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NEW MEXICO THE SUNDAY JOURNAL ●●
B
August 9, 2009

Agency from an outlaw

Research
Faring Centers
Well In Continue
Turmoil To Thrive
Land Commissioner ■Lawmakers’ $3 million
Claims Flat Budget gamble in 1983 pays off
By Martin Salazar
By Dan Boyd Journal Staff Writer
Journal Capitol Bureau
Their cutting-edge research is set-
SANTA FE — While most ting the stage for smaller computers
of New Mexico’s state govern- and faster Internet.
ment agencies could be facing It’s being used to determine how
furloughs, salary reductions to safely transport potentially haz-
or fewer workdays in light of ardous materials and to make air
revenue shortfalls, at least one bags safer. Then there’s the diamond
state office seems to be sitting manufacturing.
pretty despite the economic It’s all in a day’s work for scientists
turmoil. at centers for excellence at the Univer-
Public Lands Commissioner sity of New Mexico and New Mexico
Pat Lyons said his office has Tech.
downsized its staff during the Much of the nationally recognized
last six years and operated research at UNM’s Center for High
under a flat budget. Technology Materials and New
During the same time, over- Mexico Tech’s Energetic Materials
all New Mexico state govern- Research and Testing Center likely
ment spending wouldn’t have been
has grown by possible without seed
about 40 per- money provided by

S
ARY/ THE ASS OCIATED pRES
cent, driven the state Legislature
in large part 26 years ago.
by increases “It was absolutely
in employee critical,” said Steve
compensation Brueck, director of
and the size of UNM’s center. “The
the total work center would not
force. LYONS: Cut- exist without that BRUECK:
“I just think backs in Land seed money. There’s Startup mon-
it’s a different Office seem absolutely no ques- ey was criti-
O CHAVEz HISTORY LIbR

philosophy in unlikely tion about that.” cal to center

government,” Brueck added that
Lyons, a Cuer- the $1.65 million allocated by the Leg-
vo rancher and Republican who islature in 1983 to establish his center
was first elected in 2002 and allowed UNM to attract internation-
was re-elected in 2006, said in ally known faculty.
a recent interview. “You can’t In Socorro, where the Energetic
just increase the size of govern- Materials Research and Testing Cen-
ment in good times or you end ter has grown into the university’s
COURTESY FRAY ANg ELIC

up in a bad situation.” largest research division, Research

Unlike most state agencies, Vice President Van Romero tells a
the independently elected com- similar story.
missioner of public lands and “We would not be where we are
his State Land Office don’t rely today without that money, and I would
on the Legislature for operat- say that has resulted in at least 150
ing expenses and the commis- full time jobs in the Socorro area as
sioner has more freedom to set a result of that investment that was
his own budget. made back in the ’80s — permanent

written by
The Land Office takes its jobs,” Romero said.
annual budget of nearly $14 The center created at New Mexico
million from revenue gener- Tech in the ’80s eventually merged
ated for public schools and with an existing center at the Socorro
other beneficiaries. The reve- school to form what is now the Ener-

BILLY THE kID

nue comes chiefly from leasing getic Materials Research and Testing
state trust land and subsurface Center. But Romero said the $1.3 mil-
mineral rights. lion in seed money from the Legisla-
During the recently com- ture allowed Tech to move beyond its
pleted budget year, the Land work in support of military opera-
Office earned $537 million tions and to branch out and conduct
through royalties, leases and research on such things as commer-
other land deals.
More than 90 percent of that
revenue — which is the second-
Library Has Legendary Gunslinger’s Notes to the Governor cial explosives.
“It added the research aspect to the
testing facility that already existed,”
highest figure in the agency’s he said. Romero said Tech took the
history — came from the oil By Deborah Baker But in a boon to history lovers
seed money and recruited interna-
and gas industry. and Billy the Kid buffs, that March

