Class Notes Fall 2021

Class Notes Fall 2021

Photo of the exterior of Hodgin Hall looking West

Class Notes Fall 2021

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Look for a friend on every page!

Send your alumni news to Mirage Editor, The University of New Mexico Alumni Association, MSC 01-1160, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001. Or better yet, email your news to Alumni@unm.edu. Please include your middle name or initial and tell us where you’re living now.

Deadlines:

  • Spring deadline: January 1
  • Fall deadline: June 1

1950

Dave Barney headshot photo

Dave E. Barney (’59 BS, ’61 MS), Placitas, N.M., retired from the Albuquerque Academy after 47 years as swimming coach.

1950

1960

Katherine Kuligowski (’60 BS), Albuquerque, has published “Rehoming Love.”

Nancy Gearhart (’66 BSHE), Mesa, Ariz, celebrated her 60th wedding anniversary with husband Steve Gearhart.

Luther C. Garcia (’67 BSED, ’71 MA) and Karen A. Garcia (‘68 BSED), Albuquerque, celebrated 50 years of marriage on February 6.

Thomas Horn headshot photo

Thomas Horn (’68 BA), San Francisco, was awarded the French Legion of Honor, the highest award France bestows, in acknowledgment of his lifelong dedication to philanthropy and advocacy for the arts and culture of France. Horn, an attorney, also serves as honorary consul of Monaco in San Francisco.

Vicki A. Turpen (’69 BAED, ’93 MA), Albuquerque, has published “The Delicate Balance.”

1960

1970

Enrique R. Lamadrid (’70 BA), Albuquerque, was granted the 2021 Heritage Publication Award from the Cultural Properties Review Committee.

Linda Kurth (’71 BAED, ’73 MA), Mount Vernon, Wash., has published “God, the Devil and Divorce.”

Dan H. Lopez (’71 BA, ’72 MA, ’83 PhD), Albuquerque, former New Mexico Tech president, was named to the Western New Mexico University board of regents.

Janis A. Devoti (’72 BSED, ’83 MA), Santa Fe, N.M., the principal at Piñon Elementary School, retired after nearly 30 years.

Patricia K. Tharp (’73 BUS), Farmington, N.M., has published “The Lost Communities of Navajo Dam Vol. 1/Vol. 2.”

Gregory J. Lalire (’74 BA), Leesburg, Va., has published “Man from Montana.”

Joseph F. McGrath (’75 PhD), New Upper Falls, Md., has published “T.C. O'Connor.”

Martin A. Serna (’76 BBA, ’86 MAPA), Albuquerque, was elected to the board of directors for Nusenda Credit Union.

Theodore J. Bornhorst (’77 MS, ’80 PhD), Houghton, Mich., has announced his retirement from Michigan Technological University after 40 years with the institution.

Thomas Daulton headshot photo

Thomas Daulton (’77 BBA), Dallas, Texas, was elected to the Albuquerque Community Foundation’s 2021 board of trustees.

Mark D. Guadagnoli (’77 BS, ’81 MD), Fort Collins, Colo., has published “Final Chaos.”

Holly Harrison (’77 MA, ’90 PhD), Albuquerque, has published “Rites & Wrongs.”

Del Leonard Jones (’77 BA), Helper, Utah, has published “At the Bat: The Strikeout That Shamed America.”

Edward Mazria (’77 MARCH), Santa Fe, N.M., was awarded the 2021 Gold Medal by the American Institute of Architects for his work sounding the alarm on climate change and motivating the architecture profession into action.

Nancy Hollander (’78 JD) New York, N.Y., was recently depited in the film “The Mauritanian.”

Genevieve J. Jackson (’78 BSED, ’83 MA) Window Rock, Ariz., was appointed to the McKinley County Commission.

Judy A. Cartmell (’79 BBA, ’96 MPA), Colorado Springs, Colo., was elected to the board of directors for Nusenda Credit Union.

Vincent R. Trollinger (’79 MPA), Albuquerque, and his wife Danice, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on January 30.

1970

1980

Jaima M. Chevalier (’80 BA), Santa Fe, N.M., has published “Fringe: Maria Benitez’s Flamenco Enchantment.”

