GIMC doctor immersed in various cultures
Zarana Sanghani
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Over spaghetti and mushrooms, Warner Anderson laughs
with his wife and friend about a Spanish version of "Funniest
Home Videos," listens to his friend talk about his experience
living in Tel Aviv, Israel, for the last five years and discusses
a little religion.
A swirl of cultures surrounds Anderson, it seems. He grew up in Florida
in a predominantly white neighborhood where "everyone looked
like me." But Anderson developed a career by serving people from
different cultures and learning from them.
He has worked in Honduras and Thailand with the U.S. Army Special
Forces and operated a clinic in Albuquerque, which was visited primarily
by Hispanics. Now, as the chief emergency medical physician at Gallup
Indian Medical Center, Anderson treats Native Americans.
Anderson said a physician must understand the culture of his patients.
He used his knowledge of the Hispanic culture while he was in Honduras
in August.
In 10 days, Anderson, along with other medical professionals with
the Army, saw more than 1,300 people in the country that had just
been hit by Hurricane Mitch.
When one patient fainted, Anderson learned from her husband that she
suffered from "coraje," or fits of anger so strong that
the woman passed out. Anderson realized the woman was having seizures
instead and told her and her husband how to deal with them.
Anderson was not able to help everyone. One patient told Anderson
she was having trouble breast feeding her 2-year-old daughter. The
mother was afraid to stop breast feeding because she had nothing else
she could give her child to eat.
Anderson suggested the woman get hens and feed her daughter the eggs,
but he didn't know whether things improved for the family.
"I feel pretty bad about that," Anderson said. "I still
feel like that's a situation I couldn't take care of."
On the plane home to Gallup, Anderson thanked God that the couple
next to him was having a fight and that the woman was crying because
Anderson was also crying and he didn't want anyone to notice.
"I just started thinking about Honduras and the abject poverty
and the problems there," he said, "and I started crying,
too."
Rather than just treat ailments, Anderson said, the Special Forces
group he was with tried to educate the local people so they could
better take care of themselves.
In Thailand and Honduras, the medical professionals with the Army
asked anyone who wanted to visit a doctor or dentist to attend a hygiene,
prenatal care or other health care class.
In giving his help, Anderson said you must "make sure you're
helping without disrupting the culture."
Treating Navajos requires respect and understanding of the culture,
he added.
For example, many Navajos seek traditional healing when they find
out they have a serious illness. Doctors must give their Navajo patients
time for this, Anderson said.
"(Navajos) know, whether a medicine man can cure (a disease)
or not, he can make them feel better about having it ... like a priest
would," Anderson said.
Anderson said his knowledge of Southwestern anthropology helps him.
While he was attending medical school at the University of Florida,
Anderson was working on his doctorate in anthropology at the same
school. He finished all but one year for the doctorate.
While he studied at the university from 1975 to 1980, Anderson had
little money and spent his nights in his pickup truck.
"I was pretty poor. My parents didn't have much money. I grew
my own food and hauled water," Anderson said. "I found that
the people on the reservation were more like me than the people who
looked like me. I felt very much at home because I had an understanding
of the problem.
"People are a lot more alike than they are different," he
said.
To pay for his tuition, Anderson worked with the National Health Services
in the Gallup area during his summer vacations from medical school.
That's when he began to anticipate moving to Gallup later.
He met his wife, Ruth, in Albuquerque. Anderson did his residency
at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. He said many
people who spoke mostly Spanish were not getting the attention they
needed at the hospital.
When Anderson opened a clinic in Albuquerque, he told
UNM to send the Spanish-speaking patients to him. One of those patients
was his future father-in-law.
Warner and Ruth Anderson moved to Gallup in 1983 with a plan to stay
for a few years. Seventeen years later, Warner Anderson has become
a large part of the community.
