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Headline News From Our
Jan. 10, 2003 Issue

NM House & Hamilton recognize Ralph Gooding.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

Hamilton hears
county’s concerns

  State Representative Dianne Hamilton had a busy day in Truth or Consequences Thursday, receiving visitors non-stop from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. while holding office hours at the T or C Civic Center.

Forum focuses on Mexican gray wolf

  Historians, wolf-experts, ranchers and environmentalists will discuss the history and future of the Mexican gray wolf at a public forum Feb. 7 and 8 in Las Cruces.

St. Cloud Mining Co. acquired by IMAGIN

   IMAGIN Minerals Inc. has acquired the stock of St. Cloud Mining Co. in Sierra County and its New Mexico affiliate, Lordsburg Mining Co., from The Goldfield Corp., according to Pat Freeman, president of St. Cloud.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

BLM awards $45,300
to county's fire depts.

  The Bureau of Land Management awarded $45,300 to five Sierra County volunteer fire departments to enhance their wildland fire protection abilities.

The Wildlands Project Comes to Hidalgo County

  When The Nature Conservancy bought the Gray Ranch the media stated it was their intent to establish a wildlife refuge.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

  Well, I had just about given up on finding a name for a column in which to sound off.

OBITUARIES

   Notices for  Sister Betty Ann Whitmore, Albino B. Fajardo, Thomas Kevin Haney, Delbert Allen Anderson, Lois Louise Roberts, Henry Franklin "Possum" Brown, Ethelyne L. Wilson & Dean A. Mason.

…Light at the end of the tunnel

A bright future is in store for Southern New Mexico once one ascends from the darkness of the tunnels into the light at City of Rocks State Park. The state park features a field of towering boulders – a maze for the visitor to get lost, then found. See more photos of this natural resource treasure inside this issue!

DJ photo by Bill Johnson

…House honors Gooding

State Representative Dianne Hamilton, R-District 38, presents Ralph Gooding of Truth or Consequences with a certificate of appreciation from the New Mexico House of Representatives as signed by Hamilton, House Speaker Ben Lujan and Chief Clerk Stephen R. Arias. The certificate cites Gooding for his outstanding achievement and exceptional accomplishments upon retiring Dec. 31, 2002, from the Sierra County Commission after 12 years of service. He had served as commission chairman and as past chairman of both the New Mexico Association of Counties and the Workforce Investment Act Council of his district, in addition to being active in various civic organizations for many years; and as such, the House commends Gooding for his service to the country, state and community.

DJ photo by Bill Johnson

Hamilton hears Sierra County’s concerns

By Fred Mramor

of the Desert Journal

State Representative Dianne Hamilton had a busy day in Truth or Consequences Thursday, receiving visitors non-stop from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. while holding office hours at the T or C Civic Center.

Local constituents, including public officials, brought a wide range of concerns to the legislator from Silver City. Hamilton said she and her visitors discussed issues such as water, sewer systems, irrigation, property taxes, state parks, and education.

Hamilton said she has a proposal to provide for lines and pumps to deliver treated effluent water to T or C’s golf course and the athletic fields at the city’s schools from the city’s waste water treatment plant near Williamsburg.

Hamilton said she plans to introduce legislation to reduce state park fees and bring back family and annual passes.

Addressing the issue of salt cedar management, Hamilton said she loved the idea someone proposed to use goats, who love salt cedars, to control the noxious weed while promoting a goat and goat products industry.

Less likely to succeed, Hamilton said, was a proposal from one constituent to require at least 50 percent voter participation for any issue involving the raising or lowering of property taxes to be valid.

Hamilton said also she has found that most people are pleased that Governor Bill Richardson wishes to lower taxes but that many are concerned that he wishes to provide a six percent raise to teachers but not to other school employees. Hamilton said the governor also wishes to cut administrators’ pay five percent at the same time.

Other issues on the folks’ minds were providing for new equipment for the area’s volunteer fire departments as the fire season approaches and addressing the problem of child abuse.

