Dear NMEE Members and Friends,

It is my pleasure to introduce the 2010 NMEE Board of Directors!  We will not have an election for the Board this year since the number of people accepting their nominations exactly matched the number of vacancies.

Kind regards,

Lisa Van De Graaff
2009 Election Coordinator

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PRESIDENT: Roger Martínez y Mondragón
A Spanish-Basque-American, Roger has been involved with NM-Euskal-Etxea since the first Tapas dinner. His extensive credentials include:

* Two terms NMEE director, picnic chairman (all attending had a wonderful time)
* Two presidential terms, NM-Addiction-Counselors-Association
* Two terms board member, National-Association-of-Addiction-Counselors
* Two terms secretary Caballeros-de-Vargas
* Caballero of the Year, 2001
* OLG, Secretary/Treasurer
* OLG Mayordomo President, currently a past president
* NM-Licensing-&-Therapy-Practice-Board, chairman Education Standards Committee
* NMEE Vice President, 2009.

Roger is a licensed addiction counselor and presents workshops in NM, coast-to-coast nationally (Boston-to-Berkeley) & internationally, Montreal. Roger is also a professional photographer and owns Sweet Dreamz Photography.

PAST-PRESIDENT: Vacant

VICE-PRESIDENT: Blas Pedro Uberuaga
Blas was born and raised in Idaho, the son and grandson of Basque sheepherders. As a child, Blas participated in Basque dancing, and while in college, he spent a year in San Sebastian learning Euskara. Blas has spent much of his adult life promoting Basque culture throughout the world via his website: www.buber.net. He was a part of the formation of the Seattle Basque Club and is a Founding Member of NMEE. The many friends he has made being a part of NMEE have been wonderful, and he looks forward to making many more.

SECRETARY/TREASURER: The role will be shared by Karen Squires & Lisa Van De Graaff
Karen was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is a Founding Member of NMEE. She currently manages The Spanish Table in Santa Fe which sells food and cookware from Spain including the Basque Country. Her job gave her the opportunity to visit the Basque Country and to learn about Basque culture which she enjoys immensely, especially the food. She is excited to serve as Secretary/Treasurer on this year’s Board. Eskerrik asko.

Lisa grew up in Idaho, where a rich Basque culture thrives. Since marrying into a Basque family and having a child, she finds herself eager to ensure family and cultural traditions are honored (in particular, food, language, books, and travel). As Secretary/Treasurer, she plans to utilize her skills in project management to keep us on task and her appreciation of Basque culture to approach our mission in innovative ways.

DIRECTORS:

Sherry Morrison
Sherry was born of a Mexican-Basque father and an American mother. During her childhood, her father often told stories of her ancestors and their migration from the Basque Country to North America. It has always been her desire to learn more about her ancestors and heritage, and now that she is retired and an active member of NMEE, she has the perfect venue to do so.

Louis Ollivier-Amestoy
Louis was raised in a Basque Hotel and Restaurant in Bakersfield, CA. After attending St. Mary’s College, CA, he studied in Spain before attending UNM for graduate study. He retired from the CIA, taught at Western NM Univ. for 9 years and is currently a NM State Court interpreter. He resides in Albuquerque and has been an NMEE board member for 2 years.

Patricia “Tricia” Erazo Penn
Tricia, a native of Santiago, Chile, grew up in the Midwest. Tricia’s surname, Erazo, is of Basque heritage, and her uncle, Carlos Erazo, returned to and currently lives in Bilbao. Tricia moved to Santa Fe from St. Paul, Minnesota in August of 1992. In September of 2007, after completing her eighth year as the special education director for Santa Fe Public Schools, Tricia retired. She is a member of good-standing in NMEE and served on the Board this past year. Tricia also has Rh negative blood, like most Basques!

Eva Valencia de Himmerich
Eva was born in Irvine, CA and attended schools in California where she had many Basque classmates as friends. Her maternal great-grandfather, Herculano Borboa, is said to have come to Mexico from the Basque provinces with the French army in 1862 and stayed after the removal of Emperor Maximilian in 1865.

After earning a BA in Theatre Arts with a dance emphasis from Cal State, Fullerton, and a teaching credential for Bilingual Ed, Eva and her husband Bob moved to Santa Fe. She earned an MA at UNM in Multicultural Education and has taught in the Santa Fe School District and at the Santa Fe Community College. She is currently on the Executive Board of the La Sociedad Folklórica de Santa Fe.

Dear Basque Club Members and Friends,

NMEE needs YOU, your ideas, and your enthusiasm for its 2010 Board of Directors!

Nominations may come from anyone interested in the club, and self-nomination is encouraged. Nomination forms may be sent by mail with the enclosed form, or you may email your nominations to lisa@buber.net. The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, August 25, 2009.

Any member of NMEE in good standing may run for office. Members in good standing as of Sept 1, 2009 will vote by numbered ballot mailed to each member’s address of record. Votes will be cast by mail in sealed envelopes, and votes will be opened and counted at the Meeting of the Membership in October (sorry mail only, no email for voting).

Per our bylaws, the 2009 Vice-President, Roger Martinez y Mondragon, will rotate into the position of 2010 President. We will elect a Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, and four Directors for the 2010 Board. Please see the attached document for more information on each of these roles.

Modifications to the club’s Bylaws may also be presented to the membership for approval. If you would like a suggest a Bylaw change, please contact a member of the 2009 Board as soon as possible since only changes approved by the Board by September 15, 2009 will be included in this year’s election.

Election 2009 Calendar of Events

AUG 10 Nomination forms sent via email to electronic distribution and by mail to members without email.

AUG 25 Deadline for nomination form submission to Election Coordinator

SEP 1 Deadline for membership in NMEE to run for office and/or vote in this election.

