in 1982 and M.S. degree in 1989 from Texas A&M University. He continued his education at Oklahoma State University where he earned a Ph.D. in 1993 in the field of Animal Genetics. Gary began as a Congressional Science Fellow, served in the office of Senator Pete Domenici in Washington, DC, as a Legislative Assistant, and later as Senior Analyst for Agriculture and Energy on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee. Working together with his future wife, he developed the legislation creating the Valles Caldera National Preserve, and he became its first Executive Director in 2001. Gary began employment with the Forest Service in 2004 and served in various positions, including on the Santa Fe and Lincoln national forests, before returning to Albuquerque and the Southwestern Regional Office in 2014. As a lifelong public servant, Gary approached his work with the utmost professionalism. He was transparent and always willing to sit and talk with employees and permittees. Gary approached his work seriously, but didn’t take himself seriously, and he possessed a keen sense of humor. No matter how difficult the issue, Gary was always a calming influence. He served as a mentor for many range profes-
sionals across the agency. In his leisure time, Gary enjoyed playing golf with his sons, was enthusiastically involved with their baseball, swimming and Boy Scout activities, and enjoyed watching Texas Aggie football. Editor’s Note: Email caren@aaalivestock.com. Memorial donations may be sent to the Cattlegrowers’ Foundation, a 501(c)3, tax deductable charitable foundation serving the rights of ranch families and educating citizens on governmental actions, policies and practices. Cattlegrowers Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 7517, Albuquerque, NM 87194. The New Mexico Stockman runs memorials as a courtesy to its readers. If families & friends would like to see more detail, verbatim pieces must be emailed to us, & may be printed at 10¢ per word.
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RIDING HERD by Lee Pitts
Foiled Again
I
swear, sometimes I think a lobotomized Suffolk sheep has more brains than our public servants. Have you seen the Forest Service latest answer to saving our national forests? While the KNP Complex fire in California was raging out of control it burned and killed 20 percent of the world’s old growth Sequoia trees. As the fire got close to one of the world’s oldest trees, a tree called General Sherman, the U.S. Forest Service knew exactly what to do and raced into action. They wrapped the base of General Sherman in aluminum foil to protect it from the flames. So now instead of managing our forests properly I suppose USFS stands at the ready with tin foil in hand to save our forests. The way our national forests have
Est. 1944
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