the
first step in a new complex that will include a
covered equestrian arena adjacent to the new
building. Gurley is seeking private funding for
the arena.
For more information on joining the equestrian center’s advisory board or donating to the
project, contact Gurley at (505) 646-1455.
Terry Canup
SUMMER 2001
Estevan “Steve” Banegas, 60, NMSU alumnus
and biotechnology pioneer, died May 24 in
Virginia.
Banegas combined his interest in biotechnology and business experience to become a
successful entrepreneur. He began his career
as a field sales representative for Ciba-Geigy,
the world’s largest agricultural chemical firm.
He then became the founding president of
Agri-Diagnostics/Quantix, which developed
biotechnology-based tests to detect agricultural and environmental contaminants.
Banegas founded Dominion BioSciences in
Blacksburg, Va., in 1993 to create and market
environmentally friendly pesticides.
Born in Hatch, N.M., Banegas received a
bachelor’s degree in general agriculture from
NMSU, and a master’s degree in business
administration from Wake Forest University in
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Banegas served in Vietnam with the
U.S. Marine Corps and was awarded the Cross
of Gallantry with a Silver Star. He served on
consultant boards for Virginia Tech, the
University of Pennsylvania, Ohio University
and the University of Minnesota.
Banegas is survived by his wife, Amanda;
his mother, Josephine Crew, of Las Cruces; his
stepmother, Tillie Banegas, of Hatch; and four
brothers and four sisters.
Bryant
Doug Bryant, former NMSU Extension horticulture specialist, died Feb. 8 in Forsyth, Ga.
Bryant worked for NMSU from 1959 to
1977. As NMSU’s only horticulture specialist
at the time, he gave workshops and wrote for
several horticultural publications.
Jim Sais, former Extension department
head, said Bryant was knowledgeable about a
wide variety of subjects, including grapes,
fruit trees and lawns.
“There was a big boost in horticulture
programs after Doug was hired,” Sais said.
Bryant had lived in Forsyth since his retirement from NMSU. He is survived by his wife,
Llelywn, and his four children.
Davis
Les Davis, president and chairman of the
board of CS Cattle Company, died May 12.
Davis and his family ran the 200,000-acre
CS ranch headquartered in Cimarron.
He was president of the New Mexico
Cattle Growers’ Association and vice president
of the National Cattlemen’s Association.
He was named New Mexico Cattleman of
the Year and received the Boy Scouts of
America Silver Award. Davis and his wife, Linda,
were inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners
at the Cowboy Hall of Fame last year.
He graduated from Dartmouth College in
1941. Davis served on the Cimarron board of
education for 18 years.
He was a member of the 4th Armored
Division during World War II, earning three
Purple Hearts for his service.
He is survived by his wife and their six
children and seven grandchildren.
Linebery
Tom Linebery, rancher and longtime NMSU
supporter, died March 31 in Midland, Texas.
For 67 years, Linebery operated the Frying
Pan Ranch, which spans 135,000 acres in
southeastern New Mexico and West Texas.
Linebery was a pioneer in developing the
Charolais cattle breed in the United States
and was instrumental in establishing the
Paragon Foundation to defend the property
rights of rural Americans.
He and his wife, Evelyn, fund the Linebery
Scholarships for New Mexico’s five most outstanding 4-H’ers. The scholarship provides
$2,000 for each recipient.
Linebery was named New Mexico
Cattleman of the Year. He served on the Texas
Tech Board of Regents and helped found the
College of the Southwest in Hobbs.
Melton
Billy Melton, internationally known alfalfa breeder and retired NMSU agronomy professor emeritus, died June 26 in Las Cruces. He was 68.
Melton graduated from NMSU in 1954,
receiving the Class of 1919 Award for highest
grade point average with the most credits
earned. After earning his master’s and doctoral
degrees in agronomy from the University of
Illinois, he returned to NMSU, where he helped
create the doctoral program in agronomy. He
was recognized as a distinguished alumnus by
NMSU during its centennial celebration in
1988. In May, he was inducted as an honorary
member of NMSU’s Sam Steel Society.
Melton was an internationally known alfalfa
breeder. He developed six varieties during his
39 years at NMSU, including ‘Wilson’, the only
alfalfa developed for low moisture conditions.
After retiring in 1989, he devoted time to
building and flying model airplanes and was a
three-time national champion in Navy Carrier
Model Airplanes. Las Cruces’ Billy Melton
U-Control Model Airplane Flying Field in is
named after him.
He is survived by his wife, Lois, two daughters and five grandchildren. Donations may be
made to the NMSU Foundation for the Billy
Melton Scholarship.
Watson & Crank Watson
Two students from NMSU's College of
Agriculture and Home Economics died
June 20 in a traffic accident near Shiprock.
Robertson Watson was a sophomore majoring
in range science. His wife, Natonya (Crank)
Watson, was a junior majoring in environmental science. Both were from the Tohatchi
area. The Navajo Nation has granted permission for two trees to be planted in their honor
at the Tohatchi chapter house.
