Azada Beatty Henry Plans for the Future
Azada Beatty Henry '45 has an enduring love for New Mexico State University. Although her last visit to the campus was in 2003, she always enjoyed walking around and seeing buildings named for faculty members she knew as a student.
Azada grew up in Las Cruces. She attended Las Cruces High School and then New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts where she majored in English. One of her favorite professors was Rufus Breland. "He was a wonderful teacher, but you had to earn your grades," she remembers.
Azada's high school typing class opened the door to several interesting jobs during her college years. She worked as a secretary for the head of the English Department and, one year, while standing in line at Hadley Hall to pay her fees, a man approached looking for someone who could type and wanted a job. That man, Harold Elmandorf, was the director of the Extension Office, where she then worked for two years. His wife, whom the students called "Aunt Sara," was a sponsor for Chi Omega sorority to which Azada belonged.
A life member of the Alumni Association, Azada created the center block of the alumni centennial quilt that memorializes the gold dome of the old Hadley Hall. It is the only quilt block she has ever made she admits.
Her husband's work as an engineer brought them to Austin, Texas, where she has lived for 42 years. In 1999, she created her first charitable gift annuity with NMSU, making her a member of the 1888 Society. "You have to love something to want to give money to support it," Azada says. The three gift annuities she now owns are a testimony to that love.
There was a practical aspect to this investment as well. Admittedly frugal, Azada saw gift annuities as a way to lower her taxable income.
She is always writing, reading and looking for words of inspiration to share with others. One of her favorites is: "Live well, laugh often and love much."