Club to meet at St. Mark's

Roswell Rotary Club will begin meeting each Thursday at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 2911 N. Main St., starting Oct. 1.

Parking is available on the north side of the church.

Texas Roadhouse will cater lunch.

Oct. 3 date for cleanup

The Roswell Rotary Club will conduct its highway cleanup project on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Participants will meet at Mile Marker 116.3, about 1 mile north of the overpass over U.S. 285 at 8 a.m.

Coffee and doughnuts — as well as gloves, trash bags and safety vests — will be provided.  

“It takes an ideal group of 12 people about an hour and a half to clean our mile on both sides of the highway,” said Gordon Patton, the club’s highway cleanup chair. “Your participation is encouraged to keep our mile from being trashy!”

Student speaks at Rotary

Kailah Velez, Roswell Rotary’s Student of the Month, speaks to club members at its Sept. 17 meeting at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell. She is a student at Roswell High School.

Appeals judge addresses club

Judge Kristopher Houghton of the State Court of Appeals speaks at the Sept. 17 Rotary Club meeting held at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell. He discussed the U.S. and state Constitutions.

State bond issue to be discussed

Col. David West, New Mexico Military Institute chief of staff, and Shawn Powell, ENMU-Roswell president, will give a joint program at the Sept. 24 Rotary Club meeting.

West and Powell will discuss their respective campus projects in the upcoming state General Obligation Bond question for higher education capital projects.

Appeals court judge to speak

Judge Kristopher Houghton of the State Court of Appeals will speak at the Sept. 17 Rotary Club meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the ITC Commons area at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell.

Before becoming a state-court judge in 2025, Judge Houghton served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of New Mexico.

He previously served as chief of the Criminal Division from July 2022 to May 2025.

Houghton also led the Office of the Judicial Attachee, managing the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section for the U.S. Department of Justice in Bogotá, Colombia, where he managed the busiest extradition practice in the world.

A graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law, Houghton was admitted to the State Bar in 2008. Before his federal service, he served as a judicial law clerk for the New Mexico Supreme Court and the New Mexico Court of Appeals.

Ruidoso disaster recovery topic

Dr. Ryan Trosper, president of ENMU-Ruidoso, and Eric Queller, emergency manager for the Village of Ruidoso, will speak at the Sept. 10 Roswell Rotary meeting.

The topic of their presentation will be ENMU-Ruidoso and Ruidoso’s disaster recovery.

EMS programs to be discussed

Justin Powell will discuss EMS training programs and services in Chaves County at the Sept. 3 Rotary Club meeting.

Powell is the Emergency Management Services Program director from ENMU-Roswell.

The Roswell Fire Department will also have a representative to discuss the EMS the city is providing.

Gus Winter Foundation topic

Representatives of the Roswell Rotary Club’s Gus Winter Foundation will discuss the program and its mission during the Aug. 27 club meeting.

Club builds 37th ramp

On Aug. 22, Roswell Rotarians built their club’s 37th ramp to help elderly and handicapped residents get to their homes.

Shown at the site of the latest ramp at 3201 N. Kentucky Ave., Space 80, are (from left) Rotarians Steve Smith, Robert Norris, Bianca and J.P. Cheney.

Joining the Rotarians in building the ramp was a team from Roswell Elks Lodge 969.

Burson new Harris Fellow

Rotarian Robert Cody Burson receives recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow during the Aug. 20 Roswell Rotary Club meeting. Rotarian Betty Young attaches the Harris Fellow pin to Cody’s shirt.

Superintendent to speak

Brian Luck, Roswell Independent School District superintendent, will speak at the Aug. 20 Rotary Club meeting.

Hospital staff member to speak

A member of the Eastern New Mexico Medical Center staff will speak at the Aug. 6 Roswell Rotary Club meeting.

Speaker returns for Part 2

Donald Shawler of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will give Part 2 of his talk on recent U.S. Supreme Court cases at the July 30 Roswell Rotary Club meeting. Shawler presented Part 1 at the club’s July 23 meeting.

Rotary scholarship recipients

Recipients of Roswell Rotary Club scholarships were guests at the July 23 Rotary meeting at The Liberty. Of the 29 recipients of scholarships awarded this year, 22 attended the meeting.

Club has double program

The July 23 Roswell Rotary Club meeting will feature two programs.

One will honor Rotary Scholarship participants.

The other will feature Donald Shawler with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, who will discuss the federal courts.

This will be a lead-in to Donald’s July 30 Rotary Club program.

