Illustration by Chris Philpot.
NM FOR THE WIN
HEATHER MCCLENAHAN of Las Cruces alerted us to the fact that NBC “lost” New Mexico in its prerace coverage of the 107th Indy 500. One of the factoids that scrolled across the bottom of the screen was “States with the most Indy 500 wins.” Kansas and Indiana topped out at nine. But by McClenahan and her fellow viewers’ calculations, Al Unser Sr.’s four wins, Bobby Unser’s three, and Al Unser Jr.’s two mean New Mexico also has nine... and all from the same family, to boot. Put some respect on their name, NBC!
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS
Santa Fean JULIE KIRK headed to Texas Christian University, in Fort Worth, to attend college in the 1980s. There, she encountered some ignorance among the student population about their neighboring state. While one classmate complimented her on her “excellent English,” another was more creative. “Do you have different stars in New Mexico?” the budding scholar asked Kirk. But we get it. They only have a lone star in Texas.
GRAIN BRAIN
STEVE TAYLOR of State College, Pennsylvania, may live in the Keystone State, but he knows where New Mexico is. The Telegraph newspaper, based in the U.K., does not. While Taylor perused a recent article about a new luxury railroad in Utah, he checked out the accompanying map of its route. Utah and Colorado are centered, and the train’s route from Moab to Denver is marked. But wait, what’s New Mexico doing east of Colorado? According to the Telegraph cartographer, our main crop must be amber waves of grain.
have a “missing” moment?
Send it to fifty@nmmagazine.com, or Fifty, New Mexico Magazine, 495 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Include your name, hometown, and state. ¡Gracias!