Artist Jeff Segler with his painting of “The Boys of the Pajarito Plateau’. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

BY IRENE POWELL
Concerned Citizens for the Segler Painting
Los Alamos

Several concerned community members attended the Art in Public Places Advisory Board (APPAB) meeting Thursday night to support the County’s acquisition of The Boys of the Pajarito Plateau, a painting by renowned artist Jeff Segler depicting three young men on horseback during the Los Alamos Ranch School (LARSO) era.

Mr. Segler, formerly of Los Alamos, was also in attendance. Six of us spoke during public comment urging the APPAB to vote to advise the County Council to purchase the painting.

After a great deal of discussion, a member of the APPAB made a motion to advise the County Council to purchase the painting. The motion was eventually withdrawn and tabled until the next meeting, scheduled for July 25.

The Thursday, July 25 meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Room 110 at the Municipal Building. This room is downstairs, across from the County Council Chambers, and easily accessible.

Again, I encourage our citizens to email the County Council (countycouncil@lacnm.us) and the APPAB (appa@lacnm.us) to urge them to approve the purchase of this painting that depicts a vital and fundamental part of our history.

To clarify details, the painting measures only 24”x30” and could be displayed over the fireplace in the Curtis Room of Fuller Lodge (the westside room off the kitchen with lots of windows).

I went into the History Museum Sunday and noticed a poster with 278 names of the Ranch School boys who went on to serve our country in World War II. The Ranch School was established here on Pajarito Plateau 25 years before the world-changing letter, also displayed beside this poster, that declared the Ranch School would be taken over for use in the war effort.

Let’s honor our Ranch School history and bring this painting home.

Thank you!