VHS Veterans Memorial and Scholarship Fund Details

 

 

 

The following is the list of 12 young men who attended Valley High School and who died in or as a direct consequence of their service in Vietnam or Iraq. The Memorial will dedicated on Veterans Day, November 11, 2022.

 

Richard E. Heister ’59 Lon Michael Fletcher ’65 USMC June 2, 1965 Army October 5, 1965

Arlington National Cemetery Santa Fe National Cemetery

Section 4 Site 2952-B V, 595

 

Uvaldo Sánchez ’65 Benny Sena ’65

USMC April 21, 1966 USMC July 25, 1966

Santa Fe National Cemetery Santa Fe National Cemetery

U O 413 O 0 432

 

Lloyd L. Gooding ’63 Stephen M. Carnahan ’66

Army September 23, 1966 USMC April 2, 1967

Fort Scott National Cemetery, KS Santa Fe National Cemetery

2, 0, 1784 Section V Site 966

 

Florentino Tafoya Jr. ’60 Isidro S. Bazán ’65

USMC November 4, 1967 Army July 5, 1968

Santa Fe National Cemetery Santa Fe National Cemetery

Section V Site 1132 Section V Site 1285

 

Kenneth R. Clough ’65 Frederick D. Herrera ’68

Army January 7, 1969 Army MIA March 25, 1969

Sunset Memorial Park

Section 19, lot 3

 

James C. Akin ’01 Daniel E. Tallouzi ’02

Army June 3, 2007 Army February 28, 2009

Santa Fe National Cemetery Santa Fe National Cemetery

Section 6 Site 3079 Section 20 Site 1276

 

GOALS of the VHS Memorial and Scholarship Project

 

The VHS Memorial project has four goals:

 

• The first goal is to create a Memorial at Valley High School honoring VHS students who were killed in Vietnam or Iraq. It would also include an individual who returned to the USA from Iraq, but died shortly thereafter as a result of combat - related traumatic brain injury.

• The second goal of the project is to raise money for scholarships honoring these individuals. This will be an ongoing effort that will hopefully grow in the amount and, someday, the number of scholarships awarded at each graduation ceremony.

 

• The third goal is to have these 12 young men remembered and honored at graduation ceremonies every May. Their names will be heard and their photos will be projected onto a screen as long as there is a Valley High School.

 

• The fourth goal is to have veterans at graduation ceremonies stand in recognition and appreciation for their service in our military.

 

FINANCIAL STATUS

 

ARI Graphix & Signs installed the Memorial in the VHS gym lobby in July 2022. The cost of fabrication and installation of the Memorial was $8,677.31. Akasa at All About Trophies produced the 12 gold nameplates. Donna Johnstone Bearden and Roy Brisky produced the photos. As of October 26, 2021, we have $9,050.25 in the VHS VM&SF, Inc. account at NUSENDA FCU on Fourth and Guadalupe. All costs establishing the VHS VM&SF Inc., including incorporation of this nonprofit, producing creating the nameplates, were absorbed by the three individuals who initiated the project: Eli Padilla, Eloy Gómez and David Wilson. Check should be made out to: VHS VM&SF, Inc. and sent to the address below:

 

VHS VM&SF, Inc. Please call or e-mail if you have any questions.

c/o E. R. Padilla

315 Nuevo Hacienda Ln. NW Eligio R. (Eli) Padilla, Ph.D., VHS 1965

Los Ranchos, NM 87107 (505) 440-4706, eligiop@swcp.com

 

 

 

 

DONATIONS

 

Individual Donors

 

Vince ’66 & Ruby Arroyo Malcolm Benjamin

George Campbell ’65 Gloria Chávez Robinson ’65

Larry Chávez ’65 Doug Chevrier ’65

Michael Edenburn ’65 & Laurel Córdova ’65 Phil Ewing ’66

Eugene Frantz Eloy Gómez ’65

Nancy ’65 & Tom Hines ’65 Madeleine Hubble Jenkins ’65

Doris McCallister Jones ’65 Donna Johnstone Bearden ’65

Robert King, LTC (Ret.) ’65 Albert Leffler ’65

Cheri Leonard Wenk ’65 Conzada Leonard Thompson ’65

Bill Marshall ’65 Robert Mata

Betty Anne Montoya Ryan’65 Flora Montoya Sánchez ’65

Manny Palacios ’65 Amy Padilla

Danny Padilla Eddie Padilla

Eli ’65 & Kathy Arroyo Padilla ’68 Lisa Padilla

Sara Padilla Renie Pedregón (Cathy García)

Carl Radosevich Fritzi Reay Hardy ’65

Isabel Sandoval Craig Sawers ’65

Orlando Torres David Velásquez, ’65

David Wilson ’65

Legacy Donors - A bequest of 1% or more of assets willed to the VHS VM&SF, Inc. upon the passing of donors and their spouses/partners.