Donald L. Willerton (’80 MS), Los Alamos, N.M., has published “Teddy’s War” and “The King of Trash.”

Benjamin G. Diven (’81 MD), Las Cruces, N.M., was awarded the Tim Fleming Medical Director of the Year award.

Bob Matteucci headshot photo

Bob Matteucci, Jr. (’82 BAS, ’08 JD) has opened his own law practice, Matteucci Family Law.

Jennifer J. Pruett (’83 JD), Santa Fe, N.M., Deputy Cabinet Secretary in the New Mexico Environment Department, retired after more than 20 years with the department.

Perry R. Wilkes (’83 BAENV), Nogales, Ariz., has published “I Always Wanted to Tell You…” and “Under Torn Paper Mountains.”

Thomas R. Leary (’84 BSPH, ’08 PharmD), Albuquerque, was elected to the Veterans Integration Center board of directors.

Richard J. Berry (’85 BBA), Albuquerque, was elected to serve as an officer the United Way of Central New Mexico’s board of directors.

Michael E. Brands (’85 MRCP), Woodstock, Vt., received the Northern New England Planning Association Chapter of the American Planning Association’s first Planner Emeritus award. Brands retired in May after 31 years as planning director for the Town of Woodstock, Vermont.

Larry T. Torres (’85 MA), Arroyo Seco, N.M., published the novel “The Children of the Blue Nun.”

Barbara Vigil (’85 JD), Santa Fe, N.M., retired from the New Mexico Supreme Court and was appointed secretary of the New Mexico Children, Youth & Families Department.

Fred B. Bugbee headshot photo

Fred B. Bugbee (’86 BM), Albuquerque, N.M. has become the new head of the NMSU Music Department after joining the university in 1994.

Gerald E. Baca (’87 JD), Las Vegas, N.M., is a New Mexico Court of Appeals judge.

Hilma M. Chynoweth (’87 BA,’14 MA), Albuquerque, was elected to the New Mexico Public Relations Society of America.

Sheila R. Hernandez (’87 BBA), Albuquerque, was named senior vice president/customer service officer at Summit Electric Supply.

Scott Elder headshot photo

Scott Elder (’88 BA, ’97 MA, ’17 MBA), Albuquerque, who had served as Albuquerque Public Schools interim superintendent for nine months, was promoted to the permanent position in March.

Sonya F. Priestly (’88 BBA), Albuquerque, was elected to the United Way of Central New Mexico’s board of directors.

Joseph M. Lane (’89 BUS, ’92 BS), Albuquerque, received the UNM Staff Council’s 2021 Jim Davis Award.

Cheryl A. Matherly (’89 BA), Allentown, Pa., was named Senior International Officer of the Year by The Institute of International Education.

1980

1990

Steven Lee Carr (’90 BA), Albuquerque, was elected to the board of directors of the New Mexico Public Relations Society of America.

Jill K. Trujillo (’90 BBA), Albuquerque, was named Mountain West Women’s Golf Coach of the Year.

Wayne E. Propst (’90 JD), Santa Fe, N.M., was named the New Mexico Public Regulation Comission’s chief of staff.

Eileen P. Riordan (’ 90 JD), Carlsbad, N.M., was appointed district judge by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to serve in the Fifth Judicial District, which includes Eddy, Chaves and Lea counties.

Kenneth E. Sickenger (’90 BA), Albuquerque, a reporter for the Albuquerque Journal, was named the 2020 New Mexico Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.

Sanjay I. Engineer (’92 MARCH), Albuquerque, vice president at FBT Architects, was elected to the Albuquerque Community Foundation’s 2021 board of trustees.

Carol J. Matindale-Taylor (’92 BA), Albuquerque, published “Unfinished: In This Life and The Next.”

Jacquelyn M. Marushka (’92 BA), Nashville, Tenn., was named board member for the Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce.

Fernando G. Baca (’93 BA), Albuquerque, is the new vice president of commercial lending in Santa Fe at WaFd Bank New Mexico.

Julie J. Vargas (’93 JD), Albuquerque, is a justice on the New Mexico Supreme Court.

Thomas E. Antram (’94 BA), Albuquerque, was elected to the Albuquerque Community Foundation’s 2021 Board of Trustees.

Laura C. Parajon (’95 MD, ’99 MPH) was appointed Deputy Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health.

