Wright: Three whose contributions should not be forgotten

I never met Jim Gates, having spoken with him on the phone just once.

I neither met nor spoke with Sissy Kelly or Larry Demaree.

Even so, their recent deaths stirred a sense of loss when I read their obituary notices.

They’re not New Mexico Sports Hall of Famers or even NMSHOF nominees, though clearly worthy of that status. The sports headlines they made came decades ago, and rarely found their way to the top of page one. They weren’t Olympians or world record holders or Lobo legends.

Yet, what they accomplished, what they contributed, should go neither unmentioned nor unappreciated.

And so:

Jim Gates (1945-2024)My one conversation with Gates occurred when he called to inform the Journal of the death of Terry Stone, Gates’ Highland High School football teammate and the star quarterback of the unbeaten, untied Hornets powerhouse of 1963.

Gates spoke emotionally of Stone, who died in 2021, while identifying himself only as an HHS teammate.

Given that I grew up in Albuquerque, had watched and read about those 1963 Hornets and have worked at the Journal since 1977, did I recognize Gates’ name? Should I have?

No I did not, and yes I should have.

Here’s why.

In the fall of ‘63, Jim Gates was far more than just Terry Stone’s teammate. He was a two-way Highland star whose 60-yard touchdown interception return helped the Hornets secure their signature victory — a 22-15 win over west Texas powerhouse Plainview High School.

He had six tackles and a fumble recovery as the Hornets beat Las Cruces, 20-0, in the big-school state title game.

Gates was born in Cleveland, but he was Albuquerque through and through. He played for coach Jimmy Juarez at Wilson Junior High. At Highland, he played football for Bill Gentry (Gates was an all-state selection as a senior), basketball for Mickey Miller, threw the javelin for Henry Sanchez — all three NMSHOF inductees.

After playing football at New Mexico State, Gates went into coaching and administration at APS. He coached at Hayes Junior High, then assisted Gentry at Highland and Willie Goldsmith at Valley. At VHS, he served as athletic director, director of the physical education department and was the Vikings’ head wrestling coach for 11 years.

Gates, according to his obituary notice, “Was always up for a good time. He loved his friends and and was always ready to help them anywhere, at any time with anything.”

Marty Watts, CEO of Albuquerque’s ProView Networks, had known Gates since the 1970s.

“He was one of the great ones,” Watts said. “Everybody loved him.”

Gates died on Sept. 27 at age 79.

Sissy Kelly (1942-2024)Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, reared in Memphis, Kelly grew up loving sports. But because team sports for girls weren’t readily available, she focused on tennis.

She came to Albuquerque when her physicist husband, Jake Kelly, took a job at Sandia Corporation. She quickly became a dominant figure in the Albuquerque tennis community, winning state, local and regional amateur titles while competing against contemporaries like New Mexico Sports Hall of Famers Linda Estes and Nancy Neeld and up-and-comers like Sue Jollensten and Kathrin Keil.

Far more than merely a tennis player, Kelly was a teacher, a coach, an entrepreneur and a competitive skier.

“If I had my way I’d play tennis or ski every day of the week,” Kelly told the Journal’s Barbara Armijo in 1989.

Kelly served as a tennis pro at Tanoan, was the owner of Showdown Swim and Tennis Club, and finished her career at Highpoint Sports & Wellness.

She and her husband hiked and climbed mountains all over the world.

She died on Aug. 25 at age 82.

A memorial service for Kelly is scheduled for 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Pavilion at El Pinto.

Larry Demaree (1943-2024)Demaree was practically born in a race car.

His father, Al, was a race car driver. His mother, Rowena, at one time was the owner of Albuquerque’s Speedway Park.

“I don’t remember a time I wasn’t at the track,” Demaree told the Journal in 1973.

Through the 1970s and into the ‘80s, Demaree, racing at the Speedway against the likes of Shawkeet Hindi, Butch Capo, Duane and Buddy Taylor (father and son), cousins Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Unser Jr., took a back seat to no one. He ran and won at tracks in El Paso, Phoenix and Los Angeles as well.

In 1979, future New Mexico Sports Hall of Famer Little Al Unser tabbed Demaree as the favorite to win the season title, something he’d done before.

“Don’t forget,” another competitor said of Demaree. “That sucker can drive.”

Demaree died on Aug. 27 at age 81.

A celebration of life for Demaree is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Southwest Escrow, 10,600 Menaul NE.