SEP 15 Deadline for Board approved bylaw changes.
(Note that you will have to submit bylaw change recommendations
to the Board for approval well ahead of this deadline.)

SEP 15 Deadline for nomination acceptance and written quote for ballot.

SEP 22 Ballots will be mailed to Members’ homes.

OCT 10 Deadline for Ballot submission (Mail in sealed envelope to Election Coordinator or bring it with you to the Meeting of the Membership.)

OCT 10 Votes will be counted at the Meeting of the Membership
(6pm - At the Home of Paul and Sherry Morrison.)

JAN 1, 2010 New Board of Directors begins its term

Please contact me with any questions or comments about the election. Also, I could use some assistance with the assembly and mailing of the ballots in mid September - Let me know if you are interested.

Kind regards,

Lisa Van De Graaff
2009 NMEE Election Coordinator
lisa@buber.net
505-670-9474

We couldn’t let a year go by without tapas and pintxos! Join us at El Farol in Santa Fe for good food and fun.

6pm
$25 per person (includes four tapas and dessert, but not beverages)

Space is limited!  To reserve your space, send a check made out to NMEE to:
Sherry Morrison
4313 Lone Raven Ln
Santa Fe, NM 8750

Contact: Sherry Morrison 505.474.3254 / pvtortuga@hotmail.com

Check out the latest NMEE Newsletter at: July 2009 NMEE News
Thank you to Tricia Erazo Penn and Roger Martínez y Mondragón for pulling this together!

2005-2008 Newsletters are available in the Archive.

Winner of Spain’s National Prize for Literature, read Obabakoak and join us for dinner and a lively discussion in Santa Fe!

RSVP: Lisa Van De Graaff at lisa@buber.net

Join us in a celebration of New Mexico’s newest museum!

New Mexico Euskal Etxea will participate in the one-hour interfaith service in Santa Fe’s St. Francis Cathedral Basilica starting at 10 AM on Monday the 25th. We will then join in the procession across the Plaza and down the very short distance to the main entrance of the New Mexico History Museum. The procession will likely take 30 minutes. If you wish to participate in the procession only, meet us towards the southeast side of the Cathedral at 10:45-11am. Period dress is appropriate but not necessary.

For more information about the museum and this weekend’s opening celebrations, see these web sites:
http://media.museumofnewmexico.org/press_releases.php?action=detail&releaseID=68
http://www.nmhistorymuseum.org/

Saturday, August 15, 2009
1:00PM
Hyde Park, Group Site #3

Potluck Meal, Traditional Games, and Fun!!!

Tickets available at the site:
Free for members / $10 non-members / children 12 & under are free
Hyde Park will charge $5 per car for parking

Prepare a dish to share, gather your family & friends, and come enjoy an afternoon of great food and fun games. Bring your fold-out spectator chairs and cheer on the competitors or participate!

If you plan to bring wine, remember your bota bag, since glass is not allowed.

Directions:
Hyde Park is Northeast of Santa Fe, located below the Santa Fe Ski Basin.
Heading North on St. Francis Drive, cross Cerrillos Road.
Turn right on Paseo de Peralta.
Turn left on Washington Ave.
Turn right on Artist Road.
Continue on Hyde Park Road, past the Ranger’s Station. The picnic is on your right, at Group Site #3.

For more information, or to volunteer:
Roger Martínez y Mondragón at 575.779.9378 / Dragon1492 @aol.com

Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta, 1915-1976 (Founder, Mondragon Cooperatives)The Mondragón Cooperatives in the Basque region of Spain are the oldest and most successful worker-owned cooperatives in the world.

Come hear what made them possible and why they continue to prosper in these difficult economic times.

Presenter: Lisa Aldon, MA, CPP
Thursday, April 23, 6:00pm
Santa Fe Complex, 624 Agua Fria St, Santa Fe

A friend of NMEE, Michael Martin Meléndrez, invites us to a beautiful day at The Arboretum Tomé in Los Lunas, New Mexico. Thank you, Michael, for this wonderful opportunity!
Click here for flyer: Arboretum Tomé Flyer.

As you may know, the Basque people are particularly fond of oak trees, with the common oak species of our homeland being the Quercus robur, sometimes called the English Oak. Since the middle ages the elders or leaders of each village would assemble under an oak tree to conduct the affairs of the village. One tree in particular became a symbol of Basque nationalism, called the Gernikako Arbola or “the Tree of Gernika”. Gernikako Arbola is also the title of a song celebrating the tree and Basque freedom. It’s the unofficial anthem of the Basques.

A progeny of the famous Gernika oak growing in my arboretum in Los Lunas is now about 20 years old and 25 feet tall. The arboretum is one of the largest species collections of oaks in the United States and the largest collection in the world of oak species native to the Southwest. The garden and collections is called the Arboretum Tomé and it’s where I live and conduct my two businesses - Trees That Please and Soil Secrets. On May 16, 2009, I’ll open the site to the public for a day long picnic and self guided tour of the trees, all labeled. In the afternoon I’ll have live easy listening music and in the morning some lectures on proper tree planting techniques, how to make your soil healthy for gardening and so forth. Anyway, the day is free and everyone is invited.

Have you wondered how to say hello in Basque? How to ask for directions? How to count to one hundred?

The next Euskara Lesson will be taught by Blas Uberuaga in Santa Fe.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009
7:00 - 9:00pm

Food & beverages will be served.

Future classes are tentatively scheduled for the third Tuesday of each month and are taught by either Bradley Williams or Blas Uberuaga.

R.S.V.P. Contact Lisa Van De Graaff at lisa@buber.net if you would like to participate in this or future classes.