Besides his work with GIMC, Anderson volunteers as the medical director
for the Gallup Fire Department, medical director for McKinley County's
911 Metro Dispatch, the head of the Office of the Medical Investigator
with the district attorney's office, and the medical director of the
McKinley County Special Weapons and Tactics Team.
"It's hard to say no if something needs to be done," he
said. "Especially if there's no money in it, because you know
they're not going to be able to find someone (to do the work)."
He recently became a flight surgeon for the Army. A flight surgeon
examines pilots and crew to make sure their health will not be harmed
if they fly.
Warner Anderson said he will continue to work with the Army. He joined
the military in 1965 and served until 1972. "I started missing
parachute jumping," he said, "so I got back to the reserve
in 1990."
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Southfork residents sue Homeowners: Developers
made false promises in ads
Zarana Sanghani
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Southfork Subdivision developers made false promises
to home buyers, allege residents of the neighborhood in a lawsuit
they have filed in McKinley County District Court.
The land developers' advertisements in newspapers, on television and
on the radio said the subdivision would have an Olympic-sized swimming
pool, a community clubhouse, fitness center and full-time security
guards, says the lawsuit, which was filed in March.
The advertisements have been running since 1997.
Advertisements ran in the Independent and said the pool, clubhouse
and fitness center would be built in the neighborhood.
Those structures have not been built.
The lawsuit charges Southfork Development and Holigan Family Investments,
both Texas companies; Barbara Bovee, the former city engineer; and
several other people and organizations with fraud, negligence, breach
of contract and civil conspiracy.
Holigan Family Investments runs Superior Homes, which sold the mobile
homes.
Plaintiffs said they purchased the land and the mobile
home because they thought the features mentioned in the advertisements
would be a part of the neighborhood.
Home buyers had to buy mobile homes from Superior Homes and land in
the Southfork Subdivision as a package deal.
The residents of the subdivision said in the lawsuit
they would not have paid as much money if they had known the pool
and
other structures would not be built.
The lawsuit does not say how much residents paid for their homes and
land, but it does say that Gary Beaver, a New Mexico real estate appraiser,
appraised the lots at $140,000.
The lawsuit accuses Beaver of conspiring with Holigan Family Investments
to inflate the value of the land.
The land developers have not gotten permits from the city to build
the clubhouse, fitness center or pool, Gallup City Planner Lisa Baca
Diaz said. The city approved the subdivision in December 1997.
It takes 10 days for the city to approve an application for a permit,
Baca Diaz said.
The lawsuit said Southfork is telling new clients the homes and the
lots on the subdivision are being sold "as is" without the
pools or other buildings and Southfork is selling at a cheaper price.
This brings down the value of the property of the residents who paid
a high price expecting a pool and other amenities, the lawsuit said.
The mobile homes are falling apart, home owners said in the suit.
The residences suffer from low water pressure, ruinous water drainage
and excessive moisture underneath the homes because of improper engineering
and weak foundations, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit said Barbara Bovee, former city engineer, failed to ensure
that Holigan Family Investment built sound homes and foundations.
The plaintiffs, Holigan Family Investments, Southfork Development
and their attorneys have refused to comment.
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Gamerco road woes to get court hearing
Zarana Sanghani
Staff Writer
GALLUP — When Ruben Archuleta takes a walk with his granddaughter,
they have to walk in the street Archuleta's neighborhood has no sidewalks.
The Gamerco resident also said he will have to change his tires because
they are not gripping the road as they should. One tire he will have
to replace is only three months old, Archuleta said.
He added that his car mechanic, also a Gamerco resident, told Archuleta
the rough roads in their subdivision probably caused the excessive
wear on the tires.
"And I can live with all that," Archuleta said. "It's
the safety issue that concerns me."
Archuleta and several other residents of Gamerco hope a hearing on
April 24 at the McKinley County District Court will bring road improvements
and sidewalks to the subdivision.
The hearing comes after a successful appeal of the original court
decision that dismissed the lawsuit.
