WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer offer their heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Navajo Code Talker Joe Vandever, Sr., who passed away on Friday morning at the age of 96 in Haystack, N.M.

“The Navajo people have lost another great warrior who sacrificed more than we’ll ever know to defend our country. On behalf of the Navajo Nation, we offer our prayers and heartfelt condolences to his wife, children, and many other loved ones,” Nez said.

According to his family, Vandever passed away due to health complications. He was born on Feb. 5, 1923 into the Red Running Into the Water People clan, born for Two Who Came to the Water clan. He was married for 73 years to his wife, Bessie D. Vandever, who passed on Sept. 24, 2019.

Vandever enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps in Santa Fe, N.M. on March 26, 1943 and was honorably discharged as Corporal on Jan. 22, 1946. He served in northern Solomons, Bougainville, Emirau Islands, Guam, Marianas Islands, Okinawa, Ryukyus Islands, Occupation of Japan, and Occupation of China.

“Navajo Code Talker Joe Vandever, Sr. was a great warrior and a compassionate family man," Lizer said. "In every aspect of his life, he was a loving person who cared greatly for his people. Today, I ask our Diné people to keep his spirit and his family in your prayers as we give thanks for his life and his legacy."

Survivors include his sister Mary Vandever Delgarito; sons Gary, Tracy, Obie, Joe Jr., and Lester Vandever; daughters Beth Nez, Phegie Vandever Slim, Sheila Vandever Nez; 36 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his parents Emma and Walter Vandever; his wife Bessie D. Vandever; son Anthony Vandever; and grandsons Charleston, Antonio, and Travis Vandever. Services are being arranged with Cope Memorial Chapel in Gallup, N.M. Burial will be in Santa Fe National Cemetery. Further details are forthcoming.

Incident report in question

A blaze that broke out at a residence Jan. 17 has left a local family without a home and many of their belongings either burned or destroyed.

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

The day started off normally for Theresa Keemann and her family at their home about four miles south of Gallup.

“We got up, we turned a propane heater on,” Keemann said Jan. 22. “When we leave the house, we make sure everything’s off, like the propane heater and the propane stove.”

Keemann received a phone call from her son, who works for Dallago Corporation, who said he needed to be picked up. Afterwards, they stopped at Navajo Shopping Center, 1300 Chino Rd. in Gamerco, to pick up a propane tank and then did a number of other chores before her son said they should go back to their house.

But as Keemann and her family drove back home about 10 am, they saw something was wrong.

“When we got to the highway, we saw smoke coming out of the front of our house,” she said. “[My son] said, ‘I think something’s wrong with the house!’ As we were going up the hill, we noticed the house was on fire.”

Keemann said the front porch of the home was burning when they arrived. The family realized they could not stop the blaze on their own, so she called 911 three times.

Despite repeated calls to both 911 and the Navajo Nation Fire Department, help did not arrive until about an hour after the family got home.

And even then, the assistance was not as effective as it could have been, Keemann said. Equipment errors like the hose starting and stopping and the fire truck not making it up the hill added to the stress of the situation.

“I felt like grabbing that hose and putting out the fire myself,” Keemann said.

FINDING THE SOURCE

Keemann said she does not know how the fire started. As such, she is not ruling out the possibility of arson, which she brought up to the Navajo Nation Police. She was told the police were going to talk to the fire marshall about the incident, but has not heard back.

The fire took a heavy financial and emotional toll on Keemann and her family.

“It was devastating,” she said. “I cried and cried, because my father built that house when I was five years old.”

Keemann said if the fire had been extinguished, a lot of their belongings could have been saved. But as is, a lot of sensitive personal documents, including birth certificates, Certificates of Indian Blood, and diplomas are gone. All of the family’s clothing is also gone.

Then, when Keemann received a copy of the incident report from the fire department Jan. 21, she found a lot of the information they recorded was not accurate, such as what was burning and when she called them.

“I said, ‘This [report] is a lie,’” she said. “The hogan wasn’t on fire. The stove wasn’t on fire.”

In the aftermath of the blaze, Keemann said a number of people have been seen sifting through the remains of the house as if they were looking for anything to steal.

“That’s not right,” she said.

THE NEXT STEP

The family has a number of options for places to stay, but none of them are either long-term solutions or immediately ready for move-in. Keemann said a hogan given to them by her mother has issues with its roof, and a different house is under construction with no running water or electricity.

An offer from Navajo Housing Authority would include relocating about 40 miles from Gallup, which is too far given the family either works or attends school in Gallup.

On top of losing everything to a fire, Keemann and her family also had to deal with the aftermath of losing three of their relatives in a short span. She mentioned one of the funerals being set for the day following the fire.

Despite the hardship, Keemann is taking steps to keep her family together and rebuild from this incident.

“I’m dealing with Red Cross. They keep in touch with me psychologically and support us mentally,” Keemann said.

One of Keemann’s relatives has begun accepting donations to help the family on their way. Red Rock Chapter has also asked for donations at Navajo Spirit Southwestern Wear, 815 W. Coal Ave.

