Three residents of the historic neighborhood of Chihuahua Hill, will present their personal histories of living on Chihuahua Hill. Ardene Rickman, Helen Jaurequi, and Librado Maldonado will discuss their experiences of living in one of Silver City’s oldest neighborhoods on Thursday, January 2, 2014 from 12 noon to 1 pm. The presentation is part of the Museum's ongoing series of free Brown Bag lunchtime presentations. The Museum Annex is located at 302 West Broadway, on the northwest corner of Broadway and Arizona.
Ardene Rickman arrived in New Mexico in 1955 to attend UNM where she earned a degree in History and Education. She has taught in seven school districts in New Mexico and earned a double Masters Degree in Psychology and History at Eastern NMU. She has lived in Silver City since 1979 and retired from Silver Schools having been a High school guidance counselor and elementary principal. She has also been an adjunct professor at Western New Mexico University teaching in the Education and Psychology departments. She is a founding member of WILL (Western Institute for Lifelong Learning) and presently lives in the historical neighborhood of Chihuahua Hill.
Helen Conway Jaurequi was born in Fargo, North Dakota and received her nursing degree from St. Francis School of Nursing in Breckenridge, Minnesota. While working at Colorado General Hospital in Denver she met her husband Greg Jaurequi, who had just completed his MBA at Denver University. Helen and Greg lived in Aspen, CO for several years and Greg taught high school. In 1965 while moving to San Diego for their daughters’ health, they stopped by Silver City to visit Greg’s mother. She convinced them to stay, and asked Greg to take over the family grocery store on south Pinos Altos St. They bought a house on south Arizona Street where Helen continues to live. Helen worked as a RN at the Hillcrest Hospital and Ft. Bayard Medical Center. She and Greg were both involved with St. Mary’s School and the Santa Rita Learning Center.
Librado Maldonado is a native of Grant County, and a resident for 75 years. He served as a Grant County educator for 35 years and was the mayor and a city councilor for the Town of Silver City. Librado also worked as an Education Specialist for NASA for three years.
Funding for programs and exhibits is made possible thanks to the members and volunteers of the Silver City Museum Society.
The Silver City Museum creates opportunities for residents and visitors to explore, understand, and celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of southwestern New Mexico by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting the region's unique history. For more information, please contact the museum at (575) 538-5921, info@silvercitymuseum.org, or go to the museum's website www.silvercitymuseum.org.