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contributors MarGaret CheaSebro has been a freelance writer for over 30 years. her articles have appeared in many magazines across the country. She was a correspondent for the albuquerque Journal and worked for several local newspapers. She has four published books of children’s puppet scripts. a former elementary school counselor, she is a reiki Master and practices several alternative healing techniques. She enjoys playing table tennis.
Dorothy NobiS has been a writer and editor for more than 25 years. She authored a travel guide, the insiders Guide to the Four Corners, published by Globe Pequot Press, and has been a frequent contributor to New Mexico Magazine.
Debra Mayeux, of Farmington, is an awardwinning journalist with recognitions from the associated Press of New Mexico and Colorado and the New Mexico Press association and the Colorado broadcast association. She has covered stories throughout the Southwest and in Mexico and Jordan, where she interviewed diplomats and the royal family. after nearly 20 years in the business, she recently opened her own freelance writing and media business. Mayeux enjoys the outdoors, reading and spending time with her family. She is the coordinator of Farmington Walk and roll, a Safe routes to School organization. She is married to David Mayeux and they have three children: Nick, alexander and Peter.
ViCky raMakka is retired from San Juan College where she directed programs and taught teacher education courses. Vicky and her husband reside north of aztec, where she does free-lance technical writing. Vicky says she meets the most fascinating people in the Four Corners area, and finds them always willing to share their expertise during interviews. She enjoys photographing the flora and fauna that reside in her ‘backyard’ which she considers any place within a mile walk. She is on the board of Directors of the aztec Museum and volunteers with the citizens’ steering committee to raise funds for a new animal shelter.
JoSh biShoP is a graduate of San Juan College with an associate degree in Digital Media arts and Design. he currently works at Majestic Media as a video producer and photographer.
WhitNey hoWle was born and raised in Farmington and is proud to call San Juan County home. the richness of the landscape and the diverse people, culture and traditions are a photographer’s dream. Whitney has his ba in Visual Communication from Collins College in tempe, ariz. he is a co-owner of howle Design and Photography—a family owned studio offering graphic design, photography, market research and consulting.
publisher Don Vaughan
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Clint Alexander
editor Cindy Cowan Thiele
administration
designer Suzanne Thurman
Lacey Waite
writers Dorothy Nobis, Margaret Cheasebro,
Vicky Ramakka, Debra Mayeux
MAGAZINE Celebrating the lifestyle, Community and Culture of the Four Corners Vol. 7, No. 4 ©2015 by Majestic Media. Majestic Living is a quarterly publication. Material herein may not be reprinted without expressed written consent of the publisher. If you receive a copy that is torn or damaged call 505.516.1230. 6 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
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Josh Bishop, Whitney Howle
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Majestic living welcomes story ideas and comments from readers. email story ideas and comments to editor@majesticmediausa.com.
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Renaissance man
When you’re talking with Noah Manz, it’s easy to forget he’s only 16 years old. He speaks of science, engineering, music, and upgrading cars as though he’s an accomplished adult. Actually, he is a junior at Farmington High School this fall.
All her life, Karen Townsend watched her parents, other relatives and close friends make public service an important part of their lives. As a result, public service became second nature to her.
By Margaret Cheasbro
22
By Margaret Cheasbro
28
Friendship is Colorblind
Giving Back
Italian style and world class training
A school schould be the reflection of its diverse population, searching for and discovering ways in which to celebrate the student body.
Luca Giovannini ran his fingers through the woman’s blonde hair. He pulled it gently, twisted it and then asked her questions By Debra Mayeux about how she cared for it.
8 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
By Debra Mayeux
36
From ounces to tons
Not many farmers survey their crops and see pink penstemon, purple Four O’clocks, or the yellow waving wands of Prince’s Plume. When Walter and Robby Heens took over their fields, they see these plus the results of hard work and knowledge of native plant cultivation as well as dollar signs. By Vicky Ramakka
40
Amazingly ‘Different Little Boy’
Fernando Reyes walked into the large classroom at Bluffview Elementary School. He sat a large round table and began moving his hands about the tabletop searching for a stack of elongated notecards and a large stylus. By Debra Mayeux
46
Love and Football
Sundays during football season can be tense at the home of Janet and Steve Hebbe. Both passionate football fans, the Hebbes spend football Sundays in separate rooms, watching “the game.” By Dorothy Nobis
50
Renovation Outlaws
On the corner of Aztec Boulevard and Maddox Street stands a business without a sign, but customers flock to Renovation Outlaws anyway. By Margaret Cheasbro
56
Mac saw lots of changes on his route
Milburn (Mac) McNamee watched history unfold as he grew up in San Juan County and later, as he delivered Creamland Dairy products for 38 years in northwest New Mexico and northeast Arizona, from March 1955 through June 1993. By Margaret Cheasbro FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 9
“That’s the thing with science. It’s not a contest. It’s for the betterment of humanity.” — Noah Manz
ReNaissaNce Noah ManzMaN 10 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
Teenager is already rockin’ the science world Story by Margaret Cheasebro | Photos by Whitney Howle When you’re talking with Noah Manz, it’s easy to forget he’s only 16 years old. He speaks of science, engineering, music, and upgrading cars as though he’s an accomplished adult. Actually, he is a junior at Farmington High School this fall. Not only did he publish an article about his ninth grade science project, building a self-sus-
taining jet engine, in the New Mexico Journal of Science, but within a year he’s planning to start his own business called Ratchet String. His goal is to manufacture and distribute a tool that makes it easier to string guitars. He’s also building a 1975 Toyota Land Cruiser with his dad, Dr. Julius Manz, in the family garage. To say nothing of the science fair
project he has planned for this school year. It involves carbon sequestration, or removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and using it in industrial processes. Break down carbon dioxide “Carbon sequestration by definition is the removal of carbon dioxide but then capturing FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 11
it, pumping it underground and getting it out of the atmosphere, which is fine, but it’s still there,” Noah said. “So the idea with this project is carbon sequestration but also breaking it down into its elements, oxygen and carbon. Take the carbon, and you can use it for industrial processing – graphite in computers and tape recorders, on my phone, everywhere.” He spoke with ease of new materials being developed such as graphene and carbon nanotubes made from an allotrope of carbon. He explained them with the finesse of an experienced teacher. Perhaps that’s because his dad, a dentist who loves to teach, is the director of San Juan College’s dental hygiene program. “An allotrope of carbon is a chemical com12 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
pound of carbon that’s found naturally in nature,” Noah explained. “So graphite, diamond, stuff like that, those are allotropes of carbon.”
Getting graphite pure enough A problem for industry is that the graphite made to use in new materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes requires a purity much higher than graphite found in the mining process. Getting that level of purity can be economically challenging. His 11th grade science fair project will deal with breaking down carbon dioxide chemically to produce pure graphite after which the oxygen can be released harmlessly back into the atmosphere. “The actual hypothesis is going go
go something like, ‘Can you remove carbon from the atmosphere and make it economically feasible?’” Noah said.
Science betters humanity Though some people might worry about discussing their project so openly for fear others could take the idea, Noah isn’t concerned. “So be it,” he said. “That’s the thing with science. It’s not a contest. It’s for the betterment of humanity. If someone else has some ideas, by all means go for it. I’ll still do it. At the end, we combine our ideas and make it better.” Robert Watson, Noah’s FHS physics teacher, isn’t surprised by his accomplishments. “Noah is a very bright, self-motivated young man,” he said. “I’ve never seen anybody who has the curiosity that he has. He never stops doing things. He’s always busy. When he ran out of things to do in class, he would sit on the computer and do 3D animations that were amazing. He’d even sit around during lunch and work on them.”
Began science fairs early Noah’s interest in science fairs began at a young age. Though he was born in Vermont, his family moved here when he was five years old, just a few months after he started to talk. When he did begin verbalizing, he spoke in full paragraphs. Noah’s first science fair project was as a 2nd or 3rd grader at Ladera Elementary. It involved match box cars going down a ramp. His 5th grade project experimented with how pH affects the degradation of teeth over time. In 6th grade, he took separate plates of culture bacteria and applied them to pieces of paper soaked in different minerals such as zinc or copper to see which ones kept the bacteria from growing most effectively. Zinc worked well, he recalled. That science fair project took him all the way to state competition.
YouTube video inspires project He also entered science fairs in 7th and 8th grades. The idea for his ninth grade project developed after he got bored at home one
day and began watching YouTube videos. “I came across homemade jet engines, and I thought that was pretty cool,” he said. “I realized that, regardless of whether I incorporated it into a science fair project, I wanted to build one. So I got my parents on board and started looking for parts.” His parents, he said, are easily swayed when he convinces them the project is a learning opportunity. “They were like, ‘Yeah, go for it. You’ve got to figure out how to build it. We’ll buy the parts for you. You have our permission’,” he said. He’d been working on the jet engine for almost a year when he decided to incorporate it into his 9th grade science fair project. He built it from store bought and home fabricated scrap material. His purpose was to see if he could make the engine self-sustaining by using a series of turbines, tubes and a combustion chamber to create the proper mixture of fuel and compressed air to keep the jet engine running on its own. The combustion chamber
FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 13
design wasn’t quite correct enough to accomplish the goal, but it came close.
Eagle Scout Noah didn’t have a science fair project last year because he was busy becoming an Eagle Scout. He’s helping his 13-year-old brother, Josiah, become an Eagle Scout now. They both belong to Troop 322, and their dad is their scoutmaster. Their mom, Jean, a marriage and family therapist, participates in scouting activities and hikes, rappels, swims and backpacks with the best of them. Now Noah is the lodge chief for the Order of the Arrow, a scouting group that focuses on cheerful service. As lodge chief, he oversees Order of the Arrow activities in the northern half of New Mexico and parts of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Texas. Though he didn’t enter the science fair last 14 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
year, he was a judge for the regional science fair, where projects go after the district level and before state competition. “It was a blast,” he said. “Being a judge, you learn what judges like, which can be beneficial.”
Plays guitar and sings As if Noah isn’t busy enough, he also plays the guitar and sings to help him relax and unwind. “I really love grabbing my guitar, going up on one of the hills, watching the sun set and playing and singing,” he said. “I find it really therapeutic.” The downside to guitars is stringing them. “You have to unwind the tuning pegs all the way and put your strings on,” he said. “By the end, if you’ve got 12 strings as opposed to six, there are like 400 or 500 turns just to restring my 12-string. By the end of it, your fingers are dead. You’re not going to use
ogy (New Mexico Tech) in Socorro with, perhaps, a physics major and an economics minor. Then he’ll attend graduate school. He is drawn to the fields of engineering, business or medicine. Though medicine doesn’t seem to fit at the moment, his father majored in physics in college before becoming a dentist. His uncle is a doctor, and his grandfather was a dentist.
them for 24 hours they’re so dead.”