Michael M. Silva (’95 BA), Albuquerque, joined the Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation board of directors.

Melissa M. Garcia (’96 DM), Albuquerque, is the new medical director for True Health New Mexico.

Robert L. Metzger (’96 BSN), Dallas, Texas, received the 2020 Texas Nurse Practitioners’ NP of the Year Award. Metzger is the advanced practice provider manager for surgical services at Parkland Health & Hospital Systems.

Jackie Lindsey (’97 BA), Santa Fe, N.M., has become Santa Fe County’s first female fire chief. A former Olympian and Albuquerque firefighter, she is also currently on the FEMA National Advisory Council.

Renee Salazar-Garcia (’97 BAED, ’91 MA), Albuquerque, is Santa Fe High School’s new principal.

Susan J. Wilson (’97 BA), Albuquerque, was elected to the United Way of Central New Mexico’s board of directors.

Karen Dressler Argeanas (‘98 MA), Moriarty, N.M., had her art work featured at La Galería @ The Shaffer in Mountainair, N.M.

Patricia A. Gonzales (‘98 AAS, ’00 BUS, ’06 MA, ’10 CERT1), El Prado, N.M., was named one of Taos Behavioral Health’s new board officers.

Lois E. Frank (’99 MA, ’11 PhD), Santa Fe, N.M., has partnered with Heritage Hotels in their 2021 virtual culinary tours.

Jeanette Hargreaves (’99 BFA), Austin, Texas, has published “The Day I Threw Banana Bread and Almost Went to Jail” and has launched her temper management website TemperCoaching.com.

1990

2000

Leslie D. Cordova-Trujillo (’00 BS), San Pedro, Calif., has published “Dear Her: Letters to Teenage Girls and Young Ladies About Lessons Learned Through Education.”

Theresa M. Duncan (’00 JD), Santa Fe, N.M. was recently depicted in the film The Mauritanian.

Karli R. Massey (’00 BA), Albuquerque, was elected to the New Mexico Public Relations Society of America’s board of directors.

Briana H. Zamora (’00 JD), Albuquerque, was appointed to the New Mexico Supreme Court. She was previously a New Mexico Court of Appeals judge.

Martha I. Chew-Sanchez (’01 PhD), Canton, N.J., has coedited “Scattered Musics.”

Kimimila L. Locke (’01 BA), Standing Rock, N.D., has been named a 2021 Bush Fellow.

Brenda Maloney Shafer (’01 JD), a partner in the national law firm Quarles & Brady’s Health & Life Sciences Practice Group, has been appointed to the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel.

Joshua J. Sanchez (’02 BA, ’06 JD), Belen, N.M., is a judge in the Second Judicial District Court of Bernalillo County.

Allison Elaine Burnett (’03 PHARM, ’03 PharmD), Albuquerque, has been named president of the Anticoagulation Forum.

Candace A. Sall (’03 MA), Columbia, Mo., is the new director of the Museum of Anthropology and American Archaeology Division at the University of Missouri.

Sophie Martin headshot photo

Sophie Martin (’03 MBA, ’13 JD), Albuquerque, is director of Communications, Education, and Outreach for the National Conference of Bar Examiners in Madison, Wisc. Martin previously was the executive director of the New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners.

Holmon D. Wiggins (’03 BA), Tuscaloosa, Ala., a former Lobo running back, has been promoted to assistant head coach of offense for the University of Alabama.

Rebecca M. Roose (’04 JD), Santa Fe, N.M., is Deputy Cabinet Secretary at the New Mexico Environment Department.

Nicole J. Aiken-Shaban (’05 BA), Baltimore, Md., has been promoted to partner at Reed Smith LLP in the firm’s Philadelphia office.

Purvi P. Mody (’05 MACCT), Albuquerque, is the new special director of the New Mexico Department of Health.

William D. Duncan (’06 MA), Albuquerque, retired after serving for 16 years as Rio Rancho High School’s activities director.

Matthew J. Pacheco (’07 BBA), Albuquerque, became partner at Burt & Company CPAs, LLC.

Sureyya C. Stone (’08 BA, ’16 BSN, ’20 MSN), Albuquerque, joined Lovelace Medical Group’s team of health care providers.

