Santa Fe Living Treasures – Elder Stories

With his late wife, Jeanne, he raised four children, and instilled in them his own abiding love and respect for Santa Fe's uniqueness. He saw his wife through her final illness, then established a scholarship in her name at St. John's College. He was "surrogate father" to a nephew when the boy's own father died. For decades he carefully tended a 160-acre tract he owned in the midst of the Santa Fe National Forest, and when it was ravaged in 2000 by the Viveash Fire, he cleared the ruined land to restore its "dignity."

The parties and events Bud has hosted in his Palace Avenue home are legendary, as were the ones hosted by his grandparents and parents before him. He has informed himself deeply on local lore, legend and history, and is recognized as a marvelous storyteller and tour guide. He has befriended countless newcomers to Santa Fe, and has been their introduction to New Mexico's rich culture.

In his mid-80s he still hikes from six to 12 miles a week, rides a bicycle, cuts wood, plays tennis and squash, and goes out dancing. And as one of his supporters marvels: "He has done all this while maintaining a full head of hair, which he affirms is not colored!