Albuquerque and New Mexico lost a leader Easter Sunday when
Don Chalmers died. This community needs
more like him, hopefully they will surface and use his community involvement as
a model.
When Don first came to New Mexico and opened a dealership in
Rio Rancho, Paula Maes and I were part of the team that orchestrated the grand
opening.
I remember our first meeting. It was at The Quarters restaurant. Don had
just taken delivery of a Motorola StarTac cell phone. It was the little flip phone that fit in the
shirt pocket. He paid $1400 for the
phone. It was the newest thing on the
market and he wanted to be a part of it.
Knowing now, that grand opening should have been a bigger
deal for this community – but our community did not know at the time how big of
a man Don Chalmers would be in the following years. To some, at the time, he was just another car
dealer.
Not!
That’s not to say he couldn’t sell you a car. He could do that with grace, while munching
on a bag of popcorn.
One specific community involvement instance was with the State
Fair. He understood the folks who went
to the fair could easily be his customers.
And a Ford F-150 was the perfect vehicle for those ranch roads or for
trips to the market by drugstore cowboys.
There is a thing every year where the business community
comes forward and expresses support by purchasing animals that have been raised
by young folks who are studying agribusiness as a way of life.
I commented to Chalmers that the sale had fallen into the
doldrums recently and needed a new spark. The most recent Grand Champion Steer
had sold for something like $12,000.
That’s a paltry sum in most corners.
Don Chalmers said, “I’ll change that.”
And he did. The next
Junior Livestock Sale, Chalmers bought the Grand Champion for more than $28,000
– I seem to recall. And it set the
stage for rebuilding the auction.
Don Chalmers wasn’t afraid to put his money, his time, and
his talents where he felt it would build a better community. He and his lovely wife Dianne did that
everywhere, from the neighborhood where they owned a farm near Belen, to the
dealerships and homes in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
Thanks. Rest In
Peace, Don. You’ve done your share to
make this a better world.
