El Conquistador

Hall of Honor Recipients Selected

      Four outstanding El Pasoans have been elected to the 2011 El Paso County Historical Society's Hall of Honor. They are Dr. Mimi Reisel Gladstein, Rosa Guerrero, Lee Moor and John Henry Stockmeyer. The Hall of Honor strives to recognize individuals who have made lasting contributions to El Paso. Each of these four individuals has contributed much to the culture and diversity of this region. Join us to honor them on Sunday, November 6th at 7:00 p.m. at the Hall of Honor Dinner at the El Paso Country Club.

      In the past, we honored one living individual and two individuals posthumously. This year, the bylaws were amended to include two living persons. The Hall of Honor Selection Committee, chaired by Pat Worthington, met in July and reviewed both the current and past nominations to select the honorees. In adherence to the bylaws, the other committee members are not named.

      Hall of Honor Banquet Chair Mary Haynes promises an entertaining and enlightening evening. Join us for cocktails at 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:00 and presentation of the awards. Your invitation is in the mail or just call the Society at (915) 533-3603 and reserve your place. The cost is $60 per person. We look forward to seeing you.

Celebrate Tom Lea Month at the Burges House

      The EPCHS joins other community partners in celebrating Tom Lea Month by hosting J. P. Bryan, collector and historian, at our quarterly meeting on Sunday, October 23rd at 2:00 p.m. at the Burges House.

      Join us to hear Mr. Bryan share insights on "Tom Lea and El Paso's Constellation of Artists". Through his love of history and collecting, Mr. Bryan knows the extraordinary work of El Paso artists Tom Lea, Carl Hertzog and José Cisneros. He will discuss the collaboration among these men, and the remarkable results of their combined talents

      Mr. Bryan is a sixth-generation Texan who graduated from UT-Austin Law School. In 1981 he formed Torch Energy which led to his being named 1995 Entrepreneur of the Year. He and his wife, Mary Jon, bought the Gage Hotel in Marfa and began its restoration. They have initiated the Torch Collection, the largest private collection of Texana. It contains over 10,000 items that offer visitors a rare view into the history of the West. Mr. Bryan is chair-elect of the Tom Lea Institute board of directors.

President's Message

Dear Society Members,

      The fall session is in full swing and a lot of exciting things are happening at the EPCHS

      After the Texas State Historical Association's annual meeting in El Paso last March, Sam Moore recommended that our Society establish a foundation. Sam also offered to help us in this endeavor.

      The idea of a foundation led to other ideas that we would like to accomplish such as an Institute of History. This would eventually include those organizations and libraries in our county that deal with archives as well as history. An emphasis would be placed on education through school projects and scholarships.

      The ideas go on and on and we are encouraged by the fact that certain people are in place to help bring these ideas into reality. Herb Price is a board member with extensive experience in non-profits. He is the son-in-law of Sheldon Hall who we inducted a few years ago into our Hall of Honor. Herb has given generously of his time and expertise.

      Elias Bonilla presented an exciting idea at our October board meeting concerning assistance from a well-known foundation. We also consider social networking to be vital in this technical age and see this as a great way to include young people our plans.

      I welcome your input as well so let me hear from you.

            Yes, history matters!
                It connects.
                It sustains
                It inspires.
                Mary Jo Melby

Slate of Nominees Presented

      The nominating committee presented the slate of nominees for 2012 at the board meeting held on October 4th. Richard Worthington, current board member, stated that the slate of nominees was well qualified and eager to serve. The general membership will vote on the nominees at our quarterly board meeting to be held on Sunday, October 23rd at 2:00 p.m. at the Burges House.

      The nominees for the board include: Keith Erickson, Fred Evans, Will Harvey, Ron Lyman, Bernie Sargent, Maureen Singleton and Casey S. Stevenson. The nominees for officers are: Mary Jo Melby, President; Mary Haynes, first vice-president; Pat Worthington, second vice-president; Ellie Fenton, third vice-president; Magda Flores, recording secretary; Sandy Gibson, corresponding secretary; and Richard Worthington, historian.