Hamilton said she was pleased with the turnout she got on what she called a very productive day and plans to continue holding regular office hours once, and possibly twice, a month in T or C and Sierra County.

<<<   >>>

…City of Rocks

This state park (all photos pages 6 & 7) is about a half hour drive from Deming and Silver City, or a two-hour drive from Truth or Consequences via Hatch and Deming and worth the trip. You can pretend to be on the moon or a planet a zillion miles away while walking between towering boulders or sliding down the steep slopes. Scroll all of the way down for a view of photos of City of Rocks throughout this page.

DJ Photos by Bill Johnson

Forum focuses on Mexican gray wolf

Historians, wolf-experts, ranchers and environmentalists will discuss the history and future of the Mexican gray wolf at a public forum Feb. 7 and 8 in Las Cruces.

"El Lobo" will open Friday, Feb. 7, with a keynote session at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum.

The session will feature Susan Flader, the historian biographer of Aldo Leopold and author of Thinking Like a Mountain; L. David Mech, the country's foremost wolf biologist and author of The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species; and Caren Cowan, executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association.

On Saturday, Feb. 8, a daylong symposium at the Corbett Center auditorium, New Mexico State University, will include talks and a round-table discussion with leading environmental historians, biologists, policy-makers, environmental activists, and ranchers on both sides of the issue.

Hank Fischer, Special Projects Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation, will be the featured speaker at dinner.

The event will be free and open to the public, although there is a charge for lunch and dinner.

Seating will be limited, and advanced registration is required by Friday, Jan. 24.

For registration information, contact Vanessa Stewart at wolfconf@nmsu.edu. The Department of History at New Mexico State University has organized the forum, which is co-sponsored by the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum and the NMSU College of Agriculture.

The forum will address the history of wolf eradication to favor deer and elk hunters and ranchers, the historical role of large predators in the southwestern ecosystem, and the current battle over wolf reintroduction.

In addition to the keynote and dinner speakers, participants include historians Thomas Dunlap (author of Saving America's Wildlife), Dan Flores (author of Horizontal Yellow), Louis Warren (author of The Hunters' Game), and Diana Hadley; Craig Miller of the Defenders of Wildlife; Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity; ranchers Hugh McKeen, Laura Schneberger, Darcy Ely, Jan and Will Holder, and Jim Winder; ecologists Michael Phillips and David E. Brown (author of The Wolf in the Southwest); Brian Kelly of the Fish and Wildlife Service; and a number of other policy makers and scientists, including representatives from the Apache reservations.

El Lobo is the first Leopold Forum focusing on environmental history and policy in the Southwest borderlands.

The series is named in honor of conservationist Aldo Leopold, whose career began in New Mexico. The forum is funded by grants from the Environmental Leadership Program, the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities, the Thaw Charitable Trust, the McCune Charitable Foundation, the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies, and the Southwest and Border Cultures Institute.

<<<   >>>

…Heads will roll

This giant boulder at City of Rocks looks the side view of an old, sad man’s face with a scraggly beard. Sure enough, everyone will see their own Gestalt (image) in any landscape or free floating cloud.

DJ photo by Bill Johnson

St. Cloud Mining Co. acquired by IMAGIN

IMAGIN Minerals Inc. has acquired the stock of St. Cloud Mining Co. in Sierra County and its New Mexico affiliate, Lordsburg Mining Co., from The Goldfield Corp., according to Pat Freeman, president of St. Cloud.

Freeman in a Jan. 3 release indicated that the acquisition of these two mining companies, headquartered near Winston, is very positive news.

IMAGIN, a private company, is headed by Garold Spindler, who is past president of Cyprus Amax Coal Co.

The mining companies produce zeolite and aggregate products and provide off-site construction services.

“The companies have been prominent employers in the region since 1968 and originally produced copper, silver and gold until the early 1990s when zeolite and aggregate production commenced,” Freeman said.

