Socorro Rewind

JULY 1, 1975

DR. KENNETH W. FORD became the 14th president of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology when he assumed the presidency of the 86-year-old science and engineering college. Dr. Ford, a well-known physicist who began his professional career at Los Alamos in 1950, was professor of physics at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, prior to accepting the Tech position. He said he puts top priority on the maintenance of high-quality education and research at Tech. He holds degrees from Princeton and Harvard.

THE CITY OF SOCORRO is creating a new recreational area out on Reservoir and Evergreen. Playground equipment has already been installed, said City Supervisor Sonny Baca. In the arroyo to the north, city crews are preparing the site for a small lake which will add considerably to the area’s recreational advantages. Baca stressed that a great deal of work had been done around the city using equipment and labor without needing outside equipment or labor which ups the cost of such projects.

JULY 3, 1975

DONNIE D. MOORHEAD, 37, is the new Clerk of the Court, replacing Adan Rivera who resigned. Mr. Moorhead has a wide background. Following high school graduation in Peacock, Texas, his home town, he graduated from the Mid-West Business College in Pueblo, Colorado. He was agent for the Santa Fe Railroad’s division in an out-of-office capacity, traveling throughout Texas. His most recent position was office manager for the Featherlite Corporation, a trucking firm, in Ranger, Texas but was forced to give it up due to back surgery. He then completed a course for court reporting at the Stenograph Institute in Abilene.

JUNE 27, 2001

MICHAEL HUDSON, a career agent with Farm Bureau Financial Services has earned the company’s 100 Pacesetter Award-its highest award for property/causality insurance sales in 2001. Hudson earned the award for his dedication to serving the needs of Farm Bureaus clients in Socorro and Catron counties. Hudson is one of 53 agents to earn the honor from among the more than 700 agents who serve the company’s property/casualty clients in Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, South Dakota and Utah. Hudson joined the company in 1987. This is Hudson’s second year qualifying for the award. Hudson is also a repeat qualifier for balanced production club, primary product club and the seal of excellence. He and his wife, Tana, have made their home in Socorro for seven years.

THE SOCORRO BRANCH of the American Association of University Women recently presented recent Socorro High School graduated Lisa Glendenning with the $500 Margaret McCullough Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding female graduate of Socorro High School in recognition of her academic achievement and potential.

JULY 30, 2015

THE SOCORRO COUNTY Sheriff’s Office has a new deputy on staff, so to speak. One with a collar. His name is TK, a four-year-old Dutch Sheperd, and Deputy Rebecca Gonzales, his owner and handler, couldn’t be prouder of him. Gonzales joined the Sheriff’s Department in February, bringing the dog along with her from Tennessee. TK started work July 1 after his final certification approval. They are certified through the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association or NNDDA. TK and Rebecca Gonzales were taught skills on leash handline and recognizing when the dog is on odor. She also learned announcements needed to give suspects before the dog is released. TK is trained in the recognition of narcotics and is also trained in tracking and apprehension of suspects who have fled.