Pete Domenici: “I honor a long-time member of my staff, Joe Trujillo. I usually call him Joseph, but my staff and most of those from my…”

“I honor a long-time member of my staff, Joe Trujillo. I usually call him Joseph, but my staff and most of those from my home State of New Mexico refer to him as 'Joe T.' I do not want misunderstanding--he is not retiring, because his work is not done. However, Joseph Trujillo has served as a member of my staff, in one capacity or another, for 25 years. His always positive outlook is remarkable, and his smile is contagious. His jovial attitude and eagerness to deal with challenges is admirable. His keen understanding of people is tied to his own rich personality, and it is Joe's rich personality that I, and those from my home State, have come to know and love the most. Joe is a New Mexico native. He grew up in Los Alamos, and graduated from Los Alamos High School in 1964. He was the first New Mexico Hispanic to be awarded the Phi Beta Kappa key at the University of New Mexico. After graduating from UNM in 1968, he worked on a collaborative project to help Albuquerque's inner city poor. We first met in 1969, while I was chairman of the Albuquerque City Commission. Joe later became a City of Albuquerque employee. In 1976, he began working for Albuquerque mayor, Harry McKinney, as the city's federal grants coordinator. Mayor McKinney dispatched him to work out of my office here in Washington, and after awhile I convinced him to become a member of my staff. Right after coming to work for me in 1979, he became the member of my staff who dealt with Indian affairs.”