Sturges honored with pin

Frank Sturges received the special Paul Harris Fellow lapel pin with three blue stones from fellow Rotarian Betty Young at the July 9 Rotary Club meeting.

City librarian to address Rotary

Enid Costley, director of the Roswell Public Library, will speak at the July 16 Rotary Club meeting.

Rotary Board sworn in

Members of the Roswell Rotary Club Board of Directors were sworn in to office for 2026-27 on July 2 during a dinner meeting at the Backdraft Barbeque at Third Street Station. Board members attending are (from left) Jack Swickard, Ryan Vance, Secretary Bianca Cheney, Kezia Pieratt, President Steve Smith, JP Cheney, Assistant District Gov. Melinda Branin, Karl Shelton, and Treasurer Juan Rodriguez.

All in the Family

When Steve Smith was sworn in as president of the Roswell Rotary Club on July 2, he took office one day after his daughter, Barbara Evans, was sworn in as president of the Pecos Valley Rotary Club of Roswell.

Seskey to report on Main Street

Peggy Seskey of Main Street Roswell will speak at the July 9 Rotary Club meeting.

Emergency runway key element

Fred Telling, CEO and Board chairman of the group that produces the National Championship Air Races, said an important key is being turned for the Roswell event.

Speaking to the Roswell Rotary Club, Telling said the Brown Brothers Ranch, over which race pilots fly, “is allowing us to build an emergency runway on their ranch property.”

The lack of an emergency runway had resulted in two popular classes of air racers — the Sport Class and the Unlimited Class — failing to compete in the 2025 Air Races.

The Sport Class is composed of aircraft currently being manufactured, while the Unlimited Class is made up of World War II aircraft.

“Right now, we probably have 80 aircraft participating, but I believe we will have over 100 aircraft for races this year,” Telling said, adding, “I’m optimistic we’ll have at least 12 in the Unlimited Class.”

A big draw at this year’s Air Races on Sept. 16-20 will be the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team.

 

The team will be visible on Sept. 17 and 18 when they do “full big holiday practice flights, and then on Sept. 19 and 20 when they repeat their show.”

Telling said that one of the days, the Thunderbird crews will be given a police escort “down Main Street from their hotel to the airfield.”

He said one of the bigger challenges for the Air Races is hotel space. In addition to Roswell hotels and motels to house the estimated 75,000-80,000 people expected at the races, RV sites will be available at the airport and in the community.

Telling said Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell will be showing movies for RV campers on several nights at its campus near the airport, as well as making its swimming pool and gymnasium available.

He complimented Artesia, 40 miles south of Roswell, “for organizing a band and other activities nearly every night. They had things going on in the street for the people who were staying down there. The town was very welcoming, and it was great.”

The National Championship Air Races are produced every September by the Reno Air Racing Association. The event was founded in Northern Nevada, where it became an institution and the pinnacle of air racing before moving to Roswell.

Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.

The Roswell Rotary Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. on July 2 at the Backdraft Barbeque at Third Street Station, 301 N. Railroad Ave.

This dinner meeting, at which club officers and directors will be installed, replaces the regular meeting on that date.

The cost of meals for Rotary Club members and guests will be covered.

Members have been asked to let the incoming club President, Steve Smith, know their meal selection in advance.

NMSU athletics chief to speak

Fields

Joe Fields, athletics director at New Mexico State University, will speak to the Roswell Rotary Club on June 25.

He has served as athletics director since Oct. 8, bringing more than 20 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics as a student-athlete and administrator.

Before taking over at NMSU, Fields spent one year at the University of Tulsa, where he served as the deputy athletics director and chief operating officer.

Martin honored as Harris Fellow

Martin Padillo, the club’s Rotary Exchange student from Spain for the past year, was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by Betty Young on behalf of the Roswell Rotary Club. In addition, Martin was given a handmade quilt signed by club members and a U.S. jersey from the current FIFA World Cup championship. The presentations were made on June 11.

Air Races CEO to speak

Fred Telling, chairman and CEO of the National Championship Air Races, will speak at the June 18 Rotary Club meeting.

He has been the CEO of the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) since February 2018 and has served on the board since October 2017.

The National Championship Air Races in Roswell are produced each September by RARA, a 501(c)(3) corporation. This year’s races will run Sept. 16-20.

Fred has also been the president of the T-6 Racing Association since 2007.

He is type-rated in Citation jets and the DC-3, fixed-wing (Commercial) and rotorcraft (Private) rated, and has a collection of North American Aviation aircraft — “Lady B,” a P-51D, “Almost Perfect,” a stock T-6G, and “Baby Boomer,” a T-6 racer.

