It’s a small town. Hamlet size, actually. You get to know folks in a tiny town and those relationships are priceless. You meet them in the grocery store, the post office nearly every day, talk with them in the restaurants and at the ski area, at the Community House and in Town Hall.
I was fortunate to arrive in Red River at a time when some of the long-time residents were still alive, vital and still involved in community life.
Two of those people I got to know recently walked on to the next level. Bill Gill of Texas Reds fame left us around Christmas and Lester Lewis passed in his sleep in early January. The word icon? Overused these days, but it applies truthfully to both men. ”Bigger than life” is a cliche but, again…
Physically Bill and Lester were tall, full-bodied men. It was their deeds, however, their contributions to the community that made them big men. Very different in style and personalities, they shared something special in common: their intense love for the town of Red River and the people who have called it home.
Lester came to town at the age of five when his family moved from Wichita Falls in the mid 1930s, while Bill was a young adult when he arrived in the mid-1960s.
When Lester told me that he wanted to write a book, I encouraged him. I asked what it would be about and he told me “It’s about growing up in Red River.”
“You should call it The World According To Lester,” I said. He scoffed. When the book, Growing Up In Red River, New Mexico, was finished, it was astounding. You could hear his voice in every word, and you could hear his unwavering lifelong passion for the place he loved.
Lester was a doer. Everything inspired him. He loved to travel. With Jan, his wife of 60+ years, he saw the world and was enriched with ideas.
Lester and Stokes Bolton, founder of RRSA, created the first snowmaking machines in New Mexico. A member of the first Town Council when Red River was incorporated, he served on the Chamber of Commerce and promoted the town wherever and whenever possible.
After moving to Texas” for his health,” he soon made his way back to the mountains, back home to Red River.
Bill Gill was one of the friendliest men to ever walk the planet. Like most people who have lived in Red River for any length of time in the past 40+ years, I had the pleasure of working for Bill, entertaining customers at Texas Reds Steakhouse in the original building across from Town Hall. It was always a treat.
Bill was a gentleman in the true definition of the word, easy going, quick with a smile, a proverbial heart of gold. He would do anything for Red River. He worked hard to see that the town grew and prospered. He was community-minded in the truest meaning of those words.
When TRs burned to the ground in November 2004, it was like a knife to the heart of the town. The love poured in, too, from around the country because locals weren’t the only ones who felt the shock. Bill and Annette and the entire extended TRs family wept.
Lester and Bill made Red River what it is and I’m fortunate and blessed to have known them.
Fritz Davis, Editor