By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
Martin Link passed away on Dec. 5 around 7 pm. He was 90 years old.
He was known as the local historian, always sharing facts about Gallup’s history, the Civil War, and Indigenous history, among other topics.
John Taylor considered himself a friend of Link’s. They met in 1981, when Link was on the Gallup Centennial Committee. He was working to get a celebration of the town’s 100th anniversary put together, and he asked Taylor’s shooting party the Red Rock Muzzleloaders to participate in the celebration’s parade.
Later, the two men would teach at the University of New Mexico-Gallup together. Two of the classes they taught focused on the Civil War — “Civil War in the Southwest” and “Civil War Reconnaissance.” They often took students on field trips around New Mexico to check out battle sites and other locations that played significant parts in the war.
“He was a very good friend,” Taylor said. “He had a sense of humor. As a historian, he wanted to tell what happened as factually as possible and from many different viewpoints.”
COMING TO GALLUP
Link was born and raised in Wisconsin and moved to Gallup sometime in the late ‘60s after he served in a non-combat role in the U.S. Army.
In Gallup, he founded many organizations that served the community, such as the Gallup Historical Society and the Plateau Science Society. The Plateau Science Society often went on many field trips that Link facilitated. All the field trips focused on different aspects of science.
Susan Warren was a member of the Plateau Science Society. She said she often enjoyed the field trips Link planned, and she eventually took a couple classes from him at UNM-Gallup.
“I didn’t want to miss anything that came out of his mouth because it was always something that was real pertinent to this area and educational and probably something I had never heard before,” she said of Link.
Link truly believed in furthering others’ education. He was a large supporter of the Navajo Nation Museum and promoting Indigenous culture, even though he himself was not Native.
He was a very successful author, writing six books, all of them about the Southwest region. New Mexico Kicks on Route 66 was his latest book, published in 2016.
The 91-page coffee table-style book introduces some facts about New Mexico before taking readers on a seven-chapter road trip down 66, complete with suggestions for side trips, such as to Chaco Canyon, Zuni Pueblo, and El Morro National Monument.
GIVING TO THE COMMUNITY
When he wasn’t supporting education in Gallup, Link was hosting parties at his home.
As the Christmas holiday nears, Taylor remembers Link’s Twelfth Night parties fondly.
At some point in his life, Link attended a Twelfth Night party at the Yosemite Lodge at Yosemite National Park in California. A Twelfth Night party celebrates the end of the Christmas season. It is traditionally celebrated on Jan. 6, aka the Twelfth Night of Christmas.
Taylor said Link’s Twelfth Night parties always served as the perfect way to wrap up the Christmas season.
Link often opened up his home to anyone in need.
When Richard Reyes, UNM-Gallup’s Senior Public Relations Specialist first moved to Gallup in 2010 after accepting a job at a local newspaper, Link offered him what he thought was a room in his home.
He arrived at this stranger’s house only to find that the “room” was more like a hallway. Two other men were currently staying with Link as well, and they lived in the two guestrooms.
Reyes only stayed in Link’s home for a week before finding a home of his own, but he said he remembers that week and the meals he shared with Link fondly.
UNM-Gallup released a formal statement commemorating Link. He was an adjunct professor at the university from September 2002 to December 2011:
“The UNM-Gallup community is saddened to hear the news of Martin Link’s death,” the statement reads. “Condolences go out to his family and loved ones. Through his work as a temporary part-time instructor at UNM-Gallup, Link touched the lives of many students by sharing his knowledge of Gallup’s history and other subjects.”
A memorial service for Link will be held in January.