“Mr. Spindler has stated that he was attracted to St. Cloud by the high quality of its zeolite products and is intent on expanding and developing the market for these products,” Freeman said. “IMAGIN also plans to make other acquisitions in the industrial minerals sector of the mining industry,” he added.

In addition to Spindler, the IMAGIN operations team consists of Brian Miller, treasurer, Dick Mills, who recently was elected vice president of marketing for St. Cloud. Each of the trio were formerly with Cyprus Amax Minerals in positions of similar responsibility. The team also includes James (Drew) Anderson, operations consultant.

Mine management and marketing will remain under the direction of Freeman.

“In the first nine months of 2002, the New Mexico mining operations generated revenues of $2.1 million, a 45% increase over the same time period in 2001,” Freeman said.

St. Cloud is the largest natural zeolite producer in North America and its products are sold for agricultural and environmental applications, according to Freeman.

Lordsburg produces aggregate products for highway and construction projects in southwestern New Mexico.

<<<   >>>

BLM awards $45,300 to Sierra

County volunteer fire departments

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has given $45,300 to five Sierra County volunteer fire departments to enhance their wildland fire protection abilities.

Receiving commemorative plaques designating their respective grant amounts are: (from left in photo) Hillsboro Fire Chief John Able, $7,400; BLM-Las Cruces Field Office Manager Amy Lueders; Lakeshore Chief Calvin C. Wales, $3,300; Caballo Assistant Chief James Schwinn (accepting $6,200 for Las Palomas); Caballo Chief Mary Bates, $16,200; and Monticello Chief Steve Pimentel, $12,200.

Last year, the BLM awarded $18,000 to two Sierra County volunteer fire departments.

"We're very happy to see more departments get even more money. These grants, part of the national fire plan, are a great example of citizen-centered government in action," Lueders said.

The City of Rocks State Park between Deming and Silver City.

DJ photos by Bill Johnson

The Wildlands Project Comes

to Hidalgo County (Part 11)

National Wildlife Refuges

A Country Girl's Musin'

By Judy Keeler

When The Nature Conservancy bought the Gray Ranch the media stated it was their intent to establish a wildlife refuge.

Although TNC does not like to be reminded of this fact, the documents speak clearly. An Associated Press article -published in the Albuquerque Journal entitled "Nature Group to Be Middleman for Animas Refuge – said, "An international nature group will buy the Gray Ranch and hold it for resale to the federal government for creation of the Animas Mountains National Wildlife Refuge."

Dated July 4, 1989, the article disclosed that New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman had already requested $9 million from the Department of Interior's Land and Water Conservation Fund for the purchase.

TNC was expected to purchase the ranch and "hold it for resale to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service" for an estimated $18.25 million.

In another Associated Press article entitled "Fancy Deals Help Save Wildlife," several similar purchases by TNC are documented. Included is the story of Shelter Island off the tip of New York's Long Island. Owned by the Girard family, they wanted a third of the island to become a wildlife preserve.

The family-owned realty company also held other properties. Although the family wanted to make a substantial gift of the land, they "also wanted to realize some cash from the holdings that included nine brownstones near Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, warehouse property in Miami, and oil and gas wells." "Conservancy experts worked out an elaborate deal. The family sold the realty company to the conservancy for less than the market value, reaping a charity tax deduction. The conservancy then sold off the brownstones, the gas and oil wells and the warehouses and raised the rest of the $12 million it owed the family for the realty company."

According to the same article, Matagordo Island is another example of how TNC "worked a deal" so the U.S. Fish and Wildlife could obtain a piece of property to "enlarge the agency's holdings in Texas."

The Santa Cruz Islands off the coast of California, however, provided a greater challenge for TNC. Home to sheep for over 150 years, the animals would not cooperate with the Navajo sheep herders sent to round them up.

Finally the sheep were fenced into a square mile area and TNC had them killed. According to the article, all but 10,000 privately held acres are now a part of the National Park Service's Santa Cruz Island Preserve.

