Don Chalmers and our community

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.