Spring 1999 Newsletter page 4

Membership News  Thanks to all the following members who have either renewed or joined for the first time so far during 1999! Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, NM -1989 Mary Martha Weigle, Santa Fe, NM -1989 SWAP-MEET 66, Prewitt, NM -1990 The Tee Pee, Tucumcari, NM -1991 Dorothy Kvols, Tucumcari, NM -1992 Mary Della Smith, Albuquerque, NM -1992 Buster McDaniel, Troy , MO -1992 The Ranch Kitchen, Gallup, NM -1992 Sue Bohannan Mann, Albuquerque, NM -1996 Rich Williams, Albuquerque, NM -1996 Nat'l Historic Rt 66 Federation, Tujunga, CA -1996 Charles W. Ripple, Jr., Euless, TX -1996 Jim Ross, Arcadia, OK -1996 Redwood Lodge, Tucumcari, NM -1996 Susie McComb, Moriarty, NM -1996 Bob Houchin, San Diego, CA -1996 Carolyn Bennett, Vicksburg, MS -1996 Keith Sculle, Sherman, IL -1996 Octavia Fellin, Gallup, NM -1997 Ramada Limited, Santa Rosa, NM -1997 Joe's Bar & Grill, Santa Rosa, NM -1997   Bernadette T McTigue, Albuquerque, NM -1997 David Williams, Albany, NY -1997 Gallup Convention & Visitors Bureau, Gallup, NM -1997 Ruth Bernstein, Albuquerque, NM -1997 Al & Mary Jo Bonds, Tupelo, MS -1997 Jennings' Furniture Co., Tucumcari, NM -1997 Robert H Werden, Rio Rancho, NM -1997 Meredith Mayo, Santa Fe, NM -1997 Joseph A McAleer, Rio Rancho, NM -1997 Yesterdays Amusements, Kirksville, MO -1997 Carla Sanders, Santa Fe, NM -1997 Darryl Willison, Albuquerque, NM -1997 Tom and Fonda Davis, Stillwater, MN -1998 Galen Farrington, Ruidoso, NM -1998 Ned O'Malia, Albuquerque, NM -1998 Joseph A McComb, Moriarty, NM -1998 Terri Knake, Waterford, MI -1998 Don Spires, Mundelein, IL -1998 Thomas Rockwell, Ayer, MA -1999 Cinnamon Tree Apts., Albuquerque, NM -1999 Rt 66 Sterling Silver Jewelry, Tijeras, NM -1999 Longtime New Mexico Beacon of the Mother Road Passes On By Lynn Moncus Lillian Redman, former owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, passed away in Tucumcari on February 21, 1999. She was buried in Tucumcari Memorial Park Cemetery, near her beloved historic Route 66. She was inducted into the New Mexico Tourism Hall of Fame in 1998 as one of the final major honor he received during her forty years of operating the internationally known Blue Swallow Motel. She and the motel were featured in National Geographic and Smithsonian magazines, as well as in almost all major books written about the Mother Road. She took great delight in explaining that they were even pictured in the Japanese version of Playboy magazine. She met and greeted visitors from all over the world, always welcoming them warmly and wishing them a safe journey as they left. She also provided lodging for travelers who were down on their luck and shared many of her meals with them. Lillian Redman was a major treasure along historic Route 66 and will be remembered throughout its history. A quiet woman received much recognition and just as quietly went to her rest. Wallis Receives Lifetime Achievement Award Another Route 66 great, and New Mexico Route 66 Association member, Michael Wallis, recently received two honors. In March, Michael received the Oklahoma Center for the Book 1999 Arrell Gibson Award for Lifetime Achievement, and in late April he will be inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame in Springfield, Missouri. Michael is the author of Route 66: The Mother Road, as well as historical and special interest books about Oklahoma and the Southwest. Congratulations, Michael Wallis! Special Announcement A unique Route 66 exhibition will open in June 1999 at the Center for Southwest Research, Zimmerman Library, University of New Mexico. The exhibit will showcase photographs by William Lucas, along with other materials and memorabilia. For information, contact Beth Silbergleit 277-0060. Look for more information about the Grand Opening in the next issue!

