Friends ~
Since the rest of you couldn’t be there, I thought I’d share with you some reflections on Peg Van Valen Russell’s memorial that took place in Alamosa on Friday. It was in a grand hall on Adams State College campus. The hall, adorned with flowers, was packed. Hundreds of members of the San Luis Valley and Northern New Mexico community were there, all of whom felt a singular, tragic loss with Peg’s passing: friends, family, lawyers, judges, law enforcement officers, social workers, water specialists, railroad engineers, teachers, children crammed the hot auditorium — indeed, it seemed that every single facet of Alamosa society was represented, and every single one of these people were honored to call Peg a friend. Representing her Philmont tribe were myself, Sam Vivian (Colorado Springs), and her very close and dear friends Steve Rick and Sam Minor from Cimarron.
After the eulogy, friends took turns speaking, sharing remembrances. All of these were directed especially to her beautiful, handsome son, Quinn, who was sitting front and center. He is a remarkably well-mannered and smart seven-year old boy who stole the heart of everyone there. When the ceremony began, the gentleman leading the service welcomed us all, and turned to Quinn and asked him, “Quinn, do you know why we are here today?” To which the boy answered clearly, “Because of my Mom.” “That’s right,” the man said, and so began the service.
Apparently Quinn is fascinated with trains and the railroad — quite a few of which pass through Alamosa. Peg and Quinn would frequent the depot and watch the trains, with Quinn becoming a mascot of sorts among the engineers. The engineers would invite Peg and Quinn up into the engine and Quinn would have a marvelous time exploring and climbing around. One of the most wonderful and moving tributes was when a group of half a dozen of these engineers — Quinn’s “Train Dads” — dressed in clean overalls, escorted by Quinn, walked up to the stage and shared a special tribute. It turns out that a couple of weeks ago the head engineer was about to make a long train ride up over La Veta Pass, and invited Quinn and Peg to join him. It was a 9-hour ride, and they all had a ball. In fact, the photo of Quinn sleeping in Peg’s lap is from that journey — “the last day,” as Quinn so heart-breakingly put it.
One thing I found truly reassuring was the realization and recognition that Quinn has an enormous family there in Alamosa. Peg’s parents live there, as do the Russell clan. And though she had divorced from Scott (who played a couple of musical tributes to her), they remained good friends and his family is still clearly very close and dear to Peg and Quinn.
A fund has been set up to help support Quinn, who was adopted at birth by Peg; she was raising him as a single mom.
Donations can be made to the:
Richard Q. Russell Memorial Account via
Julie Kenison, Deposit Services Representative
San Luis Valley Federal Bank
P.0. Box 780
Alamosa, Colorado 81101
Additionally, friends of Peg are putting together a notebook of remembrances of her for Quinn. If any of you would like to share with Quinn photographs, memories and anecdotes of his mother please send them to:
District Court Chief Judge
O. John Kuenhold
12th Judicial District Chief Judge
Phone: 719-589-4996
702 4th Street
Alamosa CO 81101
I was not particularly close with Peg Van Valen, but we were friends. And I remember her well enough that the news of her passing struck me profoundly. Back in the days when I knew her, she was bouncily cheerful, honestly encouraging, and a genuinely nice human being- one of the best examples for me of what a Ranger was supposed to be.
I was selected for a Mountain Man trek when Kevin Lindahl and Peg Van Valen were the coordinators. We were told that it was not supposed to be a mini-Rayado but when my crew got off the bus at Lover’s turnaround, I made sure they took the North Fork Uracca to get to Miner’s. Up to Philmont reservoir, across the spillway, and the last bit of trail ran out at the upper end of the res. We weren’t too far up the tangled creek when it began to rain, and the farther we went, the rougher, wetter and colder it got.
After a couple of hours of progressively more difficult travel, ripped ponchos, and unhappy campers, I turned us around and headed back toward the turnaround. I don’t remember a lot of the details from that point of surrender. It became a long, cold, slogging, muddy hike where time doesn’t seem to pass and mileage refuses to rack up. Night closed as we hiked, we fell in the mud, and seemed to move slower every step up the Lover’s road. I had done a pretty poor job and felt it.
Not far from Miner’s, we saw a flashlight dancing the down the road toward us and I heard Peg’s cheery but concerned voice calling out if we were Forky’s Mountain trek. We had been missed and Peg had come looking. Peg got the campers warming in the cabin and I started on their dinner. I had yet to change into drier clothes and sitting under the tarp, cooking dinner, I developed a chill. I was shivering and Peg came over and rubbed my back as I stirred the beef stroganoff.
That is my best and strongest memory of Peg Van Valen. There was not a word of reproach for my poor judgment in trail selection and putting my campers, HER campers, at risk. Just her warming, comforting hands on my back on a cold night and her gentle, encouraging words on a particularly bad day for me as a Ranger.
I know that others more close to her will mourn her passing more deeply than I. But I wanted to share my favorite memory of her with you other pholks that shared with her what I did – An amazing time of life at an amazing place that in its own special way, helped us all share a deeply human experience with many such remarkable people. Peg Van Valen helped me to be a better Ranger, a better person, and I am humbly thankful for the better life I have had because of all that.