Problem becomes challenge That problem became a challenge for Noah. How could he help himself and the many other guitarists make that task easier? To solve the problem, he is developing a ratchet that will accomplish the task in just a few turns. He’s in the process of setting up his own business to manufacture and distribute the ratchets. He’s already researched the possibilities. “The industry for music accessories is about 50 billion dollars a year,” he said, “and that’s information you can find online. Like 65 to 70 percent of that revenue comes from items that are priced below $20.” His ratchet will fall in that category.
Service is rewarding
Mom gives him advice When he wasn’t sure what to name his business, he asked his mom for help. She told him to write down all the things the ratchet does, such as it’s useful, compact, it ratchets. So he wrote down a long list of names, then began combining them. “It was like ‘compact helpful,’ ‘ratchet string,’ something like that,” Noah recalled. “Ratchet string described what it does.” He anticipates that within six months to a year Ratchet String will be up and running, and his product will be available in stores. “The reality is it has to be a balance between all my activities,” he said. “If you burn yourself out so much that you don’t like doing it any more, it’s not great. So I’m switching between the projects enough to keep each one interesting.”
Big sense of purpose “I’m proud that he stretches himself,” said Jean. “He works at the edge of his comfort zone. He feels a big sense of purpose for his life. He wants to use his thinking brain and his energy to make a huge difference in the world. He’s always got a goal in mind, and he’s always got a reason for what he’s doing, which is bigger on the surface than it looks.”
Amid Noah’s many projects, he’s also making plans for college. He hopes to attend the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technol-
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“I think my journey to become an Eagle Scout taught me a lot about service,” he said, “and as a result I feel it’s rewarding to help people. I think medicine is especially rewarding.” His parents support whatever he chooses to do. “It’s fun to see him trying things and having fun with them,” said his dad. “Sometimes he doesn’t know he’s going to have fun with them, but he’s willing to give it a try and see if he likes it or not. I like to see that he’s moved beyond anything that I’ve done.”
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GivinG back Karen Townsend dedicated to a life of public service Story by Margaret Cheasebro | Photo by Whitney Howle All her life, Karen Townsend watched her parents, other relatives and close friends make public service an important part of their lives. As a result, public service became second nature to her. “That’s where my heart is,” she said, “and that’s where I think I belong.” On May 15, 2015, she became the first female Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial District Court. She presides over district court houses in Aztec, Farmington and Gallup. She replaced John Dean, who decided not to run again for the chief judge position. He is currently a district court judge. “As a judge, I find Karen to be very dedicated to the legal profession and conscientious in performing her duty,” Judge Dean said. “She cares about the job she does, the people who come before her and the lawyers who practice in front of her.”
Docket hasn’t changed As chief judge, Karen’s docket has not 16 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
changed. She continues to handle felony criminal cases. She currently sits on the two remaining death penalty cases in New Mexico, the Robert Fry and Timothy Allen cases. “I have to make some decisions on those cases occasionally about the constitutionality of the death penalty,” she said. “Last year I found the death penalty was constitutional, which has since been appealed. The state Supreme Court will decide if I was right or not.”
Children’s cases hardest As challenging as those cases are, the hardest cases for her involve children. “I have a significant number of cases involving children who are abused and neglected,” she said. “Dealing with the families and knowing what an impact I have on kids’ lives is something I really struggle with.” That’s one reason she is so pleased to have collaborated with then District Judge Ben Eastburn almost 20 years ago to start the
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program for children. In that program, adult advocates represent children in neglect or abuse cases as the kids go through the court system. “That’s one of the highlights of my judicial career,” she said. “It’s one of the things that makes me the most proud.”
May start Gallup CASA program She hopes eventually to start a CASA program in Gallup, which doesn’t have one. “I have worked with Karen almost my entire professional career in New Mexico,” said District Judge Sandra Price. “She has always been on the forefront of things. She has always been big at supporting the rights of children. In many cases that I had she was appointed the Guardian ad Litem to represent the children. In that role she did a wonderful job at understanding what the kids felt was important for them and what they wanted out of the cases, their preferences, their wishes.”
Involved in Aztec community Karen considers herself an Aztec resident and has always enjoyed being part of the community. Though she was born in 1964 near Syracuse, New York, and lived there until she was 16, she and her family spent their summers near Bondad north of Aztec. Her grandparents, Clarence and Naomi Gilkey, owned a small farm at Riverside near Bondad. Her aunt and uncle, Bob and Phyllis Gilkey, ran a trading post at Bondad. She moved to Aztec as a high school junior when her dad, Bill Gilkey, took a job as a mechanic with the Public Service Company of New Mexico at the San Juan Generating Station.
Loves horses In her 30s, after she’d competed in a team penning event in Bondad, she drove into the Bondad Bar parking lot, unloaded her horse from the trailer and rode him into the bar. In her judge’s chambers she still keeps pictures
When she was about 10, her grandparents bought Karen a horse. For many years she raised horses and was involved with team roping and team penning. She got involved in rodeo and was a team roping announcer.
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of her horse in that bar. “It looks like a normal day at the bar, and the horse is having a beer with his buddies,” she said. “I loved that horse. I gave him to a kid because he was so gentle.”
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She can still name people in that picture. They were her friends and neighbors, and she liked being around them. She worked at the Bondad Bar as a bartender for awhile just so she could be close to those people. “The characters you would meet!” she said of her bartender days. “I had a good time up there. All the local farmers and ranchers were there. It was kind of like family.” Never much of a drinker, she no longer frequents bars now that she’s a judge.
Loved Breezy and Mary Atwood While still a high school student, Karen went to work at the Welcome Center, where the Aztec Museum is now located. There she met the late Breezy and Mary Atwood, who played a major role as public servants in helping to shape the museum. “One day I was running late, and I was afraid I was going to be in trouble,” she recalled. “Breezy put one of the museum manikins under my desk. I was running to my desk, and there was this manikin under there. I thought it was a dead body. When I screamed – Breezy sure enjoyed that.” Breezy and Mary had no children of their own, and Karen became their surrogate granddaughter. “Mary always said it’s not often you can choose your own relatives,” Karen said. “She chose somebody she wanted.” Hanging on her judge’s office wall is a large oval framed photo of Mary Atwood as a baby. “I was really blessed to have her and Breezy in my life for a long, long time,” she said. “Mary was very important in my life and still is. That’s why I have her looking over me, making sure I don’t do anything wrong.”
Studied business and accounting Though she was drawn to a judicial career because of the desire to help people, Karen didn’t start out seeking a career in that field. After graduating from Aztec High in December 1981, she attended Fort Lewis College and graduated from there in 1985 with a degree in business and accounting. For two or three
“I’ve been licensed on the Navajo Nation for 25 years, not that I do any work out there anymore, but I still have the license.” — Karen Townsend
years she worked for PNM at San Juan Generating Station doing secretarial work in the training department. Because she’s a good listener, people talked to her about their problems. “Everybody at the power plant had one issue or another, something they felt they were being wronged on,” she said. “I felt like I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to make a difference.”
Sees law as way of serving So she decided to go to law school. No one in her family was a lawyer, and she’s the first person in her family to graduate from college. She saw law as a way to be of service. Because Syracuse University had a good law school and she was familiar with the area, she returned to New York for three years to earn her law degree. Between her second and third year in law school, she interned for a large law firm in Albuquerque. After she graduated, she was hired by the Tansey law firm in Farmington to do civil litigation, and for seven years she worked under the wing of Dick Gerding, whom she admires for his legal skills. “I was just in so much awe of everything,” she said. “He probably had a lot of raising to do of me, making me grow up and feel like I could talk to a jury instead of being afraid of the whole process.” Perhaps the best advice he gave to her was to be herself.
Licensed on Navajo Nation Then she opened a private law office in Aztec, working as a general practitioner. In FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 19
1996, she became the attorney for the city of Aztec, a job she held for ten years. She also worked for the state of New Mexico as a Guardian ad Litem, or youth attorney, dealing with children in abuse and neglect cases. She went through a separate licensing process so she could be an attorney on the Navajo Nation. Most of her work there dealt with repossession cases as well as some insurance defense. “I’ve been licensed on the Navajo Nation for 25 years,” she said, “not that I do any work out there anymore, but I still have the license. I’ve always been a little proud that I was licensed on the Navajo Nation.”
Appointed district judge In 2006, a new judge position opened up in the 11th Judicial District, and she applied for the job. Former Governor Bill Richardson appointed her. She had to appear in front of a panel of 13 attorneys, judges and lay people who interviewed her and made their recommendations to Richardson. Many people on that panel helped to make her the lawyer she had become. “They kicked me around when I was a young attorney and showed me what to do and what not to do, how to treat other attorneys and how to treat people in the judicial system,” she said. “The panel was very nice to me. I think I got some easy questions.” She has since served on some of those panels herself. After serving as district judge for two years, she ran for election in 2008 and ran for retention in 2014. She won’t have to run again until 2020. Oversees budget Now that she’s the chief judge, she oversees the budget, human resources, and the administrative process with help from the 89 employees of the 11th Judicial District, eight of whom are judges. “It means I have to go to the chief judges’ council meetings, which are state-wide meetings, once a month,” she said, “and I go to the 20 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
budget hearings in August and October in Santa Fe.” The added responsibilities have been a natural progression for her. When former District Judge Bill Birdsall was chief judge, he took her to chief judges’ meetings and involved her in court administration so she would understand how it all worked. When John Dean was chief district judge, he also kept her in the loop.
“When Sandra (Price) got the position. I thought maybe I can do this too. She paved the way for me.” — Karen Townsend Someday, she noted, the portraits of Price, Marsh and herself will join those of other former district judges so everyone can see the successful role women played.
Sandra Price paves the way As she walked down the halls of the district court, she pointed to the pictures of 12 former district judges, all of them males. Female judges began to make their appearance in 2004 when Sandra Price became the first female district judge in the 11th Judicial District, followed by Townsend and then Daylene Marsh. “When Sandra got the position, I thought maybe I can do this too,” Karen said. “She paved the way for me.”
Treatment Court She was involved in starting Treatment Court in 2008, which helps people with more than one disorder. Drug Court already helped people who had drug issues, but Treatment Court assists people who have more than one problem, such as both drug and mental health issues. Both are probationary programs. “It’s been real helpful,” she said. “Instead of just incarcerating these individuals, we offer them counseling and drug addiction treatment
services through Presbyterian Medical Services. Most of them go to classes every day to learn how to live their lives differently and make good choices. So instead of putting someone in jail, we’re offering them an alternative that, hopefully, will keep them out of the judicial system.”
Raises two teenagers When she’s not being chief district judge, Karen spends her time raising two teenagers. Her 16-year-old son is on the AHS soccer team, and her 13-year-old daughter is a cheerleader at Koogler Middle School. Karen is married to defense attorney Steve Murphy. When her kids came along, she gave up her horses. Now she and her family enjoy traveling in their spare time. She loves the challenge of being the chief district judge. “It feels like something I need to do,” she said. “I need to help people as much as I can. It’s important to me to contribute to my community.”
FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 21
Friendship is Family, students help Phil Sategna illustrate Ladera’s cultural diversity Story by Debra Mayeux | Photos by Josh Bishop A school should be the reflection of its diverse population, searching for and discovering ways in which to celebrate the student body. Farmington’s Ladera Elementary School is a miniature melting pot with students of every race, socioeconomic background and educational ability. These children, in grades kindergarten through fifth, mingle together on the playground, in the lunchroom and – most importantly – in the halls throughout the school building. These halls once were covered in green – the school color. There was little to no character, message or identifying symbols to assist staff and visitors in finding classrooms, the library, the gym or even the lunch room. This all changed two years ago, when Principal Phyllis Maestas arrived. Maestas came from a long-line of educators. Her parents, Phil and Jeanne Sategna were teachers,
coaches and school administrators. Her brother Mario Sategna is a coach who soon will head to the Olympics. Phil Sategna recalled the first time he visited Ladera. “I got lost trying to find my way back to the office,” he said. “It was just green everywhere.” Sategna, a cartoon artist, spoke with his daughter about repainting the hallways and providing themes to coincide with the grade level. Maestas agreed. “It started as a signage thing. Then I wanted a welcoming bulletin board,” she said, adding that her father and her son, Lucas Maestas, managed to pull off the mural of a school bus in the entryway, just hours before her first open house as principal. Maestas knew her father could complete this request, because this was not the first mural he drew for her. When she was growing up, there was a Holly Hobby mural on her bedroom wall. Her brother Mario had a mural
of Goofy pole vaulting, and when she accepted her first teaching job at Naaba Ani Elementary School Sategna painted a mural of Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Pluto with an old school house on her classroom wall. “He’s always wanted to make things look nice,” Maestas said with admiration for her father. The response to Ladera’s mural was overwhelming and Sategna decided to get to work on the rest of the building. He and the custodial staff used five gallon buckets of white paint to cover the green on the walls. When it dried, he began free-hand drawing his artistic creations using permanent markers. “They call it a magic marker, because you just hold on and it takes off. I draw everything with marker – a lot of the stuff is in my head,” Sategna said with a big smile. “I’ve been blessed with a talent that I can look at anything and draw it.” FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 23
Once Sategna completed the drawings they were filled in with paint by himself and other members of the family, students and staff. “Everyone in the family has held the paint brush,” Maestas said. Students were given an opportunity to paint, giving them ownership in the project. The special needs students also helped out as a means of art therapy. Sategna’s creations hold messages that became lessons he would share with the students while he painted with them. “There’s messages all over this building that I was trying to get across – and the kids get it,” he said, confirming that Maestas was a sounding board for the ideas, giving them her stamp of approval. “I use anything positive that kids can relate to – if it’s positive, let’s put it on the wall.” Sategna’s artistic expression began in his youth. Growing up in a bedroom he shared with four brothers, his personal space was the ceiling and walls. “Every wall in my room was cartoons – even my ceiling,” he said. “My parents let me express myself.” 24 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
His talent was popular even in high school. A graduate of Bloomfield High, Sategna remembered being paid $50 to paint a Bobcat in the gymnasium. After completing college, he began teaching in 1974 at Park Junior High in Artesia, and incorporated his art into the classroom. “I got into doing cartoon bulletin boards. I was trying to capture the attention of 8th and 9th graders,” he said. Every Monday he would post a new creation. “I have all of them in my attic.” By 1978 the Sategnas were ready to return to Bloomfield, where Phil taught and coached track and cross country at Mesa Alta Middle School and Bloomfield High School. He spent four years as the athletic director for the Bloomfield School District. During this time, he helped design and oversee the construction of the new athletic facilities at Bloomfield High School. “I never have had a boring job in education. I loved it,” he said. Sategna also worked as a physical education teacher at Naaba Ani Elementary School, where
his daughter was teaching 4th grade. “I spent a lot of time being six-foot-three-and-a-half on my knees hugging third graders,” he said. “That was one of the most enjoyable times of my career. “I was very blessed; I had a great career. Teaching is the one profession where you liter-
ally make a difference in kids’ lives,” Sategna said, and while he may have retired from Bloomfield, he found a new school home. Ladera gratefully welcomed him with open arms. “I spend so much time at Ladera, I feel like I’m an employee,” Sategna said. “It’s great to be a Ladera Hornet.”
FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 25
The children recognize him as Maestas’ father both inside and outside of school. They also know him as the artist who has decorated their hallways with literary and historic figures as well as with positive messages of inclusion. There are murals of Harry Potter, James and the Giant Peach, Charlotte’s Web, Percy Jackson and Dr. Seuss. There are original designs and Mount Rushmore. “That was the hardest thing I had to paint in the building,” Sategna said. His original designs incorporate messages of acceptance and diversity with a little bit of humor, “We have every different color of kid imaginable,” he said. “It’s a very diverse school. We’re trying to model the behavior we want to see,” Maestas said.
26 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
Behavior modeling in elementary schools has been proven to be an effective tool in combating prejudice. “Teaching tolerance in elementary schools reduces the incidence of hate
crimes, racism, discrimination and bigotry,” according to the National Crime Prevention Council. “The one thing I really tried to incorporate
in the school – friendship is colorblind – kids need to know that,” Sategna said. “You have to be very aware of kids’ feelings, because kids are brutally honest.” Sategna experienced that honesty while painting Ladera. “He’s had many critics the past few years,” Maestas said. He’s also received compliments. “A little first-grade girl told me I stay in the lines really good,” Sategna laughed. “The families that have been here have come to the office to compliment the artwork,” Maestas added. “It’s cheerful. We wanted to brighten up the school and make it a nice place to come.” Sategna has succeeded in that task, but he said he has not completed the job. “I’m going to do the cafeteria this year,” he said. “I still have a lot of canvas.”
Italian style &
world class training
Luca Giovannini brings his passion for hair design, love of family to the Four Corners Story by Debra Mayeux | Photo by Whitney Howle Luca Giovannini ran his fingers through the woman’s thin light blonde hair. He pulled it gently, twisted it, and then asked her questions about how she cared for it. She had permed it and colored it, leaving it completely dried out. Her hope was to have Luca fix her 28 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FaLL 2015
mistakes, and it became his goal to accommodate her at his studio on Northridge Drive in Farmington. Luca has been changing people’s hair and improving their appearances for more than 25 years. His beginnings in the style industry were
European and completely by chance. Luca was “good with his hands,” according to his mother, who lives in a small town outside of Bologna, Italy. She encouraged an interest he developed in a salon, where his sister Sabrina Giovannini worked.
“I used to take her to work every day,” Luca said. Sabrina worked at one of the top salons in Italy, and Luca liked the salon owner. “He was moving around and talking. He was confident,” said Luca, who also is prone to moving around a lot. His wife, Lisa Giovannini described her husband as being very active. “Luca is an amazing cook, amazing dad and a fun friend. He never runs short of energy,” she said. Luca spoke to the salon owner in the late 1990s, and he received an offer that was difficult to refuse. The owner hired Luca to be his personal assistant, and his fate was sealed. He would begin studying style, and he never looked back to a past that included military service, owning a gas station and working on cars. Luca and Sabrina were raised outside of Tuscany near Bologna. They were very close. Although younger than Luca, he describes his sister as being the one who kept an eye on
30 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
him, encouraging him to behave and work hard. They were always together, until he left in the mid-’80s to serve in the Italian military. Luca was a paratrooper for 12 months. He also served five months as a United Nations peacekeeper in Beirut, Lebanon, where he drove a Jeep with a machine gun on top. He said he enjoyed the adventure, but was happy to return home when his tour ended. After his military service, Luca worked for his uncle at a factory where he built big ma-
chines such as excavators and backhoes. He also helped his father rebuild used cars, which were sold at his parents’ car dealership. He may have spent his early adulthood around vehicles, but his grandmother was a famous chef, working at Bologna’s and New York’s San Domenico Ristorante. “I come from a family of chefs. Everybody can cook. Even the dog can cook,” Luca said. And while he could have opened a restaurant, Luca decided to go into the gasoline business, purchasing a gas station in his hometown with two of his friends as business partners. “We had two trucks to deliver gasoline,” he said. They also replaced tires and became a hangout for the youth. “It was a very good business. We had surround sound speakers at the pumps. We were rocking the town.” Luca worked at this business until his interest in hair design was piqued at the salon. His sister was earning a good living and receiving regular training for hair design. Luca wanted to use his hands on a softer clientele. He attended the Vidal Sassoon Academy, where Sabrina became an instructor. Before that, however, the duo studied together in Paris and received hair design training each Monday at work. Luca learned hair design, while Sabrina studied to earn her business license. “Then we opened a salon after all of the training together,” he said. Luca spent a year working with Sabrina, before deciding it was time for a new adventure – a move to the United States, where he ended up in Portland, Oregon. He wanted to continue doing hair, but he needed a stylist’s license to work in the United States. He decided to begin his United States styling studies in Portland, but then he transferred to London, where he continued his training at the Toni & Guy Academy. “I finished my hours, came back and graduated,” Luca said. He began working at Hickox and Friends Salon in Portland. It was a 12,000-squarefoot facility with 48 stylists. The owners, John and Sharon Hickox, spent $1.5 million to build it. “We had celebrities coming in,” Luca said. “I did all of the newscasters’ hair.”
