[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 102 (Wednesday, July 21, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1447-E1448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RANCHO VALMORA: 100 YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 21, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
upcoming 100th anniversary of Rancho Valmora, nestled on the eastern 
side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at the juncture of the Mora 
River and Wolf Creek.
  Rancho Valmora was originally established as a revolutionary health 
center for tuberculosis patients and bears a National Historic Marker 
for this heritage. Valmora Ranch Company was founded in 1904 by healer 
and visionary, Dr. William T. Brown. This tuberculosis sanatorium 
became nationally renowned and a bright star in the medical world as 
thousands of patients sought out ``the cure'' at Valmora. It was 
believed the aged canyon walls, the warm sun, the ongoing medical 
research and the northern New Mexico ambience provided the ingredients 
to heal.

[[Page E1448]]

  Dr. Carl H. Gellenthien came as a ``lunger'' in 1927, and he headed 
the next generation of healers and researchers at Valmora Industrial 
Sanatorium. Brown and Gellenthien were dreamers, ahead of their time 
during an exciting era of modern medicine. The program was closed in 
the 1960s.
  The old and crumbling site was rediscovered in 1992 by a group of New 
Mexicans and Texans--board members of The High Frontier of Fort Davis, 
Texas. Their vision was to use this site as a residential treatment 
center for troubled boys and girls.
  Today Rancho Valmora serves as a non-profit residential school aiming 
to assist adolescents that are in need of treatment. Over the years I 
have met counselors who have worked at Rancho Valmora, who have shared 
heartfelt stories of these young people. These youth are looking for a 
positive role model, a place to fit in and a peer group that accepts 
who they are. They are trying to make sense of their particular 
situations, themselves, their relationships and their lives. No young 
person wakes up one day and says, ``I want to be rejected, devalued, or 
alone.'' Yet this is the message that many of them received early in 
their lives. Many of the youth have had bad experiences that no one 
would wish upon a person they care about: abandonment, violence, 
physical and sexual abuse, drugs and alcohol to name a few. They have 
not known who to turn to, who to follow and who to look up to.
  At Rancho Valmora, the youth learn that they are of value, that 
others care for and about them, and they learn that they can care for 
and about others. They find they have something to offer, they fit in 
for helping, not hurting others. A positive interaction with others 
becomes fashionable and with that comes a sense of well-being and a 
sense of self worth through Positive Peer Culture.
  Within this structured learning environment, Rancho Valmora provides 
a complete educational program and recreational activities which will 
develop the mind, physical fitness and confidence of each student. For 
recreation the youth engage in social and physical activities through 
basketball, mush ball, volleyball, dances and through working and 
attending an old fashioned soda fountain named the Little Dipper. They 
also engage in horsemanship, horticulture and art to enhance their 
knowledge base and accumulate experiences outside the classroom 
setting.
  The central position is that young people can develop self-worth, 
significance, dignity, and responsibility only as they become committed 
to the positive values of helping and caring for others. As an ancient 
Hindu proverb advises, ``Help thy brother's boat across, and lo, thine 
own has reached the shore.''
  Rancho Valmora will mark their centennial of service on August 7, 
2004. A day of fun, food, and entertainment will commence with the 
dedication of a new 39,000 square foot school gymnasium as the 
students, staff and friends usher in the next 100 years. It is sure to 
be a wonderful time.
  Mr. Speaker, for the past century Rancho Valmora has served thousands 
of people. From the tuberculosis patients in the early 20th century to 
the troubled youth of the 21st century, Rancho Valmora has mended 
hundreds of sick bodies and souls. This special place of learning and 
healing has managed to take what is old and make it new again. Rancho 
Valmora has been, is now and will hopefully remain a place of hope and 
miracles. I ask that my colleagues join with me in congratulating 
Rancho Valmora.

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