Though I haven’t seen or spoken to Peg in decades, the world is a poorer place for me with her gone – and I am not her seven year old son. Please give generously to the fund set up for Margaret’s son, Quinn. There could be no better memorial for her, and no more appropriate group than us to build it strong.
Forky Rudin
Mtn. Trek Ranger 1983
Hi Forky;
Sure enjoyed reading your rememberance of Peg. Hope you & yours are well…& that we might cross paths one day soon.
Best,
Gil.
Peg Van Valen was one of my favorite Rangers and one of my favorite Philmont friends. I was truly shocked when I heard the sad news. Philmont changes many lives, and mine was no exception. Whenever I look back at those early Philmont memories, Peg is standing right in the middle of them.
Peg and I were in the same training crew (Jim Askew’s) when I was a first year Ranger and she was a in her second year as a Ranger. We formed a very close friendship during training as she took me under her wing and helped polish the training with practical tips, advice, and care. When Jim was on a Rayado Trek, Peg went out of her way to look out for me. I always viewed her as my second TR. She hurt her knee during training and refused to let me carry any of her crew gear (I had to resort to sneaking some out of her pack when she was gone, until she caught me). I remember a crew advisor explaining to the Welcome Center that he had been to Philmont 12 times and was not happy about being assigned a female ranger. I told him of Peg’s background, incredible skills, that she really trained me, and that he would never find a better Ranger or better person. 12 days after reluctantly agreeing, he was at the Ranger Office looking for the Chief Ranger to say he had never had a better Ranger and would ask for Peg or another female Ranger on every future trip.
Peg was simply one of the highest quality people I have ever known and one who I considered a dear friend and important part of all that is Philmont to me. My heart breaks for Quinn and her family.
Ditto on Forky’s thoughtful comments on Peg. My first year as a Ranger in 1982, Peg was the USAFA Training Ranger, in charge of the rangers from the Air Force Academy. I was very impressed by her enthusiasm, which rubbed off on everyone who worked with her.
I had the humbling opportunity to hike with Peg one time, on a hike-in day. Keeping up was a challenge for a flatlander new to the mountains, but I expected to do better considering we were heading downhill from Crater Lake to the Lovers Leap turn around. It was early in the summer, but I was a bit perturbed that I was huffing and puffing on a downhill slope.That was my first experience with “Ranger pace”, and made me start jogging more seriously in the off season to prepare for longer hikes.
I also worked with Peg in 1983 when I was selected for a Mountain Trek. Kevin and Peg gave me great suggestions for tweaking the trek based on the interests and abilities of the crew. I’d like to think that their enthusiasm must have passed thru me to the crew members on my two treks that summer, and I had two of them join the staff in following summers. Peg told me what a great opportunity a Mountain Trek was, the ad hoc program things you could plan, and really got me fired up for my first one.
The good things that people do are positive energy that is passed onto others, which can be passed in turn down the line, multiplying the effect. I have forgotten this from time to time over the years.
When I think of great things that can be done and should be done… I think of the great people I had the fortune to work with at Philmont and at other camps, and they remain an inspiration beyond the mundane details and challenges of the “real world”. I haven’t talked to Peg since the end of the summer of 1983 and hadn’t thought of her in years, but now the memories are coming from way back. Once you get past the hurt, the good ones are making me smile again.
I was browsing the comments about Peg here on the site. I live in Alamosa and thought I should comment on what a great Philmont staffer does in later life; they become a great community member. I met Peg in her later, post Ranger days in the mid 80s when she was working at PTC and CHQ Services, and was not on staff for her ranger days. I was teaching in Nebraska in 2000 when I had an interview at Adams State College in Alamosa, At the time, Peg was on the PSA board and I fetched her email when I was coming down. She did a lot to fill me in on the community and help me land the job. When I moved she was the only one I knew in town, and she took my family out to dinner and gave my daughter a t-shirt to welcome us and make us feel at home. Once here, we often ran into each other at the store and caught up. I quickly became aware of how highly though of she was in town, particularly for her work as a legal advocate for children. I even sat on a jury for a trial at which she was representing the interests of the child in a custody case. Strangely, even when I said we had known each other twenty years I was not dismissed. She was very impressive in the court room. Her work led her to adopt Quinn when he was a new born. Peg’s parents are retired college professors from Beloit, and I worked with her mom for years on the local library and historic preservation boards. Her mom kept me up to date on Peg’s activities and we never failed to talk about Philmont. Peg was very highly regarded around here, and her death was a shock to us all. What I have most noticed is that nearly all of the people I most admire here were themselves big fans of Peg. She made a huge mark on the community withe her service to the interest of children in many capacities: as a lawyer, and advocate, and even as a teacher of classes of divorced parents. Unfortunately, I was out of town for her service, but I continue to hear from friends here about her; she is greatly missed and her passing left a hole in our community.