Join Us at the Hall of Honor Banquet

      Nominations for the 2011 Hall have closed and preparations are underway for the November 6, 2011, Hall of Honor Banquet at the El Paso Country Club. Mary Haynes, chairman of the Hall of Honor Banquet Committee, has been working on the details of the event.
      We received several new nominations this year from a variety of sources. The Selection Committee chaired by Pat Worthington has met to review the nominations and the honorees will be announced at the September board meeting.

Dr. Mimi Reisel Gladstein

      Dr. Gladstein was born Miriam Reisel seventy-five years ago in Leon, Nicaragua. Her sister, Holli Berry, relates that their parents fled Poland just as things were getting very threatening. Their grandparents' business was confiscated and their bank accounts closed. The Reisels left their family and friends to go to Nicaragua where they didn't even know the language. After two years, the Reisel family entered the United States and lived in Las Cruces for six years before moving to El Paso. Dr. Reisel attended Dudley School, graduated from Mesita then El Paso High. By the time she earned her B.A. and M.A. from Texas Western College, she was Mimi Reisel Gladstein. She and her husband, Jay, have three children, Cliff, Denise and Alfred. She earned a Masters in Theatre Arts and then a Ph.D. in Contemporary American Literature from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

      In supporting Dr. Gladstein's nomination to the Hall of Honor, Diana Natalicio, president of UTEP, states that she can think of no other person whose combined readiness and ability have so effectively pushed the Paso del Norte forward. In 1981, Dr. Gladstein helped found and served as the first director of UTEP's Women's Studies Program. Dr. Gladstein held a number of administrative positions at UTEP. She has chaired the English Department twice, directed the Western Cultural Heritage program, served as Associate Dean of Liberal Arts, and chaired the Department of Theatre, Dance and film. As executive director of UTEP's Diamond Jubilee, she created a year-long celebration that brought together the city and the university.

      Her interests are far flung. The early research she and Lester Standiford did to counter the negative publicity after the 1966 UTEP Miner's NCAA basketball championship created a foundation for a turn around in media attitude. Dr. Gladstein considers herself fortunate to have been the friend of some of the pioneer Chicano writers and is a member of the Chicano Studies faculty. She and Daniel Chacon co-edited a book The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes: Selected Works of José Antonio Burciaga which was recognized with the American Book Award, a Southwest Book Award and a Latino Book Award.

      In an attempt to provide students with an example of a successful female character in literature, she began assigning Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged for her class. This led her to write one of the earliest academic articles about Rand as a literary figure. She later wrote or edited several other works about the author including The Ayn Rand Companion and Feminist Interpretations of Ayn Rand. In 1986, Dr. Gladstein published The Indestructible Woman in Faulkner, Hemingway, and Steinbeck. Her work related to Steinbeck has won multiple awards. She received the John J. and Angeline Pruis Award for Steinbeck Teacher of the Decade (1978-1987), and in 1996 she received the Burkhardt Award for Outstanding Contributions to Steinbeck Studies. Dr. Gladstein has served as president of both the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association and the South Central Society for Eighteenth Century Studies.

      She is recognized as a key figure in the struggle for Women's Rights in El Paso. At UTEP, she was the first female faculty member to teach a Women's Studies course and subsequently, the first director of the Women's Studies Program. Dr. Gladstein fought to improve the climate for women students and faculty. In addition to her battle for women's rights on campus, she led a movement in her synagogue which resulted in women being given Torah honors as men were.

      This year she was elected to the El Paso Women's Hall of Fame.

Rosa Guerrero

      Rosa Guerrero has earned many honors throughout her lifetime. One of her proudest moments was in 1993 when she became the first living educator, first artist and first Hispanic woman in the history of El Paso to have a school named in her honor. Texas Governor Ann Richards was present for the dedication of the Rosa Guerrero Elementary School.