 

Eli ’65 & Kathy Padilla ’68

 

Veterans Organizations

 

American Legion Post 69, Alameda, NM

American Legion Post 69 Sons of the American Legion

American Legion Post 69 Honor Guard

American Legion Post 72, Albuquerque

American Legion Post 100, Albuquerque

American Legion Post 117, Clovis

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5432, Corrales

 

Corporate/Business Donors

 

In Memoriam ($50 or more to honor deceased classmates, friends, family members, etc. Please indicate relationship to VHS and/or alumni).

 

Alice Arroyo – mother and Vicente “Rocky” Arroyo – father; 1^st VHS basketball coach

Art Córdova ’65 – classmate, friend, veteran María Cuca Hernández – grandmother

Larry Jones ’65 – friend, teammate Tom Mlekush’65 – friend, teammate, veteran Eligio J. Padilla – father, USMC WWII Josefita S. Padilla – mother

Conrad Padilla – brother Joe Mel Padilla VHS ’62 – brother

Laura K. Padilla – daughter Jeff Watson ’65 – friend, Little League teammate

 

To Make Donations Please Read The Following

With the help of Eloy Gómez and David Wilson (fellow VHS ’65 graduates), the VHS VM&SF was incorporated as a nonprofit in March 2021 and is in good standing with the IRS and the state of New Mexico. An account in the name of VHS VM&SF, Inc. has been established at NUSENDA FCU at Fourth St. and Guadalupe

 

Check should be made out to: VHS VM&SF, Inc. and sent to the address below:

 

VHS VM&SF, Inc.

c/o E. R. Padilla

315 Nuevo Hacienda Ln. NW

Los Ranchos, NM 87107 

 

Please call or e-mail if you have any questions.

Eligio R. (Eli) Padilla, Ph.D., VHS 1965

(505) 440-4706, eligiop@swcp.com

 

 

Acknowledgements

 

Juan José Peña and Louis Téllez of the GI Forum, Bob and Joanna Ulibarrí of the Veterans of America and Freddy Montoya of American Legion Post 69 endorsed the project years ago and helped identify VHS students who were killed in Vietnam.

 

Anthony Griego, VHS Principal, and SGM Debra Meyers, CW5 Nathan Trujillo and SGT Jess López and of the VHS Army Junior ROTC program, endorsed and enthusiastically support the project.

 

Rudy Chávez (VHS ’63), past Commander of American Legion Post 69 in Alameda, Robert Jaramillo, current Commander of Post 69, Pro Padilla (VHS ’65) of the Post 69 Honor Guard, Danny Padilla and Leonard Durán of the Post 69 Sons of the American Legion, Rodney Sánchez, Commander of American Legion Post 72 in Albuquerque, Dewey Patton, Commander of American Legion Post 117 in Clovis, Terrance Brown, Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5432, Corrales and Jake López, President of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 996 in Santa Fe are commended and thanked for their success in securing donations from their respective memberships.

 

Terry Brown, is a retired architect who produced a sketch of the Memorial that was shared with Karen Alarid, Director of the APS Facilities Design & Construction. Ms. Alarid tentatively approved the Memorial, pending submission by an architect on their list of providers.

 

Glenn Fellows, FAIA (VHS ’64) produced the final plan which was approved and by Ms. Alarid at APS. He and his niece, Brianna Ehlers, attached the photos and nameplates on the Memorial.

 

Donna Johnstone Bearden and Roy Brisky are thanked for enlarging yearbook photos for the Memorial.

 

Fritzi Reay Hardy (VHS ’65) has not only made generous donations, she worked hard to let fellow VHS ’65 graduates know about this project.

 

Lou Santilena of Inidel Inc. is developing the website, a work in progress.

 

Last but not least, Eloy Gómez and David Wilson have been instrumental in moving the project forward. Their expertise regarding non-profits, tax issues and fundraising is invaluable.