Hickox gave Luca a taste of the metropolitan salon scene in the United States. He worked there for three years and received training each month from the artistic team at Bumble and Bumble, which does the backstage work for Versace fashion. “We studied 12 haircuts – four long, four medium and four short – for one year,” Luca said. He would go out in Portland to find models to use on training days. “I already had training from Italy, but they wanted me to learn their 12 haircuts, because those 12 haircuts would be successful.” Once a stylist learns all of the different styles, they can mix them together and be successful, according to Luca who has been a strong proponent of constantly learning and developing his technique. “Education is very important in this profession. It’s passion for the job and talent. If you don’t have it you will just be chopping hair,” he said. “You have to have vision to see what will look good on people. You can’t just open a magazine and cut hair.” It was Luca’s desire to continue learning and developing new techniques that led him to begin giving his clients dry haircuts. “I started investigating and found out the top hairstylists do dry haircuts,” he said. “With wet hair cutting you follow the techniques. With dry cutting, you still follow the techniques, but the vision is different.” Luca’s clients are treated to a straightening with a flat iron prior to him cutting their hair. He looks at the hair’s texture, weight and movement. One of the techniques has been referred to as “deep-point cutting.” “You go into the hair and cut so you create movement, and movement is what everybody wants in their hair,” Luca explained. He began giving dry haircuts before he went to work at Hickox, and while he participated in the training, Luca asked John Hickox to allow him to challenge the courses. He was successful and allowed to create his own hair designs. While at Hickox, Luca met his wife, Lisa. She was working at a European Discotheque in Portland and Luca “wandered in.” He gave her
his card and encouraged her to come in for a style. “I left the business card beneath my bar. It got stepped on and spilled on,” she said, adding that she discovered it more than a month later and called him. During the haircut, Luca shared stories
about Italy and his family and Lisa was hooked. “He’s a really nice guy,” she said. It also helped that she liked the haircut. “I feel like he is an artist, expressed in his work.” His clients feel the same way. “I like the way he styles my hair; the way he colors my hair,”
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32 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
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said Joanne Carney, who has been going to Luca for years. “I just love, love, love his personality. He really takes you into consideration. He listens to you and tells you whether it’s a good idea or not. He is very honest and entertaining.” So how did a guy from Italy, end up in Farmington by way of Portland? He came here because of Lisa. After the couple was married, they moved to Durango, Colo., where Luca opened a salon. Lisa was originally from California, but her parents and siblings settled in Farmington, where her mother grew up. Luca said they wanted a “more quiet life.” The Giovaninnis lived in Durango for a couple of years, but Luca wanted to return to Italy. They packed up their three sons and moved back to Luca’s hometown, where he once again worked in Sabrina’s salon. “It’s not different. It’s the same,” he said when asked to compare the differences between a European salon and an American salon. “In the United States it changes from little towns to cities. In Italy it doesn’t change from small towns to big cities. To me it’s all about training and that’s what is missing. The salon owner tries to keep it updated. You have to be on top, and that’s what’s called training.” Luca and Lisa remained in Italy for a couple of years and then decided to bring their boys back to the United States. They moved to Farmington, where Luca enjoys spending time outdoors with his boys, Nico, 22, Matteo, 9, and Marco, 8. They go fishing, boating and motorbike riding. Luca started in Motocross in Idaly when he was 14. He introduced the younger of his boys to it in 2014. “I got a couple of bikes, and they are doing pretty good,” he said. “They love it.” Luca is the consummate family man – providing for his wife and children through his business and taking the time out of that business to play with his boys and spend time with his wife, whom he hopes to get on a four-wheeler one day soon to follow them around on their dirt bikes. “This is a good way to do something fun together,” he said. “We are doing it for fun.”
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FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 33
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From ounces
to tons:
Walter and Robby Henes beautify the West Story and photos by Vicky Ramakka Not many farmers survey their crops and see pink penstemon, purple Four O’clocks, or the yellow waving wands of Prince’s Plume. When Walter and Robby Henes look over their fields, they see these plus the results of hard work and knowledge of native plant cultivation as well as dollar signs. They grow grasses and forbs to produce a very specialized product – native plant seed – tons of seed, in fact, which might end up beautifying a ski area in Telluride, covering a shady area in a homeowner’s backyard, or helping state and federal agencies re-vegetate thousands of acres after a wildfire. This brother and sister team operates Southwest Seed Inc. which has been in the native seed production business for nearly 40 years. Under the watchful eye of Sleeping Ute Mountain, the Henes (pronounced Hen–iss) family cultivates 650 acres north of Cortez, Colorado. 36 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
On a recent field trip during the New Mexico Native Plant Society caonference, I rode with Robby to the farm. She related that her parents, Walter and Lynne Henes, got into farming in a roundabout way. Her father started out as a mining geologist in the San Juan Mountains. While living in Dutton, Colorado, he grew potatoes and got hooked on
farming. Moving to a more favorable growing climate, he bought land in the Cortez area.
Native plant interest grows After the move, two factors, plus Henes’ entrepreneurial spirit, led to the development of Southwest Seed Inc. McPhee Reservoir brought irrigation water to his holdings and
the Conservation Reserve Program created a market for non-traditional crops. Under the Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was part of legislation passed in the mid-1980s which promoted land use for conservation purposes. “The CRP program had a huge impetus on the native plant business,” according to Robby. “It paid farmers to take traditional agriculture land out of production for typical annual crops such as wheat, corn etc., so they had to replant thousands of acres with perennial plants that help to stabilize and enhance the soils. They needed to have millions of pounds of these grasses to plant on fallow land.” Prior to this, there had been minimal commercial market for native plant seed. Demand shifts over time, based on agricultural and environmental trends. Currently, Southwest Seed is supplying the oil and gas industry with pallets stacked with bags of native grasses and forbs for reclamation of well sites around the Lybrook area. Getting into the business early gave the Henes family the experience and knowledge of cultivating native species, such that they could adapt to the changing demand for xeriscape landscaping and reclamation uses. With continuing drought across western states, the interest in native plant cover is likely to increase. Jeff Tafoya, Natural Resources Division Chief for the BLM Farmington Resource Area, reports this office has purchased seed from Southwest Seed for reclamation projects, rangeland improvement and wildlife habitat enhancement. He says, “Having a resource like Southwest Seed is great because they have many locally grown cultivars that are better suited to grow here. While we have had success with seed provided by many vendors, we feel locally produced seed might have an advantage when conditions are tough. Southwest has been a great vendor to do business with.”
Seed to harvest As we entered the farm, Robby motioned to a field, saying it was planted to firecracker penstemon. I could only imagine what acres of this electric red wildflower must look like in bloom. “It’s fantastic!” Robby enthused.
It may take two to five years or more for a native plant species to mature before producing seed. Then the advantage of growing native plants kicks in. No more plowing and planting needs to happen the next year or the next – most perennial native plants continue to produce seed for several years. Harvest time for native species may occur late spring, summer or fall, but when it’s ready, it’s time to roll the combines. Farm manager, Angie Rohwer has four from which to choose, each designed for handling this diversity of plant types. The big one would look familiar to any wheat grower, but here it reaps Indian Rice Grass and the tall pink Palmer Penstemon. Another machine is modified to harvest more delicate plants, essentially vacuuming up the seed. Robby explained that they obtained starter seed from various sources, especially relying on Plant Materials Centers (PMCs), a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. PMCs test plants for effectiveness in restoring natural ecosystems. Once a variety is certified as acceptable for conservation purposes, these materials are made available to commercial growers. As an example, the Henes’ acquired a quantity of PMC certified Indian Rice Grass and they now harvest approximately ten tons of its seed annually. An alternate source for native plants is hand-gathering. “We collected Mutton Grass in a nearby canyon with similar soils, similar elevations, so we’ve had good success with it. We’re kind of the Mutton Grass experts,” claims Walter, with a bit of pride. This allowed for a certification process known as “source ID registration,” meaning purchasers can be assured that this ecotype is suitable for use in similar environmental situations. Mutton Grass is widely distributed in this region and provides good forage for livestock and wildlife. While at the farm, we toured the test garden, consisting of dense patches of some species and neat rows for others. These smaller plantings help determine if a species is economical to grow. Walter held up a little bunch of stubby grass. “This is Six-week Fescue. It sells for $90 a pound. Now if we could get ten acres of this going…” While growing native plants is their livelihood, it seems that it’s not all about economics. Robby pointed out rows of Chocolate Flower, FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING |37
saying, “They may not look so great, but they give a wonderful scent to the air, even from a distance.” Walter, kidding Angie Rohwer, related that she had said they needed a red spot, “so that’s how we determined to plant the Firecracker Penstemon.” He rattles off the common and scientific names of this plant and that, how they grow, what they like, as if he’s talking about friends and family. The pingpong table in the equipment barn, a crockpot in the break room, and friendly banter make it clear that the Henes family and seven full-time employees enjoy what they do.
Seed cleaning After harvesting, the plant material is trucked to the Southwest Seed Headquarters four miles from Dolores. The process for cleaning and separating the seed is vital to the company’s claim of supplying high quality seed. The seeds are certified by third party laboratory analysis for purity and germination rate.
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Given that a rice grass seed is as small as a pinhead, a penstemon seed could camouflage itself among black pepper specks, and sagebrush seed is almost as fine as dust, this procedure requires very specialized equipment and the know-how to adapt it for cleaning each species. A large barn with a loading dock houses the seed cleaning machines. The most impressive is an air-screen separator that swallows stems, leaves and all into a big hopper. First stage is the Scalping Screen that funnels off most debris. The remaining material is passed through successively finer screens until the last stage where air is passed over the product, removing dust. The size, shape and mass of the seed determine which machine is best suited. Walter pointed out the Velvet Screening Machine, which acts on seed coat roughness and actually has rollers covered with velvet. Walter relates that, “It’s designed for removing Dodder seed from alfalfa seed, but we kind of changed the process from what these machines were designed for.” To avoid contamination with other species, between batches they clean trucks, swather, screening machines and buildings. The company’s emphasis on quality shines through as Walter says, “It would be pretty embarrassing to get Palmer Penstemon (pink flowers) mixed up with Rocky Mountain Penstemon (blue flowers).” However, most customers request a mix of species. It is likely staff will grill a buyer on what the planting is for (turf areas such as sports fields, livestock pastures, or re-vegetating public lands), type of soil, whether irrigated, or even how it will be planted. For example, if seed needs to be hiked in on foot for planting in the backcountry, bags will be filled with lighter loads. All these factors will determine how Swaine Scales, the person in charge of stirring up these customized batches, fills the order. He may use the PacMan Mixer for small 10-pound batches or the big mixer that can process a ton of seed in about four hours.
Lifetime Focus Neither Walter nor Robby started their careers on their father’s farm, but both pursued work related to agriculture. Walter attended Colorado State University for a Bachelor of Science degree in Range Sciences and worked as a field inspector for the Colorado Seed Growers before taking over the business. Robby also attended Colorado State University and then went to the University of California Davis for a Masters degree in International Agriculture Development. Robby wanted to see the world – and did, spending 15 years working internationally. She began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa. She then worked her way around the world with non-profits, lastly in Indonesia helping local organizations with small grants for economic development. Returning to the family farm, Robby continues handling sales and marketing, while promoting environmentally sensible plantings. “It’s
fun, it’s bumping against the green edge,” says Robby. “Our native grasses and wildflowers are really, really wonderful, when you slow down and appreciate them. They present challenges when you start working with them. You can’t predict what will happen, but it’s worth the advantages.” “You don’t want fluffy, rototilled soil for native seed,” Robby advises, “you want to have a firm half inch of soil around the seeds. Planting in fall is best, freezing and thawing helps open the seed coat.” While they do not do sell over the Internet, it’s fun to peruse the company’s website, southwestseed.com, and see what goes into wildflower mixes such as Sadie’s Shade, Betty’s Borders, Pollinator Feast and Annie’s Annuals. Amounts of these mixes as small as a halfpound can be purchased at Southwest Seed headquarters, 13514 Road 29 in Dolores. Native plant seed grown by Southwest Seed can also be found at several local farm supply and nursery stores.
FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 39
AmAzingly ‘UniQUE littlE boy’
At 8 Fernando Reyes attends national Braille Challenge Story by Debra Mayeux | Photos by Josh Bishop Fernando Reyes walked into the large classroom at Bluffview Elementary School. He sat at a large round table and began moving his hands about the tabletop searching for a stack of elongated notecards and a large stylus. He stared toward the wall while moving his hands across the cards. His mind was spinning as he played the “quick-pick” game, a form of mathematics in braille. The 8-year-old Reyes was not born blind, but a disease in his early childhood left him without sight. Reyes was diagnosed at 20 months old with Osteopetrosis, a disease often referred to as “stone bone.” The inherited disorder causes the bones to harden and become dense, leaving the bones prone to breaking, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Reyes had to undergo a bone marrow transplant when he was quite young, and he went into remission. The outcome, however, left the child without sight. His parents, Paola and Noe Reyes, of Farmington, put their trust in God that their son would persevere, and that faith was well-placed, according to Paola. FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 41
“When he was very sick, I prayed that God would allow him to remain here,” Paola said. “It is a gift from God that he is here and doing well.” Fernando has been doing quite well. “He is a sharp young man,” said Sergio Oliva, director of national programs at the Braille Institute, where the young Reyes recently competed in the 15th annual Braille Challenge. While the institute does not release the ranking of its contestants, Oliva confirmed that Reyes performed quite well in the June 19-20 event at the Hilton Hotel in Hollywood, California. Reyes was one of 12 students from across the United States and Canada who was selected to compete in the challenge. In order to earn a place in the competition he had to prove his abilities in reading comprehension, spelling, charts and graphs, proofreading and speed and accuracy using Braille. Once there he competed against finalists of varying abilities. “Fernando is in the apprentice category,”
42 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
Fernando had the 11th highest combined total score in the nation, from the regional final at the New Mexico School for the Blind.
Oliva said. He earned his place in the challenge after competing on the regional level. There were 42 regional competitions with 1,106 contestants. Fernando had the 11th highest combined total score in the nation, from the regional final at the New Mexico School for the Blind. “His reading speed and fluency are not typical for a student – for many students at any age. There are many adults who don’t read as fast as he does,” Farmington Schools Educator Carol Green said. “Just the fact that he made it to the top 12 is great,” Oliva said. “These are like the top
of the top braille readers in the country.” While in California with his mother and Green, Fernando was treated to a host of activities and celebrations. “We make it a point throughout the entire weekend to continue celebrating these students and their parents,” Oliva said. “We wanted to make them feel like the superstars they are.” The Braille Institute developed the Braille Challenge to promote braille literacy in a world where blind individuals often have difficulty finding employment because they cannot read – and maybe are not mobile. The blind who do find gainful employment are those FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 43
who can read braille, according to Oliva. Fernando, at his young age, has a head start. He is not only fluent in Spanish and English, he can also read braille in both languages. When the child began his education at the Farmington Special Preschool, his primary language was Spanish. He learned to read braille in both languages and speaks English fluently with the assistance of Carol Green, a visually impaired teacher, who works primarily with visually impaired students. Green began teaching in 1992. She needed to use reading glasses by 2007, and her sight rapidly decreased because of macular degeneration. “Today I couldn’t read a first-grade text book,” she said. Green had to learn braille in 2009, and she began teaching visually impaired students for Farmington Schools in 2010. Green has a caseload of 14 visually impaired students in the Farmington School District, and she travels to different schools in order to teach the children. She is certified to provide educational services to children aged birth to 12th grade, but her caseload includes preschool through high school students with varying academic abilities. Fernando is unique, as are all of Green’s students. His mother refers to him as a “different little boy.” The third-grader loves to learn and loves to teach. “He always wants to be doing something,” Paola said. “When you are blind you can’t entertain yourself by looking at others. He has a really good imagination. … He wants to talk and interact with you,” Green said. During school, Fernando spends 90 percent of the day with his classmates in regular education. Green is there to support the classroom teacher, and Fernando has some tools to assist him with learning and mobility. He uses a cane, named “Chris,” to help him find his way throughout the school. “Chris can bump into stuff, so I don’t have to bump into things,” Fernando said. “Chris is also for crossing the streets so I can find the inside of the curb.” 44 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
Fernando has an Apex to assist him with studies. “It’s like a note taker. I can type in it and print in it. I can open and create documents, and it can even talk.” In physical education, Fernando has a ball that makes noise so he can hear it, and sometimes he gets to go on outings with other classmates. “I got to go to the park with Oscar, and I got to take my ball with me,” he said. This is important for the little boy who said he loves to play soccer. “I also like art and classical music.” While seated in the classroom, Fernando was anxious to show off his reading and writing skills for his mother and his teacher. His hands moved deftly across the page, as he read a passage titled “Summer Camp” aloud. “I liked it best,” he said of the story. His reading was fluid and graceful. Fernando did not stumble on words. His face, however, showed a high level of concentration as his brow furrowed. He appeared to be a grown man in a tiny body, wearing khaki pants and a striped polo shirt. His black hair was buzzed and his bold black glasses sat upon his nose. When he completed the passage, he walked to a braille typewriter and answered questions about the story. Paola’s eyes filled with tears as she watched. “I saw someone use this type of machine and read braille on television. I never thought I would have a child do this,” she said. Paola also began learning braille. “I close my eyes to do it,” she said, adding this has been one thing she changed about the family’s lifestyle for Fernando. “I forget that he can’t see. We try to keep things the same in our house, because he learns it. If we change something, we tell him.” This has been fine with Fernando, a little boy, who has not allowed his visual impairment to change him or stop him from succeeding. He has embraced it and has worked to be the best and brightest individual he can be. Even the Braille Institute expects to see him flourish again and return for another competition in the future. “There’s always a chance to come back,” Oliva said. “Every year students do come back. The contestants are phenomenal kids.” FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 45
&
Hebbes’ glad they left Anchorage for life together in Farmington Story by Dorothy Nobis | Photos by Whitney Howle Sundays during football season can be tense at the home of Janet and Steve Hebbe. Both passionate football fans, the Hebbes spend football Sundays in separate rooms, watching “the game.” While the Hebbes share a love of football, they grew up with loyalty to different teams. The family room of the couple’s home has countless memorabilia that reflects a love of the 46 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
Green Bay Packers. Steve Hebbe is a Packers fan. Janet is not. Janet is from Pittsburgh, which makes her a die-hard Steelers fan. Steve, from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, is an ardent Packers fan.
Rivalry put aside for wedding In 2010, when the Packers played the Steelers in the Super Bowl, the couple did not watch
the game together thinking it would jeopardize their new relationship. The Packers won that game and, Steve is quick to say, his lovely wife “married up” when they married almost a year ago. A roll of the eyes from Janet indicates she doesn’t agree with the “marrying up” part, but she does enjoy attending Packers football games with her husband – which is often. Even though
the couple lives about 1,500 miles from the Packer stadium, they make the drive regularly (they have season tickets) to watch Steve’s beloved Packers. The Packers/Steelers rivalry was reflected in the couple’s wedding vows in November. Each reluctantly agreed to “honor” the other’s football team, although there was some hesitancy and drama when they did so. If football is the pink elephant in the lives of the Hebbes, it’s the only thing, but it wasn’t always.
Met in Anchorage The couple met while each was working for the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska. Janet was the Human Resources Manager at the Anchorage Police Department where Steve was a lieutenant. Janet had worked at city hall before being offered the position at the police department. The police department was confident handling its own human resources needs and Steve wasn’t certain the department needed an “outsider” to take over. “But we needed someone,” Steve admitted. “It was a challenging position and I knew it was going to take a strong person to come out and do that.” “We had a different perspective of human resources,” Steve added. “We’re both strong willed, but she learned the culture of the police department and I tried to see it (human resources) from her point of view. We did go to battle on HR issues.” It didn’t take long before the professional relationship evolved into a personal one. “I liked that she had a backbone and an opinion and was willing to listen,” Steve said of Janet. “But I worked in HR and wasn’t sure I could date Steve,” Janet explained. The couple saw each other, but stayed quiet about their blossoming relationship. After more than three years with the police department, Janet was hired as the Deputy Director at the Department of Health. “I needed to be a supervisor,” Janet said,
adding that as a Human Resources professional, she often advised supervisors on human resources issues. “It was a big jump moving from HR to a deputy director. I needed to know the challenges a supervisor faces,” she said.
Her biggest fan Far from questioning the need for Janet at the police department more than three years before, Steve became her biggest cheerleader. Especially when she was promoted to director two years later. “It was a big step up for her,” he said. “She did so much at the Department of Health. That position played to her leadership abilities. She was flexible, she was a good listener and she rose to the challenge.” However, after getting a promotion to deputy chief and serving in that role for a couple of years, and 23 years with the Anchorage Police Department, Steve decided it was time for a change. He applied for the police chief’s position in Farmington and, in March of 2014, he took over.
Making the move to Farmington While Steve was settling into a new position, Janet was helping find her successor at the Department of Health. Preparing for her own move to Farmington, Janet sold her home and moved in with a girlfriend. When the couple purchased a home in Farmington last June, Janet packed up her belongings, including her cat, and sent them down. It would be a while, however, before she would make the move.
The couple made the separation work, even though it was difficult. Janet flew to Farmington or met Steve half way, as often as she could and the couple met in Las Vegas, Nev., for a long weekend. Janet continued the search for her replacement and was looking forward to being with Steve. However, leaving her job was difficult. “I had a job that I loved,” Janet said. “It was a good opportunity for me. To be an executive director like that – you just don’t get those opportunities every day.” Steve kept busy but knew she needed to stay. “People depended on her. They needed her,” he said. “She was leading a big agency and I didn’t want her to come down here just for me.” It wasn’t just the job that kept Janet in Anchorage for a while, however. She has two children and “they’re a big part of my life. I was torn between people I love.” With her children, both of whom are adults, content and happy for her, Janet moved to Farmington last fall. On November 8 of 2014, the couple was married.
Loving Farmington While Steve continues to enjoy and make positive changes in the Farmington Police Department and in the community, Janet has settled in. She was named the Interim Human Resources Director at San Juan College last September, but decided to leave the position recently. FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 47
The college position was transitional, Janet said, and she’s taking some time to enjoy exploring her options. Returning to college or finding a position that allows her to use her leadership skills and extensive professional background are on the horizon. In addition, she enjoys getting to know the police department and its staff. The Hebbes are happy to be in Farmington. “I take my job seriously,” Steve said. “I don’t want to be good, I want to be great and give this community what they deserve. And Janet provides a different perspective on things, which is important.” “Farmington is our future,” Steve added. “We got lucky here.” Comfortable in the community, very much in love with each other, and looking forward to their future, the Hebbes are glad they left Anchorage for the beauty of the New Mexico desert. They agree it is a great area and they’ve spent time enjoying it by biking, hiking and taking trips in their RV. They are a power couple – with power struggles when the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers are on television!
