HOUSE MEMORIAL 91

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

Brian Egolf









A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING SOCORRO ARAGON AND HER TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS AT THE NEW MEXICO HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.



WHEREAS, after a lifetime of dedicated public advocacy, Socorro Aragón is retiring from the New Mexico house of representatives, where she serves as the human resources director; and

WHEREAS, Socorro first worked for the legislature in 1970 and then continuously from 1991 to 2019 and will complete twenty-eight years of service in the New Mexico house of representatives at the end of the 2019 legislative session; and

WHEREAS, if there were a competition and team captains were choosing players, Socorro would be the first pick every time; and

WHEREAS, that is because Socorro is universally known as smart and competent, a go-getter, organized and, most important, a team player; and

WHEREAS, Socorro is well known for her commitment to preserving and promoting the Spanish history and culture of northern New Mexico; and

WHEREAS, Socorro was raised in a family compound that stretched from Canyon road to the acequia Madre, where the influence of her close and caring family carried over a lifetime; and

WHEREAS, that sense of community and deep reverence for her Catholic faith also continues to guide Socorro; and

WHEREAS, in celebration of her personal history, Socorro was a 1953 fiesta de Santa Fe princess and the mother of two fiesta de Santa Fe queens; and

WHEREAS, Socorro graduated from Santa Fe high school, New Mexico highlands university with a bachelor's degree in education and the university of New Mexico with a master's degree; and

WHEREAS, while attending New Mexico highlands university, Socorro met her husband, Arthur, a Korean conflict veteran, who died in 2016; and

WHEREAS, Socorro and Arthur had five daughters: Carla Aragón and her husband Allen Lewis, Michelle Marmion and her husband Danny Marmion, Dora Anaya, Contessa Serna and her husband Steve Serna and Camille Aragón; and goddaughter, Socorro Ojeda and her mother, Zulema Ojeda; and

WHEREAS, Socorro also has eleven grandchildren: Justin Marmion, Brittany Marmion, Miranda Anaya, Art Anaya, Estevan Serna, Marisol Serna, Antonio Serna, Jordan Montoya, Alayna Montoya, Olivia Montoya and Carlos Contreras; and five great-grandchildren: Jameson Marmion, Zane Romero, JJ Contreras, Ariyah Contreras and Emma Contreras; and

WHEREAS, Socorro is a former Santa Fe high school home economics teacher who is remembered for her work with Governor Jerry Apodaca's office of job training in the 1970s, where she helped many low-income youth enroll in a variety of job training programs, and that experience launched her into a position as a bureau chief with the former New Mexico labor department, where she was one of the first women to be hired in management; and

WHEREAS, Socorro spearheaded the creation of Santa Fe's Cathedral park, overseeing every aspect of the endeavor from making sure donors' names were spelled correctly to following up with the brick foundry to ensure the bricks had the right burnish and were shipped in the correct order; and

WHEREAS, in honor of her dedication to preserving and celebrating the achievements of Spanish settlers in New Mexico, Socorro was honored with a proclamation from King Juan Carlos of Spain with the prestigious "Order of Isabella the Catholic" award given to Spaniards and a select number of non-Spaniards; and

WHEREAS, in 2014, Socorro was chosen by the Santa Fe New Mexican as one of ten who made a difference, highlighting her dedication to Spanish culture and her significant contributions to her community, and as a founding board member, she helped spearhead El Rancho de las Golondrinas living history museum and friends of the palace of governors and helped in the effort to get the New Mexico history museum built; and

WHEREAS, in 2015, Socorro was named a Santa Fe living treasure, recognizing her impact and tireless work throughout her lifetime for the benefit of her hometown, Santa Fe; and

WHEREAS, Socorro is known for her sharp sense of humor and used it to great advantage in more than a dozen historical plays she wrote and directed and in which she performed for the women's group and La Sociedad Folklorica, and in one play, she showcased New Mexico politics and the "Mama Lucy Gang"; and

WHEREAS, Socorro's friends describe her as a woman who is all about loyalty and love, strength and grace; and

WHEREAS, Socorro describes herself as a teacher at heart, someone who uses her teaching skills to find the good in a person and then help the person develop it; and

WHEREAS, Socorro's philosophy has been a blessing to everyone who has had the privilege of knowing and working with her, from the maintenance staff to the governor's office;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that recognition be extended to Socorro Aragón for the knowledge, guidance, compassion and humor she has shared with her colleagues and friends in her twenty-eight years at the New Mexico house of representatives; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to Socorro Aragón and the family of Socorro Aragón.

- 5 -