Chris Rolando:

Have you ever watched a tourist in our area? Oh sure, they may be driving 14 MPH in a 40 MPH zone, causing even the best of us to grind our teeth and wish for a hood mounted laser cannon… but have you ever REALLY watched them? Every night when I come home from work, the sun is setting in the West. The mountains to the East of the city actually turn… well, purple… just like the song we all sang in grade school. Of course this also reminds me that in grade school we also sang London Bridge is Falling Down, but I digress.

I am from New York. My wife and I moved out here twenty years ago. When we first arrived I could not get over the fact that I lived somewhere with Palm Trees! Oh sure, the next door neighbor told me they were not indigenous to this area but I didn’t care; neither was I! I just loved the sound of a palm tree in the wind.

When we arrived here 20 years ago, we went to Oatman and watched the gun fights. We drove the mountain road to Kingman, and then spent some time looking at the old buildings in the downtown area. We went to Williams, up to the Grand Canyon Railway and the Lodge. We tubed down the river in Parker among a mass of people in tubes and floppy hats. We went to the casinos and enjoyed the shows and the food. Somewhere along the line, as the two decades past, we stopped noticing the mountains. We no longer heard the sound of the wind in the palms. We have not driven the mountain roads or touched the train in the park in Kingman in longer than we can remember. We drive to work the same way every day and we miss things that are right in front of us.

As the visitors creep around at their reduced speed, it serves to remind us to take a look around and enjoy everything this area has to offer. Maybe it’s time to go walk in the sand at Rotary Park, or go across the lake at sunset to watch the windows in Havasu turn orange all at once. As for me… I think I’ll go get some carrots and head to Oatman. There are some burros there that I have not seen in quite a while.

by Mike Aldridge

I wrapped up my first college degree in a tightly knit military college where virtually every moment was structured, monitored and evaluated by a superior. New Mexico Military Institute was nicknamed the “West Point of the West” and was the only school that offered an R.O.T.C. commission in the United States Army in two years. Most of my classmates chose NMMI because they were not accepted upon their initial application to one of the four prestigious military academies. A successful stint at NMMI almost guaranteed your acceptance to West Point, The Naval Academy, The Air Force Academy or The Coast Guard Academy. I worked hard and managed to get through the rigorous process and graduate Phi Thetta Kappa.

As I left Roswell, New Mexico that May afternoon in 1990 with my degree in hand, I decided that I would take a deep breath and relax and contemplate my next move. Most of my other friends and classmates were gearing up for another 4 years of disciplined study in mathematics, science, history, language and military tactics. I had no future in these areas as I had fulfilled my end of the bargain with my Father, which was “You graduate from NMMI and I’ll send you to any college in the nation”.

My brother Andy was studying at the University of Arizona and my folks had invested in a home in Tucson close to the campus. I decided to enroll at the U of A because rent was cheap and I had some scholarship money to offset the financial burdens that many college students endure. However, a rocky relationship with a girlfriend found me on the steps of Arizona State University within weeks. It was too late to enroll and I would have to wait until the next semester began.

So I began my quest for a Justice Degree at Arizona State. I was immediately overwhelmed by the size and populous of the institution. I had one class with over 400 students in it. I was also frustrated, because I had to take certain courses over for no other reason except NMMI and ASU were not on the same page, when it came to the transfer of credits back then. I took an extra year to graduate, as I went to work for Senator John McCain on his 1992 Senatorial campaign, which was an education in itself. Two decades later, I would have never thought that Arizona State University would be opening a campus in my hometown of Lake Havasu City, nor would I be serving on their Alumni Board. Last month, Dr. Michael Crow was the Keynote Speaker at the ASU dinner held in Lake Havasu City. If you had the opportunity to attend, you realized that Dr. Crow is not just an academic; he is a visionary, with a very specific plan. If you attended ASU prior to Dr. Crow becoming President, you will realize how incredible ASU has become in terms of academic excellence, and why it’s one of the top ranked universities in the world in several areas of study. Specifically, Dr. Crow in no uncertain terms, summed up his commitment to the Lake Havasu City campus with the simple phrase, “We’re in!”

Recently, we had our installation dinner for the ASU Western Arizona Chapter Alumni Board. During the dinner, Interim President Jerry Clark reminded us of the new challenge that we have in the next couple of months which is to raise the necessary funds for the beautification of the new Lake Havasu campus. He made it clear that the immediate challenge of the Alumni Board is to meet our benchmark of raising a minimum of $75,000 to purchase trees and benches for the campus. During these tough economic times, it seems as if someone is knocking on the door every single day, asking us to support this cause or this charity. Like all charities or organizations, we must pick and choose which ones to support, as most of us are on a budget. With that said, it’s important that we think of the tremendous boost and benefit that a world class campus will bring to our community.

So I plead to you today to think not just about the immediate use of a donation to the tree program, which is to further develop the beauty and infrastructure of our new campus, but to think of it as a long-term investment in the very community that you call home, and the strengthening of our up and coming leaders of tomorrow. With as little as $150, you can have your name or loved one’s name placed on a plaque that will honor your commitment to our campus for a lifetime. If my brother, Dr. Andrew Aldridge, who went to U of A willing to write a check, it’s not because he’s no longer loyal to his Alma Matter. No, it’s much bigger than that. It’s because it’s an investment in his hometown that he grew up in, and his way of giving back to the community that he so dearly loves. Please join us in making what many of us thought was only a dream, become a reality, by purchasing a tree in you or your loved one’s name. The Time is Now and I thank you for your support.

• If you would like to donate to the Arizona State University Tree program, please make your check out to ASU Foundation/LHC Tree Program. You can drop your check off at Aldridge Insurance Services, 349 S. Lake Havasu Ave., Suite 104 in Lake Havasu City, or mail your check to: ASU Alumni Association, P.O. Box 873702, Tempe, AZ 85287-3702.