Lancing C. Adams (’09 BA, ’14 MPA), Santa Fe, N.M., is development director at the New Mexico Tourism Department.

Leigh A. Caswell (’09 MPH), Albuquerque, was elected to the United Way of Central New Mexico’s board of directors.

Ricardo S. Gonzales (’09 BA, ’17 MA, ’20 JD), Los Lunas, N.M., has joined Montgomery & Andrews, P.A., as an associate.

Charles B. Kraft (’09 BA, ’13 JD), Albuquerque, has become a partner at the law firm of Butt Thornton & Baehr PC.

Jennifer H. Watkins (’09 MA), Santa Fe, N.M., has published “So Pipe the Young.”

Isaac A. Leon headshot photo

Isaac Leon (’09 MBA, ’19 JD), Albuquerque, joined Sutin, Thayer & Browne as an associate attorney.

Frankie Solomon (’09 BBA), Dallas, Texas, Lobos defensive back in 2006 through 2009, recently played for the U.S. flag football team in Denmark.

2000

2010

Sheldon Spotted Elk (’10 JD), Denver, Colo., has joined the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges as program director for tribal justice partnerships.

Brandi N. Bowman (’11 BS, ’15 PharmD), Albuquerque, joined Presbyterian Medical Group’s team of health care providers.

Kristen Gamboa (’11 BBA), Peralta, N.M., is the new senior economic developer for the village of Los Lunas.

Miquela C. Martinez (’11 BS, ’16 MS), Santa Fe, N.M., was named to the spring All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference volleyball team.

Ranah B. Yaqub (’11 BA), Cedar Crest, N.M., was awarded the New Mexico Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award on Feb. 6, 2021.

Landon Brown (’12 MD), Albuquerque, has joined New Mexico Orthopaedics West Side Clinic.

Lauren M. Crabtree (’12 BSNE), Albuquerque, was recognized for her studies in engineering by the International Atomic Energy Agency and selected for the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Program.

Daniel J. Galvan (’12 BA), Albuquerque, was promoted to commander of the Alamogordo National Guard Unit and also received the Army Achievement Award for his service overseas.

Florencio Olguin headshot photo

Florencio “Flo” Olguin Jr. (’12 BA, ’15 MPA), Albuquerque, was named academic operations officer for the UNM College of Fine Arts.

Kendra N. Pesko (’12 PhD), Albuquerque,was promoted to technical director of infectious disease at TriCore Reference Laboratories.

Stephanie K. Rodriguez (’12 BAPD, ’14 MCRP), Albuquerque, was confirmed as Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Higher Education Department.

Tiffany J. Rawls (’13 BBA, ’15 MBA), Albuquerque, joined the Albuquerque Community Foundation in the role of senior accountant.

Emily B. Allen (’14 MBA, ’14 MEMBA), Corrales, N.M., was elected to the Albuquerque Community Foundation’s 2021 Board of Trustees.

Alexander M. Greenberg (’14 BA, ’17 MBA), Albuquerque, is the new financial program specialist at the New Mexico Economic Development Department.

Graciela A. Ruiz (’14 BFA) San Francisco, Calif., was named one of Forbes Magazine’s 30 under 30.

Kari E. Olson (’14 JD), Santa Fe, N.M., was elected shareholder at the Montgomery & Andrews law firm.

Gavin K. Green (’15 BLA), Albuquerque, will be representing Malaysia in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in men’s golf.

Victor V. Perez (’15 BA), Séméac, France, represented France in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in men’s golf.

Lucas L. Baca (’16 BA), Albuquerque, was elected to the New Mexico Public Relations Society of America board of directors.

Robert J. Johnston (’16 JD), Albuquerque, a lawyer with Sutin, Thayer & Browne, served as attorney coach for the Albuquerque High Mock Trial Green Team. This year’s team earned second place overall in the statewide competition.

Andie E. Mirabal (’16 BBA), Albuquerque, was elected to the New Mexico Public Relations Society of America.

Jayson C. Peters (’16 AA), Belen, N.M., was awarded the 2020 Citizen of the Year award by the Greater Belen Chamber of Commerce for his role in the Believe in Belen initiative.