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Las Cruces, NM 88003-9991
Permit No. 162
N M S U ’ S
A
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
Sam Steel Way
College of Agriculture and
Home Economics alumni and
friends register today!
when you register with the Sam Steel
Online Community at www.samsteelonline.org
Register
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Box 30003, MSC 3AG
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003
Free college lapel pin
UPCOMINGEVENTS
Alumni Tailgate Parties
Aggie alumni are invited to pregame alumni tailgate
parties on the north side of Aggie Memorial Stadium
before each home game. For more information call
Ron Gurley at (505) 646-1455. For tickets, call
(505) 646-1420.
NMSU Home Football Games
• Saturday, Sept. 8
at 7:05 p.m. against Oregon State
• Saturday, Oct. 13
at 6:05 p.m. against University of Idaho
(Homecoming: NMSU Salutes the Space Age)
• Saturday, Nov. 3
at 3:05 p.m. against North Texas
• Saturday, Nov. 10
at 3 p.m. against Arkansas State
(Agriculture Appreciation Day)
Sept. 19–Water Conservation Forum–Southern
New Mexicans can learn about surface and ground
water supplies during “Water Conservation and
Planning: Dollars and Sense,” a public forum Sept. 19
in Las Cruces. The forum will provide updates on
water supplies, uses, laws and policies. Phil King of
NMSU’s Department of Civil, Agricultural, and
Geological Engineering, and Jorge Garcia, utilities
director for Las Cruces, will address water conservation. Representatives from Elephant Butte Irrigation
District, the Southwest Environmental Center, Doña
Ana County and the state engineer’s office will answer
questions. The event is co-sponsored by NMSU’s
Cooperative Extension Service and the League of
Women Voters of Greater Las Cruces. For more information, contact Clay Sewell at (505) 646-3234.
October 8-9–Rural Tourism Conference–
Community leaders interested in learning how to set
up, market and improve small and medium-sized festivals are encouraged to attend the Rural Economic
Development Through Tourism Project’s Rural
Tourism Conference Oct. 8-9 in Cloudcroft. Workshop
topics include volunteer management, historic preservation, rural tourism marketing, festival development,
marketing festivals on the Internet, setting up a nonprofit organization, sponsorship development, and
marketing research. The conference will include a tour
of Otero County, an All New Mexico Products banquet featuring event marketing and sponsorship
expert Adam Vigil, and a Taste of New Mexico luncheon. The registration fee is $30 for residents of the
REDTT service area of Chaves, Cibola, DeBaca, Doña
Ana, Eddy, Guadalupe, Lea, Lincoln, Luna, Otero,
Sandoval, Sierra and Socorro counties. It is $65 for all
others. Registration deadline is Sept. 21. For more
information, contact Mike Cook at (505) 646-8009.
Oct. 11–Class of 1951 Reunion Dinner–Visit with
Aggie alumni and friends during the Class of 1951
Reunion Dinner on Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Doña
Ana Room of NMSU’s Corbett Center Student Union.
The event is by invitation only. For more information,
contact the Alumni Association at (505) 646-3616.
Oct. 12–College of Agriculture and Home
Economics Alumni and Donors Breakfast–
NMSU’s College of Agriculture and Home Economics
will honor alumni and donors during a homecoming
weekend breakfast Oct. 12 at 7:30 a.m. in NMSU’s
livestock judging pavilion. Student scholarship recipients will attend to thank donors.
Oct. 12–College of Agriculture and Home
Economics Distinguished Alumni Reception–
A reception honoring Ralph Dunlap, the college's
2001 distinguished alumnus, will be held Oct. 12
from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the Skeen Hall patio. The
event is by invitation only. For more information,
contact the dean's office at (505) 646-3748.
Oct. 17-19–Family and Community Education
State Conference–The New Mexico Association for
Family and Community Education will celebrate its
60th anniversary during a state meeting Oct. 17-19
in Silver City. Workshop leaders include national
officer Margaret Mai of Yuma, Ariz.; Billy Dictson,
director of NMSU’s Cooperative Extension Service;
and Ann Vail, department head of NMSU’s Family
and Consumer Sciences. Registration for the conference is $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers.
Registration deadline is Sept. 28. For more information, call Inez Marrs at (505) 653-4813.
October/November–Fall Student Recruitment
Receptions–Prospective NMSU students and their
parents are invited to fall student recruitment receptions in October and November. The events provide
information about admissions, registration, scholarships, majors and careers. Staff from the College of
Agriculture and Home Economics’ Academic Programs
Office will answer questions. For more information,
contact Mary Liesner at (505) 646-1807. The reception dates and locations are as follows:
Oct. 30
El Paso
Airport Hilton
Nov. 14
Santa Fe
Courtyard by Marriott
Nov. 5
Las Cruces
NMSU Corbett Center
Nov. 19
Hobbs
Fletcher Community Center
Nov. 12
Farmington
Best Western
Inn and Suites
Nov. 26
Roswell
Sally Port Inn
Nov. 13
Albuquerque
Marriott Hotel
Nov. 27
Clovis
Holiday Inn