In an article by John Barbour, "Rescuing the Land: Environmental Groups Use The System To Help Conserve Endangered Property" published March 18, 1990, the editor notes, "From the California deserts to the coniferous coast of Maine, from the Cascades of Washington to the Florida Everglades, the ranks of environmentalists are swelling and so are their coffers and the lands they control. No longer Don Quixotes tilting at windmills, they are now scientists, businessmen and lawyers, playing a high-stakes game."

According to this article, up until the Gray Ranch was purchased by TNC, the organization was already taking out of production an average of "1,000 acres a day."

Today the organization averages one land purchase per day in the United States and has acquired more than 12 million acres of land that are organized into more than 1,400 preserves.

A quote from Michael Dennis, general counsel for TNC, reveals that "for every scientist we have around here, we probably have an MBA, a tax lawyer and a real estate attorney."

Barbour also states, “The environmentalists have sharpened their 'skills' in the private sector, recycling many of the same dollars to buy new land. They have discovered revolving funds, a war fund that doesn't have to stay invested. They can plunk down several million dollars until, by prior arrangement, a government agency can repay them. Or they can buy a piece of property, deprive it of the potential for commercial development, and resell the land for a lesser cost to what they think is an appropriate buyer."

A high-stakes game it appears to be. According to Barbour, "TNC acted when it discovered the ranch owners wanted to sell (the Gray Ranch) and there was the threat the land might be broken up and developed."

In reality the threat of subdivision was minuscule. The Gray Ranch happened to be just another piece of property TNC wanted to transfer to the government.

Pablo Brenner (American Breco Corp.), a well-to-do industrialist from Mexico, owned the Gray Ranch prior to TNC purchasing the property in 1990.

Brenner also owned another ranch in southern Arizona from 1983 to 1985 called the Buenos Aires Ranch. It was sold to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1985 under the authority of the Endangered Species Act.

A combination of privately owned land (21,258 acres) and state trust lands (90,199 acres), the state trust lands were acquired by the federal government in a complex land exchange between the State of Arizona, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service.

By 1990 the area was known as the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. With the purchase of two privately owned properties from TNC, which they had purchased with the expectation of selling to the Service, the refuge grew to about 117,000 acres.

Having already negotiated several successful deals, TNC did not anticipate any problems establishing the Animas Wildlife Refuge. However, politics as usual were changing.

During the Reagan Administration, cabinet officials were reluctant to place more private lands into federal ownership. This forced the Conservancy to develop a new strategy. After all, TNC is a quick study and does not often repeat its failures.

A quote from Senator Bingaman in the 1990 article indicated the direction TNC would choose for the new millennium, "The Nature Conservancy, an international, private non-profit organization, is committed to helping the federal government acquire the ranch and manage the wildlife refuge."

Wildlife refuges, national parks, national monuments and other federally owned lands are the vehicles of choice for implementing the Wildlands Project.

And the Nature Conservancy, along with other like-minded organizations, will be the new land managers. Given their "expertise" and "collaborative effort" it makes perfect sense.

As we have seen with the CARA bill, and other federally endorsed land acquisition schemes, expect to see more and more land to be systematically taken out of production, placed in national monuments, refuges and parks, as we continue to follow TNC's agenda into the future.

Eventually all the land will be managed for endangered species, biodiversity and "ecosystem health."

If it takes from 50 to 100 years, so be it. As Michael Dennis was eloquently quoted, "When you're talking about an ecosystem, you could be talking about anything from 5,000 acres to 500 square miles."

A more recent observer noted, "An ecosystem can be as small as your backyard or as large as the globe." Time is of no consequences.

Next: The Millennium.

<<<   >>>

Windmill at City of Rocks – DJ photo by Bill Johnson

The Shadow Advisory

By Bill Johnson

Editor of the Desert Journal

Well, I had just about given up on finding a name for a column in which to sound off.

So, I grabbed my camera and new crushable felt country hat I had acquired with a Dillard’s gift certificate I got from my childhood friend, Ron, at Christmas and took off for a day trip with the family to the City of Rocks where I snapped this great self-portrait (see photo) on the afternoon of my wife’s birthday last Saturday.

