Sanford, Dr. Allan R. Memorial Fellowship
This scholarship was established in memory of Dr. Al Sanford (1927-2016), a Professor
of Geophysics at New Mexico Tech from 1957-1997.
It is awarded to a full time Geophysics student (undergraduate or graduate) in the
Earth and Environmental Sciences Department.
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Saracini, Victor Memorial Scholarship
Victor "Vic" Saracini, a 1976 graduate of New Mexico Tech (B.S. General Studies), was
the captain of United Airlines Flight 175, which was crashed into Tower I of the World
Trade Center by terrorists on September 11, 2001.
After Vic graduated from Tech, he served in the Navy, where he trained as a pilot,
then worked for United Airlines for about 16 years. He was survived by his wife, Ellen,
and two children, Kirsten and Brielle.
This scholarship fund was created in 2004 by two of his classmates to honor his memory.
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Schnorr, Douglas P. Memorial Scholarship
In the summer of 1938 Doug drove his Model A from Buffalo New York to study Metallurgical
Engineering at the New Mexico School of Mining & Engineering. He learned of the school
from an advertisement in the National Geographic Magazine.
Following graduation in May of 1942 he presented himself, along with three classmates,
at Kirkland Army Air Base and enlisted in the Army Air Corp. Commissioned as a Lieutenant,
he served as a navigator/co-pilot on B-24’s until his honorable discharge at the end
of WWII. He went on to a successful career designing power plants in Los Angeles and
retired as a commercial land developer in Southern California.
His daughter, Jane and her husband, Bob are pleased of offer this scholarship in his
memory. Doug loved his time in Socorro and his education led to a lifetime pursuit
of knowledge. We are impressed with the educational opportunities at New Mexico Tech
and look forward to supporting students in their education endeavors.
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Shipman, John Scholarship
This scholarship was created by Sally Breeden to honor her brother John Shipman for
his lifelong love of learning and in recognition of his many and varied lifetime achievements.
After graduating from Hobbs (NM) High School at the age of 17 as a National Merit
Scholarship finalist, John was awarded a Co-op Scholarship to New Mexico Tech. As
he started his classes, he found his intellectual home with like-minded individuals.
After graduation (B.S. Computer Science, 1971) he accepted a position at Hewlett-Packard
in California where he lived for some ten years, but Socorro was never far from his
thoughts. He returned to Socorro in the early 1980s, bought a house and was a faculty
member of the NM Tech Computer Science department until he retired in 2014.
John’s death in January 2017 affected many people in many ways. He had built a vast
network of similarly driven people all over the country and communicated with every
individual according to their interests, be that computers or cooking or love of birds
or singing with the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus. His interests ran the gamut of subjects
and it was rare that he could not add something to a person’s already broad knowledge.
In March 2022, the NMT Board of Regents approved awarding John a posthumous honorary
doctorate in Computer Science and Engineering. Read the full story here.
This scholarship is intended to recognize this kind of potential in students who can
peer into the future and use their education in the computer science profession to
improve lives through technology.
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Smith, Clay T. and Sallie Scholarship
Dr. Clay T. and Mrs. Sallie Smith came to Socorro in 1947, when he joined the faculty
at Tech. Over his long career, Dr. Smith became an eminent authority on the geology
of New Mexico, and was in high demand as a consultant for industry and government.
In 1995, he received the Marsden Award from the Society of Economic Geologists for
outstanding service to the society and the profession.
This fund recognizes and honors Dr. Smith’s long career in field geology and his 35
years as part of the geosciences department at NMT. His final field adventure was
a brisk expedition into the nearby Quebradas, three days before his sudden demise
in 2003 at the venerable age of 87.
This fund, established by New Mexico Tech’s Department of Earth and Environmental
Sciences, is used to enhance student field experiences for Earth Science students.
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"Starving Student" - Mickey and Janey Johnson Scholarship
The Starving Student scholarship was established by Michael and Janey Johnson to assist
students with financial need in pursuing a science or engineering program. Charles
Michael "Mickey" Johnson (1945 - 2017) earned his B.S. in Mathematics at Tech in 1967.
Eligible students must be a full-time undergraduate student with a cumulative GPA
of 2.5 or higher, pursuing a science or engineering degree, demonstrate financial
need as determined by FAFSA results, and must not be eligible for the NM Legislative
Lottery Scholarship.
