Community News

SILVER CITY, NM – Western New Mexico University (WNMU) proudly announces its 2024 Alumni Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, taking place on Friday, October 4th, at Light Hall. The event begins with a reception at 2:00 PM, followed by the formal induction ceremony at 3:00 PM. This annual event celebrates the achievements of WNMU alumni who have made significant contributions to their communities, professions, and alma mater.

This year, WNMU will honor the following alumni:

MANCHESTER, NH (09/25/2024)-- Diego Esqueda of SilverCity (88061) has been named to Southern New Hampshire University's Summer 2024 Dean's List. The summer terms run from May to August.

Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.500 to 3.699 for the reporting term are named to the Dean's List. Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits over each 16-week term or paired 8-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring, and summer.

Gila Basin Irrigation Commission

September 16, 2024

Minutes
By B.J. Agnew

[Editor's Note: The "we" and "us" in the minutes refer to the GBIC .]

Gila Basin Irrigation Chair David Ogilvie Commission called the September 16, 2024, meeting to order at 6:05 pm at the conference Room at Amplified Therapy, Cliff, New Mexico.

Present: Destre Shelley, Wendel Hann, Martha Cooper, Jubal Williamson, Neil Kaspar, David Ogilvie, Lindy Williamson, Don Stailey, Linda Stailey, Jennifer Kaspar, Peter Russell, Gregor Hamilton, Lester Ivins, Rose Shoemaker, BJ Agnew. And, via Zoom, Priscilla Lucero, Maya Clifford, and Autumn Bruton.

WNMU students plant trees as part of the university's Arbor Day celebration, Sept. 20, 2024SILVER CITY, NM – While most people associate Arbor Day with the month of April, Western New Mexico University held its own Arbor Day celebration Friday, September 20, 2024.

Holding the annual celebration is one of the standards that WNMU maintains to be an official Tree Campus, named by the Arbor Day Foundation through its Tree Campus Higher Education program. The university has held this status since 2023.

Welcome to our first newsletter:

Greetings from the Southwest Regional Art Museum... 

Thank you being a supporter of our plans to establish a Fine Art Museum in Silver City. Our newsletter hopes to inform those who are interested about our progress. Our newsletter is intended to bring you news about our progress for the Museum as well as  information about the art we currently have in our collections.

Contents:

Why an Art Museum?

From the Permanent Collection

The MAKE THE MUSEUM Capital Campaign    

WHY WE ARE NEEDED AND WHAT IS PLANNED

Mario Lopez Kirker
Father, Veteran, New Mexican.

Mario L. Kirker was born November 26, 1925 in Santa Rita, Grant County, NM now referred to as "Born in Space" to residents of the area. The town of Santa Rita was located on top of what is now the open copper pit years ago; there was too much copper under the town so many of the homes were moved to other small towns in the area. The mine was the home of the former Kennecott Copper Corporation, Phelps Dodge and now Freeport-McMoRan. Mario was the oldest of the five (5) boys and one (1) sister born to Juan and Rita Kirker.

Mario attended kindergarten and first year of elementary school in Santa Rita beginning in 1934. The Santa Rita building was considered an exceptional school structure at the time due to its red brick along with running water, electricity and dual outhouses behind the building, one for each sex. The most difficult obstacle encountered was the language barrier. Many students conversed in Spanish while the teachers spoke English. Students were discouraged from speaking a "foreign" language; those caught were disciplined with a paddling.

WNMU Writer-in-Residence JJ Amaworo Wilson speaks to the audience at the Banned Books Week event at J. Cloyd Miller Library, Sept. 17, 2024SILVER CITY, NM—Western New Mexico University recognized Banned Books Week on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, with an event in J. Cloyd Miller Library.

Miller Library Director Samantha Johnson opened the event by speaking about how the American Library Association created Banned Book Week over forty years ago to call attention to the increase in challenges to books in libraries, bookstores and schools. "Unfortunately," she said, "we are still dealing with the problem of censorship in libraries today, as well."

(Photo L to R) Local DAR members Margaret Shoemaker, Suzan Garrison (DAR Southwest NM District Director), Brenda Tozier, Gail Firebaugh Smith, Cecilia Bell, Chapter Regent Lucy Whitmarsh and Diane LeBlanc with guest speaker Dr. Thomas Chávez and American Legion Post 18 members John Sterle, Ron Ogelsby and Charlie LeBlanc.SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO: Thomas E. Chávez, PhD, gave an exceptional and interesting presentation to a large audience on "Spain and the World War that Resulted in the Independence of the United States" on September 19, 2024 at The Murray Hotel Ballroom in Silver City. Attendees learned how Spain and France played significant roles in the United States gaining its independence from Great Britain. He also noted other lesser-known American Revolutionary War patriots who served in what is now the State of New Mexico.