Bill Williams to address Rotary

Chaves County Manager Bill Williams will speak at the June 11 Roswell Rotary Club meeting.

He began working for Chaves County in January 2015 as director of facilities. In June 2016, he was promoted to public services director, and in December 2020, he was appointed county manager. 

Before joining the county, Williams worked in agriculture and as a building contractor, later working for the federal government until 2014.

He graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in agricultural mechanization. 

City manager to address club

City Manager Hess Yntema will speak to the Roswell Rotary Club on June 4.

Yntema, a former Roswell Rotary Club member, served more than three years as city attorney before being appointed city manager early this year.

He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in earth and planetary sciences before earning his law degree at the University of Michigan Law School.

Thompson to speak to club

Thompson

Bobbi Thompson, a Board member of the group that produces the National Championship Air Races in Roswell, will speak at the May 28 Rotary Club meeting.

She also serves as the airport director and assistant city manager of Roswell.

Bobbi’s aviation career spans more than 40 years. She is a 4,500-hour pilot, rated in single- and multi-engine fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and has more than 35 years of experience producing air shows.

Additionally, she has managed eight airports, is an FBO owner and manager, air racer, and aviation consultant for more than 1,400 airports/FBOs.

She currently serves as the Reno Air Racing Association’s vice president of strategic planning.

The National Championship Air Races are produced every September by the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA), a 501(c)(3). The event was founded in Northern Nevada, where it became an institution and the pinnacle of air racing before moving to Roswell in 2025.

This year’s Air Races will run Sept. 16-20 in Roswell.

Four-Way Test essay winners

Members of the New Mexico Military Institute Intermediate Preparatory Academy’s initial graduating class won the first three places in the Roswell Rotary Club’s 4-Way Test essay contest.

Recipients are (from left): Dew Deemum, third place; Miriam Yehl, second place; Amy Everitt, eighth-grade academic advisor; and Tristan Tew, first place.

Each student read his/her essay to Rotarians at the club’s May 21 meeting.

Club President Nicole Wieser presented a check to each student.

Statuary garden update on agenda

Rotarian Steve Smith will give a brief update on the “Lest We Forget Historical Statuary Garden” at the May 21 Rotary Club meeting.

Also on the meeting agenda will be honoring the Four-Way Test winners from New Mexico Military Institute.

Time set to sort bottle caps

I have scheduled a time for members to help sort and weigh bottle caps that are made into the benches we’ve purchased for the parks.

Saturday, May 16, 2026,  from 9 a.m. to noon

Hawk's Automotive, address is on S. Lincoln — ENTER FROM WALNUT, just east of the tracks, through the gate.

This project has been uploaded to the EPICDAYOFSERVICE website.

THANK YOU. I hope people can make it, even if for an hour, on such short notice.

Bianca Cheney

District Youth Exchange Team

Assistant Governor, East 

(575) 637-8811

Police chief to speak at Rotary

Police Chief Alberto Aldana will be the guest speaker at the May 14 Roswell Rotary Club meeting.

Aldana became Roswell police chief on March 1, succeeding Lance Bateman.

Kelly Pigott to speak at Rotary

Dr. Kelly Pigott, minister of First Presbyterian Church in Roswell, will speak at the May 7 Rotary Club meeting.

During the past 30 years, Pigott has served as pastor of various churches.

He formerly served as the Cook-Derrick Professor of Church History at Hardin-Simmons University, where, in addition to church history, he taught courses in Bible, ministry, and spiritual formation for undergraduate and seminary students.

He has published numerous popular and scholarly articles and has contributed to and written several books, including “From Eden to Heaven: Spiritual Formation for the Adventurous” (Smyth and Helwys).

He has two children in graduate school, Nathaniel and Eliana. His wife, Susan, is the rector at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Roswell.

Wealth managers to address club

John Farrell and Joel East with UBS Private Wealth Management in Fort Worth will speak at the April 30 Rotary Club meeting.

Farrell joined UBS in 2021 as a senior vice president, responsible for managing the financial affairs of high-net-worth families in Fort Worth, West Texas, and southeast New Mexico, most with a large concentration in oil and gas assets.

Before joining UBS, he spent 10 years at J.P.Morgan.

East joined UBS in 2021, after departing J.P.Morgan’s private bank as an executive director specializing in investments and portfolio management.

He spent nearly 15 years with J.P.Morgan, where he most recently worked in the Fort Worth Private Bank advising high-net-worth clients.