      Rosa Ramirez Guerrero was born in El Paso on November 14, 1934 to Josefina and Pedro Ramirez. She and her two sisters and four brothers grew up in the historic Sunset Heights neighborhood. She decided in the third grade that she wanted to be a teacher because the teachers she had were not kind and did not understand her cultural background. She accomplished that dream by graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso with a masters in bilingual education and teaching for 20 years. She started her teaching career at Austin High School.

      Along the way, her efforts promoted cultural awareness and resulted in her developing the first intercultural programs within the El Paso Public schools. Dance is the medium that Mrs. Guerrero uses to bring people together. Known as the "grand lady of Mexican folklorico dance in El Paso and Juarez, she organized in 1975 the International Folklorico Dance Group with the mission of promoting awareness by providing opportunities in education, entertainment and artistic expression through dance. Her dance group performed for President Reagan in Washington, D. C., in 1983 as well as a performance at the Kennedy Center in 1991. Her film "Tapestry" which focuses on creating cultural harmony and understanding won a national award for documentary filmmaking.

      Her list of honors are numerous and includes being inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1994, Outstanding Woman in the Arts, Outstanding Hispanic of El Paso and UTEP Distinguished Alumnus. Southwest Senior named her the Best Older El Pasoan Who's Made a Difference. She's also received the Valley Forge Freedoms Foundation Award, the LULAC Arts and Humanities Award, the NEA Human Civil Rights George T. Sanchez Award, and the Mexican Consulate OHTLI Award for her work with Mexican-Americans and other minorities.

      She has volunteered her time at Nazareth Hall, La Fe Preparatory School and the Las Palmas Children's unit. Mrs. Guerrero has become the spokeswoman for Las Palmas Medical Center and her face is on billboards across the city as well as on television. The increased exposure and recognition led her to "feel like a movie star".

      She is married to Sergio Guerrero, former Coronado High School basketball coach and teacher. They have three children Sergio, Ana and Roland and are grandparents to five.

      Rosa Guerrero continues to inspire her friends and her community with her message of hope. She reminds us all to value ourselves.

Lee Moor

      The "Rags to Riches" story is almost a cliché, but it describes the story of Lee Moor. Born in Lamar, Texas, in November 1870, his parents Joseph Fitzgerald Moor and Sally Neely Moor separated within a year of his birth. His formal education ended after the third grade and he started working to support himself and his mother. He started working for the Cottonbelt Railroad where he eventually was promoted to station master in Hillsboro. It was there that he met Beulah Ethel Johnson, a schoolteacher, whom he married two years later. They moved to into a two-room adobe house near Wildy Well in New Mexico. Mr. Moor went to work for his father and Oliver Lee. Sometime later the couple moved to Orogrande, NM, settled on public land and begin ranching on their own. They worked hard, lived frugally and saved $10,000 after three years and decided to give up ranching. Taking the money and several teams of mules, the couple moved to El Paso. They bought a large home on Yandell Street in the Sunset Heights area. Mrs. Moor began a rooming house business and Mr. Moor started an excavating and contract business which he closed in 1907. In 1910 Mr. Moor went into business with George Orr and W. A. Rawls to form the Lee Moor Contracting Company. The business required constant relocation and the Moors left El Paso and returned in 1916. The company remained in business until 1955.

      Mr. Moor had acquired 400 acres of farmland in "La Isla de San Elizario" in the Lower Valley. He gradually bought more land until he owned 3600 acres of prime farmland in El Paso County and 1,040 acres in southern Arizona. He took the opportunity to buy some Hereford stock and grazed them on land not under cultivation on his El Paso County farmland. The venture proved profitable and he expanded his efforts to Hudspeth County and Mexico. While well known in the city of El Paso, Mr. Moor was equally well known and well respected in the Lower Valley where there is now a campus of the children's home and some of his farming interests. According to Hawley Richeson, author of Lee Moor Shirt Pocket Tycoon, Mr. Moor developed a devoted relationship with his farm workers, most of whom were of Mexican descent. When the workers decided that they were too old to work, he would give them a small pension and allow them to continue living on the farm. In many instances several generations of the same family worked for the Lee Moor farming enterprises.

