SENATE MEMORIAL 51

53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2018

INTRODUCED BY

Mary Kay Papen and John Arthur Smith

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF GARREY E. CARRUTHERS, PH.D.

     WHEREAS, Garrey E. Carruthers, Ph.D., who has risen to the top leadership post of every enterprise in which he has been involved, will retire as chancellor and president of New Mexico state university, the crown jewel of New Mexico's universities and the state's land grant institution, on July 1, 2018; and

     WHEREAS, Chancellor Carruthers refers to the campus as his "Aggie stomping grounds", having first attended there in 1957, and having met his wife, Kathy, as a student there; and

     WHEREAS, he obtained both a baccalaureate degree and master's degree while attending New Mexico state university; and

     WHEREAS, he left New Mexico for a brief time, arriving in Ames, Iowa, to garner a doctorate in economics from Iowa state university; and

     WHEREAS, he was encouraged to apply for and was selected as a white house fellow, undergoing a prestigious and competitive selection process, and was appointed to serve with the Honorable Earl Butz, United States secretary of agriculture; and

     WHEREAS, he returned to teaching, where he was an award-winning teacher, beloved by most students and considered a consummate advisor and mentor; and

     WHEREAS, he served as state chair of the Republican party of New Mexico from 1977 to 1979; and

     WHEREAS, he was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to be an assistant secretary of the United States department of the interior, overseeing the bureau of land management, bureau of reclamation and office of water policy, serving in Washington, D.C., for four years; and

     WHEREAS, he returned to the land of enchantment after being recruited by a group of business people to seek the governor's seat in 1986; and

     WHEREAS, he won handily on a ticket with Jack Stahl, a former member of both chambers of the New Mexico legislature, becoming New Mexico's twenty-seventh governor; and

     WHEREAS, he selected the highly regarded Maralyn Budke, former director of the legislative finance committee, as his chief of staff; and

     WHEREAS, he took the oath of office in the New Mexico supreme court building, resided in the roundhouse for three years and finished his term on the top floor of the public employees retirement association building; and

     WHEREAS, he was known to be a congenial governor, respectful of the balance of powers, but occasionally having some fun with house members; and

     WHEREAS, he and Kathy Carruthers received the king and queen of Spain, Juan Carlos and Sophia, on their only visit to New Mexico in 1987; and

     WHEREAS, he was selected to oversee the first free elections to be held in Romania; and

     WHEREAS, he signed significant legislation to include recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. day, opportunities for minority doctoral programs and fostering research and development; and

     WHEREAS; he served as chair of the border governors' association and the education commission of the states; and

     WHEREAS, after serving New Mexico as governor, he ventured into the private sector in the health care insurance industry; and

     WHEREAS, in 2003, he returned to the "Yale of the yuccas" as dean of the New Mexico state university college of business; and

     WHEREAS, he was at the helm of the college of business when New Mexico state university was reaccredited by the American association of colleges and schools of business; and

     WHEREAS, he became president of New Mexico state university in 2013, becoming the university's twenty-seventh president; and

     WHEREAS, he was instrumental in starting the Pete V. Domenici public policy institute, of which he currently serves as director; and

     WHEREAS, he was associated with the following initiatives and honors during his tenure as chancellor of New Mexico state university: Aggie development, incorporated; all about discovery; Arrowhead center; Burrell college of osteopathic medicine; selection to receive the community engagement classification from the Carnegie foundation for the advancement of teaching; ignite Aggie discovery campaign; and transforming New Mexico state university into the twenty-first century university initiative; andWHEREAS, he plans to travel around New Mexico in his 1967 Mustang with Kathy, seeking new adventures and traveling roads he has not yet traversed; and

     WHEREAS, he plans to play every golf course in New Mexico before he hangs up his cleats; and

     WHEREAS, he loves the state of New Mexico and New Mexico state university; and

     WHEREAS, he will be remembered for many of his favorite sayings that include: "Yesterday is something I never thought of trying..." (Kris Kristofferson); "travelin' light" and "You have to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em" (Kenny Rogers, "The Gambler"); from the cowboy code of ethics (James P. Owen), "Live each day with courage"; and "I must hurry and catch them, for I am their leader.";

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that recognition and congratulations be extended to Chancellor Garrey E. Carruthers, Ph.D., on his retirement from New Mexico state university and for his tireless devotion to the betterment of New Mexico and its residents; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to Garrey E. Carruthers, Ph.D., chancellor of New Mexico state university.

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