Nicholas Estes (’17 PhD), Albuquerque, co-curated the online exhibition “Seven Generations of Red Power in New Mexico,” detailing the Native rights movement.

Rachel L. Garcia (’17 BSN, ’20 MSN), Rio Rancho, N.M., joined Lovelace Medical Group’s team of health care providers.

Valinda Coretta Shirley (’17 BS), Rock Point, Ariz., was confirmed by the Navajo Nation Council as the executive director of the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency.

Corey Bojorquez (’18 BLA), Bellflower, Calif., was signed to the Los Angeles Rams as a punter.

Lawrence A. Sanchez (’18 MBA), Los Lunas, N.M., was elected to the United Way of Central New Mexico’s board of directors.

Jason T. Sanders (’18 BA) Orange, Calif., re-signed through 2026 as a kicker for the Miami Dolphins.

River E. Marquez (’19 BA), Albuquerque, was elected to the board of directors of the New Mexico Public Relations Society of America.

Rebecca G. Prinster (’19 MA), Albuquerque, co-curated the online exhibition “Seven Generations of Red Power in New Mexico,” detailing the Native rights movement.

2010

2020

Makayla E. Grijalva (’20 BA), Las Cruces, N.M., was elected to the board of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalism.

Amelia F. Kloer (’20 BAA), Albuquerque, has joined Modulus Architects Inc. as an architect intern.

Remy L. Link (’20 BA), Albuquerque, is a volunteer with ProtectNM, an organization founded by UNM medical students to collect and deliver PPE to medical organizations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cody Moezzi (’20 BA), Albuquerque, a volunteer with ProtectNM, an organization founded by UNM medical students, delivered and distributed 45,000 KN95 masks to high-risk medical organizations in his home town of Alamogordo.

Teton Saltes headshot photo

Teton W. Saltes (’20 BA), Albuquerque, was awarded the 2020 Wuerffel Trophy for his community service, athletic achievements and excellence in the classroom.

2020

How Do You Spell Relief?

How Do You Spell Relief?

Photo of the exterior of Hodgin Hall looking West

How Do You Spell Relief?

On a scale of zero to 10, how nauseous are you? That question formed the basis of a UNM-based study of the effects of cannabis consumption on nausea symptoms, ranging from five minutes after consumption to one hour post-cannabis consumption. It showed that using cannabis results in an average symptom improvement of nearly 4 points on a 0-10 scale just moments after consumption, with increasing benefits over time.

Nausea, whether due to food poisoning, gastrointestinal disorders, chemotherapy or a host of other causes, is a common symptom but often difficult to treat. Cannabis has been used to lessen nausea for millennia, although its dosage and effects have been under-researched.

Although its effectiveness for treating chemotherapy-induced nausea is widely recognized, the use of cannabis for nausea remains under-researched in the general population, with no previous studies examining how quickly cannabis relieves nausea or how relief varies with product characteristics.

In a recent study, titled “The Effectiveness of Common Cannabis Products for Treatment of Nausea” published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, researchers showed that more than 96% of the study sample reported nausea relief within one hour. “Despite increasing clinical concerns regarding cyclical vomiting or hyperemesis syndrome in cannabis users, almost all users experienced relief,” said author Sarah Stith, an assistant professor in the UNM Department of Economics.

The study was based on data from 2,220 cannabis self-administration sessions recorded by 886 people using the Releaf App, a mobile software application designed to help users manage cannabis consumption by allowing them to record real-time changes in symptom intensity. 

The extent of nausea relief experienced by the study sample varied. Flower and concentrates yielded faster and greater relief than edibles or tinctures, while vaping yielded less relief than consuming cannabis via a joint or pipe. 

The study also compared the effects of THC and CBD among consumers of cannabis flower. Coauthor Jacob Vigil, associate professor in the UNM Department of Psychology, explained that “perhaps our most surprising result was that THC, typically associated with recreational use, seemed to improve treatment among consumers of cannabis flower, while our CBD, more commonly associated with medical use, actually seemed to be associated with less symptom relief.”

Photo of marijuana plant being grown and handled

Hello, Dean Lo

Hello, Dean Lo

Photo of the exterior of Hodgin Hall looking West

Hello, Dean Lo

Leo Lo is the new dean of the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences. 