If you would like to help, the donation fundraiser is available on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/donate/581062872477429/.

By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer offered condolences to the family of Sophie Yazzie, who died Jan.25 in Tucson, Ariz. at the age of 105.  Yazzie was the longest-living veteran in the state of Ariz.

She was a member of the Navajo Nation, born in 1914 in Canyon de Chelly, Ariz.

At the age of 28, Yazzie enlisted with the U. S. Army Air Corps and served during World War II until she was honorably discharged. Following her time in the military, she returned home and worked at Wingate Boarding School.

She had four children with her late husband Jordan B. Yazzie. She was grandmother to five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

"On behalf of the Navajo people, we offer our thoughts and prayers for the family of the late Sophie Yazzie, a matriarch for her family and a warrior for our Navajo people who served our country with great honor and dignity. To her family, we pray for comfort during this difficult time," Nez said.

Lizer also spoke about Yazzie. "She was a loving and compassionate mother, grandmother and veteran who served her people throughout her life in several different capacities.  We will always be grateful for her contributions and we give thanks for her life and we pray for her family and friends during this time."

The family is in the process of setting up an account to receive donations.

The details of the funeral service for Sophie Yazzie are still being confirmed.

Group presents follow up to landmark 2018 case

Public education in New Mexico was under the microscope when parents and elected officials gathered at the Gallup-McKinley County Schools Student Support Services boardroom Jan. 15 at a forum organized by Transform Education N.M.

Transform Education N.M.is a coalition of education, tribal and community leaders with the goal of advancing a new vision for the state’s public education system and holding the state accountable to fulfill the constitutional rights of its students.

CASE BACKGROUND

The central topic was the outcome the Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico lawsuit filed in 2017, which is based on the legal claim that the State of New Mexico, the New Mexico Public Education Department, and the Secretary of Education violated the State Constitution by failing to provide a uniform system of free public schools sufficient for all students’ success.

Judge Sarah Singleton ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in July 2018. She said the state is violating the rights of public school students to the resources, funding, and programming that will enable them to succeed.  She said the education system was especially lacking in the cases of children from low-income households, students of color, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities. Singleton ordered the state to make an overhaul to its public education system immediately.

The plaintiffs believe the 2019 New Mexico Legislature did not take enough action to comply with the judge’s orders and did not provide programming and support for at-risk students. Bilingual education and social services were not in place. Further, a number of state districts  dropped reading intervention and truancy-prevention programs.

THE RULING DISCUSSION

Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce CEO Bill Lee welcomed guests to the discussion and spoke about the chamber’s involvement with public education.

“I’m proud to say I am a product of the Gallup-McKinley County Schools,” Lee said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the education I got here.”

Lee said the chamber is a strong advocate on several fronts including impact aid and the lawsuit ruling.

“I know we are a strong community who believes in fighting for what’s right, especially when it comes to the education of our children,” Lee said.

With the second session of the 54th New Mexico Legislature days away, Lee urged attendees to speak with their legislative representatives about public education issues.

“They have a lot of extra money. There is no reason in my mind that things like this, that have been mandated by the courts, should not be funded and implemented to their fullest extent,” Lee said.

Wilhelmina Yazzie, one of the main plaintiffs in the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit, spoke about the importance of pressing the case.

“It’s for our children, for all the children [across the state],” Yazzie said, explaining why she joined the lawsuit.

Yazzie also spoke about how children are sacred in the Navajo culture, sharing the story of how a baby is connected to the Holy People from birth and they become human when they have their first laugh, which is when the family of the baby has a celebration.

“As they get older, it is our responsibility as parents, teachers, lawmakers, to prepare them for life,” Yazzie said. “Our children deserve a quality education, and the state is responsible for providing a good education for all of their students.”

Gail Evans, lead counsel for the Yazzie plaintiffs, gave more details about the case.

“The case has had a special focus on Native American children,” Evans said. “There has been no other case like this across the country that has focused on Native students.”

The ruling of the case speaks to the rights of Native American students, she added.

“We have to know what we’re holding the state to,” Evans said. “It’s one thing to say they need to comply, but how do they get that done?”

To that end, Evans spoke about the legislative platform they plan to use for the upcoming session to guide the state to come into compliance with the lawsuit ruling:

Develop a capacity of educators, a pipeline of bi-lingual and TESOL-endorsed (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) teachers, Native language instructors, pre-K teachers and special ed teachers, and professional development in cultural and linguistic education.

Provide literacy specialists and social services.

Offer full day pre-K for 4-year-olds.

Create availability of instructional materials and technology, including wifi on tribal lands

Create flexible extended learning programs

Offer educator salary increases

Make funding formula changes, increasing the index for at-risk, bilingual, special ed, and small district funds.

Develop a capacity of the Public Education Department to assist districts.

Develop culturally and linguistically responsive curriculum for institutions of higher education and other centers.

Evans said the biggest takeaway for the public is this will not be a quick fix, but one that will require focus and cooperation.

“It’s not going to be enough to just add some money to the public school budget,” Evans said. “It’s going to take a massive statewide effort.”

By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent