Western Heritage Museum | Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame

Western Heritage Museum Complex
2010 Advisory Board

• Ray Battaglini– Chair
• Guy Kesner - Vice Chair
• Calvin Smith – Ex Officio
• Jill Johnson
• Charley Smith
• Guy Kesner
• Gary Fonay
• Cynthia Buie
• Susan Crutchfield

Staff

Calvin Smith, Executive Director

A native of Hobbs, Calvin Smith returned to his home stomping grounds in 2007 with 40 plus years of stellar experience in museum management. He earned three degrees from Eastern New Mexico University, and his resume is impressive. Calvin planned and built exhibits at the Paleo-Indian Institute, the Miles Museum, and the Museum of Natural History. He has been a trailblazer for many museums, often serving as their first curator or director; he was the first Curator at the Blackwater Draw Museum, the first Director of Education for the Texas Memorial Museum at the University of Texas in Austin, the first Director of the Spindletop Museum, and he developed the Gladys City Boomtown open air museum for Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. Under then-Governor Bill Clinton, Calvin was the first Director of Arkansas Museum Services. From Arkansas, Calvin moved back to Texas to be the organizer and conceptual designer for the Dr. Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute in Waco. At Baylor University, he was the Director of the Strecker Museum and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Museum Studies. After 20 years at Baylor, he retired as the Director of the newly created Mayborn Museum Complex, a 143,000 square foot, $23 million facility that encompassed the Strecker Natural History Museum, the Ollie Mae Moen Children’s Discovery Center, and Gov. Bill and Vara Daniel Historic Village. After a short time of retirement and private consulting, Calvin was lured back home by the opportunity to develop and grow the Western Heritage Museum Complex which includes the museum and the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. In his short time back in Hobbs, he has, in addition to the daily routine of running a museum, made several building improvements, helped put up the reconstructed Eclipse windmill, offered a couple of dozen special programs, added a staff member, expanded hours of operation, and received donated exhibit case furniture. Always looking to the future, Calvin is teaching New Mexico history for three hours one night a week to prepare others to preserve the past. He is also leading the museum toward some facility and exhibit additions. See Our Vision for details on upcoming projects.

Mary Lyle, Education and Events Coordinator

 

I am so pleased to have joined the Western Heritage Museum Complex & Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame staff.  This is a challenging time for us at the Museum Complex as we establish ourselves as one of the newest additions to the New Mexico Junior College campus.  My job as the Education and Events Coordinator is to make sure that we provide our community with innovative and exciting exhibits that will enhance the educational opportunities of the children of Lea County.  In addition, we at the Western Heritage Museum Complex are finding ways to serve the cultural needs of all of the members of our diverse community.  It’s a great time to be a part of the team!  I grew up in Albuquerque, NM, received my BFA in Theatre Arts at the University of NM, and I am currently finishing a MA in English Literature at Eastern New Mexico University.  My husband Doug and I moved to Hobbs twenty years ago because we wanted to raise our four sons in a smaller, safer, and friendlier town.  We are grateful for the friendships we’ve developed over the years, and for the opportunity to be a part of this great community.

 

Erin Anderson, Curator

As a recent graduate from Texas Tech University it is a pleasure to return to the Southwest to assume the position of Curator at the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.  Staff members from both the Museum and from New Mexico Junior College have been extremely welcoming.  Moving to Hobbs is quite a change from my hometown in a south suburb of Chicago, Illinois, but I am excited about the new experiences to come.  While not originally from this area I believe that my passion for history and museums will translate through my work.  Ever since high school I have known that museum-work would be my ultimate goal.  To achieve this end I graduated from Northern Illinois University with a B.A. in History and a minor in Anthropology.  During my time at NIU I volunteered and worked at the Anthropology Museum on campus where I learned many of the basics of working in a small museum.  To further my studies I entered the Museum Science Graduate program at Texas Tech University.  Not only was I able to study aspects of museums in a classroom setting but I gained hands-on experience while working at the Museum of Texas Tech University in both the History Division and Registration.  As part of the final requirements for the program I completed a six month internship as Curatorial Assistant at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  If there was any doubt about my career choice the internship at Harpers Ferry solidified the fact that I wanted to work in museums.  Now, as a part of the staff of the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, I look forward to applying my knowledge and skills as well as acquiring new ones along the way.  I am excited to be living and working in a place with such a rich history like that of Hobbs and the surrounding area.

 

Bozena Kaczan, Museum Associate

Bozena was born and educated in Poland.  Her grandfather was a sculptor, her father liked to draw and her sister paints, so pursuing art came natural to her.  She regularly won art competitions throughout high school and later earned a master’s degree in Fine Arts from a Polish university.  Bozena works with various types of art, including pastel, watercolor and oil painting and ceramics.  She has entered many art shows in the area and has won many awards.  Bozena and her husband Leszek arrived to the United States in 1987 and lived for three years in Breckenridge, CO, and then moved to Hobbs, NM.  This was just a temporary move which as with most temporary things became permanent.  Here they found new friends and have taken part in the growth and beautification of Hobbs.  Bozena is an active member of Llano Estacado Art Association.  From her first days in Hobbs, Bozena has been in constant contact with NMJC, first as a student taking classes of English as a Second Language and continuing her education with art classes and later working part time at the bookstore and now helping with the preparation of exhibitions and events as well as assisting with the gift shop and daily operations of the Museum Complex.  She utilizes all her talents in her new job.

Sherry Rascon, Administrative Secretary

Sherry Rascon is the newest member to the full-time staff of the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. She joins us as the new Administrative Secretary. Born in Odessa, TX, Sherry moved here with her family at 4 years old when her father came here for a job in the oilfield. She has been here ever since. She has two wonderful daughters of whom she could not be prouder. Of her oldest who is in the army she said: “I’m proud of her for succeeding 1 year in Afghanistan and returning safely”. Her youngest is a little scientist and will be the next person to walk on the moon so Sherry claims; “I’m proud of my little munchkin who keeps me on my toes all the time”. Family, to her, is one of the most important things in life. Before becoming a part of the Museum family Sherry worked at Waste Management as a Shop Administrator for 6 ½ years. She says that because of that position she brings skills as an experienced administrative assistant to this position. Sherry is a real people person and is not afraid of the new challenges this job may bring. She is proud to be an asset to both New Mexico Junior College and the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.