Locals honored for history contributions

BELEN—So many people, places and events have made Valencia County what it is today, and several local people were recognized this weekend for bringing the past to life and for their dedication to preserving the community’s history.

The Valencia County Historical Society held its annual meeting at the Belen Harvey House on Sunday, when they elected their officers and honored those who make a difference in the county.

Richard Melzer was elected president of the VCHS, while John Taylor was voted as vice president. Sandy Schauer is the secretary and Louis Huning is treasurer. The directors are Kathleen Pickering, Cynthia Shetter, Maggie McDonald and Roberta Scott.

The first award, the Rio Abajo Award, was presented to the family of the late John Aragon, of Belen.

Melzer said Aragon, a former Belen Schools superintendent and educator, was a man committed to his community and to the well-being of the people who lived here.

“He went on and served in the public schools here as a teacher, as a principal and as a superintendent,” Melzer said. “He was very active in community organizations, especially ours.”

Melzer said he wasn’t sure if Aragon was one of the founding members of the Valencia County Historical Society, but said he did pass down the duty of civic responsibility to his family.

“We have his grandson, our magistrate judge, John Chavez, who is here to receive the award,” he said.

After Chavez retired as a colonel from the U.S. Army, he returned home and was appointed magistrate judge in Belen. He has since been elected and re-elected to the bench.

“My grandfather, after retiring from the schools after so many years, he dedicated his time to volunteering,” Chavez said. “One of those things was volunteering with AARP by lobbying and Santa Fe and Washington, D.C., but this here was his true love — the Harvey House and the historical society.”

Chavez said he is grateful to the VCHS for honoring his grandfather, and for recognizing his work.

“He would be very grateful for the recognition; he liked the limelight a little bit,” Chavez laughed.

The Red Brick Award was presented to longtime VCHS member and officer, Sandy Schauer. The award is given to a volunteer who helps out at the local museums and local landmarks.

Kathleen Pickering said Schauer is not only the backbone of the historical society, but also the Valencia County Literacy Council, Friends of the Harvey House, Friends of the Belen Public Library and the Belen Historic Property Review Board.

“This city really couldn’t function without you,” Pickering told Schauer. “Thank you for all your dedication and all of your hard work.”

The Lifetime Award was presented to the family of the late Louis Huning Sr., who served as mayor of Los Lunas for nearly 30 years. Huning, along with his family and their company, helped the village of Los Lunas to grow and thrive throughout the years.

Cynthia Shetter presented the award to his family, widow, Nancy, and children, Ruth Ann and Louis. Shetter said she had the privilege to work with Huning over the years, saying he and his family contributed so much to the community.

“He was proud of where he grew up, and he welcomed us in,” Shetter remembered. “He was very proud of the history of Los Lunas.”

Huning’s son and namesake, Louis, said his father loved his community, which included Belen, where his mother was born.

“My dad loved Belen as much as he did Los Lunas,” Huning Jr. said. “He would have been very happy to receive this award.”

The Education Award was presented to Los Lunas Schools Superintendent Susan Chavez.

“Susan is locally grown, a graduate of Los Lunas Schools, she went to New Mexico State, and she has a master’s in language literacy and sociological studies from Lobo Land,” said John Taylor. “She is a special education teacher and has served as assistant superintendent and superintendent of schools in a very challenging environment.”

Chavez said she is proud to have grown up in Valencia County, and her family has ties all over the community, including in Belen.

“I’m very proud that I am home grown, and that I can serve the community I grew up in,” Chavez said. “The work you do is so important. Thank you for keeping the history of Valencia County alive. We have so much to be thankful for, and I’m very honored to receive this award.”

Taylor also presented the Preservation Award to the Daniel D. Fernandez VFW Post 9676 for restoring the anti-aircraft gun at the Los Lunas Schools Veterans Memorial on the corner of Main Street and Luna Avenue in Los Lunas.

“That particular monument was placed there by the (American Legion) many years ago and had gradually deteriorated to the point that it needed to be restored,” Taylor said. “We asked VFW Post 9676 if they would take that job on, and they’ve taken it on magnificently.

“They’ve restored the gun, made it safe and it’s a beautiful memorial to the veterans of all wars and of all service in Valencia County,” Taylor said.

“It turned out to be a good project for us,” said Chet Pino, the commander of the post. “It was really a community project. We not only had members of the post who were really involved, but their families, the community and the businesses got involved.

“They donated their material, they donated their labor, so it’s been a real community effort, and we are honored to receive this award.”

The last award, the President’s Award, is brand new this year, and Melzer said it’s for people who go above and beyond in the community to help the historical society one way or another. The first recipient is Norm McDonald, a local attorney in Belen.

“Norm deserves this award for three main reasons,” Melzer said. “First of all, he’s Maggie’s husband. He supports Maggie’s work with the historical society all these years. This is the man beneath the wings.”

Melzer said the second reason was because McDonald “always” laughs at his jokes, to which he proceeded to tell one.

The third reason, Melzer said, is because McDonald sells an incredible amount of their books to his clients.

“Every few weeks I get called to his office to pick up more money,” Melzer said. “That’s a tremendous help to the society, and you’re well deserving of the first President’s Award.”

McDonald said his clients are always looking for history books, and one in particular, a pictorial history book published in 2003, sold out very quickly. He keeps one around in his office for the curious local or two.

“I don’t know how many people have come through my office over the years, and they’re usually an older couple, a local couple, who just remembers the photographs and the stories told in that book,” McDonald said.