The county sued the Gamerco Townsite Co. and Elkins Brothers Partnership
in 1992. The Elkins Brothers Partnership owned the land before the
Gamerco Townsite Co.
The lawsuit said the two companies failed to build an adequate water
supply and proper roads. The state joined the county in the suit a
year later.
McKinley County Commissioners approved Gamerco Townsite's plans for
a subdivision in 1981. In that agreement, the commissioners failed
to enforce the county and state regulations on road and water supply
construction in subdivisions.
In 1992, a different board of commissioners decided to sue the developers
in an effort to get the company to fix the neighborhood's roads and
water supply.
The county and state argued in the lawsuit that the
developers violated the New Mexico Subdivision Act and the County
Subdivision Ordinance. Both laws were in effect three years before
the Gamerco Townsite Co. began building the neighborhood.
The court ruled in 1997 that the developers did not have to fix the
roads or the water supply. The court's decision said the companies
could not be held at fault because the county commissioners had not
acted in 1981 to enforce the subdivision regulations.
The state and county appealed a part of this decision. They agreed
with the ruling on the water supply, but argued against the ruling
on the roads.
The state and county said the Gamerco Townsite Co. misinformed county
commissioners about the type of roads it would build. The pavement
on the roads turned out to be poorer than what the county agreed to,
the appeal said.
The New Mexico Court of Appeals sent the case back to the district
court.
The hearing on April 24 will decide whether the developers will have
to improve the Gamerco roads.
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College gets funds to rebuild
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Officials for Diné College will now be able
to search for a miniature sea horse to replace the one that was killed
in a fire that swept through the Shiprock campus in 1998.
The college last week received an insurance check from the tribe's
Risk Management Department for $1,458,989, which college officials
say will help them begin rebuilding the campus...
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Bengals suffer pair of losses to No.
2 Ravens
Alan Arthur
Sports Editor
GALLUP — To Gallup coach Robert Erp, the Rio Grande Ravens didn't
look like the top team in the state.
But they still had enough to earn a sweep of the Bengals, 11-1 and
6-4, in their District 1AAAA doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at
Gallup High School.
"I really didn't think that was the No. 1 team
in the state over there," Gallup head coach Robert Erp said of
the Ravens, who were ranked No. 2 in the state in the latest Albuquerque
Journal rankings. "They didn't impress me that much. We saw Eldorado
on Wednesday and I thought that was a much better ballclub. I wish
we could have split with these guys..."
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Lady Bengals sweep Rio Grande
Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer
ALBUQUERQUE — First-year Gallup head softball coach Wes Shank
liked what he saw.
First-year pitcher Melinda Alderete toiled a total of 16 solid innings
in pitching Gallup to a district-opening doubleheader sweep over Rio
Grande 2-0 in seven innings and 3-2 in nine innings Saturday afternoon.
Gallup, which evened its overall record at 7-7, 2-0 in district, also
turned in its best defensive effort of the season with only one error
in the 16 innings played against the Rio Grande Lady Ravens...
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Gallup's Guliford leads team at Albuquerque
Invite
ALBUQUERQUE - Gallup sophomore Felicia Guliford claimed three firsts,
winning the 800 and 1600 and setting a meet record and personal best
in the 3200 during Saturday's Albuquerque Invitational at Milne Stadium.
Gallup will be hosting its own invitational Saturday beginning at
9 a.m. However the meet is being held in Grants because Gallup's track
is unuseable.
Guliford won the 800 meters in 2:19.98. Guliford also claimed the
1600 in 5:15 with teammate Melanie Ben placing fourth with a time
of 5:39.35...
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City session on museum was legal
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — City councilors here did not violate the New Mexico
Open Meetings Act when discussing Dinamation behind closed doors,
the attorney general's office has ruled.
Assistant Attorney General Lawrence Otero this week ruled on a complaint
from Councilor Shirley Taylor that the council went behind closed
doors last Sept. 27 to discuss what to do about Dinamation, a dinosaur
exhibit that was not paying its rent, and the discussions did not
center on litigation.