Lo joins UNM from The Pennsylvania State University, where he was associate dean for Learning, Undergraduate Services and Commonwealth Campuses, overseeing operations at 20 campus libraries throughout Pennsylvania. He also led the strategic planning process of the University Libraries, supported the promotion and tenure process of Penn State library faculty and led the Libraries’ COVID-19 response. 

Provost James Holloway lauded Lo for his “experience, vision and strategy,” as well as his commitment to equity, inclusion and affordability. 

At UNM, Lo will oversee a busy library system that sees 1.5 million visits a year, offers undergraduate and master’s degrees and a doctorate in Organization, Information & Learning Sciences, and houses UNM Press. 

Lo said he is excited about that mix of a university press, degree-granting program and academic library, all housed in one college. 

“I believe there is tremendous potential, and I am looking forward to working with the talented faculty and staff to leverage the strengths of all these units,” Lo said. 

Lo was a first-generation college student and began his career as a Multicultural Studies Librarian at Kansas State University in 2009. He held positions at the University of Alabama and Old Dominion University, before moving to Penn State.

Headshot of Dean Leo Lo

Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

Photo of the exterior of Hodgin Hall looking West

Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

Photovoltaic panels are a tried-and-true way of harnessing the sun’s power and converting it to electricity ­— except when the clouds roll in. In UNM’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D. candidate Guillermo Terrén-Serrano and Professor Manel Martínez-Ramón have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that optimizes the performance of solar power by predicting cloud cover.           

Reducing the randomness of solar energy generation requires knowing when solar radiation availability is going to decrease due to cloud cover. Terrén-Serrano and Martínez-Ramón’s artificial intelligence algorithm learns about cloud patterns and predicts, based on recent cloud movement, the future output of a solar panel. 

The algorithm was trained using cameras and a solar radiation sensor installed on campus at UNM. The camera system was designed by Terrén-Serrano and Martínez-Ramón to follow the sun throughout the day, collecting data on both cloud cover and solar radiation at the same time. The apparatus collects one visual image every 15 seconds and one solar radiation sample every third of a second. 

The researchers plan to launch a website later this year that will allow anyone to see the data from their cameras in real-time. 

“The problem with solar energy is that it is of stochastic nature: it has a random component due to the presence of clouds,” Martínez-Ramón explains. “So, what we want to do is to reduce this randomness and when we know that we’re not going to have enough solar power then we will be prepared to supply this energy with other sources.”

Photo of an array of solar panels facing the sun

Welcome Home, Coach Gonzales: You Can Unpack Your Suitcase Now

Welcome Home, Coach Gonzales: You Can Unpack Your Suitcase Now

Coach Danny Gonzales with a Lobo Football player running in front of him

Welcome Home, Coach Gonzales: You Can Unpack Your Suitcase Now

By Glen Rosales

Chaos and organization were the themes football coach Danny Gonzales (’99 BBA, ’02 MS) kept coming back to as he completed a rookie season completely upended by the COVID pandemic. As he embarks on a second season, hoping quarantines and months-long hotel stays in Nevada are behind him, Gonzales can see the benefit of his team bonding through the dark days of 2020.

Gonzales’ debut with the Lobos — the feel-good story of hometown boy returning to his alma mater — was derailed almost immediately as restrictive public health orders all but curtailed the team’s ability to be competitive.

While other Mountain West schools —and football teams around the country —were going through standard practices under their local public health directives, UNM was permitted only small group settings of five for non-contact instruction and was forced to cancel its season opener at Colorado State and play its “home” game against San José State in California.

“You have to give the kids credit. We kept dangling these carrots in front of them and it was like Lucy from Peanuts — she kept yanking that ball out,” Gonzales said, referencing Charles Schulz’s famous cartoon story line that always ended with Charlie Brown flat on his back after whiffing at the open space where a football used to be.

Unable to practice or play at home, the Lobos headed to the bedroom community of Henderson, Nev., a town they would call home until the season ended with a 2-5 record and not a single game played at home.

“The chaos and organization,” Gonzales said of those uncertain months of August, September, October and November. “You couldn’t have any organization because day to day things seemed to change. At some point those kids had to think, ‘This guy is a liar. Screw this,’ and do something stupid, have a party, because we’re not playing anyway. And they never did. They kept down the path, kept down the path.”