Let’s face it, I am the shadow behind almost all of the images on these pages we call the Desert Journal. So, it’s only natural that I would speak from the Shadow Box of things to come or of things past or present not already revealed.

So, what’s the purpose of The Shadow Advisory? I guess to inform my readers of whatever I deem proper, necessary or whatever, or to voice a few opinions now and again, or do whatever the heck I please with my keyboard.

So let’s start this off with this item of recent local interest.

…Baggy is beautiful

New Mexico Press Association’s 2002 Hall of Fame Inductee Ned Cantwell a week or two ago wrote a guest (?) column in The Herald where he called for state legislature to change the state’s motto (I agree it’s stupid) and to require school uniforms for our students.

But I personally believe baggy is beautiful and that conformity to any dress standard goes against the grain of individualism, otherwise called Americanism in my book.

Maybe some of you think baggy means gangsta (gangster slang) but for a big boy like me it means keeping the belt loose around the waist or else suffer immeasurable discomfort.

Cantwell, I believe, expresses a stuffy, elitist attitude. I just don’t like school uniforms – in fact, I had to wear one the first five years (nursery through third grade) of my education at a private parochial school. Brown and tan, tan and brown, maybe some yellow, who knows, who remembers, who cares… Yuck! We looked like Hitler’s brown shirt brigade.

Then I had to wear one four years while serving in the U.S. Navy – but you know what, the old blues were baggy enough (especially the bell bottoms) for my liking until some new Administration junky turned the Old Navy into the New Navy. May as well have been a straight jacket.

Did Cantwell ever have to wear a school uniform? If not, maybe he should do so before harping on society’s need for them. And he should have to wear it on campus as a role model of things to come.

I don’t think we need to have all of our children conform to one standard of appearance to please Mr. Cantwell. I have heard neither reports nor complaints that baggy wear causes major learning disorders or disruptions in any of the local classrooms. The students themselves should determine their own dress code – at least that’s the way it was when I attended high school 30 years plus ago.

If it’s concealed guns or knives or other weapons that Mr. Cantwell is worried about, I suppose Gestapo school guards could frisk students or put them through a metal detector as they enter campus. Or just turn them upside down. Better make sure that’s not a zipper or button or Velcro securing them ten-gallon, rocket-launcher size pockets.

Besides, don’t our legislators have more pertinent and critical issues to address and solve this year than school uniforms or the state’s ridiculous motto (I don’t remember what it is) – like the severe water shortage anticipated in the continuing drought of our state – or the overcrowded, substandard county jails – or turning the economy around in our impoverished state, or what about homeland defense in our great Land of Enchantment?

Until next time from the Shadow Box.

<<<   >>>

OBITUARIES

Sister Betty Ann Kosalko Whitmore, 78, of Ministry of Salvation Monastery in Mountainair, NM, and a former longtime Truth or Consequences resident, died Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2003. She was born Nov. 17, 1924, in Mt. Olive, IL, to Andrew J. & Marjorie Hill Kosalko.

Throughout her life Sister Betty worked as a wife and homemaker. She and her husband, George “Bud” Whitmore, lived in the Sierra County area for 25 years. Bud wrote a religious column for the Desert Journal after it was established in Truth or Consequences more than seven years ago and both he and Betty were great supporters of this newspaper. After Bud’s death, Betty became a nun in 1997 and the last years of her life were spent in service to the Saints and working at the Ministry of Salvation Monastery in Mountainair, NM.

Survivors include her three daughters, all of Sierra County, NM, Karen Whitmore of Placitas - Monticello, Susi Cassidy of Truth or Consequences and Cindy Whitmore Robbins of Cuchillo; her two sons, Joseph D. Whitmore of Mountain View, CA, and David M. Whitmore of Fremont, CA; 11 grandchildren, Shawna, Rachel, Maureen, Chelsea, Drew Renee, Mya Elizabeth, Harley, John, Larry, Sean and Michael Pierre.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, George L. (Bud) Whitmore, and one son, George Andrew (Drew) Whitmore.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003, in Mountainair, NM, at

the Mountainair Cemetery with Prophet Mike Dew and Pastor Bill Sullenger from Ministry of Salvation Monastery officiating.