48 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
San Juan Co College llege Graduate Finds Graduate Success as an Success Occupational Occupational Therapy Assist ant Therapy Assistant
Success Success Matters Matters
At matters. graduate Occupational At San San Juan College, College, success success ma tters. LLeah eah FFairchild, airchild, a 2015 g raduate of the O ccupational Therapy Therapy program career. program ffound o ound her success success in a new field and with a new car eer. COTA, graduated inaugural Occupational LLeah eah FFairchild, airchild, C OTA, g raduated as a member of the inaugur al class of the O ccupational Therapy Therapy Assistant program College May, five Assistant (OTA) (OTA) pr ogram aatt SSan an Juan C ollege in M ay, 2015. 2015 She and fiv e of her fello ffellow ellow graduates graduates are are currently proving skilled OTAs. currently working working in the Farmington Farmington rregion, egion, pr oving the demand ffor or sk illed and qualified O TAs. “I had been working Certified Nurse’s Assistant wanted working as a C ertified Nurse ’s A ssistant but kknew new I w anted tto o ffocus o ocus my my career career on therapy said.. ““When OTAs, was therapy and mental mental health,” FFairchild airchild said When I ffound ound o o about O out TAs, I kknew new it w as right right up myy alley alley.. Instead patients, we tryy tto how taking care m Instead of just caring caring ng ffor or pa tients, w e tr o tteach each them ho w tto o get back tto o tak ing car e of themselves. themselv es.” employed byy Lif Life Care Center where patients are treated short-term are C enter of FFarmington, armington, wher LLeah eah is emplo yed b ffe eC e pa tients ar e tr eated ffor or shor t-term post-operative long-term care Alzheimer’s dementia. rrehabilitation, ehabilitation, post -operative rrecovery, ecovery, long-t erm car e or A lzheimer ’s and demen tia. “Occupational large where myy car career, said.. ge wingspan as far as wher e I can take m eah said “Occupational TTherapy herapy has such a lar eerr,” LLeah “There are opportunities acute therapy, outpatient therapy, pediatric care elderly “ There ar e oppor tunities in acut e ther apy, outpa tient ther apy, pedia tric car e and elder ly care. care. OTAs OTAs are ar e also in such high demand offers after graduation. nd – I had job off ffers ers rright ight af ter g raduation.” An OTA skilled care provider works supervision occupational A nO TA is a sk illed health car e pr ovider who w orks under the super cupational vision of an oc therapist OTs OTAs primarily patient care activities living,, w work, ther apist ((OT). OT ). O Ts and O TAs pr imarily focus focus pa tient car e on ac tivities of daily living ork, cognitive, cognitive, leisure skills. Clients mayy need ther therapy physical injury, process, ocess, aging, aging, social and leisur e sk ills. Clien ts ma apy due tto o a ph ysical injur y, a disease pr mental alcohol abuse,, or to qualityy of life. or ccognitive ognitive problems problems from from men tal illness or alc ohol and drug abuse liffe e. to improve improve qualit Occupational therapy assistants are employed hospitals,, outpatient facilities,, sk skilled Occupational ther apy assistan ts ar e emplo yed in hospitals outpatient facilities illed nursing facilities,, mental facilities,, schools schools,, ccommunity agencies,, and home-health care. facilities mental health facilities ommunity agencies home-health car e. “In “I n the O OTA TA pr program, ogram, w we e pr prepare epare studen students ts ffor or o suc success cess in the classr classroom oom and in their car careers, eers,” K Kay ay Peters, director OTA program College, said.. “The P eters, dir ector of the O TA pr p ogram aatt SSan an Juan C ollege, said “ The community community has a need ed ffor o or qualified OTAs high-quality We are O TAs and our students students are are filling those needs with ccompassion ompassion and highquality care. care. W e ar e vvery ery proud forward manyy more. proud of our first graduating graduating g class and look ffor orward tto o man more.” The Occupational Assistant program accredited byy the A Accreditation herapy A ssistant pr The San San Juan College College O ccupational TTherapy ogram is ac credited b ccreditation Council Occupational American Occupational Association C ouncil for for O ccupational Therapy Therapy Education Education (ACOTE) (ACOTE) of the A merican O ccupational TTherapy herapy A ssociation (AOTA). Graduates program national after successful (AOTA). Gr aduates of the pr ogram are are eligible eligible to to sit ffor or the na tional ccertification, ertification, and af ter suc cessful exam, ccompletion ompletion of this e xam, the individual becomes becomes a Certified Certified Occupational Occupational Therapy Therapy Assistant Assistant ((COTA). COTA). FFor or more information OTA program College, mor e inf for ormation about the O OT TA pr ogram aatt SSan an Juan C ollege, call 505-566-3527.
SAN JUAN COLLEGE Occupational Therapy Assistant Program
sanjuanc sanjuancollege.edu/ota ollege.edu/ota | 505-566-3527
RenOvatiOn Outlaws
50 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
Dale Greenwood’s eclectic style aligns well with her Aztec customers Story by Margaret Cheasebro | Photos by Whitney Howle On the corner of Aztec Boulevard and Maddox Street stands a business without a sign, but customers flock to Renovation Outlaws anyway. They’re initially drawn by the collection of antiques, furniture, and barbecue grills out in front. Once they enter the 3,000-square-foot building in Aztec, they roam the store crammed with new and used items ranging from furniture, upholstery material, jewelry and kitchen items to books, old sheet music, gumball machines and Southwest décor. The eclectic inventory is stacked in an orderly fashion on
both sides of many narrow aisles. A monocycle, chairs and various lighting fixtures hang from the ceiling.
Really good quality “Everything that comes in the store has to be metal, glass or wood. It has to be real, no pressed wood,” said owner Dale Greenwood of Durango. “It has to make me smile, make me laugh, or be really useful. It has to be really good quality.” Customers visit from all over the nation and some foreign countries. She has had re-
peat customers from Canada. About 25 percent of her clientele come from Durango. They stop on their way to shop in Farmington. Another 25 percent are tourists from all over the country, and some are dealers who shop for their own antique stores. The rest are local residents. They often stay to chat with Dale. Though tourists often buy Southwestern, native and western items, they also purchase large items for their own house. They pack them into or on top of their vehicles for the long drive home. FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 51
Customers find friends
Furniture for the entire house
“I love the people that come in the door,” Dale said. “We’ve had so many women come in who don’t know another customer and end up leaving as friends. Some customers spend half a day here. Some come in almost every day just to say hello and see what’s going on.” Others stop to ask if Dale needs help moving heavy furniture. Customers have all kinds of requests. Often they’re looking for material to make a project they saw on the Pinterest website. “Every day at least one person comes in holding their phone with Pinterest, saying, ‘I want to do this,’” Dale related. “We rummage around and find what they need. That is really a lot of fun.”
Nicole Jackson of Kirtland shops at Renovation Outlaws almost every week. “I’m redoing my whole house,” she said. “I bought my entire
A TV personality couple from one of the shopping networks stopped in to find decorations for their guest room. “They were driving from Telluride to Albuquerque, and they spent about four hours here,” Dale said. “They had pictures on their phones of their guest room, and we pulled it together for them.” She sold old orchard ladders, boxes and other décor to someone who was decorating for an outdoor, western wedding.
Loves forgotten art work
bedroom set here. I got a spindle bed for my daughter’s bedroom for $50. This store has a bunch of cool stuff and really good prices.”
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She loves finding interesting art work that has been largely forgotten. She has a set of prints and lithographs from 1860 that portray English explorers going to Brazil. They were painted by an artist who was well known in the 1880s. Not many people know about him today. Her 100-year-old building might fall in the category of things that have been largely forgotten. Over the years, it played an important part in Aztec history. It was once the Aztec Boxing Club, a dance hall, butcher shop, grocery store, pawn shop and art gallery. “I love it when people come in and say, ‘I used to go to dances here,’ or ‘I used to be in the boxing club’,” said Dale.
Difficult challenges with city The community has embraced her, which feels heartwarming to Dale, especially after the difficult time she encountered working with the city of Aztec when she renovated the building. That’s how Renovation Outlaws got its name. “It was a difficult process opening the building, which is why I called it Outlaws, because I felt like I was an outlaw trying to get the project finished,” she said. “It was very difficult but well worth it.” Aztec City Commissioner Katie McClure wasn’t on the Commission when Dale ran into 52 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
several roadblocks. She said the new Commission is making a special effort to foster and nurture small and midsize businesses. Katie shops at Renovation Outlaws. “Hers is the kind of store Aztec needs,” she said. “It’s more high-end pre-owned stuff. I’ve even had her be on the lookout for things for me. She will jot it down and let me know. I’m originally from Los Angeles, and that wouldn’t happen there. That’s what I love about a small community.”
Concept of community The concept of community has always been important to Dale. She’s done community work with non-profits and government agencies for 40 years. At one time, she even volunteered for Durango Natural Foods, helping to double their building space. Her interest in community service began early in life as she watched her parents, a businessman and a nurse, serve on many community boards and be politically active in Boston, where she grew up. She and her four brothers and sisters have carried on that community involvement.
kids didn’t get the attention they needed, and teachers didn’t get the support. It was not a good fit for me.”
Durango draws her She had been working for the city of Boston during the summers, doing event planning. When she left teaching, she worked for the city full time and gained experience with grant writing and fund raising. She spent every vacation and every week she had off in Taos or Durango.
Eventually, she bought a cabin in Wild Cat Canyon north of Durango and worked as an accountant for the Southern Ute Tribe for about 10 years. Once she retired from the San Juan Basin Health Department in Colorado, she rested up by gardening for a couple of years at her home near Hermosa, Colorado. “It kind of got out of control,” she said. “I was sitting in this beautiful garden all by myself, and it wasn’t very fulfilling.” Her husband was still working, and so were her girlfriends, so once she’d had all the rest
Didn’t plan to own antique store Dale never planned to own an antique store. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1975 with a double degree in elementary education and psychology. She did her student teaching at the pueblo in Taos and fell in love with the area. She paid her way through school by working as a cashier at a supermarket, waitressing, being involved in a work study program, and working as a Vista volunteer with children at a state institute for the mentally challenged. At the age of 21, she bought her first house, renovated it and sold it. She’s continued flipping houses through the years and still owns several rentals. Once she graduated from college, she taught kindergarten for two years in a Boston Public Schools magnet school. “Thousands and thousands of children came to it from all over the city,” she said. “The classes were huge. The
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FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 53
she could handle, she decided to renovate the Aztec building at 801 Maddox Street that she had bought several years before. A couple ran an antique store there and lived in the back. Renovations began once the couple retired and moved out of the store in October 2012.
Grandfather clause “I was just going to redo it and then rent it out,” she said. “I went down to get the building permit and was told that if I reopened it the way it was, it would be grandfathered in. Otherwise it would have to be brought up to current building codes, which included a very expensive fire sprinkler system that cost more than the building was worth.” So she decided to reopen it as an antique store. Her two daughters encouraged her to make that choice. “I’d really had no intention of doing that,” she said. “I was more concerned about getting the building up to current codes and making it look good.” Dale reroofed the building. She demolished and rebuilt the front of it, which had long ago been damaged in a fire. Finally, after a year of difficult challenges, she opened Renovation Outlaws in October 2013 just 20 hours before the grandfather clause on her building ran out.