Route 66 - The Seminar! By Ned O'Malia, Ph. D. "Route 66" is a three credit seminar offered by the Honors Program of the University of New Mexico. It is divided into a classroom component and a seven-day road trip. As a class we met in non-traditional spots to enhance the lore of 66. Association Treasurer Sherri Brueggemann spoke to us at the 66 Diner about the organization and politics of 66. Association Advisor David Kammer beguiled us with slides and stories of historic 66. The life of the seminar was riding the route with innumerable stops for exploration, sightseeing and investigation. On a cool Sunday morning, ten students and myself left Albuquerque in a large university van and headed west. We had books, maps, cameras and high spirits. We stopped at Route 66 icons, deserted buildings abandoned gas stations. First nigh lodgings was at the El Rancho Hotel, quite change from a franchised motel chain. We continued with numerous stops until Flagstaff, where we stayed at the Monte Vista Hotel. The next day we delighted in the towns of Williams and Seligman. Having completed our trek west, we turned east to Moriarty, Santa Rosa and on to Tucumcari. We lodged with Hilda Bakke at the Blue Swallow Motel. This motel and the stories it generated overwhelmed the by now wide-eyed students. This was real history and we were on a real adventure. We drove into Amarillo and discovered the American Stonehenge of Stanley Marsh's "Cadillac Ranch." "Why did he bury those Cadillac in the corn field, Ned?" At the Big Texan, Hody, (this is his complete name) greeted us in buckskin gear. We stayed for dinner but no one was brave enough to try the 72 oz. steak, "free if you eat it." Our group returned to Albuquerque amid frequent stops. We stood silently at the abandoned Club Café and searched for the fabled concrete billboards of Route 66. In all, the road trip covered over 1500 miles. It was a heart filling, wonderful experience. If you contact me early, I could save a place for you in next year's seminar. Happy Trails!   1999 Route 66 Scenic Byway Grant Update By Chris Cordova Late last fall, a special Scenic Byways grant to complete the Route 66 Corridor Management Plan (CMP) for the route located between Albuquerque and the border of Texas was awarded to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Scenic Byways is a program of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which started in 1991 and has the goal of spurring preservation and economic development efforts along designated Byways throughout the United States. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center received a grant several years earlier to develop the CMP for the route from Albuquerque west to the Arizona Border which impacts many portions of Native American lands. The new grant will complete and revise the existing CMP. The CMP is intended to chart preservation and economic development activities for the Byway for the next five years. Not only does the CMP include a detailed action plan, but it also is the most important input in a Byway's application to become a National Scenic Byway or All American Road. The latter designations not only lead to the Byway gaining extensive national and international recognition, but they also mean that the Byway receives first consideration from FHWA when the agency is considering Scenic Byways grant applications each year. Seely & Associates, a grant management firm, has been retained by the IPCC to complete the CMP for Route 66. Dr. Richard Seely, President of Seely & Assoc., has been involved in the Scenic Byways program since 1992. He has assisted many New Mexico communities to develop, gain funding for and implement their Scenic Byways projects. I am the former Director of Research for the New Mexico Department of Tourism and former Director of Marketing for the New Mexico State Fair, and I will be managing the CMP process over the next few months as Vice President with Seely & Associates. Establishing a Byway Advisory Committee is a critical first step in gaining input for the preparation of Route 66 CMP. Over the past two months the IPCC project team has met with the Route 66 Association and have agreed to a partnership in preparing the plan and developing an Advisory Committee. The committee will be made up of, among others, members of the Association who can represent the interests of communities along the Byway. The plan will include initiatives for the 75th anniversary of the route, and the team will work closely with the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Route 66 CMP is scheduled to be completed in the summer. This timing will make it possible to complete a Route 66 National Scenic Byways Designation application for submission to the FHWA in November, 1999. The Scenic Byway program has set guidelines and a format for what must be included in the CMP. "While we will accurately represent the goals and plans of the participating communities, it is imperative to keep in mind the requisites laid out for developing the CMP" Dr. Seely stated. Parties interested in commenting about the initiative, learning about the special requisites, or participating in the Corridor Management Plan can contact me at (505)-254-4740.

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