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Summer Math Success (SMS) Scholarship
Degrees at New Mexico Tech start with Calculus, but many incoming students do not
have an opportunity to prepare for Calculus before arriving on campus. The Summer Math Success (SMS) Scholarship enables incoming new students to take a New Mexico Tech distance education Pre-Calculus
Algebra or Trigonometry class the summer before they start as full-time NMT undergraduates.
This course advances their understanding of math and their math placement, familiarizes
them with NMT math faculty, and introduces them to some of their incoming classmates.
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Sylvester, Dr Howard E. Scholarship
There are a few notable people in New Mexico Tech history that shaped the university
and students to a degree that their essence has become a part of New Mexico Tech’s
character.
Dr. Howard Eugene Sylvester, beloved professor and longtime Humanities Department
Chair, is one of these people.
Dr. Sylvester came to New Mexico Tech (then the School of Mines) in 1949 as an assistant
professor of English. He quickly advanced to Humanities Department Chair just 5 years
later and also served a stint as Dean. However, it is his recognition as New Mexico
Tech's first recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award that better captures his
legacy than the former titles.
Dr. Sylvester was known for his quick wit and compassion. He is best described by
the words of a former student,
Howard was not an English teacher. He was the taskmaster in classes that roamed through
centuries of man's recorded ideas and thoughts and aspirations. Howard's students
were always enthralled by his ability to communicate ideas, and the fluency with which
he quoted a modern or ancient writer to illustrate a point. I will always remember
the glitter in his eye and the confirming smile when the quote he gave you more than
hit the mark.
Howard was a complete human being with an appreciation of the strengths and frailties
of others. I cannot recall a situation in which he didn't exhibit compassion and understanding
for the plight of others. He enriched the lives of all those he came in contact with.
Dr. Sylvester's family set up this scholarship to continue the impact Dr. Sylvester
had on so many. The Dr. Howard E. Sylvester Scholarship is given to an outstanding
Technical Communication student at New Mexico Tech.
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Sylvester, Shirley Service Award
Shirley Sylvester was an influential leader whose legacy is woven into the fabric
and history of Socorro and New Mexico Tech.
Shirley and her husband, Dr. Howard Sylvester arrived in Socorro in 1949 after Dr.
Sylvester accepted a job with New Mexico Tech's Humanities Department. While Dr. Sylvester
was busy making sure NMT graduates were well-rounded and well-spoken, Shirley went
to work sowing seeds in the Socorro community.
While involved in many community groups, including AAUW, Socorro Garden Club, Socorro
Hospital Auxiliary, and the March of Dimes, helping Socorro's senior citizens was
Shirley's true passion.
It was a part of Shirley's essence to identify the work that needed to be done and
proceed to not just meet the need but to produce results beyond expectation. Shirley
was a charter member of Socorro Senior Citizens and served as the group's first President.
She was instrumental in establishing the Socorro Senior Center and spearheaded the
design, funding, and construction of Socorro Village, which provided much needed low-income
housing for Socorro's seniors.
She didn't stop there. In an effort to make sure the needs of senior citizens continued
to be met, Shirley recruited a Chairperson to the Socorro City/County Office on Aging
and served as the President of the Good Samaritan Volunteers for 8 years.
Shirley was named Senior Citizen of the Year in 1981 by the Socorro Chamber of Commerce
and continued to remain active in the community until her passing in 1994. Shirley's
legacy lives on through the lives of her children, grandchildren, and the many lives
she touched, and continues to touch, through her years of service in Socorro.
The Shirley Sylvester Service Award is presented to a New Mexico Tech student of outstanding
character who exhibits a heart and passion for community service. Students are nominated
by faculty and staff and chosen by the Dean of Engineering and Dean of Arts and Sciences
based on their demonstrated service activities to the Socorro and NMT communities.
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The Browers were avid supporters of the arts, and were instrumental in founding the
Performing Arts Series at Tech. Kay and Elise also played in the Tech orchestra for
many years (Kay on cello, Elise on oboe). Elise continues to serve as artistic director
of Las Cantantes, founded as a women’s chorus in 1986, and as music director of the
Socorro Unitarian-Universalist Church, and teaches piano privately.
Caitlin Guenther MacQueen earned a B.S. in Physics with Astrophysics Option and a
B.S. in Mathematics, concurrently, at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology,
graduating in 2014. Caitlin relocated to Melbourne, Australia to attend the University
of Melbourne where she attained her M.Sc. of Physics (with Distinction) in 2016. At
the time of her death, she was in the final stages of earning her Ph.D in Experimental
Particle Physics. 