Hotel living certainly was no vacation as players were limited to their rooms except during practices, position meetings and meals. For 42 days.

“Hotel living certainly was no vacation as players were limited to their rooms except during practices, position meetings and meals. For 42 days.”

“Sitting in a hotel room with one roommate was very challenging for (six) weeks,” Gonzales said. “It was a lovely hotel. We had a ballroom for our meeting room, so it was a big ballroom. So, they’d come down and hang out with the coaches. And I mean, I missed my family dearly. That was the hardest part of this whole deal was being away from my wife and kids. But the opportunity to be around the guys and figure out who loves football and who really wants to be good — and the ones that don’t really care about football, and it’s not that important — was very telling.”

New Mexico went on to lose its first five games, but Gonzales remained undiscouraged.

“We’re 0-5, losing to Utah State and me telling them how terrible we were, which I won’t take back because we were. We were coaching them terrible. We were playing terrible,” he said. And then, the Lobos started to win. “The last two games gave them a belief: ‘Everything they asked us to do does work. There is a reason behind this.’ Being the most physical team. Playing through the whistle. Doing all of those things actually works.”

True freshman quarterback Isaiah Chavez threw the game-winning touchdown against Wyoming and came back the next week to lead a victory against Fresno State. The stunning performance from Chavez, a walk-on from Rio Rancho High School who started the season as fifth-string under center, sent New Mexico into the current season with significant optimism.

“Momentum is good. A lot of people think we’re never going to lose again: we’re not that good,” Gonzales said. “We’re better, but we’re not a good football team. We will be a good team. But they definitely have the understanding of what it’s going to take and they’re willing to work. They’re a great group of kids. We’re not the most talented team. I tell them that, too. We out-work people and we can out-physical people and we have enough talent to be competitive.”

That kind of mirrors the way Gonzales, 45, has moved in his football career.

Before committing to football, Gonzales played soccer at Valley High School in Albuquerque. When he broke his leg on the pitch, however, the Viking football coaching staff convinced him to turn to the gridiron full time.

He walked on at UNM as a safety and a punter, eventually earning three letters and the Chuck Cummings Memorial Award, which is given for morale and spirit.Gonzales started his coaching career under another UNM alumnus turned Lobo head coach, Rocky Long. He began as a grad assistant, then became video coordinator before taking on safeties and special teams for three seasons.

Gonzales graduated in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and general management and earned a master’s degree in physical education and recreation while he worked for the Athletics Department.

When Long left New Mexico in 2008 and took the position at San Diego State, Gonzales followed along, eventually becoming defensive coordinator for the Aztecs.

Before coming back to Albuquerque, Gonzales left Long’s tutelage to work as defensive coordinator at Arizona State in the PAC-12 Conference.

“To be honest with you, I thought I’d never leave here”

 “To be honest with you, I thought I’d never leave here,” he said “I thought the goal of the plan was to coach here forever. I mean, I grew up in Albuquerque, never left and had the opportunity to have a Division I football job at my home school.”

When that plan was interrupted by Long’s departure, Gonzales was caught off guard and had to regroup, which turned out to be a blessing in the long term.

“I would not have been prepared to have this opportunity had I not left here,” he said.

And now there is no place he would rather be.

“I’m living my dream because we have an opportunity to compete for championships,” he said. “If we didn’t or if that ever changed — the opportunity to compete for championships — then this wouldn’t be the right place.”

That, Gonzales said, was his main concern in returning to New Mexico. “When the whole interview process started, (I’m asking), ‘Are they really in it to be the best team in this league? Because if they’re not, I’m not coming.’”

Gazing across his desk and out at the open horseshoe end of University Stadium, with the gleaming field awaiting the next game and the Sandias peeking out from behind the eastern bleachers, Gonzales knows what he wants to see when he finally gets the chance to see his Lobos down there.

“The three things we told our kids to are effort, attitude and want to. No matter what happens, no matter the situation, no matter what they take away, they can’t take that away from you,” he said. “You decide how hard you’re going to work. You decide what your attitude is going to be — whether it’s going to be crappy or positive. And how bad do you want it? How bad do you want to be good? Those three things, no matter what the situation, they can’t take it from you unless you let them.”

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