Albino B. Fajardo, 68, of Arrey, died Friday, Jan. 3, 2003, at his home. He was born Feb. 8, 1934, in Hatch, NM, to Daniel S. and Rumalda (Benevidez) Fajardo. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and a longtime farmer in the Hatch Valley area. He was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles 4308 and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4293.

Survivors include his three sisters, Isabel Hernandez of Las Cruces, Emilia Fajardo and Rumalda B. Fajardo, both of Arrey; his two brothers, Geronimo Fajardo of Arrey and Tomas Fajardo of Tucson, AZ; 18 nieces and nephews; and numerous cousins. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Salome B. Fajardo and Miguel Fajardo, and his sister, Josephine Marquez.

Cremation took place and a memorial service was held Wednesday, Jan. 8, at the Fraternal Order of Eagles No. 4308 on Highway 187 in Arrey with Rev. Jim Wood and the Fraternal Order of Eagles officiating. Private interment was in the Garden of Memory Cemetery in Hatch. Arrangements were by French Mortuary of T or C Inc.; 505-894-2574.

Thomas Kevin Haney, 66, of Truth or Consequences, died Thursday, Jan. 2, 2003, at his home. He was born June 27, 1936, in Butte, MT, to Thomas H. and Kathleen A. (Reilly) Haney. He was a retired attorney and served in the U.S. Army as a captain from 1961-63.

Survivors include his daughter, Lisa Haney of Oakland, CA; his son, Mark Haney of La Jolla, CA; and his grandchild, Kaia Haney.

Cremation took place and a memorial service was held Monday, Jan. 6, at 529 S. Broadway in T or C. Arrangements were by French Mortuary of T or C Inc.; 505-894-2574.

Delbert Allen Anderson, 67, of Williamsburg, died Dec. 31, 2002, at his home. He was born Sept. 24, 1935, in Canada to George and Evelyn (Scott) Anderson. He was a retired design industry pattern maker. He was a member of the Old Time Fiddlers Association and he attended St. Paul's Episcopal Church in T or C.

Survivors include his daughter, Teresa M. Hovis of Vancouver, WA; his son, Ian F. Anderson of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; three grandchildren, Tammie Russell, Tiffany Hovis and Lisa Anderson; a great-grandson, Brent Russell; a sister, Dawn Garlow of Detroit, MI; and two brothers, Doug Anderson of Branford, Ontario, Canada, and Floyd Anderson of Woodlawn, WA.

Cremation took place and private services were held. Arrangements were by French Mortuary of T or C Inc.; 505-894-2574.

Lois Louise Roberts, 76, of Caballo, died Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2002, at her home. She was born Oct. 2, 1926, in Cross Plains, TX, to William Robert and Camilla (Wooten) Jones. She married Frank H. Roberts on June 20, 1942, in Cross Plains. The homemaker greatly enjoyed cooking for her family.

Survivors include her husband of more than 60 years, Frank H. Roberts of Caballo; her son, William H. Roberts and wife Mary of Caballo; her two daughters, Deborah Witty of Albuquerque and Patricia Lanier of Aztec, NM; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Alton A. Jones.

Private graveside services were held at the Arrey Community Cemetery. Arrangements were by Sierra Funeral Home in Truth or Consequences.

Henry Franklin "Possum" Brown, 72, of Truth or Consequences, died Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, at Sierra Vista Hospital.

He was born Jan. 4, 1930, in Mount Pleasant, TX, to Jim Marion and Lydia (Blalock) Brown. He married Sherry Ann Deil and they raised a son and two daughters. He was a truck driver more than 40 years and he also owned and operated Possum's Bait and Tackle Shop in Elephant Butte until retirement. He was an avid baseball fan and enjoyed team roping, hunting and fishing.