The New Mexico Open Meetings Act allows governmental bodies to go
into closed session to discuss litigation, personnel matters or land
transactions...
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RMCH group had a record year in 1999
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — The nonprofit agency that runs the Rehoboth McKinley
Christian Hospital had a record year in 1999.
In the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, the Rehoboth McKinley Christian
Health Care Services Inc. broke the $50 million mark in revenues for
the first time. That was an increase of more than $8 million over
the previous year, which had been another record year for the agency.
John McMullin, chief financial officer for the agency, said the large
increase in the 1998-99 fiscal year was not fueled by any large increase
in fees to users...
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Navajoland backdrop in 15 films, ads
Nancy Watson
Diné Bureau
GALLUP — Because the weather was mild this winter, more than
15 films, commercials and documentaries were filmed on the Navajo
Reservation. Production shut down for only two weeks.
But local people won't see most of the commercials that were filmed
for such companies as Isuzu, Mountain Dew, Dunlap Tires and Whirlpool,
said Kee Long of the Navajo Filming Office. These commercials will
be shown only overseas.
And the ones that will make it to television in the United States
won't be seen for another year or longer...
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Deaths
Stanley P. Litson Jr.
BLACKROCK, Ariz. — Services for Stanley "Cowboy" P.
Litson Jr., 38, were held at 10 a.m. today, April 10, at St. Isabel
Catholic Church in Lukachukai, Ariz. Father Caron officiated. Burial
followed on family land in Blackrock.
Litson died April 6 in Upper Greasewood, Ariz. He was born Aug. 18,
1961, in Fort Defiance, Ariz., into the Edge Water People Clan for
the Towering House People Clan.
Litson was a 1979 graduate of Window Rock High School. During high
school he was a member of the WRHS football team and the rodeo club.
He attended Navajo Community College, where he was a member of the
rodeo team. He was employed by P&M Coal Mine, NECA, Arkansas Railroad,
Phoenix F&M and Eagle Oil & Asphalt.
Survivors include his parents, Stanley and Alice Litson, both of Blackrock;
brothers, Thomas Litson of Blackrock, Stanford Litson of Kinlichee,
Ariz., and Steven Litson of Tsaile, Ariz.; sisters, Alicia Billy and
Alisa Litson, both of Tsaile; and grandmother, Isabel Litson of Blackrock.
Litson was preceded in death by his grandparents, Martin Litson, Rena
S. Tacheene and Edwin Tacheene.
Pallbearers were Scott McKenzie, John McClanahan, Lee Litson Jr.,
Kurt Bahe, Clarence Malone and Garrison Stanley.
The family will receive friends and family after the burial services
at the family home in Blackrock.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Jones Dakai
SHOWLOW, Ariz. — Services for Jones Dakai, 51, will be held at
1 p.m. today, April 10, at the Burean Community Church in Mariano
Lake.
Dakai died April 5 at the Navapache Regional Medical Center in Show
Low, Ariz. He was born in 1949 into the Towering House People Clan
for the Deer Springs People Caln.
Dakai was a resident of the Show Low area for the past six years.
He was a silversmith during his younger years; a store clerk; rancher
and rodeo stock contractor.
Survivors include his wife, Isabelle Dakai of Show Low; son, Malcolm
Dakai of Smith Lake; daughter, Lisa Dakai of Show Low; mother, Betty
Dakai of Mariano Lake; brothers, Jonath Dakai, Eddie Dakai and Thomas
Dakai, all of Mariano Lake; sisters, Betsy George of Farmington and
Mary Lou Frame of Gamerco; and three grandchildren.
Dakai was preceded in death by his father, Johnny Dakai.
Jose M. Garcia
GALLUP — Services for Jose M. Garcia, 76, will be announced at
a later date.
Garcia died April 8 in Gallup. He was born April 28, 1923, in Los
Bonitos.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
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