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“I had very little inventory because it was such a struggle getting it finished on time,” she said. “I was open four hours, and I got a call that one of my daughters was in the hospital in Los Angeles. I locked the door and left for three and a half weeks.” When she came back and reopened the store, her business took off. “We don’t really have a sign, and we don’t advertise, but people came,” she said. Among her customers are artists looking for supplies. “I come out here and find unique pieces to add to my mixed media art,” said artist and potter Fiona Clarke of Farmington. “I make dolls, and I use a lot of found objects to decorate them. Here, I’m
found objects to decorate them. Here, I’m able to get miniature tea sets, old jewelry and other things.” While preparing for an art show with a box theme, she came to Restoration Outlaws and found cigar, pencil and other boxes.
Might become a non-profit Dale thought she’d run the store for a little while, then retire in a couple of years, after she recouped her remodeling expenses. Now, however, she hopes to turn it into a nonprofit business, helping people in both southwest Colorado and northwest New Mexico. “La Plata County, Colorado, is one of the wealthiest counties in the whole western area,” she said. “San Juan County is one of the poorest in the nation. We have so much plenty, and then we have so much lack.” Both counties have a variety of non-profit businesses that serve their individual counties, but she doesn’t know of any that serve both sides of the border. Her plan is to start a non-profit involving children and children’s activities that meet the needs of people in both states. It will continue to be an antique store as a fund-raising arm of the non-profit and will use grant writing to boost operating revenue. Each child gets free book “I feel like we already have filled some community needs,” Dale said. “Every child that comes in gets a free book. I try to underprice things so they’re more accessible. I try to make it a fun place to be so that people will feel comfortable here.” Part of that comfort factor is her dog, Moose, a huge German shepherd who patrols the aisles when he’s not sleeping or letting children climb on him. She loves having people come into the store. “My customers,” she said, “are the best part of having this place.” Her doors are open from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Tuesday and Sunday.
FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 55
Graduation photo Farmington High School 1949
Ed and Vera McNamee Mac’s parents in the late 1950s.
Staning in front of the San Juan County Courthouse in Aztec in 1951 are members of the sheriff’s staff that served from 1948-1952. From left are Deputy Sheriff Carrol Spencer, Undersheriff Mems Lane, Jailer Harry McWilliams, Deputy Sheriff Harry Smouse, Sheriff Bill Nolan, Deputy Sheriff Ed McNamee.
Mac saw lots of changes on his route Creamland delivery driver watches history unfold before his eyes Story by Margaret Cheasebro | Photos Whitney Howle, Courtesy photos Milburn (Mac) McNamee watched history unfold as he grew up in San Juan County and later, as he delivered Creamland Dairy products for 38 years in northwest New Mexico and northeast Arizona, from March 1955 through June 1993. That wasn’t the first time McNamee worked for Creamland. He began his career with them while attending Farmington High School, which was then on Wall Avenue. For two or three years, every day after school he went three blocks down to the Creamland building on Main Street, now occupied by Sherwin-Williams, and washed milk bottles and cans. “The milk came in cans,” he said, “because about 40 producers around here had four or five 10-gallon cans they’d bring in the back of
their pickup. I’d be there until 10 o’clock at at night.”
Earned $15 a week He earned $15 a week, and that’s what put food on his family’s table. An only child born late in life to parents who were not in good health, he earned most of the living for his family from an early age. His father, Ed McNamee, fought in World War I and was gassed in France, leaving him with only part of one lung. Until McNamee graduated from eighth grade, the family lived on a 160-acre ranch in La Plata, where they raised sheep and cattle. Shortly before McNamee graduated from high school, his father found a job as a San Juan County deputy sheriff, where he worked
as a process server. Later he was a Farmington municipal judge followed by 14 years as a justice of the peace until he died in 1966. “My wife’s grandfather, Peter Milton Salmon, was the first justice of the peace in San Juan County,” McNamee said, “and my dad was the last justice of the peace before they changed over to magistrate judges.”
Roots go deep in SJC McNamee’s roots go deep in San Juan County. His great-grandparents are buried in Aztec. They moved to the area about 1889. His grandfather, a carpenter, is buried in the La Plata Cemetery. His grandparents homesteaded in the Flora Vista area. They had a ranch in La Plata until they moved to California before FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 57
McNamee was born. It’s open range that stretched about two miles from the all the way to the Cortez ranch where McNamee grew Valley. up. “We’d go up the canyons McNamee was born Dec. in Mesa Verde, and I’ve 19, 1931, at the original seen ruins that the rangers Mercy Hospital building in probably haven’t seen, Durango. A snowstorm kept looking for cows,” Mchim and his mother in DuNamee said. rango for three weeks after Electricity didn’t come to his birth. La Plata until 1947, so at When he was 4, McNamee night everything was done wanted a new wagon. He by kerosene lamp, including used the 50 cents in his homework. piggy bank to buy two rabSnowed in bits, a buck and a doe. By for a month selling their babies, he made Milburn McNamee herds sheep home after he got off the school bus at LaPlata ranch. 1943 When he was 11, one of $3.50, enough to buy his La Plata, now a fire station, until he graduated his parents was in Durango and the other in wagon. He kept selling rabbits until he made from eighth grade when the family moved to Farmington when a big snowstorm trapped $21.95, enough to purchase a bicycle. Farmington. As a youngster, it was his job to them and they couldn’t get back to the ranch herd the sheep back to the ranch when he got Herds sheep, rounds up cattle for a month. McNamee and Stan Donaldson, a off the school bus. When he was 6 years old, He attended the two-room school house in boy who lived on the property, used their wits he helped his family round up cattle on the
58 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
to survive on a 100-pound sack of pecans, whatever was in the fruit cellar, and bread – as long as the flour lasted. During that snowbound month, McNamee related, “We had to milk the cows and take a trailer and hook the horses onto it, drag the milk down the road with us four miles and put it on the high school bus that came from Farmington. It hauled the milk to the Creamland Dairy in Farmington.” He and Donaldson became lifelong friends and served in the Army together.
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Delivers milk Soon after the family moved to Farmington, McNamee began attending Farmington High School and delivered newspapers on his bicycle for the Albuquerque Journal, Denver Post and Durango Herald. He pedaled 50 miles a day. When he needed money for movies, he shined shoes on Main Street. He mowed lawns for a few extra quarters. After he quit his newspaper delivery job, he began working at Creamland Dairy while still in high school. He also worked for the competition. At 10 p.m. after he finished washing cans at Creamland, he went home to sleep a few hours until he delivered milk from 2:30 to 6 a.m. at Campbell’s Dairy on the corner of 20th Street and Farmington Avenue. Then he’d go to his Dustin Street home to eat breakfast and head for school. He earned $3.50 a week at Campbell’s. Added to the $15 a week he got at Creamland and the $10 a month the government paid his father for being 98 percent disabled, that kept the family alive. In spite of his demanding jobs, he found time in high school to join Future Farmers of America. The rambouillet sheep he raised took third in the nation for market class wool, fine combing, at the International Livestock Exposition at the Union Stockyards in Chicago in 1948.
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Serves in the military In spite of severe dyslexia, he graduated from high school in 1949 and joined the National Guard. Two weeks later, he joined the Army and got desert, mountain, and winter survival training. He served in the United States, Germany and FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 59
and I burned a hole in my leg. It took almost five years for it to heal back up.”
Marries childhood friend
Milburn McNamee during Army basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1951.
France before coming back to the States at the end of 1952. He spent the next five months in a Veterans Administration hospital in Amarillo, Texas, to put his leg back together after an encounter with a mine in Germany. “The guy in front of me stepped on the mine,” McNamee said, “and I got the shower from it. I’ve still got pieces of metal and tiny pieces of rock coming out of me. I had only half a bone left in my leg, and they put a metal plate there. Every now and then that thing breaks open. I tried wearing shorts one time,
60 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
While he was in and out of the hospital during the healing process, on May 14, 1953, he and Frances were married. They’d known each other since they were kids riding on the La Plata school bus. In the Army McNamee was known as Sarge or Mac. He chose to stick with Mac because, he said, “nobody could spell Milburn and half of them can’t pronounce it.” Back in Farmington, McNamee was hired by Foutz and Bursom until the summer of 1954. Then he went to work for Mitchell Construction. In 1955 he took a job with Creamland Dairy and worked for them 38 years until he retired in 1993.
Sees height of oil boom His route took him out on the Aztec highway. “There were 10 or 11 trailer courts out
Milburn and Frances McNamee’s wedding day May 15, 1953 in Los Alamos at Frances’ house
this way and over across the river,” he said. “1955 was the height of the oil boom. People were living along the river in tents, waiting on people to build a house for them by the Mesa Shopping Center on Butler. That was a going place then.” While delivering milk, he got trapped in a big snowstorm on the reservation in 1957. “I
spent a week in a snow cave up there this side of Red Mesa, Arizona,” he said. “I used my survival skills to build the cave. Those caves stay about 35-40 degrees. They don’t get down below freezing. The guy on the other side of the snow bank from me stayed in his truck, and he froze to death.”
could give it to the kids. Our daughter, Vera, was a baby, and she got one of the first vaccines. They used a Q-tip to put it on a sugar cube.” He became a supervisor for Creamland in 1960, and the company established a route to Kayenta, Ariz. A year later the route ex-
panded to Chinle. He took over that route in 1971, because he could make more money on commissions as a deliveryman. Not long after that, the American Indian Movement, or AIM, developed a strong presence in the area.
AIM takes his milk truck One day while McNamee was delivering milk products in Chinle, members of AIM surrounded his truck, and AIM leader Dennis Banks ordered him off the truck. “I took the key and got out,” McNamee said. “I went over and sat in front of Begay’s Trading Post. One of the councilmen from Chinle came by and said, ‘What are you doing here? How come the guys are standing around your
Brings first polio vaccine to area In 1958, McNamee brought the first polio vaccine to Farmington in a milk truck. “Creamland Dairy flew me to Albuquerque to pick up a milk truck because the vaccine had to be refrigerated,” he said. “I picked it up at the Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque and took it around to the schools in Farmington so they
Milburn McNamee delivers milk near Nenahnezad, NM 1966
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standing around your truck?’ I said, ‘They took it.’ He told me, ‘No, they can’t take the milk man’s truck.’ So we walked over to the truck, and he told Dennis, ‘You let him have his truck. He’ll give you something off that truck, anything you want.’” Banks thought about it, then said, “If you’ll give everyone a popsicle, I’ll let you have it back.” So McNamee bailed out his truck for 60 dozen popsicles. When he told Creamland what happened, the company put an end to the route on that part of the reservation. They couldn’t chance losing a $150,000 truck.
Runs into AIM in Shiprock He ran into AIM again in 1975 when he was still operating a Creamland route in Shiprock, where the group had taken over the Fairchild Semiconductors building. “They were walking around on top of that building with 30-30s, and I was delivering milk out there all around the plant,” McNamee said. “Dennis (Banks) caught me over there and said, ‘Would you come to our camp and sell us ice cream?’ So I went over there and sold him ice cream. I was okay. I was one of the clan by then.”