Survivors include his wife, Sherry Ann Brown of T or C; his son, Doug Brown of Williamsburg; two daughters, Debra Sue Brown of Los Lunas and Kathy Mowrey of Arlington, TX; his brother, J.M. Brown; his sister, Betty Jo Hatfield, both of Mount Pleasant, TX; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003, in the Sierra Funeral Home Chapel in T or C with Rev. Mike Skidmore officiating. Arrangements were by Sierra Funeral Home and Sierra Crematory in T or C.

Ethelyne L. Wilson, 89, a longtime resident of Truth or Consequences, died Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2002, at her home.

She was born Feb. 14, 1913, in Mangum, OK, to Robert E. and Nettie Hestify (Hedrick) Long. She and her husband owned and operated Wilson Enterprises. She greatly enjoyed traveling and cruising around the world. She was an avid bridge player.

Survivors include her son, Robert "Kemp" Lanford and wife Terry of T or C; her sister, Ruby D. Struthers of T or C; four grandchildren, Michael and Angela Lanford, Byron Wilson and Donna Ramsey; three great-grandchildren, Mikaela, Mariah and Hailey Lanford; a niece, Cindy Rowley and husband Gene of T or C; and her two cats, Whiskers and Miss Kitty. She was preceded in death by her husband, Sanford P. Wilson; her parents; her brother, Floyd D. Long; and three sisters, Flora Mae Myers, Cora Lee Ward and Maxine Gricius.

Funeral services were held Thursday, Jan. 2, 2003, in the Sierra Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Sean Garrity of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church officiating. Casket Bearers were Zac Degase, Kenneth Johnson, Kemp Lanford, Michael Lanford, Gene Rowley and Byron Wilson. Burial was beside her husband, Sanford, in Vista Memory Gardens Cemetery in T or C. Arrangements were by Sierra Funeral Home in T or C.

Dean A. Mason, 67, of Elephant Butte, died Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003, at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces. He was born Sept. 5, 1935, in Beatrice, NE, to Francis C. and Beulah G. (Bachle) Mason. He graduated from Beatrice High School in 1954 at which time he joined the U.S. Navy, serving as a Master Chief Machinist Mate during the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam Era. He was discharged honorably and received the National Defense Service Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

He married Ruth A. Grimshaw on Feb. 8, 1960 at Saint Phillips Catholic Church in Roxbury, MA. After 20 years of service to his country, he and his wife and family returned to Beatrice to raise their family. He then went to work for Nebraska Public Power in Hallum, NE, for the next 17 years before retiring from there. At that time he and his wife Ruth moved to Elephant Butte in 1996 to enjoy their remaining years together.

He was a member of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Truth or Consequences, The American Legion Bitting-Norman Post 27 in Beatrice, NE, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1389 in Elephant Butte, and the Naval Fleet Reserve of Washington, D.C.

Survivors include his wife of more than 42 years, Ruth A. Mason of Elephant Butte; two sons, Dean A. Mason Jr. and wife Amy of Lincoln, NE, and Gregory K. Mason and wife Diane of Grandview, MO; four grandchildren, Samantha Ann and Casey Aaron Mason, and Jeffrey Wayne and Jonathan Cooper Mason; his foster granddaughter, Lynette; his two brothers, Gary C. Mason and wife Anita of Arkansas Pass, TX, and William L. Mason and wife Jeralyn of Alamogordo; his sister Judith A. Stephenson and husband James of Humboldt, NE; his sisters-in-laws, Lynda Mason of Vancouver, WA, and Shirley Mason of Beatrice, NE; and many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his son, Jeffrey Wayne Mason; his parents, Francis and Beulah Mason; and his two brothers, Clifford and Don Mason.

Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in Beatrice, NE. Burial will be beside his son at the Saint Joseph's Catholic Cemetery. Local arrangements are by Sierra Funeral Home in T or C.

<<<   >>>

The shadow is a self-portrait of this photographer against a rock at City of Rocks.

DJ Photo by Bill Johnson