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Nazario C’de Baca traces his lineage to Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, the 13th century European who explored the Southwest searching for the elusive Seven Cities of Gold. That distinguished heritage served as an inspiration as he worked to obtain an education and build a successful career for himself and his family.
Nazario (Nick) was born in La Cienega, NM, about 15 miles south of Santa Fe. His family operated a small irrigated farm that supplied all the food they ate except coffee and sugar. He attended the local two-room school through the 8th grade. High school presented a challenge because the family didn’t have the resources for boarding school or transportation to Santa Fe. Instead he went to live with an uncle in Pena Blanca, attending high school there for two years before graduating from Santa Fe High School in 1936.
He wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps and attend New Mexico A & M. but again money was a challenge. He earned $95 through a summer job and set off to enroll in college. Tuition for the semester was $45 and no job could be obtained until he completed his first semester successfully so the $50 had to be stretched over the next three months.
Once he proved himself academically, he secured a job in the campus dairy and later free rent at the Horticulture Farm courtesy of Fabian Garcia. College graduation came in 1940 at the height of the depression but he secured a job teaching vocational agriculture for two years before Uncle Sam called him to serve in the Army under George Patton which gave him 42 months in Europe during World War II.
When the war ended, Nick returned to New Mexico and worked as county extension agent in Mora County but traveling was in his blood. After two years, he applied for a position in the foreign aid section of the USDA. He began a 28 year career that took him to several countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Sudan; working as an agricultural consultant establishing extension and 4-H style programs. His three sons were born in three different countries. After 28 years of service, he retired in 1972.
C’de Baca never forgot his early struggles to obtain an education and in 1998 he began making gifts to establish scholarships in the College of Agriculture. That fund has grown significantly and in the current academic year six students are receiving scholarships to help them fund their educations. | |
