Alumni

WNMU Homecoming Alumni Honorees

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As part of the 2021 Western New Mexico University Alumni Homecoming celebration, five individual alumni and one Mustang athletic team will be honored with awards. Selected as WNMU Distinguished Alumni this year are Mike Castillo, ’70, ’79, and Leonard Mazzei, ’62. The Alfred J. O’Malley Pioneer Award is being given to Alfred Ogas, ’65, and Sandy Cobb Moore, ’67. Being inducted into the Mustang Athletics Hall of Fame is Bob Ruiz, ’65, while the Western New Mexico University Athletics Pioneer Spirit Award is being given to the 1970 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Mountain Division Championship Mustang Football Team. Nominations are submitted to WNMU Alumni Affairs, while selections are made by the WNMU Alumni Association Awards, Recognitions and Scholarship Committee. Distinguished Alumnus Mike Castillo Mike Castillo, ’70, ’79, earned both a bachelor’s a master’s degree from WNMU after attending McMurry College in Abilene, Texas. He also did graduate...
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WNMU Homecoming Includes Banquet, Parade, Fun Run and Football Game

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Western New Mexico University is celebrating homecoming by inviting Mustangs to gather for a series of social events, ceremonies and traditions Thursday, September 23, through September 25. “After a well-attended virtual homecoming last fall, the WNMU Alumni Association is looking forward to seeing our Mustangs in person,” said WNMU Alumni Affairs Director Amanda Moffett Lane. “The WNMU Alumni Association Board always works to provide programming appealing to all Mustangs returning home, where they can reconnect and reflect on their campus experience. This year, the board was careful to ensure every event is held outdoors for the health of each other and our community.” The 2021 WNMU Homecoming celebration begins Thursday with a social in the home of alumni Anne and Alfred Ogas and continues Friday morning with Muffins and Mustangs in the Alumni Gardens followed by a campus tour. A Friday evening banquet will honor outstanding Mustangs being recognized with 2021 WNMU...
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A plate fit for adventure

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Earlier this year, voters selected a revised Western New Mexico University collegiate license plate design. Winning by a landslide was The Overlander, a theme fit for journeys on high-mountain roads and trips off the beaten path. It’s available through the MVD right...
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New School of Education Hall of Fame Inductees

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Four alumni were recently inducted into the Western New Mexico University School of Education Hall of Fame 2019 for their outstanding career achievements. The inductees Max G. Padilla, Emma V. Saucedo, Barney P. Brienza and Olivia L. Ogas. “To be considered for selection into the WNMU School of Education Hall of Fame, WNMU alumni must have demonstrated a primary interest in classroom teaching and devoted the major portion of their careers to classroom teaching at the primary, secondary or higher education levels. He or she must have inspired in students a willingness to learn, as reflected in their ability to impart knowledge, instill confidence, and demonstrate respect for learning and students,” WNMU School of Education Associate Dean Dr. Debra Dirksen said. Padilla received his Bachelor of Arts from WNMU in 1969. He is recognized for 38 years of dedicated teaching, mentoring and leadership. Padilla was also an assistant principal, school principal and coach.   He led...
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Associate Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court Barbara J. Vigil Will Address Western New Mexico University’s Graduates

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Western New Mexico University will graduate 315 of its students this spring. Of those, 236 graduates will walk across the Old James Stadium stage during the spring commencement ceremony on Friday, May 10, at 2 p.m. They will receive their diplomas then shake hands with WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard and New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Barbara J. Vigil, WNMU’s spring commencement speaker. Native New Mexican Justice Vigil was born and raised in Santa Fe and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from New Mexico State University, her law degree from the University of New Mexico and has been a licensed attorney for more than 28 years. During her 19 years on the bench, Justice Vigil has served on both the First Judicial District Court, comprised of Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos Counties, and the New Mexico Supreme Court benches.  As a district court judge, Justice Vigil presided over the Children’s and Family Court, as well as the civil docket, presiding...
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Art, Creativity and Big Dreams

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One artist, a home schooled duel-enrollment student at WNMU preparing for her freshman year, the other, a WNMU senior planning for her next steps following May’s graduation, but the connection that has drawn them together is the Western New Mexico University Expressive Arts program. This year’s juried art show at WNMU’s McCray Gallery was judged by local artist, author and radio personality Paula Giesler and included 55 students’ work, ranging from clay and ink to watercolor and oil. This year’s big winners are WNMU senior Patricia Countryman, who took best in show for her sculpture, The House that Built Me, and in-coming freshman Abby Egge-Ogas, first place winner and the recipient of the New Mexico Watercolor Society’s award for her piece, Sakura. Patricia Countryman’s creative process was nurtured through her strict, traditional upbringing in Douglas, Arizona, where she grew up as the eldest of four and used creativity as an escape. “I was always looking for...
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Alumni From The 60s Era To Reunite Homecoming Weekend

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The Office of Alumni Affairs has invited alumni that graduated during the 1960s to RSVP for homecoming weekend activities that begin Thursday, October 8. A group of alumni known as the Silver Sixties formed several years ago and is encouraging classmates from the 60s era to return to their alma mater for Homecoming. The reunion of the Silver Sixties will also honor the memory of Connie Cope, a lead organizer of the group who passed away several years ago. A memorial scholarship is established in her honor through the University Foundation. The Mustang football homecoming game will take place on Saturday, October 10 at 1:30 p.m. in Ben Altamirano Field. Preceding the game is the Homecoming parade at 10:30am, which will begin at the Fine Arts Center Theater and make it’s way around the university campus. Other alumni weekend activities include a dinner and awards ceremony in Graham Gymnasium on Friday, October 9. Alumni who graduated in the 1960s who would like to...
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Entries Sought For Homecoming Parade On October 4

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Registration is open for the upcoming Homecoming Parade at Western New Mexico University on Saturday, October 4 at 10:30 a.m. Community organizations, non-profits, small businesses, and candidates for office are encourages to submit an entry into the parade. Entries can be submitted online at www.wnmu.edu/homecoming-reserve. There is no registration fee. Parade lineup will be at 9:00 a.m. on October 4 at the Grant County Courthouse on Cooper Street. Facilitated by the Office of Alumni Affairs, the entries will be judged in various categories. The parade route begins at the Grant County Courthouse at 10:30 a.m. and entries are paraded through historic downtown with finale being the Student Memorial Center on campus. Following the parade are tailgate festivities culminating with the Mustang football game at 1:30 p.m. in Ben Altamirano Field. The Office of Alumni Affairs will honor alumni during halftime activities. Recognized as Distinguished Alumni are Nicolas Otero...
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