      He became involved with Albert T. Woods in a venture to construct natural gas pipelines throughout New Mexico and west Texas which evolved into the Southern Union Gas Company

      Lee and Beulah Moore had one child, their daughter Betty Lee who married John MacGuire. The MacGuires had two daughters, Pamela and Carol.

      The Moors achieved great wealth and they shared their fortune with the county of El Paso. The University of Texas at El Paso and Providence Memorial Hospital were two of their many philanthropic and charitable activities. In 1949 Lee Moor created a trust that established the "children's home." that opened in December 1959. The main campus is located on Cliff Drive with programs and services for residential care, foster care and group homes, counseling and adoption. Today, the institution includes a Lower Valley campus, seven off campus cottages and a recreational camp in New Mexico.

      Much of the information for this article was taken from "Lee Moor: The Man and His Legacy" by Barbara Dent which was published in Password, Volume 46, No. 4, Winter, 2001.

John H. Stockmeyer

      John Henry Stockmeyer was born in Mexico on February 14, 1901 to John and Marie Stockmeyer. He was known as Hansy or Johnny to his friends. Mr. Stockmeyer was well loved by those who knew him and built a reputation in international relations and business.

      Mr. Stockmeyer was a Charter Life Member of the El Paso County Historical Society and a member of the El Paso Pioneer Association. He was an honorary member of the El Paso Rotary Club and the Pan American Roundtable. He was also Honorary Mexican Consul in El Paso.

      He managed the Cruz Blanca Brewery in Juarez, Mexico, for many years. He was also a home builder.

      His interests were varied. He was a charter member of the El Paso Sheriff's posse and a founder of the Charro Association of Juarez , Mexico.

      He served on a number of advisory boards including those at Hotel Dieu and the Banco Mercantil of Mexico. He served as a member of the UTEP Commission in 1973 and was a director-at-large of the Sun Carnival Association with an emphasis on international relations.

      He was a devoted husband and father. He married Consuelo Fernandez Stockmeyer and they had four children Juan Stockmeyer, Jr. (deceased), Patricia Stockmeyer, Frederika Stockmeyer and Hilda Lewels.

      In nominating him, his daughter Hilda Lewels stated that her father embodied the spirit of international cooperation and friendship between peoples of different cultures. She said that she nominated him not only because of his accomplishments over a period of 50 years of El Paso history, but al because of his vision and creative spirit, and for all the things he did behind the scenes to make El Paso a special place to live.

IT HAPPENED IN EL PASO - OCTOBER
Richard Bussell

Here's an idea we could bring back - the 7th of the month, 1882, is the inaugural day for our first streetcars - and the world's first International streetcar. Would a tourist ride a streetcar?

One esteemed visitor to our city in 1898 was Rabbi Cohen. On or about the 10th, our Jewish citizens encouraged him to stay and thus was formed Mt. Sinai Congregation. Ernest Krause would build the first Temple Mt. Sinai at the southeast corner of Boulevard (Yandell) and Oregon.
We have two railroad notes for the month. The demolition of our first (GH&SA/SP) depot at Main and Kansas was begun on Monday the 22nd in 1923, and in 1881, the 29th marks the formal opening of the Santa Fe's depot at Santa Fe and 6th.

REPCHS Hires Administrator

You may have heard that we have a new employee at Burges House. The El Paso County Historical Society hired Sara Belger at the beginning of September as an administrator. Her main tasks have included assisting with the plans for the general meeting in October and the Hall of Honor Banquet in November, answering the phones at Burges House, and completing other general office tasks.

Sara has worked in non-profits focusing on everything from public health to literacy and adult education for six years. She has also done volunteer work at the Galena Historical Society in her former hometown of Galena, Illinois. She received a college scholarship from the Galena Historical Society in 2006 for her written work about Galena's Old Jail. She has her Bachelor's degree from Knox College in International Relations.

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