S
The Associated Press tional experts.
Under Lyons’ administration, 1881 letter and an earlier letter to
ANTA FE — The As UNM prepares to celebrate the
the Land Office has increased the governor from New Mexico’s
handwritten letter to 25th anniversary of its center, which
the number of oil and gas wells most famous outlaw are now in a
the governor is polite, it refers to as the CHTM, it is crediting
operating on state land, which state history library in Santa Fe
articulate and to the state lawmakers for taking a gamble
has helped revenue numbers and available for public viewing.
point. and providing the startup money.
stay at a high level despite a Bob McCubbin of Santa Fe,
“Dear Sir,” begins the missive. According to UNM, the Legislature
drop in the prices of oil and president of the Wild West History
“I wish you would come down to allocated $7 million for five centers
gas. Association, said the letters are an
the jail and see me.” for technical excellence based at the
Lyons recently informed absolute treasure.
The sender of the letter to ter- state’s three research universities.
employees in the Land Office “Anybody that has any interest
ritorial governor Lew Wallace was Another center set up at UNM even-
that they likely won’t be forced in Billy the Kid would be thrilled
none other than Billy the Kid, the tually became the heart of the Mind
to cut back on hours or take to see a letter that he actually
legendary gunslinger who was Research Network, which is dedicated
unpaid days off, regardless of wrote,” McCubbin said.
being held in the Santa Fe jail to brain imaging, neurodiagnostic
how lawmakers decide to plug The letters have been out of the
at the time. Just four months and mental illness research.
a budget gap that some fear later, the Kid was gunned Two centers set up at New Mexico
could exceed $300 million. down by Sheriff Pat Garrett. State, meanwhile, are no longer
Currently, 155 people are See LIBRARY on PAGE B4
operating.
employed by the Land Office UNM’s center has attracted more
statewide, a figure that’s two ABOVE: This photo provided by the Fray Angelico Chavez History than $100 million in contracts and
positions fewer than when Library shows a letter dated March 1881 written by Billy the Kid to grants since it was established. Its
Lyons took office. New Mexico Gov. Lew Wallace. This and another letter are now in researchers have been awarded 65
Meanwhile, the state’s execu- a state history library and available for public viewing. LEFT: This patents, and eight companies have
tive branch grew by more than undated ferrotype picture is believed to depict William Bonney, started from research that began at
also known as Billy the Kid, circa 1880.
See LAND on PAGE B4 See RESEARCH on PAGE B4

Actors Take Their Place in the Scenery

N
athan Gleason is and I did pretty good. Right “It doesn’t mean they work
one of the hardest Reel N.M. away, boom, the same cast- every day, but they make a
working actors in ing director called me up living,” Savage said.
the business. and then for a while I worked The pay isn’t great, and can
Though he’s been in more on 20 movies, boom, boom, start as low as $7 an hour,
than 100 films, you probably boom.” though Savage and others
don’t know his face. But films He’s a guy in the crowd, or say they don’t like to work
like “Wild Hogs” and “3:10 to walking down a dusty street, on films that pay less than
Yuma” wouldn’t have been or running from a building, $8.50-an-hour for background
the same without him or a or sitting in a car. work. Savage said she and
handful of others who have Casting director Gwyn others in the casting world
carved out a niche as profes- DAN MAYFIELD Savage of www.filmsavage. have worked to increase pay
Of the Journal
sional background actors.
“Back when they did ‘Elvis
Has Left The Building’ some
people said, ‘Yeah, I worked

an extra before.
“I saw a casting call for one
com, said she’s found about
30 reliable full-time extras.
In her files though, she has
hundreds of head shots and
for background talent, espe-
cially the reliable workers.
The hours are long. The
food on the set can stink. The jIM THOMpSON/jOURNAL
on that,’ ” Gleason said. called ‘The Longest Yard’ résumés of people who do an directors don’t always have
It was all new to him. He’d and I went and got 20 days of occasional stint as a back- Nathan Gleason, left, and Nathan Simmons are full-time back-
never thought of working as work, 12-Reel N.M. days,
and 14-hour ground extra. See ACTORS on PAGE B5 ground extras for the movie industry in New Mexico.