Arley Sanchez:
CLASS OF 1971
Belen High SchoolClass of 1971
Belen, NM
University of New MexicoClass of 2004
Albuquerque, NM
Arley's Story
Life
I retired in 2013 after a 38-year career as a staff writer at the Alb. Journal. I recently rediscovered a passion for writing poetry and short stories. I have an adult daughter and a 16-year-old grandson. I wonder where everyone has gone. I wonder how everyone is doing. Hasta! A.
College
Paul McCartney's Band on the Run was playing as I walked across UNM campus in 1975, and I remember the lyrics "If I ever get out of here," apropos for the way I was feeling as graduation neared that December of '75.
Then a funny thing happened; I got a job as a reporter in October at the Albuquerque Journal.
The wildest thing I did in school was to chase Senor Carrillo's bus, the one carrying the Spanish Club to the annual trip to Chihuahua. My dad was driving, and we drove all the way to Socorro, but couldn't catch it. I had overslept. But Mr. Carrillo let me go on the trip the next year.
Workplace
I've got a pet name for the place where I work, Albuquerque Journal: Hotel California, because though I've often checked out in the last 33 years, I can never leave. I've had a pretty good run at the paper, covering everything from Valenica County Commission meetings to prison riots, and now I'm in the Features Department, writing personality profiles of interesting people.
Just recently, I've profiled David Gonzales, creator of the toy Homies figures, Santa Claus (found him living in the Jemez), artist Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith, and poet Jimmy Santiago Baca. I like this job because each day is unpredictable, and sometimes with a good story, you can can even make a difference.
I still like to play basketball, though now I'm getting some pretty good competition from my five year old grandson, and from girls. I like to walk too; 10,000 steps a da...Expand for more
y most times, it's the Japanese way to long life, or so I'm told.
The one person from my past who I'd most like to see again is Anthony Peralta, because he knew how to create fun out of nothing but thin air..
I love the Indy Colts, NY Yankees, Philly Sixers, and the Lobos, any sport. I also like to play Call of Duty game on the computer.
I've learned that the world is always new, no matter how old, and that every day is one I'll never see again, so I better take advantage of it.
I'd love to see my English teacher, Patricia Robison, because she was one of the first to believe in me, and to make me feel good about myself.
My best friend would tell you I'm damned funny, but people who don't know me very well would probably describe me as taciturn.
My first job was at the News Bulletin, where I got paid $85 a week to write news stories. What I remember most about it is Carter Waid, my editor. He was a sprite of a man with a twinkle in his eye and a good word for good work. .
At 11, I got a bike at Christmas. It was inside an empty box with a note telling me where to find my new two-wheeled pony.
I always wanted to be a great Chicano novelist when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a good idea. As it turns out, they were wrong. Writing well is a form of torture. No matter how well you think you have a story down, there's always a way to make it sing even better. The problem is that you could spend every waking hour revising, revising, revising. For a guy who is sleep deprived anyway writing poetry and short stories, it doesn't seem a sane thing to try to write novels too, well, at least not at this point. When I retire from the paper, which I foresee in within the next three months, I'll try to crank one out then.
Register for Free to view all details!
Reunions
Photos