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His Creamland years gave the family a good income. They still live in the Farmington home they purchased in 1958 and where they raised their three children. They have 13 grandkids and
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Frances and Milburn McNamee in 1954
four great-grandchildren. “When we moved to this house, we didn’t live in Farmington,” he said. “The city limits were down at Burger King.” Frances taught for 29 years in Farmington as a high school and college English and history professor and teacher of the gifted. She retired in 1992. McNamee has been a member of the Elks Lodge and the Lions Club for 37 years. He and his wife remain active members of the community that has nourished them all their lives.
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Coolest Things A Spark of Nostalgia
Consider this for a second: The next generation of kids won't know what a rewind button is or know how to read a foldout map. One of the 2015 style trends is retro ’70s and ’80s style. So, depending on your age, that means you either want to wear something cool your parents and/or grandparents wore or – for those of us who can read foldout road maps – it means being transported back to younger versions of ourselves. Some of us may be saying “style, what style?” when we remember pictures of ourselves in some of those less-than-flattering creations. Others will look at our chosen items and remember how cool that movie was or how happy you were when you opened that Christmas present and saw what you had wished for all year. No matter what your frame of reference, we hope these items make you smile.
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WHAt DID YOU DO, RAY?
Ghostbusters Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Mug www.thinkgeek.com We ain’t afraid of no coffee! But if you loved the first one you might be afraid of the remake of this classic movie starring women in the title roles that will be released soon. So, to ease your remake depression, and if you are not afraid of any ghosts, this is the mug for you. Holds 20 ounces of your favorite beverage. (Presumably cocoa with marshmallows) $14.99
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FOREVER IN BLUE JEANS
Old book messenger bag www.thinkgeek.com
totally vintage classic Levi's 505 & 501 www.urbanoutfitters.com
Hard as it may be to envision, it wasn't really until the 1990s that backpacks became the go-to bag for school kids. Satchels were the thing of the ’70s and early ’80s, and the big to-do of back-toschool time (after lunchboxes, of course) was checking out who showed up with a new book bag. At almost 16" x 13" x 5," you can use it as a purse, a small tote, or a smaller laptop/netbook/tablet case.
Invented in 1873, Levis ® blue jeans are the original, authentic blue jeans. These jeans are sold in the original states of wear and distress. Cut in a high-waisted silhouette in premium cotton denim with a slightly tapered leg. Zip or button fly. These vintage jeans have been measured and sorted into modern sizes. The jeans you receive may have a vintage size tag that differs from their modern size. Each jean is unique and one of a kind. $59
$49.99
64 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
ALMOSt AS COOL AS HERMIONE’S
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tOO SEXY FOR YOUR JACKEt
Retro Hole Denim Men’s Skinny Jeans Jacket www.aliexpress.com Made famous by the likes of John Wayne, James Dean and every rock band worth their salt in the '90s, the denim jacket has evolved from working class uniform to cultstatus staple. But before you reach into your closet and dust off your favorite acid wash bomber, the modern denim jacket comes with a few tweaks to give it a contemporary appeal. Now they are tailored for the perfect fit. You won’t hear many ladies complaining. Denim jackets on a man is never a bad idea. $53
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LET’S ALL GO TO THE LOBBY
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STAY CLASSY LADIES
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THE MOON BOOT HAS LANDED - AGAIN!
Dancing snacks vintage sign www.retroplanet.com
Woman Cave décor www.retroplanet.com
MOON BOOT www.tecnicausa.com/moon-boot/
Before the curtain goes up in your home theater, set the right scene with unique home theater decorations! No movie room is complete without our classic dancing snack signs. They'll keep a smile on your face long after the lights go down. Hide posters and film cells (with real 35mm film!) let you decorate with Hollywood icons of yesterday. To capture the feel of a vintage theater lobby, dot the walls with candy and popcorn signs, snack menus, and our cool film reel wall decals. And don't forget an old-time popcorn machine! $34.99
Vintage style and retro graphics make a great backdrop for this funny tin sign. The Wine – How Classy People Get Wasted metal sign pretty much erases the mystique of merlot and the pretentiousness of pinot noir. Makes an entertaining addition to your decor or a terrific gift for your favorite wine lover!
While watching Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin land on the moon, Giancarlo Zanatta became inspired by the astronaut boot and decided to create something similar for the snow. As a result, Moon Boot was born and quickly became the go- to brand for snowy days. For skiing, being fashionable on the mountain or just for kids playing outside in winter weather. Contemporary and practical, the Louvre Museum selected the brand as one of the most significant symbols of 20th century design, thus sealing the shoes as an icon of fashion and dynamic design. Range from $65 to $200
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OFFICE OR MAN CAVE
Men on the Moon Astronaut Postage Stamp Style Sign www.retroplanet.com/ Perfect for your home office or Man Cave. You're welcome to lick it, but nails or tacks would work better! The innovative Man On The Moon Stamp Metal Sign looks like an oversized postage stamp but it’s 24”wide x 15”high. It has a crenellated border and gorgeous graphics taken from an actual USPS stamp design. It is made of heavy gauge steel with a powder coating and is pre-drilled and riveted to hang easily. $39.99
FALL 2015 | MAJESTIC LIVING | 65
ADVERTISERS DIRECTORy Animas Credit Union ..........................58 2101 E. 20th St., 3850 E. Main St. Farmington, N.M. 505-326-7701 405 W. Broadway Inside Farmer’s Market Bloomfield, N.M. www.animascu.com The Barnyard....................................39 550 County Rd. 350 Farmington, NM 505-632-8988 Basin Electrical Contractors................61 3005 Northridge Dr., Suite K Farmington, NM 505-327-7525 www.basinelectricnm.com Beehive Homes .................................38 400 N. Locke, 508 N. Airport Farmington, N.M. 505-427-3794 Budget Blinds .....................................2 825 N. Sullivan, Farmington, N.M. 505-324-2008
Four Corners Community Bank. ..........44 Six Convenient Locations Farmington • Aztec • Cortez NM 505-327-3222 CO 970-564-8421 www.TheBankForMe.com Highlands University .........................21 505-566-3552 nmhu.edu/farmington Jae-Geo’s Bridal and Tuxedo ..............35 302 W. Main St. Farmington, NM 505-326-5240 www.jaegeosformalwear.com Kitchen and Bath Artworks.................12 7525 E. Main St. Farmington, NM 505-860-8166 Le Petit Salon....................................55 406 Broadway, 5150 College Blvd. Farmington, N.M. 505-325-1214
Business Solutions ............................67 1-800-657-6395 c1businesssolution.com
Magic Roofing...................................54 1206 E. Murray Farmington, NM 505-324-1094 www.magicroofing.com
Cellular ER ........................................14 1407 E. 20th Street Farmington, NM 505-860-2495 www.Cellular-ER.com
Millennium Insurance ........................30 2700 Farmington Ave., Building A Farmington, NM 505-325-1849 www.millnm.com
City of Farmington ............................34 505-599-1144
Monkey Business Express..................26 1600 E. 20th Street Farmington, NM 505-278-8462
The Dental Group ..............................27 2401 E. 30th Street, Bldg. 1 Farmington, NM 505-592-0477 www.thedentalstudio.com Desert Hills Dental Care.......................5 2525 E. 30th St. Farmington, N.M. 505-327-4863 866-327-4863 www.deserthillsdental.com The Dusty Attic .................................35 111 W. Main Farmington, NM 505-327-7696 Edward Jones/Kristy Visconti .............53 4801 N. Butler, Suite 7101 Farmington, NM 505-326-7200 www.edwardjones.com 66 | MAJESTIC LIVING | FALL 2015
Orthopedic Associates PA ..................48 2300 E. 30th St., D-10 Farmington, NM 505-327-1400 www.oa-pa.com Parker’s Inc. Office Products..............33 714-C W. Main St. Farmington, N.M. 505-325-8852 www.parkersinc.com Partners Assisted Living....................18 313 N. Locke Ave. Farmington, N.M. 505-325-9600 www.partnerassistedliving.com Pinon Hills Community Church............68 505-325-4541 www.pinonhillschurch.com Presbyterian Medical Services............20 520 Dekalb Rd. Farmington, NM 505-327-7220 www.pmsnm.org Quality Appliance ..............................52 522 E. Broadway Farmington, N.M. 505-327-6271 R.A. Biel Plumbing & Heating.............60 Farmington, N.M. 505-327-7755 www.rabielplumbing.com Reliance Medical Group .....................24 3451 N. Butler Avenue Farmington, N.M. 505-566-1915 1409 West Aztec Blvd. Aztec, N.M. 505-334-1772 www.reliancemedicalgroup.com
Morgan Stanley/Jim Loleit..................32 4801 N. Butler Farmington, N.M. ReMax of Farmington ..........................3 505-326-9322 www.morganstanleyfa.com/hewettloleitpalmer 108 N. Orchard Farmington, N.M. Next Level Home Audio & Video.........63 505-327-4777 www.remax.com 1510 E. 20th St., Suite A Farmington, N.M. Rugs Galore & More ..........................62 505-327-NEXT 3030 E. Main St. www.327NEXT.com Farmington, N.M. No Worries Sports Bar and Grill...........xx 505-326-1662 www.RugsGaloreAndMore.com 1300 W. Navajo Farmington, NM San Juan College ..............................49 505-436-2657 505-326-3311 www.noworriesbarandgrill.com www.sanjuancollege.edu
San Juan County Fair .........................59
San Juan Medical Foundation .............13 www.sanjuanmedicalfoundation.com Sanchez and Sanchez Real Estate ........4 4301 Largo St. Suite F Farmington, NM 87402 505-327-9039 Sewing Studio & Vacuum Shoppe .......34 407 W. Broadway Farmington, NM 505-325-2688 www.sewingstudio.net www.vacuumshoppe.com Smiles 4 Kids ....................................19 Farmington, N.M. 505-592-0226 Southwest Concrete Supply................33 2420 E. Main Farmington, N.M. 505-325-2333 www.swconcretesupply.com Southwest Obstetrics and Gynecology 42 634 West Pinon Farmington, NM 505-325-4898 www.Southwest-OBGYN.net Sun Glass..........................................43 602 West Main Street Farmington, N.M. 505-327-9677 www.sunglassfarmington.com 408 E. 8th Ave. Durango, CO 970-247-5112 www.durangoglass.net Sunray Gaming..................................45 On Hwy 64. Farmington, N.M. 505-566-1200 Tafoya Realty ....................................15 5600 Mickey Dr. B&C Farmington, NM 505-599-0000 www.tafoyarealty.com Treadworks ......................................25 4227 E. Main St. Farmington, N.M. 505-327-0286 4215 Hwy. 64 Kirtland, N.M. 505-598-1055 www.treadworks.com Ziems Ford .......................................31 5700 E. Main Farmington, N.M. 505-325-8826
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Located on the Northwest corner of Dustin Avenue and PiĂąon Hills Boulevard in Farmington, New Mexico
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