Marshall Mecham

The 81st annual Eddy County Fair is set for July 21-25, and 17-year-old Bailey Trujillo said she is ready.

Fair participation

Trujillo will participate in several events during the week, including livestock shows and singing performances.

Before the fair, Trujillo will ride on the Artesia FFA float in the Eddy County Fair Parade at 7 p.m. Friday, July 17. The parade begins at Bulldog Bowl and ends on Second Street.

After that, the events she is participating in will be held at the Eddy County Fairgrounds, beginning with livestock and prospect yearling check-in from 7-10 a.m. Monday, July 20. Later that night, she will sing “My Jesus” and “Goodness of God” during Cowboy Church at 7 p.m.

Trujillo will participate in the Market Goat Show at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. She will then make a quick turnaround for the Prospect Yearling Class at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 22. She also will participate in the Market Lamb Show on Thursday, July 23, 15 minutes after the James Hamilton Breeding Sheep Show, which begins at 3 p.m.

The 4-H and FFA Awards Presentation will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, July 24. The fair will end with the 4-H and FFA Junior Livestock Auction at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25, when Trujillo will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Preparing for the fair

The sheep Trujillo will show are Honey, Louie, Duffy and Wendy. The goats she will show are Big Time, Bulldog, and Bean. The yearling she is showing, Stewy, belongs to her friend Samuel Fodge, who is training the horse for the fair.

Trujillo has been training her goats and sheep in the mornings and evenings. She said judges will consider several factors.

“Goats are judged on their masculinity, performance and how well they look,” Trujillo said. “We wash the goats’ legs on Monday and Friday. We wash the sheep’s legs on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. We break it up into multiple days because washing 12 animals for 30 to 45 minutes each can be a lot.”

Trujillo said preparing for the fair is a long process.

“It takes a lot of mental preparation because it’s a hot, long and stressful week,” Trujillo said. “I’ll be very busy because I’m singing, showing and in the parade. There’s also a check-in to make sure our animals are the weight we want them to be.”

Adversity

Trujillo also has lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissues and organs. She said the condition is a challenge, but she has pushed through it.

“I was diagnosed when I was 13,” Trujillo said. “It’s taken a big toll on my life, especially with all the work I do. However, I know there are people with worse conditions out there, so things could be way worse. God has truly blessed me with everything he has given me, so all I can do is be grateful at the end of the day.”

Marshall Mecham covers sports for the Artesia Daily Press. He can be reached at (915) 232-1793 or on X, @mecham_marshall. Mecham serves with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across the state. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.

 JT Keith

A New Chapter at APD

When Pete Quinones was sworn in as Artesia’s interim police chief on Wednesday, July 8, the city didn’t just get a new leader — it got the full‑throttle version of Quinones.

“I have to be sworn in to do the duties of the chief of police,” he said. “Even though it’s just for the interim role, I’m still trying to figure out if I want to do this permanently.”

Quinones steps in for longtime Chief Kirk Roberts, who retired on July 1. Mayor Jeff Youtsey appointed Quinones effective July 1, with the city council set to vote on the appointment July 17.

Quinones, 46, has been with the department since graduating from New Mexico State University in 2004. And from the moment he took the oath, he hit the ground running.

Built From the Ground Up

Quinones started as a patrol officer in 2005, worked his way up to corporal, then sergeant, and spent five years as a first-line supervisor. After that, he served five years as patrol commander.

“For the first 15 years,” he said, “I’ve been on patrol and on the streets and seen the heartbeat of Artesia.”

Even now, while learning the chief’s role, he still serves as administrative commander. The department is 94% staffed, employing 53-55 people.

His days start early — 3:30 a.m. — with workouts and quiet time scheduled at 6 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It’s all part of giving Artesia everything he has.

Bleeding Orange Since Day One

Quinones learned the value of all-out effort long before he ever put on a badge. He learned it under the lights of Bulldog Bowl.

He played wide receiver for the Bulldogs and ran track. Artesia won the state football championship in 1996 and 1997, and the state track titles in 1997 and 1998. Those years shaped him.

One of his best memories came in the 1997 football championship at Bulldog Bowl. Artesia ranked No. 1, trailed No. 2 Silver City 17‑6 at halftime.

“That game was pretty similar to the one we just had against Roswell this past year,” Quinones said. “It was a tough game, and we came back and won it 34‑31.”

The Coach Who Changed His Life

Playing for legendary coach Cooper Henderson left a mark that never faded.

“He prepared boys to be men,” Quinones said. “He wanted us to have respect for the community. Coach Henderson had excellent integrity and wanted us to do everything respectfully everywhere we went.”

Players had to complete community service before earning their letterman jackets — a lesson in responsibility that Quinones still carries.

He admits he wasn’t always on the right path. “I was kind of going down the wrong path my sophomore year,” he said. “It took one coach to push me in the right direction. I wouldn’t be here if it were not for the coaches and the Quarterback Dads. You can guarantee it.”

A Quarterback Dad Paying It Forward

Six years ago, Quinones became a Quarterback Dad, a mentor for Artesia football players. He takes kids out to eat, checks grades, spends time with them on bye weeks, and gives advice when they need it.

“I love doing that,” he said. “I love watching them grow up. Now some of them are married and have kids.”

He learned the role from his own Quarterback Dad, Gary Sims, who never stopped checking on him — through college, through his early years as an officer, through life.

Sims’ guidance helped shape Quinones into the man he is today.

The Best Friend He Lost — and the Mission He Carries

In college, Quinones switched majors after his best friend, D. Robert‑Martin Harvey, encouraged him to try criminal justice. Harvey became his closest friend — and the reason Quinones chose law enforcement.

Harvey was killed in the line of duty on April 26, 2009, by a drunk driver.

“He is my hero,” Quinones said. “He was killed in a DWI crash. I’ve been a DWI enforcer, and it’s one of the things I hold dear to my heart. But I got into law enforcement because of him.”

Quinones keeps Harvey’s photo and medal in his office. He thinks about him every day.

Artesia’s First Responders Water Drive each February — providing cases of water to law enforcement for the year — is one of the ways Quinones honors that memory.

Family First, Always

For all the championships, all the badges, all the early mornings and long nights, Quinones says the real key to his life is simple: his family.

His wife of 13 years, Ashlie, and his children — Ethan, 20; Zailee Valverde, 17; and Jevin, 13 — are the center of everything.

“I would not be sitting here if it were not for a lot of my coaches setting me straight,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here without the coaches, the Quarterback Dads, and the people who guided me.”

Dreams do come true — and Quinones is living proof. From Bulldog Bowl to the chief’s office, from a kid who needed direction to a man leading a department, he’s still running full speed.

And he’s still bleeding orange.

Coaches coming down the winners’ ramp prior to the start of the scrimmage on Friday at the Bulldog Bowl.

JT Keith

Ronald Johnston learned the lesson that would define his career long before he ever sat behind a desk at Artesia Credit Union.

Take care of people.

That simple idea has carried Johnston through 35 years as president and chief executive officer of Artesia Credit Union, where he helped guide a hometown institution from its roots serving school employees into a community credit union serving members across Artesia.

“We have the best members in the country, here in town,” Johnston said.

Johnston, 71, took over the credit union in 1991 after managing The Main Place men’s clothing store for 17 years. Retail clothing stores were beginning to fade, he said, and Artesia Credit Union needed someone to lead the institution.

“I could see the handwriting on the wall,” Johnston said. “The clothing industry was changing.”

A credit union built by teachers

The story of Artesia Credit Union began in 1955, when teacher Leonard Witcher applied for a $300 bank loan and was turned down. In response, teachers formed the Artesia School Employees’ Credit Union to serve school employees who needed a place to borrow and save.

Johnston’s father, Warren Johnston, a teacher at Artesia High School, helped form and manage the credit union and served as its president until 1986. Elizabeth Bach managed it for five years before Ronald Johnston took over in 1991.

Opening the doors

One of the biggest decisions of Johnston’s career came in 1995, when the credit union expanded beyond school employees and opened membership to others in the community after approval from the bank examiners.

“We wanted to grow,” Johnston said. “We wanted to offer our services to the community. There was no credit union here in town where people could join.”

Johnston said the change made Artesia Credit Union the first credit union in Artesia open to community members.

Small-town service

 Johnston said small-town banking has always been personal. It means knowing members, understanding their families, and helping them reach their goals.

It also means giving people a local place to finance the things that shape their lives, including homes and vehicles.

“People are looking for somebody who will take care of them, take an interest in them and understand their families and their needs,” Johnston said.

The philosophy is simple; he said, “It is the golden rule: treat people the way you would want to be treated.”

Owned by members

Johnston said many people think a credit union and a bank are the same. The key difference, he said, is ownership. Artesia Credit Union is owned by its members and governed by a five-member board of directors.

“They (Board of Directors) have been very supportive all these years,” Johnston said. “Some of them have been on the board as long as I have been here. The board works for nothing; they don’t get paid a dime.”

The board sets policy, Johnston said. His role is to carry it out.

Growth and succession

When Johnston took over, the credit union had about $5 million in assets. Today, Johnston said, it has $172 million in assets, making it the largest credit union in southeastern New Mexico.

Johnston said the credit union has grown to 21 employees and continues to support the community, including local athletic teams.

Johnston said he expects to retire within the next five years. He said a succession plan is in place but did not name who would succeed him.

For young people interested in banking, Johnston said the path can begin as a teller.

“I would tell them to be honest,” Johnston said. “Do a good job and be committed to your institution. I think you can rise up from teller.”

His advice for young people managing their own finances is direct: Be careful with money, save when possible, borrow only when needed, and pay your bills on time.

Faith, family, and work

Johnston graduated from Artesia High School in 1972 and from Eastern New Mexico University in 1978 with a degree in social studies. From the age of 15, he began working and hasn’t taken a break since, he stated.

He attends Faith Baptist Church, where he plays the organ. Married for 49 years, he and his wife, Tammy Johnston, will celebrate their 50th anniversary in November.

The couple has three children: Leslie Johnston, 44; and twin sons Stuart Johnston, 39, an executive vice president at Artesia Credit Union, and Stephen Johnston, 39, head football coach at Los Lunas.

Johnston never played football at Artesia High School, but he was in the band and played the French horn. This year, he said, he has a special interest in the Bulldogs because his grandson, Lucas Atkins, a quarterback, is part of the football team.

Doing right by people

After more than three decades at Artesia Credit Union, Johnston said he hopes members remember him for more than loans, assets, or growth.

“I want people to feel like I was interested in their well-being,” Johnston said. “That I took good care of them.”

JT Keith can be reached at 575-420-0061 or on X at @JTKEITH1.