New Mexico Parent Teacher Association

1930 – 1933            Mrs. George Wilcox of Dexter, a member of a leading pioneer New Mexico family, was elected because of her charming personality, her background in Parent-Teacher work, and her outstanding leadership skills. She presided over the 1930 annual state convention whose theme was “The Good of Every Child”. Resolutions were passed to endorse the work of the State Department of Public Welfare, the Girls Welfare home and the New Mexico Industrial School for Boys.

1933 – 1935            Mrs. S. P. Nanniga of Albuquerque led the letter writing campaign to all newspapers in the state asking their support of the Child Labor Amendment and Health legislation. Governor Hockenhull declared the first PTA Week in New Mexico and four radio programs promoting Parent-Teacher work were broadcast that year.

1935 – 1937            Mrs. P.S. Myers of Raton aimed to enlarge health programs, to stress safety from a state point of view as well as locally, and to work toward better trained leaders. With PTA’s help the Driver’s License law was passed in the New Mexico State Legislature. Monte Vista Elementary PTA remained the largest PTA in the state with 386 members.

1937 – 1939            Mrs. George Reese of Roswell led the state PTA in co-hosting the National PTA Convention in Salt Lake City in May 1938. Raton District was recognized for its unusual gains in membership and growth of local units – three of which were communities where English was not spoken by the adults. Publishing PTA materials in Spanish as well as English was initiated.

1939 – 1941            Mrs. G.C. Bess of Albuquerque asked the cooperation of the State Department of Public Health in that all births be registered, and birth certificates given out. PTA members were asked by Governor Miles to sit on the state committee to study the school financing system. The State Congress asked that all local units support and write Senators and Representatives asking them to support the Johnson Bill S. 517, to prohibit the advertising of alcoholic beverages by radio. A new mimeograph machine was purchased through donations from different local units all over the state; thus the state bulletin was published with little expense.

1941 – 1943            Mrs. P.V. Thorson of Roswell served only six months as state president before her husband was promoted to executive position with the Sam Houston Boy Scout Council in Houston Texas. She spent her time in office travelling the state conducting Summer Institutes at teach of the state schools of higher learning in New Mexico. The Eugene Field Elementary PTA in Albuquerque held a flower show with the help of the children in the school, carried a Health Program and raised funds for needy children by holding a game night.

Mrs. George Wilcox was elected by the board of managers to fill the unexpired term of Mrs. Thorson. This was the second time that Mrs. Wilcox had stepped in to fill the unexpired term of a State President. The April 24-25 State Convention was held in Raton and was a most unusual convention city because it was cut off from the world by a flash flood. Few delegates reached the city except by way of Amarillo Texas. Raton had no water during convention and only ice drippings were available for drinking. No delegate was able to wash during the two days spent in Raton. Since December 7, the New Mexico Congress had cooperated closely with all defense and war efforts and in many instances sponsored identification and registration of children, nutrition classes, home nursing classes and classes in first aid. Dr. Wivel conducted a panel discussion on “What War Means to Us”.

1943 – 1946            Mrs. K.A. Yoder of Roswell was elected President at the April 1943 one-day State Convention whose theme was “Let Us Build a New Earth – through Religion, Education, Health and Economics”. Orated on the need to equalize the educational opportunities for rural youth with those of urban youth, promoted a sense of universal parenthood and pondered whether the war necessity was crowding out children’s interests and if “when the war was won and peace reigned whether our children are going to be able to appreciate and guard it”.

The Tinnie Elementary PTA in Roswell reported on their community school lunch program and planted a successful Victory Garden as evidenced by all the fruits and vegetables canned that Fall. National PTA created a wartime pledge that began: “We, the members of the National Congress of Parents and Teachers , in defense of our beloved country and our country’s most sacred heritage and responsibility, her growing sons and daughters, do hereby solemnly pledge ourselves, individually and as an organization:”

Regular radio broadcasts on PTA issues began in New Mexico, , with earnest mothers and fathers and compelling speakers taking the time to awaken the people generally to the need of spending individual thought, time, and effort toward helping steer our young people through the crisis and stabilizing them for the troubled era to follow. A survey was made to determine the scope and extent of child labor and to investigate conditions under which children were working (Due to war conditions).

In the fall of 1945 the membership for the State Congress was 8876.

1946 – 1948            Mrs. M.E. French of Portales was elected because of her outstanding personality and her diligent and faithful work in her own local PTA. In her first year the total units in the state totaled 95 and the membership rose to 11,342. She attended the National PTA Convention in Denver, Colorado. Safety Education was recommended by the New Mexico PTA to be taught as part of the instructional curriculum and emphasized in every public school in the state. During the Spring of 1947, all councils in the state were asked to prepare a kit for an overseas teacher for the National Red Cross. These kits were sent to the Greek, Polish, and Italian Red Cross for distribution.

Monte Vista Elementary PTA in Albuquerque (the oldest PTA unit in the state) still held the record for being the largest unit in the state with five hundred and fifty members.

1948 – 1950            Mrs. J. P. Brandenburg of Taos worked for the reorganization of the State Department of Education in a joint committee with the NMEA. New Mexico was chosen as one of the states to receive a scholarship at Northwestern University for a three-week workshop in PTA Leadership. The 1949 State Convention theme was “Peace and Security in Our Time”. They began a tradition of singing The Lord’s Prayer as the invocation at the banquet – each individual holding a small candle. The convention body voted to work toward advancement in the care of the mentally retarded, kindergartens and adult education.

1950 – 1952            Mrs. A. H. Nicolai of Albuquerque had served 9 years on the Albuquerque School Board when she assumed the President role. The National PTA headquarter slogan for New Mexico was “Cash por la casa” and aimed to fill with cash the black pottery bowl made by Maria of San Ildefonso. Resolutions at the 1951 State Convention included reaffirming faith in the ideals of the United Nations and recommending the passage of a constitutional amendment to reorganize the State Department of Education.

1952 – 1955            Mrs. Aaron Margulis’ (Hendryson) of Santa Fe adminstration goals were to provide help to local PTA units, supply vital programs and support study groups. The State Congress sponsored a “Get Out the Vote” campaign and sponsored dental clinics. The 1954 convention was held in Tucumcari and reported a statewide total membership of 31,324. A safety program to install traffic lights or impose speed limit control legislation around schools was instituted.

1955 – 1958            Miss Recene Ashton of Pinos Altos employed the theme of “The Challenge of a Changing World” throughout her administration. PTA bookshelves were established and legislation was pushed to bring New Mexico’s marriage laws into line with other states and urging the passage of a law against the sale, distribution or exhibition of pornographic or indecent literature or materials. Finally, the passage of Constitutional Amendment #2 allowing for an elected State Board of Education and an appointed State Superintendent of Public Instruction was passed in 1958 after intensive campaigning by State PTA.

1958 – 1961            Mrs. Herbert Price of Santa Rosa and PTA units all over the state cooperated with the State Department of Health and urged all members and their families to take the Salk Vaccine against polio. Mrs. Price made a tape recording in cooperation with the Dept of Health about immunization laws. Resolutions urged the continued interest and cooperation with local White House Conference Committees on Children and Youth to study the problems of the children of migrant workers and to support legislation to arrive at a permanent solution to the funding problems of public schools.