A Thanksgiving in Memory of Gary Embler
Gary Embler
During the Sat. Nov. 20 memorial service for Gary Embler, I thought about Thanksgiving and giving thanks for Gary—a well-rounded human being and true public servant. Gary combined the best of the private and public worlds—a rare thing. As we learned during the service, Gary put family first—his wife Elaine and two daughters, Katherine and Rebecca. Each summer with friends, the Emblers took time off to renew relationships during a traditional summer vacation. But, prompted by his belief in education and love for his daughters, as I see it, he engaged in lobbying for the best education possible for his daughters, which, in turn benefited a plethora of children in the community.
Though I met Gary years ago when he first went to work for local architect Gene Sanchez at the end of the seventies or beginning of the 80s, we were never intimate friends. But his career as public servant at the Taos Charter School and as school board member occurred coincidentally during the Horse Fly years of the last decade. As many have noted, he was instrumental in starting up the Charter Schools in this state generally and in Taos specifically. Early on, Gary led the Taos Charter School Council in the direction of local control and accountability—call it site-based management.
More impressively, to me, Embler and his team established a core curriculum, not so different from my own experience in teaching in the University of Nevada’s Western Tradition and History of Ideas department. I remember how hard he and Jim Thompson struggled with the arcane complications of NMPED’s budget constraints and restrictions. The culture of the Taos Charter School survives today as exemplary in the community, due to Gary’s dedication.
At the Charter School and later as candidate for the TMS Board, and finally as a board member, Gary displayed much moral and political courage. He’s one of the few newcomers to take on the local political establishment and win the right to represent his and others’ views—not for personal aggrandizement but for the sake of the public good. I was in the gallery of the Roundhouse when he, especially, and other board members, generally, were attacked by the New Mexico House of Representatives, which passed a unanimous resolution expressing their displeasure with TMS’s choice of superintendents. He argued against the Governor’s proposals to undermine local control over the schools, a syndrome from which the community schools have yet to recover from in Taos.
Throughout the above trials and tribulations, Gary suffered from cancer. His display of physical courage, fighting back against the dreaded plague of modern life is well known. For me, his display of moral and political courage—his ability to “keep your head when all about you/Are losing theirs and blaming it on you†is an even greater example of his spirit. I think that he embodied Kipling’s poem, “If†for he kept his cool, remained diplomatic, and open-minded, above all fair and just in his aims. And in the Kipling vein, he was a far better man, was this “Gunga Din†than the rest of us.
Below, I have posted Gary Storch’s moving tribute to his friend Gary Embler.
Determination and Defiance
Hi everyone, my name is Gary Storch. My spouse Donna and my two children, Ariel and Aleta have always considered the Emblers as family. In my world I have never had very many close friends and I have just lost one very close friend. The two words that define Gary Embler to me…. are determination and defiance.
Donna and I met Gary and Elaine 30 years ago at a political upheaval rally in Taos… (what else is there?). The infamous power lines up both sides of the Wild and Scenic River, and we built up a friendship and camaraderie from that moment on. Our families grew up together, laughed, cried and partied together.
We went from political conspirators to working together on other projects,
consulting with each other and helping build the Embler and Storch houses, to becoming fellow sports pundits, and later to education activists. I actually found someone in Taos who was as addicted to baseball as I was. And to top it off, he was a Met fan too. I was in sports heaven…someone who could talk about player’s stats, pitchers won/loss records and who was going to beat the Cardinals that season for the NL Pennant. Sorry Mr. Flexner, I know you are out there. The best part was
That he despised the NY Yankees too.
Rockies and Met fans. What a duo. Giants and Jets football too! Sports… jazz…. New York deli. Denver the closest thing to a real metropolitan area was our escapism. Lots of fun. Gary was the main driving force for season Rockies tickets and that was the start of a hundred plus drives to Denver and back to go see Rockies baseball, Chapultepec jazz, food, entertainment and the sense of city. Lots of fun times.
Those countless hundreds of drives from Taos to Denver and back…we’d talk about everything and get to know each other’s stories. I did learn one thing that Gary was a really good person. He believed in doing the right thing and cared about his fellow citizens in the community. He talked straight with no bull. . He seemed to be always looking out for somebody or something. The drives were fast, relaxing, educational and speeding ticket free (for some of us).
Gary and I argued and disagreed about so much that we actually got to solve some of our own idiosyncrasies on those long drives. I’d find out he was having another bout with the dreaded disease that kept popping up intermittently and how he would just fight it over and over again.
Determination and Defiance. That’s what his secret was.
And I would always ask…how can he keep coming back from these down times
and crappy mindset?? Determination and Defiance. He always threw me the fastball, the curve ball. and the slider. He was mostly tight lipped but those drives would help open him up and his wonderful self would come out in full bloom. Kept me off balance all the time and kept me in wonderment and amazement how he fought to live and love, no matter what the doctors told him. Determination and defiance was really what I saw in him. I think a lot of it rubbed off on me.
My family and I will miss Gary. As all of you will. My families deepest condolences to Elaine, Kathryn, Rebecca, Don, Lynn, Susan, Carl, Damon and all the other family members, friends and everyone else out there that knew Gary or was able to partake in his life, love and humor.
As in baseball, Gary’s life was a run around the base paths. From 1st to 2nd, – 2nd to 3rd and heading into home base. Wherever his spirit or energy is. At this moment, Gary is sliding into home plate and the umpire has yelled at the top of his lungs. “YOU”RE SAFE”
Thanks for the opportunity to say a few words about our families kind and
good friend. We will miss Gary dearly.
Gary Storch