The San Luis Valley’s well-known Salazar Family will be honored with Adams State University Willis Fassett Jr. Award – Individual, to be presented at the Donor Recognition Dinner on campus, October 28.
Named in honor of the late Willis Fassett Jr., a long-time president of the Adams State University Foundation Board, the annual award recognizes strong financial supporters of Adams State. The award includes the Buffalo Chant bronze, created specifically for the Foundation by the late William Moyers, Class of 1939.
In 2016, the Salazar family established The Emma and Henry Salazar Memorial Scholarship and helped create the Salazar Rio Grande del Norte Center at Adams State through a gift of $250,000.
The center advances the conservation of land, water, and historic and cultural attributes at the headwaters of the Rio Grande in the San Luis Valley. The center created a minor in Water Studies, an interdisciplinary program for students in a range of degree programs.
The center also houses artifacts that reflect the rich history and archaeology of the Rio Grande in Colorado. This ranges from the ancient history of Native Americans in the Rio Grande gorge to exploration from Santa Fe into the San Luis Valley that began in the 1700s, and the first settlements in Colorado, begun immediately after the Mexican-American War in 1848.
“This center is a very special place,” said Ken Salazar. “It bears the name of our family, because our history has been part of this valley for such a long time. The history of the San Luis Valley is linked to this river, the Rio Grande, and its tributaries.”
The Emma and Henry Salazar Memorial Scholarship Fund provides an average of five scholarships annually. It is available to full-time, first-generation students who are at least a sophomore. Another scholarship fund was recently set up by Gabe and Clorinda Salazar in honor of LeRoy and Michelle Salazar.
LeRoy Salazar, a former Adams State University trustee, said, “This scholarship fund is meant to support our parents’ belief in the power of education to help change the world for the better. My mother and father were not able to go to college, but their expectation was for all of us to obtain a college education, and all eight children did.” Emma and Henry Salazar raised their eight children and farmed on 52 acres near Manassa, CO, in a home that did not receive electricity from the grid until 1980.
The Salazars continue to farm and ranch in Southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley, where their ancestors were among the first settlers in the 1860s. Their achievements and contributions to the community bear out Henry and Emma’s philosophy of education.
Ken Salazar is a former U.S. Ambassador, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and U.S. Senator who also served as Colorado Attorney General. He is a well-known international lawyer working on renewable energy and negotiating agreements between international entities. He has served on numerous for-profit and non-profit boards throughout the United States and continues to serve the people of his state and his country in many ways.
John Salazar, a 1982 graduate of Adams State, is a former representative to the Colorado legislature and former U.S. Congressman. He is also Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture and has returned to his roots as a farmer and rancher.
LeRoy Salazar is an engineer who established and managed Agro Engineering before returning to manage the family farm. He was a member of the Adams State University Board of Trustees for several years and is involved in several San Luis Valley community leadership positions.
Leandro Salazar, who passed away in a tragic farm accident in1992, was a partner with brother John on Salazar Farms. Previously he was an organizer with the Cesar Chavez Farm Worker movement.
Elaine Salazar owns and manages Ampersand Art Supply, which manufactures and markets art supplies for worldwide distribution. She is very actively involved with her Austin, Texas, community.
Margaret Salazar Muñiz earned a degree in mathematics and a teaching license from Adams State, then became a legendary math teacher in the North Conejos school system.
Elliott Salazar is a former law enforcement officer with the Internal Revenue service, with a brief stint in the banking industry. He serves on two agricultural water boards in the San Luis Valley.
June Salazar is a mathematician who worked in quality control with Intel Corporation. She became a recruiter and mentor for many people looking for jobs within the company before retiring to help care for her parents.
