City Council: Board members appointed to ‘job of passion’
At the Gallup City Council’s regular meeting, Jan. 8, the Octavia Fellin Public Library took center stage.
In November, the seven-person Library Advisory Board was established as an official city board.
In remarks thanking community members for their support of the library, Mayor Jackie McKinney pointed out that working on the Board is a “job of passion.”
Last month, at the council’s regular meeting, four people were named. Dr. Janet Tempest, Shawn Nelson Turquoise Man, Duane Yazzie, and Carolyn Kuchera will be joined by this month’s appointments, Barbara Stanley, Thomas Lynn Isaacson and Thomas Hartsock.
Four board members will serve an initial term of four years, and three members will serve an initial term of two years.
When Dist. 4 Councilor Fran Palochak asked if there would be a term limit, the council determined that there will be a limit of up to 12 years for each member, effective immediately.
In other business involving the library, a $10,000 grant was awarded to Octavia Fellin by the Fuhs Family Foundation of the Community Foundation for Monterey County.
Library Director Tammi Moe said the funds will be used to purchase new nonfiction books that will help fulfill the foundation’s objective of improving society and enhancing knowledge through literacy and reading.
According to the foundation’s website, their mission is to provide philanthropic efforts for students with a passion for science journalism. The foundation, named for Dr. Allen E. Fuhs, aims to support students with a passion for science, so they can improve their communication skills and pursue it as a career.
“[The award] reflects the impact of Dr. Fuhs’s life,” she said.
Fuhs was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in 1992, as an engineer, rocket scientist, professor, and author.
Foundation Co-Advisor Sharon Fuhs spoke of his legacy at the meeting, saying, “He’s been a leader and mentor to all of us.”
McKinney told Fuhs to pass on the council’s thanks for thinking about Gallup.
Both items were approved with a 5-0-0 vote.
By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent
